The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a consent order with Ford Motor Company for failing to comply with federal recall requirements. The consent order includes a civil penalty of $165 million, the second-largest civil penalty in NHTSA’s history. This action follows an investigation that found the company failed to... Read more →

Volvo Trucks is introducing two safety systems focusing on protecting pedestrians and cyclists. Volvo Trucks continuously develops its active safety systems to protect vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians, all with the purpose of taking steps towards the company’s long-term vision of zero accidents involving Volvo trucks. The... Read more →

Toyota Motor and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) have a{agreed} to a joint initiative in the field of mobility and AI/telecommunications with the aim of realizing a society with zero traffic accidents. In order to achieve a society with zero traffic accidents, the partners said, it is necessary to take... Read more →

Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced new collision avoidance alerts that can provide advance warning to Volkswagen drivers of oncoming roadside hazards and notify certain oncoming vehicles that a Volkswagen vehicle is disabled. Starting later this fall, this feature will be included with VW Car-Net Safe & Secure subscriptions at no... Read more →

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) announced a conditional commitment for a direct loan of up to $670.6 million to Aspen Aerogels Georgia, LLC (Aspen Aerogels). The loan, if finalized, will help finance the construction of an aerogel blanket manufacturing facility in Register, Georgia. Aspen’s PyroThin aerogel... Read more →

The Center for Hydrogen Safety (CHS) announced that the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an agency within the US Department of Transportation, has joined CHS as a strategic partner. PHMSA is the second federal agency to join CHS, following the US Department of Energy (DOE). Having both... Read more →

24M recently released new testing results for its transformative battery separator—Impervio—that addresses the growing concern of battery safety for electric vehicles (EV), energy storage systems (ESS) and consumer applications (earlier post). The new data coincides with mounting concerns after recent battery fires in the United States and internationally. Impervio, announced... Read more →

LG Chem announced that its Platform Technology R&D team has developed a temperature-responsive Safety Reinforced Layer (SRL), a material designed to suppress thermal runaway. In collaboration with Professor Lee Minah’s team from the Department of Battery Engineering at POSTECH, the material was analyzed, while safety verification was conducted in partnership... Read more →

Drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) are more likely to be involved in at-fault road traffic accidents than drivers of gasoline and diesel cars, according to a study by researchers at Lero, the Research Ireland Center for Software, and University of Limerick. In an open-access paper in the journal Accident Analysis... Read more →

FCA US LLC is recalling an estimated 154,032 US-market plug-in hybrid SUVs to resolve a potential fire risk. Additional vehicles are affected in Canada (est. 14,038), Mexico (est. 673) and certain markets outside North America (est. 25,502). A routine company review of customer data led to an internal investigation that... Read more →

24M unveiled new testing data for Impervio, its battery separator that addresses the growing concern of battery safety for electric vehicles (EV), energy storage systems (ESS) and consumer applications. The new data coincides with mounting concerns after recent battery fires in the United States and internationally. Impervio, announced in January... Read more →

KULR Technology Group, a developer of safe and high-performance energy storage solutions, has been selected for a battery pack reference design project by Amprius Technologies, a developer of next-generation lithium-ion batteries with its Silicon Anode Platform. The final reference design will provide Amprius’ customers with a solution to address thermal... Read more →

SES AI Corporation, a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance Li-Metal batteries, announced a major step in its commercialization of this next-generation battery technology. The company’s 100 Ah Li-Metal cells for automotive applications are the first in the industry to pass safety tests required by China’s GB38031-2020... Read more →

A two-stage side airbag from ZF LIFETEC uses the milliseconds before an unavoidable crash to build up valuable distance and better protect the occupants. The Pre-Crash Dual Stage Side Airbag (Dual Stage SAB) triggers its first stage around 200 milliseconds before the collision and pushes the occupants a few centimeters... Read more →

New ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) show that large SUVs are not as safe as one might assume, given their imposing sizes. The Jeep Wagoneer is the only model out of three popular large SUVs tested to qualify for a 2024 TOP SAFETY PICK award. Other... Read more →

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has partnered with Michelin Mobility Intelligence (MMI) to provide $300,000 in competitive grants to three states for advanced traffic safety data collection and analysis. Ten states submitted creative ideas on how they would put Michelin data—which is drawn from anonymous data from more than... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finalized a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that will make automatic emergency braking (AEB), including pedestrian AEB, standard on all passenger cars and light trucks by September 2029. NHTSA projects that this new standard, FMVSS No. 127, will... Read more →

NHTSA has commissioned five research projects with the aim of advancing the safe deployment of vehicle crash avoidance technologies, including ADAS and automated driving systems—in particular those that respond to specific crash imminent situations. Test consultancy DRI has been awarded more than $5 million to conduct the research. The five... Read more →

Volvo Cars has introduced Accident Ahead Alert, a new connected safety feature. For the first time, cars can alert drivers of accidents ahead directly using real-time data from a traffic management center. It will be available in compatible Volvo cars in Europe, starting from Denmark. With the aim to help... Read more →

SiAT, a manufacturer of advanced nanomaterials for batteries in Taiwan, is collaborating with Taiwan petrochemical company CPDC to launch its second-generation lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) paste, a product designed to significantly elevate the safety standards of batteries across the industry. The new LMFP paste incorporates a proprietary blend that... Read more →

In research sponsored by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln recently conducted a first-of-its-kind crash test of an EV pickup truck to understand better whether currently used guardrails and US military protection measures against hostile vehicles are... Read more →

24M unveiled a new battery separator—24M Impervio—that enables safety advancements for lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries that will facilitate the prevention of catastrophic fires and massive recalls caused by metallic dendrites (i.e. dendrites from metal contamination introduced during the production process), electrode misalignments or lithium dendrites. 24M Impervio achieves these results... Read more →

Front crash prevention systems aren’t as good at preventing crashes with large trucks and motorcycles as they are crashes with cars, two new studies from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show. Most front crash prevention systems include forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking (AEB). Forward collision warning alerts... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have developed a new snow chain-integrated tire technology to make it easier to stay safe in winter driving conditions. Snow chain-integrated tire technology uses shape memory alloy modules that are located inside the wheel and tire. These modules protrude to act as a ‘snow... Read more →

The latest generation of the Volkswagen exit warning system helps to avoid dangerous situations when exiting the vehicle in inner-city traffic. The assist system can warn the driver and passengers about road users approaching the parked Volkswagen from behind. For example, within system limits, the system can detect cyclists, who... Read more →

Stellantis is recalling an estimated 32,125 US-market plug-in hybrid SUVs to resolve a potential fire risk. A routine review of customer data led to an internal investigation that discovered eight vehicle fires. All were parked and turned off, while six were connected to chargers. Stellantis is unaware of any related... Read more →

Seoul Robotics , a 3D perception solutions company building a platform that uses deep learning AI, is partnering with ALP.Lab, an Austria-based test laboratory for automated driving systems, to provide 3D perception traffic safety systems for the DACH region (Germany (D), Austria (A), and Switzerland (CH)) and Central Europe. The... Read more →

LG Chem and LX Hausys have developed a material delaying battery thermal runaway which can withstand a flame at 1,500 ˚C for more than 20 minutes. The Special Flame Retardant Continuous Fiber Thermoplastic (Special Flame Retardant CFT) can withstand strong flames and high pressure for more than 14 times longer... Read more →

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) notified Cruise that the department is suspending Cruise’s autonomous vehicle deployment and driverless testing permits, effective immediately. The DMV has provided Cruise with the steps needed to apply to reinstate its suspended permits, which the DMV will not approve until the company has... Read more →

Nineteen leading innovators in the automotive, bicycle and technology sectors have launched the Coalition for Cyclist Safety to work towards advancing and deploying connected transportation solutions to help reduce the risks facing cyclists and e-bike riders on North American roads. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, bicycles constitute... Read more →

Hyundai Motor North America (HMNA) and Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc., (HATCI) opened their $51.4-million Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory (STIL) at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Superior Township, Mich. The STIL is supported by 160 employees and is planned to be operational by mid-October. The new safety facility is... Read more →

Audi of America and Navistar are demonstrating the role direct communication via Cellular Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) technology can play to provide potentially life-saving safety technology for the 26 million children riding school buses every day in the United States. C-V2X technology offers the potential to unlock the next substantial... Read more →

Regular maintenance of hydrogen high-pressure storage systems is mandatory to prevent hazardous situations from occurring. However, the tank inspection that is currently required every two years consists merely of an external visual inspection. Damage inside the tank cannot be detected using this conventional inspection method. In the joint research project... Read more →

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has published The Hydrogen Safety Review for Gas Turbines, SOFC, and High Temperature Hydrogen Production to review and summarize the unique safety challenges involved with the production, transportation and storage of hydrogen. The Review is part of NETL’s Hydrogen Safety Field Work Proposal to... Read more →

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed thermal barriers that help to slow down thermal runaway in Li-ion batteries by increasing resistance to propagation. The new 3D thermal barriers can be used at various positions within the battery and have already proven reliable in their initial series productions, according to the company.... Read more →

ACCURE Battery Intelligence, a developer of predictive analytics software to ensure battery safety, performance and extended life for energy storage, electric vehicles, and other applications, secured a €7.2-million ($7.8-million) investment. The round was led by Blue Bear Capital and HSBC Asset Management, and included Riverstone Holdings and Capnamic Ventures. The... Read more →

Nikola provided the preliminary results of third-party and internal investigations into a previously reported battery pack thermal event in its Class 8 Tre battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). As a precautionary measure, the company announced a voluntary recall of approximately 209 Class 8 Tre battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). Nikola is currently in the... Read more →

Israel-based ParaZero Technologies Ltd., an aerospace company focused on drone safety systems for commercial drones and urban air mobility aircraft, has received a second order for its custom safety system for drones by one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers. The repeat order follows an agreement previously signed with the... Read more →

Vehicle occupant protection starts with the occupants in the correct seating position with a properly fitting seat belt. Using the vehicle’s sensors, ZF’s new, networked seat belt can actively shift occupants into a more optimal seating position prior to a potential collision. If the system is alerted to a potentially... Read more →

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) today announced plans to launch three new projects as part of its next phase of research, dedicated to advancing safety in mobility technologies. The research projects include an investigation on driver support features for vehicle lane centering; the creation of an in-vehicle intervention prototype... Read more →

TTTech Auto, a leader in automotive safety software, and ZettaScale Technology, a developer of communication technologies and protocols, have launched Zetta Auto. Zetta Auto is a data-centric communication solution focusing on safe, performant, and predictable Serviced-Oriented Architecture (SOA) communication. Extending the scope of the collaboration, Zetta Auto is also paving... Read more →

General Motors has acquired substantially all the assets of Israel-based battery software startup ALGOLiON Ltd. for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition was led by the newly formed Technology Acceleration and Commercialization (TAC) organization, a group within GM that works to identify emerging technology that can support GM’s leadership position in... Read more →

A joint study into ammonia safety onboard ships undertaken by the Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonization Hub and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) has found that a range of mitigation methods, from ship design to crew training and operations, are required to keep toxicity risks... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would require heavy vehicles to have automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that will mitigate the frequency and severity of rear-end crashes. An AEB system... Read more →

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its first projections for traffic fatalities in 2023, estimating that 9,330 people died in traffic crashes in the first three months of the year. This represents a decrease of about 3.3% as compared to 9,645 estimated fatalities during the same time in... Read more →

Drivers struck and killed at least 7,508 people walking in the United States in 2022—the most pedestrian deaths since 1981—according to a new report released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The report also includes an analysis of 2021 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)... Read more →

Peachtree Corners—one of the US’ first smart cities powered by real-world connected infrastructure—and Audi of America Inc. are collaborating to advance cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) practical deployment pathways as part of the city’s Curiosity Lab ecosystem. Both Audi and Peachtree Corners see this as an opportune time to further deployment of... Read more →

Volvo Group is the first truck manufacturer to launch an Augmented Reality (AR) safety app for electric trucks, designed specifically to support first responders in an emergency. The app is developed to deliver instant, valuable information from the electric truck to the emergency services team arriving on the scene to... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a ban under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on most uses of methylene chloride (CH2Cl2). Methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane and DCM, is a volatile chemical used in a wide range of industrial, commercial, and consumer applications such as adhesives,... Read more →

Toyota’s #32 ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept (hydrogen-powered Corolla) (earlier post), which was scheduled to participate in the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2023 Powered by Hankook Round 1 Suzuka to be held on 18 and 19 March 2023, will not be racing. During a private test run at Fuji... Read more →