California’s Regulations Might Steer Self-Driving Innovations to Other States

Published

1 year ago

June 2, 2024

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While christening a new UCLA technology and research center in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom let loose with some fairly typical rhetoricabout California’s leading-edge role in tech development: “California is the epicenter of global innovationfrom the creation of the internet to the dominance of artificial intelligence, humanity’s future happens here first.”

Yet for the so-called epicenter of innovation, our state certainly doesn’t give innovators a lot of room to experiment with new ideas. California lawmakers and regulators are so intent on limiting and controlling any promising new development that we’ve instead become the poster child for Ronald Reagan’s famousquotation: “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

Maybe Newsom and the Democratic Legislature haven’t noticed, but California has been facing atech exodus, as many prominent firms leave for states that give them more elbow room to create the next wave of promising innovations. Given the state’s dependence on capital gains revenue, it’s one reason we’re now facing a $45-billion or more budget deficit.

On the good news front, Crunchbase reports that the San Francisco Bay Area may be experiencing a tech resurgence based around artificial intelligence systems, with the region receiving “more than 50 percent of all global venture funding for AI-related startups.” But will the state kill that boom before it takes off? Based on the latest actions of the legislature, the answer is “probably.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee recently gave the go-ahead toSenate Bill 915, which would “prioritize local control in the decision to deploy autonomous vehicle services.” In addition to gaining all the many state approvals, robo-taxi firms would also have to deal with exploding local regulations.

The legislation has beenamendedto apply to the 15 largest cities and it would forbid localities from banning self-driving cars, but that doesn’t ameliorate my concern. This technology is rolling out mainly in big cities anyway. It’s easy to kill a technology without outright banning it by, say, forcing these companies to face dramatically different driving rules in every different city where they go.

Like all cutting-edge innovations, self-driving cars strike many of us as an ominous and dangerous development. But most new cars already have various self-driving features (lane assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring). And computers are almost certainly better drivers than people. Nearly 43,000 Americans die in car crashes each year, almost all of them at the hands of human drivers. Widespread A.V. use could save thousands of lives, per researchfrom RAND.

AVs offer fabulousbenefits for disabled people, the elderly, and others who cannot or choose not to drive. Yet federal, state, and local officials are worried about a few minor and inevitable problems that have popped up as this technology experiences growing painse.g., minor accidents and concerns about traffic violations (as if ordinary drivers don’t also sometimes violate traffic laws).

One advocate for S.B. 915 expressed concern about robo-taxis getting stuck at a tricky turnas if that’s a good excuse to add a pointless mish-mash of local regulations to the mix. Ironically, AV development is one area where state regulators have taken an admirably low-key approach. In March, the California Public Utilities Commission gaveWaymo, the Alphabet company’s driverless-car division, the ability to expand operations in the Bay Area and Los Angeles region and even drive on freeways up to 65 mph. But even when the state takes a sensible approach, the locals want to step in to gum up the works.

And SB 915 isn’t the only example of the California Legislature’s kneejerk hostility to innovation. Many states are trying to regulate artificial intelligence technology, but California’s Senate Bill 1047, which passed out of the Senate and has moved to the Assembly, is easily the most far-reachingexample. The bill would create a new state regulatory division to regulate A.I. We all know how effective the state’s bureaucrats are at handling complex mattersas well as the impact of lawsuit-promoting statutes.

Basically, the measure forces A.I. developers to mitigate every conceivable harm from their technology by engaging “in speculative fiction about imagined threats of machines run amok, computer models spun out of control, and other nightmare scenarios for which there is no basis in reality,” opined an opposition letterfrom the pro-tech Chamber of Progress. The group rightly fears that the measure undermines California’s leading-edge role in the tech sector.

Last week, Iwrote about the legislature’s effort to limit A.I. technology in a simple, real-world applicationself-checkout lanes. Under the guise of helping stores battle retail theft, Senate Bill 1446 is a union concoction designed to limit the use of this technology to protect union grocery jobs.

So, yes, California has been the epicenter of global innovation, but it’s apparently not going to continue being so for long. Let’s hope Newsom heeds his own words and gets out the veto pen.

This column was first published in The Orange County Register.

Environment

Next Generation Kenworth electric semi truck now available with Bendix ADAS

Published

3 hours ago

June 15, 2025

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Next Generation Kenworth electric semi truck now available with Bendix ADAS

Bendix ADAS now available on Kenworth T680

Kenworth has announced the addition of Bendix’ Fusion advanced driver assist system (ADAS) to its line of options on the T680 line of Class 8 commercial semi trucks – a lineup that includes the Next Generation T680E battery electric semi truck.

One of the many new trucks revealed at the 2025 ACT Expo in Anaheim, California earlier this year, the Next Generation Kenworth T680E featured the latest advancements in battery-electric technology, an enhanced exterior design, and a suite of new, in-cab technology that extends to the addition of three Bendix Fusion version: ADAS, ADAS PRO, and ADAS PREMIER.

All three of the announced ADAS packages offer updated Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with ACC Stop and Auto Go™, a new Pedestrian Autonomous Emergency Braking (PAEB) feature, and a new High Beam Assist feature to reduce the likelihood of blinding oncoming drivers supported by the addition of a new forward-looking camera.

Those updates are in addition to the ADAS units Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Multi-Lane Autonomous Emergency Braking, Highway Departure Braking (HDB), and Stationary Vehicle Braking (SVB), Lane Departure Warning, and Bendix® Blindspotter® Side Object Detection already available on previous versions of the ADAS-equipped Kenworth.

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Kenworth migital mirrors

Kenworth DigitalVision Mirrors; via Bendix.

Now that we’ve got that acronym-loaded word-salad out of the way, we can get to the point: the newest generation of electric trucks is easier and safer to drive – and not just safer for the truck’s operators, but for the people who share the roads with them, too.

Kenworth T680E electric semi

Next Generation T680E; via PACCAR Kenworth.

The Next-Generation T680E is available with up to 605 peak hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque from a PACCAR Integrated ePowertrain fed from a 500 kWh li-ion battery pack good for more than 200 miles of loaded range. The updated Class 8 BEV is rated up to 82,000 lb. gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR), and can get that load back up to speed quickly with a 350 kW peak charge rate that means the T680E can charge up to 90% in just two hours.

That system isn’t just more efficient than the first generation truck, it’s also more serviceable than it was before.

“This move to a fully integrated and ground-up PACCAR design means we were able to design for enhanced serviceability,” explains Joe Adams, Kenworth’s chief engineer. “Providing easier access to the Master Service Disconnects for improved safety and increased uptime and allowing the use of the DAVIE service tool for troubleshooting and diagnostics.”

The Next Generation Kenworth T680E electric semi truck is designed for short and regional-haul, LTL, and drayage operations. It’s available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck in a 6×4 axle configuration.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Kenworth; via Kenworth.

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World

Iran’s response to Israeli strikes a ‘matter of principle’, ambassador to UK says

Published

5 hours ago

June 15, 2025

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Iran's response to Israeli strikes a 'matter of principle', ambassador to UK says

Iran’s response to Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities is “self-defence” and a “matter of principle”, the Iranian ambassador to the UK has told Sky News.

Speaking exclusively to The World With Yalda Hakim, Seyed Ali Mousavi said the “barbaric Israeli regime” is “violating international law” – describing Israel’s actions in recent days as “an act of aggression against the Iranian people”.

The conflict between Israel and Iran – once played out in a series of proxy wars – has escalated in the past three days.

Follow Israel-Iran conflict live

On Friday morning, explosions hit Tehran as Israel carried out a major attack on its top army leaders, nuclear sites, and nuclear scientists.

Iran threatened “severe punishment” and quickly retaliated with a wave of missiles.

When questioned about whether Iran could continue fighting Israel, the Iranian ambassador told Yalda Hakim that “it is a matter of principle”.

He said: “This is about self-defence, there is no doubt about it.

“We are a responsible member state of the UN and we do all activities according to our international obligations.

“Any activities are only in the framework of self-defence.”

He added that his country would “do our best to preserve our territorial integrity”, and that “with the help of God”, Iran will “materialise endeavours concretely against our enemy – the Israeli regime”.

Mr Mousavi also told Hakim that Iran’s nuclear activities are “monitored”, and that recent comments by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were “politically motivated”.

The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors found Iran was not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years.

Iran said it has “always adhered” to the safeguarding obligations laid down by the watchdog.

Announcing Operation Rising Lion on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Iran had recently taken steps to weaponise enriched uranium, which could be used to make nuclear weapons.

But Mr Mousavi stressed that Iran’s “peaceful activities” at its “nuclear fields” were only for the “generation of electricity, and other peaceful” things.

Iran was due to continue its round of negotiations with the US in Muscat – however, this was cancelled, given recent tensions.

Entertainment

Liam Gallagher hits out at Edinburgh council after Oasis fans branded ‘rowdy’

Published

6 hours ago

June 15, 2025

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Liam Gallagher hits out at Edinburgh council after Oasis fans branded 'rowdy'

Liam Gallagher has criticised a Scottish council for suggesting Oasis fans were “drunk, middle-aged and fat”.

The remarks were revealed following a freedom of information request that was sent to Edinburgh council – ahead of the band’s three sold-out shows in Scotland this August.

The documents expressed concerns that the Oasis Live ’25 tour would clash with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the world’s largest performance arts festival.

One note warned that there would be a “substantial amount of older fans”, and that because “middle-aged men take up more room”, age and size should be considered in crowd control planning.

Another note suggested “medium to high intoxication” should be expected at the concert.

An additional remark said there was some “concern about crowds of Oasis on weekends as they are already rowdy, and the tone of the band”.

It also expressed concern for the “safety” at the Edinburgh Fringe – including for its performers.

“Many performers are considering not attending for that weekend,” one note read.

Liam Gallagher was not impressed – and left the following message for the council on his social media.

“To the Edinburgh council I’ve heard what you said about Oasis fans and quite frankly your attitude f****** stinks I’d leave town that day if I was any of you lot.”

In a second post, he said: “I’d love to see a picture of all the people on the Edinburgh council bet there’s some real stunning individuals.”

David Walker, from the Oasis Collectors Group, has described the comments as “a nasty, sneering stereotype”.

“It’s a jaundiced view,” he added.

Local councillor Margaret Graham said that it is usual practice for the council to “prepare extensively” for major city events.

The culture and communities convener also said: “We’re very proud to host the biggest and best events in Edinburgh throughout the year, which bring in hundreds of millions of pounds to the local economy and provide unparalleled entertainment for our residents and visitors.

“As with any major event which takes place in the city, we prepare extensively alongside our partners to ensure the safety and best possible experience of everyone involved – and Oasis are no different.”

Around 210,000 fans are expected to attend the three Edinburgh gigs.

Oasis made their comeback announcement in August last year – ahead of the 30th anniversary of their debut album Definitely Maybe, released on 29 August 1994.

Liam and Noel Gallagher’s return also marks 15 years since the last time the brothers performed together before their infamous fallout – which was prompted by a backstage brawl before a Paris festival in August 2009.

Liam damaged one of his elder brother’s guitars, causing Noel to dramatically quit – ending the partnership that had propelled them to fame and fortune.

“It is with some sadness and great relief… I quit Oasis tonight,” Noel later said in a statement. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”

The feud continued over the years, with the pair exchanging insults publicly – Liam on social media, Noel more when asked about his brother in interviews – but reportedly never speaking in person.

When his documentary As It Was was released in 2019, Liam told Sky News he had wanted to “break [Noel’s] jaw” after he apparently refused permission for Oasis music to be featured in the film.

But after 15 years, they have now made amends – giving thousands of Oasis fans the chance to see them play live once again.

Their top hits include Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger, Stand By Me, Lyla and The Importance of Being Idle.