Toronto, Ontario — A first responder yells at an autonomous vehicle (AV) driving towards a San Francisco fire truck, Ford announces its own electric vehicle (EV) price cuts in a bit to compete with Tesla’s own reductions, and Montreal’s EV investments begin to bear fruit in North America’s e-trucking industry. This is the latest in electric and autonomous vehicles.
Road Rage Justified
Firefighters responding to a fire in San Francisco were forced to enter a narrow street where one particular Waymo AV decided the correct course of action was to continue to drive towards the firetruck, according to a bizarre report by the Mission Local.
One firefighter described it as an “electric car with no driver (which) would not stop rolling into the fire scene and was going to run over our hoses and possibly put our firefighters at risk.”
While several firefighters responded, one began hitting the car on the hood and smashing its window. While the car acknowledged the other firefighters, it only began withdrawing after being hit several times.
Consumer Benefit
Ford has cut prices on the Mustang Mach-E in Canada, announcing discounts ranging from $2,250 to $11,000, potentially in response to Tesla’s own price cuts.
These price reductions vary depending on the vehicles and their trim levels, with Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley saying that Tesla’s ability to frequently alter pricing demanded a competitive advantage that forced rivals to follow suit.
The cheapest trim, the Premium RWD Standard Range has an updated MSRP of $61,995, $3000 cheaper. The most expensive trim the GT Performance Edition Extended Range now comes in at $82,995—a discount of $9,750.
Greener Trucking
Montreal is quickly becoming the hotspot for electric truck fleets across the North America, with Loblaw becoming the latest in the city’s electric transportation network.
Other companies making use of e-trucks in the city include Coke, McDonald’s and Kruger Energy, according to Electric Autonomy Canada.
At the time of writing, the city of Montreal set a goal for 25 percent of deliveries to be greenhouse gas emission-free by 2030, and has invested $13 million into local businesses linked to sustainability and zero-emission mobility.
