Tesla rival BYD sees profits fall, US probes Ford’s hands-free driving tech
Chinese car giant BYD has seen profits fall as it is hit by slowing demand for electric vehicles (EV) and a price war in the world’s largest car market. The firm said it made $630m (£502m) in the first three months of the year, more than 47% lower than the previous quarter. BYD has been competing with Elon Musk’s Tesla to be the world’s biggest seller of EVs. The US giant reclaimed the title earlier this month after losing out to its Chinese rival at the end of last year. BYD says it sold just over 300,000 battery-only cars in the first three months of the year, down from a record 526,000 in the final quarter of 2023. BBC
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening an investigation into Ford Motor’s hands-free driving technology BlueCruise after two fatal crashes involving Mustang Mach-E SUVs striking parked vehicles, the agency said on Monday. The agency’s preliminary evaluation, into 130,000 2021-2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles is the first step to determine whether the vehicles pose an unreasonable risk to safety. Ford said it is working with the NHTSA to support its investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened separate investigations into two Mach-E crashes. Reuters
In the six years since my youngest daughter Molly died, it is striking how little has changed. Children and young people continue to face a wave of inherently preventable online harms on often negligent social media platforms. In a ferocious battle for market share, the risks on sites such as Instagram and TikTok have, in some respects, become worse. It is therefore no surprise that there is a considerable groundswell in demands for much more to be done. Across the UK, grassroots parents’ groups are increasingly calling for a fundamental reset in the relationship between children and their smartphone use. The Guardian
NASA is preparing for an “unprecedented opportunity” to study how solar storms and radiation could affect future astronauts on Mars. The sun is entering a period of peak activity called solar maximum, which occurs roughly every 11 years. During this period, giant explosions erupt on the sun’s surface – including solar flares and coronal mass ejections. When a series of these solar events erupts, it’s called a solar storm, and these launch radiation deep into space. Sky News
BT is saying goodbye to its digital directory this week. After April 30, the digital directory, The Phone Book Online, which lets users look up a person’s or company’s phone number, will be unavailable. They now have to phone 118 500 at £1.55 a minute, in addition to a 77p call fee, if they are unable to access the internet or cannot find the number they need online. This is BT’s second axing of a service this year. In March deliveries of the printed phone directory to doorsteps ended. Evening Standard
Canadian retail pharmacy chain London Drugs experienced a cyber-incident which forced the company to temporarily shut down its stores across Western Canada. On Sunday night, the company published a short update on X, saying it “experienced an operational issue”. “Pharmacists are standing by to support with urgent pharmacy needs,” the tweet reads. “We advise customers to phone their local store’s pharmacy to make arrangements.” Tech Radar
