The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is moving to introduce teal external lights to show when an autonomous vehicle is operating in self-driving mode. A draft proposal sets requirements for visibility from the front, sides and rear, with a minimum mounting height of 15 inches, but makes the lighting optional. The draft also includes changes to safety rules to reflect autonomous vehicle designs, including deleting a turn-signal requirement that is hard to apply to vehicles without steering wheels.

Solid-state batteries, seen as a next-generation technology for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, are reigniting a commercialisation race. They replace liquid electrolytes with solid materials to cut fire risk and raise energy density, but face hurdles including dendrites, manufacturing defects and high costs. QuantumScape says it has secured key manufacturing technology. Toyota and CATL are also stepping up development, while some companies weigh aviation and defence as early markets.