Autonomous

WASHINGTON — The small role Congress currently plays in policy for autonomous vehicle technology could eventually slow, or impede, progress for states and firms testing such systems, a key House transportation authorizer warned on Sept. 5.

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah driver who slammed her Tesla into a stopped firetruck at a red light earlier this year while using the vehicle’s semi-autonomous function has sued the company, saying salespeople told her the car would stop on its own in Autopilot mode if something were in its path.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announced the next generation of both its Wingman Fusion advanced driver assistance system and its BlindSpotter side object detection system.

Google’s Waymo, Uber and carmakers GM and Mercedes-Benz are among the companies working to put driverless vehicles in showrooms. That competition also should help lower prices that can reach $75,000 apiece for the sensors that scan a car’s surrounding environment so it knows how to drive itself.

Daimler AG is equipping its flagship Mercedes-Benz truck with technology that can take the wheel in situations ranging from stop-and-go city driving to highway cruising.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is adding more muscle to its self-driving vehicle testing efforts. The company will spend more than $30 million at a new testing and development facility at its Chelsea Proving Grounds west of Detroit.

Tesla has let more than a few investors down of late, and one part of the company hasn’t quite lived up to expectations at Morgan Stanley either.

Tesla Inc.’s lead in battery technology gives it a cost advantage that may last for several years and help the U.S. electric-car maker face down an onslaught of new competition, according to new research from Bloomberg.

In Tokyo, self-driving taxis that transport passengers for a fee are being trialed. A serious shortage of taxi drivers lies behind the move, but the development of laws and regulations to deal with accidents and other issues still is lacking.

Toyota Motor Corp. is expanding an alliance with Uber Technologies Inc. through a new investment and a plan to get self-driving cars on the road, a person familiar with the matter said.