The future comes in fits and starts, and we buckled up and went through a few this week. Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving unit, hosted a big party in San Francisco to launch Origin, an electric six-seat, steering wheel-free vehicle that it says is the future of shared autonomy. The vehicle will go into production…sometime, and we still have plenty of questions. Our reporters also learned about little vehicle tweaks coming down the pike that might make your life a bit better: smart headlights that won’t blind your fellow drivers, and a system from Hyundai that might cancel out some of the more unpleasant sounds of the road.
Plus, we looked at what it might take to make public transit better for women everywhere, and why you might not see emotional support rabbits on your next flight. It’s been a week; let’s get you caught up.
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Stories you might have missed from WIRED this week
Superstar Bike Lover of the Week
The Lakers’ LeBron James has teamed up with Lyft and the YMCA to offer 16-to-20-year-olds access to Lyft-operated bike-share programs, including New York’s CitiBike, the Bay Area’s Bay Wheels, and Capital Bikeshare in Washington, DC. LeBronb has long been a low key bike commuter, and has been known to cycle to games.
Stat of the Week: 61%
The share of total miles ride-hail vehicles traveled without a passenger in the car in 2018, according to an estimate released by the California Air Resources Board last month. The report also estimated that the ride-hail fleet—Uber, Lyft and others—emitted 50 percent more CO2 than the statewide vehicle fleet average, even though the cars are generally newer, include fewer light trucks and are more fuel efficient than those in the statewide fleet.
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