Each week I bring you the top stories in the auto industry along with my commentary or sometimes amusing thoughts about the craziness that goes on in the world of cars.
Stories you’ll find today:
Range Anxiety Meets Reality. The California Highway Patrol recently had a little fun while delivering a serious reminder to EV owners. After an Audi e-tron ran out of battery power in the mountains, the driver was forced to recharge it using a portable generator on the side of the road. CHP posted a photo of the unusual scene on social media with the caption, "Thoughts and prayers won't add miles to your battery... but thankfully they brought their own generator." The agency used the opportunity to remind EV drivers that climbing into higher elevations, mountain driving, and higher speeds can drain a battery much faster than many people expect, making trip planning especially important before heading into the Sierra. The takeaway is simple: every vehicle has its limitations and knowing them is part of being a smart driver. But you have to admit, watching an electric Audi being charged by a gas-powered generator is the kind of irony that practically writes its own caption.
The Smartest Person in the Car Wasn't a Person. Two California teenagers learned that a Waymo robotaxi is a lot like your nosiest neighbor—it sees everything and isn't afraid to tell somebody. According to a San Mateo police Facebook post, the two 15-year-olds were allegedly drinking alcohol and shooting Orbeez water beads from the driverless vehicle while riding around town. Waymo remotely stopped the vehicle and notified police, who detained the teens after the car pulled into a parking lot. Officers determined the teens had been drinking and using toy guns to shoot the water beads from the vehicle. Police later quipped that while there was "some ingenuity" involved, using a Waymo may have been the smartest decision the teens made because at least they weren't driving impaired. The takeaway is simple: if you're planning to break the rules, doing it inside a vehicle equipped with cameras, sensors, and a direct line to the company probably isn't your best strategy. Because your getaway car shouldn't be able to testify against you.
Asleep at the Wheel, Technically Supervised. A Tesla driver reportedly found a very low-tech way around the car’s driver-monitoring system while using Full Self-Driving: sunglasses. According to the report, the driver appeared to be asleep behind the wheel while the vehicle continued down the road, and the system apparently did not detect the problem because the sunglasses blocked the camera’s view of the driver’s eyes. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system still requires active driver supervision, which means the person behind the wheel is supposed to stay alert and ready to take control at any time. The incident highlights one of the biggest challenges with advanced driver-assistance systems: the technology may be impressive, but it still depends on humans not treating it like a nap button. The takeaway is simple: if your safety system can be fooled by sunglasses, maybe the future isn’t quite as future-proof as advertised. Because no matter how smart the car gets, it still needs the driver to do one very old-fashioned thing—stay awake.
The $1.95 Cookie Cost Ford an Employee. A longtime Ford electrician learned that sometimes the smallest purchases can create the biggest problems. The 11-year employee was fired after being accused of stealing a $1.95 chocolate chip cookie from a self-checkout kiosk at the Kentucky Truck Plant. The problem? He had actually paid for it. Bank records later confirmed the purchase had gone through, prompting Ford to offer him his job back with back pay. The employee declined, saying the experience destroyed his trust in the company. Ford has since acknowledged the mistake and said it is reviewing how incidents like this are handled in the future. The takeaway is simple: before accusing someone of theft, it might be worth checking whether they actually paid. Because when a $1.95 cookie costs you an experienced employee, the cookie isn't the expensive part.