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California approves unmanned self-driving car trials

Given the number of tech companies that call California home, it's no surprise the state has been quick with forward-thinking legislation to support the development of self-driving vehicles. And almost four years to the day since driverless trials on public streets were first approved, a new bill has been signed off by Governor Jerry Brown that permits autonomous car tests without a human passenger overseeing proceedings. Rather than applying throughout the Golden State, the bill is specific to a pilot project headed by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. At San Ramon's Bishop Ranch business park, EasyMile's 12-seater shuttles will ferry workers around the site, which will include traveling on some public roads. The approval also covers GoMentum Station: A ghost town within the Concord Naval Weapons Station where Honda has been testing its driverless car technologies. Recently, Uber-owned Otto also signed up to test self-driving trucks on the site. Google and Apple have also expressed interest in the naval base testbed, according to the transport authority. Apple's autonomous plans are still the subject of much speculation, but in the immediate future, Google seems like a natural partner. Manual controls including a steering wheel and pedals are not required in test vehicles under the new bill (since there won't be anyone on hand to use them), but for safety's sake cars must not exceed 35MPH during trials. Google has been testing versions of its cute little driverless pods without any form of manual controls for some time now, as it's of the opinion that humans are simply not a "reliable backup" to its self-driving smarts.This article originally appeared on Engadget.Related Video: Government/Legal Honda Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles California politics engadget driverless

Honda further expands Takata recall to 340k vehicles in Japan

Just days ago, Honda announced it would expand its global Takata airbag inflator recall by 4.89 million vehicles globally, though none of those were in the US. Now, the automaker has broadened the safety campaign in Japan by 340,000 units. The company's Japanese expansion includes 80,000 vehicles to replace their driver's side inflators. According to Reuters, these cars were covered under an earlier recall but weren't yet repaired. There are also 260,000 additional automobiles in the country in need of passenger side replacements. A broadened campaign is also coming for the US, but its extent isn't known yet. According to Reuters, Honda submitted the necessary documents to regulators on May 27. However, the automaker has decided to wait for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make the official announcement. Takata's exploding inflators are linked to six deaths and many injuries. Research indicates that exposure to moisture causes the part's propellant to ignite too quickly when the airbag is activated and can cause these ruptures. In testing on components taken from recalled vehicles, Takata found hundreds of cases of them bursting. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg via Getty Images Recalls Honda Safety Takata airbag recall

Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra flunk IIHS headlight test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put pickup truck headlights to the test and found that the majority of them were equipped with subpar units. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was the only truck to earn a rating of "good." The large pickup truck test was comprised of the: 2016 to 2017 GMC Sierra, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 to 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, 2016 to 2017 Ford F-150, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tundra. The Sierra's headlights earned a rating of "acceptable," the headlights found on the Titan and Ram 1500 were found to be "marginal," and the ones on the Silverado, F-150, and Tundra were rated as "poor." IIHS claims the F-150 was the most disappointing out of the large pickup trucks as both its halogen and optional LED headlights failed to provide adequate visibility during testing. The Ridgeline (which earned a "good rating"), is usually considered a midsize or small truck, though IIHS included it in the field of large pickups. The headlights on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2016 GMC Canyon, 2016 Nissan Frontier, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tacoma, which made up the small pickup truck group, all earned a rating of "poor." The IIHS claimed the Colorado had the worst headlights of any truck that was tested, as the base vehicle's units were only able to illuminate up to 123 feet in front of the car. The Ridgeline's headlights, for reference, were able to illuminate up to 358 feet in front of the vehicle. To conduct its test, the IIHS utilizes a special tool to measure how far light is projected out of the headlights in different driving situations. The trucks' headlights were tested in a straight line and in corners, while vehicles with high-beam assist were given extra praise. The headlights on the pickup trucks also mimic the testing that was done on small SUVs and cars earlier this year. Next year, automakers will need to fit their vehicles with headlights that earn a rating of either good or acceptable to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Related Video: