Technology

A second federal safety agency has opened an investigation of an accident in which a Tesla car on “Autopilot” rammed into a parked fire truck.

ATLANTA — In an era when technology is transforming many industries, companies must foster innovation to keep up with the pace of change, entrepreneur Terry Jones said in a speech to transportation leaders.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Jan. 23 created the commission through an executive order and appointed his former chief of staff, Steve Kadish, as the chairman.

General Motors is in a race to be the first company to mass produce self-driving cars, but a recent crash with a San Francisco motorcyclist has illustrated the tricky challenge of assigning blame when an autonomous vehicle gets in an accident.

WASHINGTON — Key Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee, including the panel’s chairman, expressed concern over the absence of trucking policy provisions in legislation on autonomous vehicles awaiting a vote in the Senate.

U.S. drivers are still cautious — but they’re getting used to the idea of self-driving cars.

Two entrepreneurs are introducing an autonomous vehicle and electric cargo bike designed to reduce the costs arising from the last-mile delivery and returns of e-commerce merchandise in urban areas.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage took a step Jan. 17 toward regulating a rapidly emerging automotive technology that in the not-too-distant future could find self-driving cars, trucks and buses operating on Maine roads.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is gathering information about an accident involving a Tesla Inc. Model S sedan that rear-ended a firetruck on a freeway near Los Angeles on Jan. 22, the agency said.

Volvo Trucks North America views urban distribution and other pickup and delivery applications as the starting point for battery-powered electric trucks in North America, but Europe is the first market where its parent company will enter the segment.