Wednesday, September 30
Tesla finally has a robotaxi. Now comes the hard part. The electric-vehicle maker deployed its first-ever driverless cabs in Austin, Texas, on Sunday in a small-scale test of carefully monitored Model Y vehicles. Next, the company faces the steep challenge of executing on CEO Elon Musk’s ambition to refine the software and upload it to millions of Teslas within a year or so.Such a rapid expansion will prove extremely difficult, about a dozen industry analysts and autonomous-vehicle technology experts told Reuters. These observers expressed a range of views about Tesla’s prospects but all cautioned against assuming a light-speed robotaxi rollout.Some pointed to advantages Tesla might exploit to overtake rivals including Alphabet’s Waymo and a host of Chinese auto and tech companies. T
Contrary to fears, oil markets remained calm on Monday after an initial bout of jitters, as traders bet that rising tensions in West Asia are unlikely to disrupt supplies, particularly given the low risk of Iran blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude held steady at around $77.50 a barrel by Monday evening, roughly the same as Friday's level, but higher from about $69 a barrel prior to Israel's June 13 attack on Iran.After the US joined the conflict over the weekend, fears of a wider regional war escalated, an industry executive said. "But it also became clearer that Iran would pay a heavy price if it tried to escalate the conflict or block oil trade, making such a move less likely," the executive added.122032497The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel between Oman and Iran, handles
India's aviation safety watchdog has cancelled its planned visit to Air India headquarters on Tuesday for an annual regulatory audit, two people with direct knowledge said. Air India late on Monday ceased all its operations to the Middle East, Europe and the East Coast of North America until further notice due to Israel-Iran tensions. One of the sources said that was a key reason for cancelling the audit as the airline was occupied with tackling the crisis. Ten officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) were to visit Air India headquarters near New Delhi on Tuesday for an annual audit, just as the airline is facing intense scrutiny after a plane crash in Ahmedabad killed 271 people. Air India and the DGCA did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
