autonomous

A global trucker crisis is on the horizon. China’s solution: autonomous truck caravans

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The global freight transport market is facing a labor crisis. This is what the data says, pointing to a shortage of goods in Europe, North America and China. But also in Australia or Argentina. In search of solutions, Chinese companies are already proposing a way out: autonomous truck caravans. Shortage. 75% of the goods They are transported by road. 85% of the transport of perishable products opt for the same type of route. Although the transport of goods by train increases, the truck continues to be the alternative that best combines flexibility with contained costs and high efficiency for most companies. But these contained costs aim to disappear. According to the International Road Transport Organization (IRU) there is a global shortage of 3.6 million truck drivers. It is more or less 7% of the total places that are active right now. And the prospects are even worse. Road to retirement. The sector has a problem: retirement. A significant number of truck drivers are very close to slamming the door on their cabins. In Europe alone it is estimated that, in this year 2026, there will be a gap between supply and demand of one million truck drivers. And the problem is that the increase in online commerce will only aggravate this situation. By 2030, they believe that there will be a lack of 11% of the places necessary to cover the volume of work that would be necessary to effectively transport all the goods that will be put on the road. This situation is, according to IRUespecially serious in China where they estimate that before the end of the decade 19% of the truck drivers who are currently working will have retired. Let them go alone. With these perspectives on the table, Pony AIa company specialized in artificial intelligence that has your own autonomous car service in China and that has reached a agreement with Stellantis to advance joint developments for Europe, has announced that it has an autonomous truck solution to advance in a caravan. The idea is that the trucks in advance in a 1+4 convoy. Thus, the first of the vehicles is driven by a human and the four remaining autonomous trucks travel completely autonomously, guided by the first but applying level 4 autonomy. That is, trucks can circulate without anyone at the wheel. 2026. The project has a date: this year. Pony AI announced a few weeks ago a collaboration agreement with Sany, a vehicle production company for industrial work or the transportation of goods that will provide the hardware. The digital brain is provided by Pony AI. Together they believe they can have these self-driving truck caravans ready this year. If they are mass produced, they would be the first in the world to manufacture 5G, completely autonomous and electric trucks, They boast from Sany. According to their accounts, it is a business that will reduce the cost per kilometer by 29% and that can boost the operating margin of companies by 195%. First tests. In BBC They report that China was already experimenting with autonomous trucks last year. “Of course, I was a little scared the first time I drove an autonomous truck. But, after spending a lot of time observing and testing these vehicles, I think they are actually quite good and safe,” said one of the truck drivers who have gotten behind the wheel in these tests to take control if necessary. In the video You can see how the trucks circulated alone between Beijing and Tianjin, a route of more than 100 kilometers. It explains that the driver takes control in the first stages of the journey and must be seated to take the wheel at specific times. However, most of the trip is made without making any decisions and with four trucks behind him. Experience. Sany is not inexperienced in this sector either. The company, in addition to electric trucks for Pony AI, has also worked with industrial use vehicles such as trucks to transport minerals. In this videoFor example, a mine is shown in which an operator controls an excavator remotely. With it, it fills trucks with the extracted materials and these, once full, move completely autonomously to transport these minerals and make room for a new vehicle that has already made the same journey previously. A way of working that is also being studied Huawei. Photo | Pony AI In Xataka | Spain and Europe have a problem: they move 85% of their products in trucks and they are missing 3 million truck drivers

Uber Eats abandons autonomous riders after the fight with Work

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Uber Eats had been moving for some time within the perimeter of a rule that the Government promoted to redefine the labor market fit for home delivery in Spain. That standard, known as ‘Rider Law‘, put the focus on a crack that had been at the center of the debate for years, the figure of the “false self-employed“, and has been pushing the sector towards employee models or towards schemes in which the employment relationship is channeled through third parties. In this context, the fact that the platform now announces its intention to stop working with self-employed delivery drivers is not only an operational adjustment, it is a movement that contributes to reordering one of the great debates of the delivery. The announcement that finalizes the turn. Uber Eats has communicated that it will stop working with self-employed delivery drivers in Spain and links it to its adaptation to the current labor framework after several years of changes in its operations. The company explains that delivery drivers who still use the application as self-employed will be able to continue delivering as employees through collaborating fleets. “Uber Eats reaffirms its commitment to compliance with the Rider Law. After four years in which we have accumulated extensive experience working with expert logistics companies, and with the aim of promoting a long-term sustainable model, we have made the decision to stop collaborating with autonomous delivery drivers.” What happened on the way. To understand the scope of the movement you have to look back. Uber Eats does not reach this point from a fixed position, but after several changes of course from the approval of the ‘Rider Law’. In 2021, the platform stopped operating with freelancers and moved to a labor model based on subcontractors. One year later, in August 2022, opened the door to self-employment again and adopted a hybrid scheme in which salaried fleet delivery drivers and self-employed workers coexisted, in a context in which Glovo persisted in that model. On paper, the solution proposed by Uber Eats is clear. Delivery drivers who still use their application as freelancers will be able to continue delivering, but no longer as self-employed workers, but as employees of one of the collaborating fleets with which the platform operates. In practice, the transition from self-employed to salaried usually involves changes in the organization of work and conditions, although Uber Eats has not detailed how it will be applied in each case or deadlines for this transition. Not all delivery drivers could automatically fit into this traffic, nor is it clear how many real positions the fleets can absorb, which leaves open the possibility that some of these self-employed workers will be left out of the system. The threat of ‘the full weight of the law’. The background of this movement refers to a clash that came from behind. In October 2025, the Ministry of Labor raised the tone and waived the possibility of resorting to criminal proceedings if Uber Eats did not rectify its hiring model. The vice president and minister, Yolanda Díaz, was explicit in warning that “Uber (Eats) is not going to fool the Government of Spain, and I can already tell you that the weight of the law will fall on this company,” in reference to the use of false self-employed workers. A mirror in the sector. The Uber Eats movement does not occur in a vacuum. Glovo announced its change of model in Spain in December 2024 and operates fully with salaried delivery drivers from mid-2025while the criminal process continues against its top leader, accused of a crime against workers’ rights. Just Eat, for its part, stayed the course and persisted in its employee model. In this context, Uber Eats had remained the great exception, with a hybrid scheme that continued to combine fleets and freelancers. From now on, the focus shifts from the announcement to its actual landing. Uber Eats says it wants to put an end to pending litigation and facilitate a “fair process for everyone,” but it will be practical execution that will determine the extent of the turnaround. It remains to be seen how the transition from the self-employed to the fleets is articulated, how many delivery drivers manage to fit into that step and if the new scheme manages to dissipate the conflicts that have accompanied the sector in recent years. Images | Robert Anasch | appshunter.io In Xataka | The “absent recipient” trick: why delivery people mark your package as undelivered even if you were at home

There are already autonomous robots smaller than a grain of salt

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Robotics has been pursuing the same obsession for decades: reducing the size of machines without emptying them of intelligence. Until now, that goal had a physical limit that was difficult to cross. Above a certain threshold, making a smaller robot meant making several compromises. That just changed. A team of researchers has shown that It is possible to build an autonomous robot so tiny that it can barely be seen, but still capable of perceiving its environment, processing information, and responding without outside intervention. The development comes from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan, who have built what the team describes as the autonomous programmable robot smallest achieved so far. The device is designed to operate submerged in a fluid, and in that environment it can move and operate. The scientific article describes a body measuring approximately 210 by 340 micrometers and 50 micrometers thick. Its scale is so small that it can rest on the ridge of a fingerprint and is almost invisible to the naked eye. A complete robot on a microscopic scale. The difference compared to previous attempts is not only in the miniaturization, but in what this device theoretically manages to integrate. According to the researchers, the microrobot incorporates computing, memory, sensors, communication and locomotion systems within a single autonomous platform. Until now, these systems often relied on external equipment to process information or make decisions. In this case, the robot can execute digitally defined algorithms and modify its behavior based on what is happening around it. The main obstacle to getting here has not been conceptual, but physical. At micrometer scales, the rules change: gravity and inertia lose weight, and forces such as viscosity and drag dominate. In that environment, moving through a fluid is more like moving through thick material than swimming in water. Added to this difficulty is an even more severe restriction, energy. With power budgets around 100 nanowatts, integrating propulsion and computing at the same time had been, until now, an almost impossible compromise. Electronics designed to survive on almost no power. The solution involved rethinking the robot’s electronic architecture from scratch. The team worked with a 55 nanometer CMOS process and used subthreshold digital logic to keep consumption within a budget close to 100 nanowatts. In that space they managed to integrate photovoltaic cells for power, temperature sensors, control circuits for the actuators, an optical receiver for programming and communication, as well as a processor with memory. Locomotion is one of the most unique aspects of design. Instead of motors or appendages, the microrobot uses electric fields to induce currents in the fluid around it, moving without moving parts that could break. Its creators describe it as a system in which the robot generates its own “river” to move forward. That same minimalist logic extends to communication. The measurements you make, such as temperature, are encoded into motion sequences, a simple but effective method at this scale. Tiny robots that act together. Beyond individual behavior, the team has shown that these microrobots can synchronize and operate in groups. According to the researchers, several devices are capable of coordinating their movements and forming collective patterns comparable to schools of fish. This approach opens the door to distributed tasks, in which each unit contributes local information or action. In theory, these groups could continue to operate autonomously for months if kept charged with LED light on their solar cells, although available memory limits the complexity of programmable behaviors for now. With this platform, researchers propose a path toward more general-purpose microrobots, capable of executing tasks in difficult environments without constant supervision. On the horizon are applications that today are closer to the laboratory than to the real world, for example in biomedicine, where devices of this type could operate on body fluids. The team itself insists that this is just a first step. The advance opens a technical base, but the jump to practical uses will depend on increasing performance. Images | University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan In Xataka | We still don’t know if humanoid robots will be the next great technological revolution. Yes we know that China will lead it

China gives the green light to the first level 3 autonomous cars. Their goal: to be leaders in 2035

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China has given the green light to its first two passenger vehicles with capacity level 3 autonomous driving (L3). This will allow drivers to let go of the steering wheel in certain circumstances. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced this Monday that Changan Automobile and BAIC have received authorization to manufacture electric cars with this technology, although with geographical and speed limitations. What level 3 really means. Most current driving assistance systems in smart cars are classified as L2 or L2+, which force the driver to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. Level 3, considered “hands-off” according to the criteria of the international organization SAE, allows the vehicle to assume all dynamic driving tasks under specific conditions. However, the driver must remain alert and prepared to intervene when necessary. To put ourselves in context, level 5 would represent total autonomy, without the need for human intervention under any circumstances. The restrictions of the approved models. The model from Changan, a state-owned manufacturer based in Chongqing, will be able to navigate autonomously through urban streets and traffic at a maximum speed of 50 km/h when its assistance system is activated. For its part, the BAIC model under its Arcfox brand (the Alpha S sedan) is authorized to travel on highways and expressways at up to 80 km/h. Both vehicles, which are pure electric, will only be able to operate in specific areas: the Changan Deepal SL03 will be able to do so in certain sections of Chongqing, while the Arcfox Alpha S in specific sections of highways in Beijing that connect with the airports. Why China is accelerating now. The country is treating autonomous driving as another strategic objective, just as it did when promoting its electric vehicle industry, which is so popular abroad. The authorities have set the goal of making the country a leader in the sector by 2035. According to Zhang Yongweigeneral secretary of China EV100, two out of every three new cars sold in China this year will have Level 2 or higher autonomous driving capability. “The approvals show that the authorities are willing to deregulate the market,” says Phate Zhang, founder of CnEVPost, who anticipates that “officials are likely to take a phased approach to distributing more manufacturing licenses to other manufacturers.” The industry was already prepared. According to SCMP, several premium manufacturers have been with models ready to comply with level 3 regulations for months. Geely’s Zeekr and Seres, backed by Huawei Technologies, have designed and developed intelligent vehicles considered semi-autonomous that would comply with L3 rules, according to previous announcements. Andrew Fan, CFO of Hesai Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of lidar sensors, declared reported last month that “preparations were well underway in the Chinese auto industry for the next generation of autonomous driving capabilities, even before Beijing cleared the regulatory path.” The cost of the advanced lidar sensors needed for Level 3 ranges from $500 to $1,000 per unit, with demand rising as major Chinese manufacturers accelerate development of autonomous vehicles. Where is China compared to the West. Mercedes-Benz seems to have the advantage in this area: its Level 3 Drive Pilot system was approved by German authorities at the beginning of the year to operate at speeds of up to 95 km/h on the motorway network, marking the fastest certified system for conditional autonomous driving in a production vehicle, according to the company. Tesla continues to update its Full Self Driving system, which operates at an advanced level 2. Meanwhile, manufacturers like BMW and BYD also have models in testing for Level 3 driver assistance in Chinese cities like Beijing. What’s coming now. The MIIT has confirmed which will work with other authorities to supervise these vehicles while promoting the development of this technology in China. The two manufacturers will use the models to carry out pilot programs in assigned locations. Although the ministry has not specified when they will hit the market, technically manufacturers can begin assembling the models once they receive the green light. In addition to these two state-owned manufacturers, several robotaxis companies such as Baidu’s Apollo Go, Pony AI and WeRide They are already leading the deployment of driverless vehicles worldwide, operating at level 4, which does not require a human driver. Cover image | Wikipedia In Xataka | For the first time in 88 years, Volkswagen has crossed a red line: closing a factory in Germany

The first autonomous robot waiter in China served me. It’s nothing more than a glorified vending machine

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A few weeks ago I was in Beijing. I went to take photos with a preliminary version of the Realme GT8 Probut there was time to walk around there. I was hoping to find things that would surprise me, like the external batteries that are in every corner of the citybut I came across something unexpected: the Galbot G1. It is a humanoid robot very different from the rest of humanoid robots. Because? Because this is already working. And not in a warehouse or factorylike so many others, but in a much more demanding position: facing the public. He is tending a drinks stand in a very large shopping center. It does this without any human intervention. And… the waiters can rest easy. The robot that serves you bottles of water Before we get into the robot, let’s go with some context. Galbot is another of the many Chinese companies that They are researching robotics. They are focusing not so much on the moving parts as on the ‘brain’ of these robots: the language models connected with a vision system that allows the robot to manipulate objects in a general way. This means you can break away from pre-programmed routines to react in real time. Your brain is powered by hardware NVIDIA Jetson Thorwhich is what allows you to execute that LLM in real time, and has two keys: Navigate without the need for markers on the ground. It does not do it with legs, but with a base that gives it less flexibility, but greater autonomy and stability. Your system allows you to perceive what is around you, “understand” it, and react based on that perception. In short: thousands and thousands of dollars invested in creating a robot with one objective: serving me a bottle of water. Image | Xataka When we stumbled upon the stall, it was by chance. There was no one ordering, all the rows of bottles were intact and it was even strange. But since science doesn’t do itself, I approached, determined to buy the cheapest bottle of flavored water available to do the test. The process couldn’t be simpler: You choose product. You pay with AliPay/WeChat. The robot does its thing. You leave. The problem is that I may be defining the work of a robot that has cost a fortune, but I may also be describing the process of purchasing from a Goya vending machine. There are two differences: the robot is cooler… and it takes much longer. How much? Here it is: As a bartender, meh. In a warehouse it makes sense The truth is that my feeling was strange and the first thing I thought was “the waiters can rest assured because this is not a threat.” But I also wondered to what extent the Galbot G1 that had served me was nothing more than a proof of concept in the real world and the company’s intentions are different. And, indeed. All that technology and reasoning in real time, with perception of physical space thanks to its numerous cameras and sensors located in various parts of the body, is not there to serve me bottles of a few cents, but to carry out work in environments in which it can really be useful: logistics. Because facing acrobaticsthis G1 (because the Unitree is also a G1) is committed to demonstrating its viability in real commercial uses today. One is “light” hospitality, such as the kiosk where I bought, but also logistics in controlled spaces in the last mile. Applications targeted by Galbot It is the video demonstration just above these lines, where we see the adaptability of the Galbot when they move the boxes. The response time in which it analyzes the situation is similar to the one I saw when I ordered my little bottle, and those sales stands in some areas of China are nothing more than training, or that’s what I get the feeling, for its artificial intelligence model. The queue that was set up just when I ordered. Before it was empty. Image | Xataka For now, curiosity, a Furbyan attraction, but in certain environments, it can be very useful. As a machine vendingNo, although it attracts a lot of attention, and a good queue formed not to buy… but to see how he bought. Images | Xataka In Xataka | A robot called “Sardinator” circulated through the streets of Malaga promoting a beach bar. Until the police arrived

It already affects nine autonomous communities

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On November 7, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition issued an alert after detecting listeria in the canned chopped sold by DIA and manufactured by the Cárnicas Serrano company. Now he just expanded it to six more products in a case that is beginning to become much more complicated than expected. First of all: What products are involved? Chopped can thin slices: Sliced ​​packaging 150 g from the brand “Nuestra Alacena (DIA)” | Lot number: 252771 with expiration date 11/18/25 Truffled turkey with pistachios: Sliced ​​packaging of the “Serrano” brand. | Batch number 252771 with expiration date 11/18/2025 Turkey mortadella with olives: Sliced ​​packaging from the La tabla brand (Aldi) | Lot numbers: 252761 with expiration date 11/17/2025 and 252771 with expiration date 11/18/2025 Turkey mortadella: Sliced ​​packaging from the “La tabla (Aldi)” brand. | Lot number: 252761 with expiration date 11/17/2025 and 252771 with expiration date 11/18/2025 Chopped turkey: Sliced ​​packaging of the brand “La tabla (Aldi)” | Lot number: 252761 with expiration date 11/17/2025 and 252771 with expiration date 11/18/2025 Maxi turkey: Sliced ​​packaging of the brand “La tabla (Aldi)” | Batch number: 252761 and 252763 with expiration date 11/17/2025. Maxi York: Sliced ​​packaging of the brand “La tabla (Aldi)” | Batch number and expiration date: 252761 and 252763 with expiration date 11/17/2025. What has happened? As I said, on November 7 (and through the Coordinated System for Rapid Information Exchange), the AESAN received a alert notification of the Junta de Andalucía regarding the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in a sliced ​​chop sold at DIA Supermarkets. At the same time that the product was withdrawn, the authorities traced the origin of the outbreak to Cárnicas Serrano, based in Paterna (Valencia). That is where they verified that the company (in addition to having its own brand) manufactured white label sausages. for several supermarkets. That’s why the case has escalated so quickly. According to the information availablethe distribution has been to the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Community of Madrid, Basque Country and Valencian Community, yes ok “It is not ruled out that there may be redistributions to other communities autonomous”. What is listeriosis? Listeriosis is an infection caused by listeria monocytogenes. It is an ‘opportunistic’ disease that especially affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and, in general, people with a compromised immune system who have eaten contaminated food. Therefore, although generally It is considered a “mild illness” (similar, in many cases, to “gastroenteritis”) in these groups of people can cause quite serious conditions (septicemia or meningitis) and has mortality rates that are between 20 and 30%. The common problem is that people with invasive listeriosis usually develop symptoms between one and four weeks after eating contaminated food (there have been cases where symptoms begin to appear up to 70 days later). This often makes it difficult to identify contaminated food. During pregnancy it can cause a mild infection for the pregnant woman but be serious for the baby. The infection usually occurs due to food poisoning but in severe cases it reaches the blood or brain, causing septicemia, meningitis or encephalitis. Like other food infections, listeriosis can cause fever and diarrhea. How dangerous is the situation? It depends on the level of consumption that the contaminated product reaches. The AESAN recommends that people who have products affected by this alert at home refrain from consuming them. And that is the basic security measure. If you have consumed any of the products from the affected batches and present symptoms compatible with listeriosis (vomiting, diarrhea or fever), it is recommended to go quickly to a health center. Actually: no surprise. In 2019, when the great listeria outbreak in Sevillewas published a study on the epidemiological situation of the disease warned about the increase in hospitalizations. Between 1997 and 2015, there were 5,696 listeriosis-related hospitalizations in Spain. An incredibly high number considering that only a few serious cases require hospitalization. But perhaps the most problematic thing is not that, but the fact that the numbers have not stopped growing in those almost 20 years. In the 1990s, listeria outbreaks were linked to cold cuts, sausages, and other similar products. Today, outbreaks are linked to dairy products, fruits, vegetables and, perhaps related to the upward trend, convenience foods. Is it a trend? Yes, and a dangerous trend: the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is clear that it is an emerging disease in Europe and that is underdiagnosed. The biggest problem with these infections is that it is not enough to keep the products refrigerated: in slightly contaminated foods, the listeria monocytogenes They can continue to multiply inside the refrigerator. In foods that do not need to be cooked, this is problematic and can only be solved by being especially scrupulous in production processes and food hygiene. In this sense, Zaida Herrador and her team (2019) concluded that, despite the progress, the growth of the disease indicates that “it is necessary to improve the surveillance of this disease in animals and humans” while continuing to improve its control and “the prevention of cases” (with advice to pregnant women and immunosuppressed people). Despite the interest that all this generated in 2019, the pandemic made the issue invisible and the consequences are visible. Image | AESAN In Xataka | Spain returns to a health alert for listeria: its challenge now is not to fall prey to alarmism

has launched a modern autonomous minibus

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Something is changing in Mercamadridand it’s not just the pace of trucks that enter and leave from the first hour. The venue has taken another step towards the future with the entry into the scene of a minibus capable of moving without depending on the direct control of a driver. The image may surprise even those who know this place well, an enclave that operates day and night. The City Council has chosen this space to show how it wants to start testing technologies that aim to become everyday in the coming years. Where the experiment really begins. The new Smart Urban Space turns Mercamadrid into a place to measure, with real data, how certain technologies work in urban management. The City Council has activated a pilot here included in the European project Mobilities for EUwhich uses delimited enclosures to evaluate its impact in operational situations. In this case, mobility, efficiency and safety indicators are analyzed that will allow us to know if the solutions applied can be replicated and later scaled to other areas of the city. Who is behind the minibus. The official note from the City Council does not specify the manufacturer of the vehicle used in the pilot, but the images released by the project partners and the material provided by Somauto They point out that it is the e-CENTERa model from the Turkish company Otokar. It is an electric minibus designed to operate in urban environments and has a version with level 4 autonomous driving capabilities. The e-CENTRO is prepared to move autonomously thanks to a system that combines perception of the environment, 360-degree vision and continuous analysis of the road. This equipment allows the vehicle to plan its route and react to the elements it encounters in a limited and monitored space. In the shared material, a person can be seen in the front seat, but the official communication has not specified their function. Vehicle numbers. The e-CENTRO is a 6.6 meter electric minibus that incorporates 110 kWh NMC Li-ion batteries installed in the floor, an arrangement that frees up interior space and allows a capacity of up to 32 passengers. Its DANA-TM4 engine delivers 100 kW (peak 200 kW) and 1,200 Nm for urban routes. According to the manufacturersupports a full recharge in 1.5 hours and uses a regenerative braking system that recovers up to 25% of energy in urban circulation. The concept behind the experiment The City Council defines these spaces as areas where physical infrastructure is combined with sensors, actuators and telecommunications systems connected to the City Operating System. Its function is to monitor in real time what is happening in the environment and generate data that allows urban management to be adjusted more precisely. The project also includes a Smart City Interpretation Center, designed to show citizens how these technologies work. As we say, the pilot is part of Mobilities for EU, a consortium led by Madrid and Dresden, the German city that co-directs the project and acts as a strategic partner in its coordination. This group brings together 29 partners from nine countries and extends its tests to cities such as Espoo, Gdansk, Ioánnina, Sarajevo and Trencin. It involves transport operators, technology companies and universities that collaborate at different levels of the project. Among the members are Alsa, PreZero, MásOrange, Ferrovial, SAP, Volkswagen, T-Systems and the Polytechnic Universities of Madrid and Dresden, along with other entities linked to the digital transition and sustainable mobility. The roadmap and the money at stake. The City Council has framed this pilot within its Digital Transformation Strategy, a plan that reserves more than 60 million euros for different projects over the next five years. These include the contract for smart urban spaces, currently in the bidding phase, with a budget of 7.5 million and an execution period of 48 months. Images | ALSA | In Xataka | A fear begins to grow in some European countries: that China will deactivate its electric buses remotely

Work absenteeism in ITV workshops has skyrocketed in some autonomous communities. The solution: private detectives

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The public company SITVAL, in charge of managing technical inspections of vehicles in the Valencian Community, has put out to tender a contract of 140,000 euros to hire detective agencies to investigate possible unjustified absences, incompatible activities or fraudulent situations among its staff. Just like inform from El Español, the measure seeks to tackle an absenteeism problem that has skyrocketed since the ITVs went under public management in February 2023. The underlying problem. Since Ximo Puig’s Government reverted service to the public sector, work absenteeism in Valencian stations has skyrocketed to between 16% and 18% on average, according to share the middle. The figure doubles the regional average for absenteeism in the community, which stands at 6.4%, and is well above the national 7%. The result is a collapsed service with waits exceeding eight weeks for heavy vehicles, according to the Valencian Federation of Transport and Logistics Entrepreneurs (FVET). What will the detectives do? The contract, published On October 27 on the Public Sector Contracting Platform, it commissioned the agencies to observe, monitor and prepare documentary and audiovisual reports on SITVAL personnel. Just like share El Español, detectives must collect truthful information about possible unjustified absences and, if necessary, appear before administrative or judicial bodies to ratify their reports. The contract is divided into three lots, one for each Valencian province, with an execution period of two years. It is not an isolated case. The Valencian Generalitat is not the first administration that uses private investigation services to control absenteeism in public ITVs. The Government of Andalusia launched a similar service in August of last year, divided into two lots for the western and eastern areas of the community. Consequences. The middle emphasize That the reversal of the service, which occurred three months before the 2023 regional elections, has generated an unexpected effect: the massive relocation of inspections. According to data Officially, in 2024 a total of 291,662 vehicles chose to pass the ITV in other autonomous communities such as Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha or Tarragona, which means less income compared to the 2,332,087 inspections that were carried out in 2022. Qresion in it transportation sector. The situation has led the Valencian Federation of Transport and Logistics Entrepreneurs (FVET) to announce the departure of its presidentCarlos Prades, from the board of directors of SITVAL at the end of October. “We pay more than in other communities for a less efficient, slower service that generates uncertainty,” denounced Prades, who added that “Valencian stations are no longer a real option for many companies.” The figures don’t add up. Puig’s Government justified the transition to public management arguing that it could generate up to 40 million euros per year in operating income for the Generalitat, compared to the 7 million euros paid by private concessionaires together. Although it seems that the forecasts have not taken into account the impact of absenteeism, the drop in inspections carried out or additional costs such as this investigation services contract. Cover image | FVET In Xataka | Yes, there is a way to check if the V-16 beacon is working correctly. And you are not going to alert the DGT or the emergencies about it.

AI companies promised to be happy with their autonomous agents, until they came across Amazon

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AI agents promise us to perform complex tasks autonomously, such as book trips either make the purchase. Although is improvingagentic AI still it’s quite greenbut it has just come across an obstacle that we had not counted on and that could change everything: that there are companies that do not want AI agents roaming their stores. This is what just happened between Amazon and Perplexity. What has happened? They tell it in Bloomberg. Amazon is suing Perplexity to stop the agent built into its Comet browser from purchasing items from Amazon. According to Amazon, Perplexity has committed computer fraud by allowing its agent to browse and make purchases as if they were a real person, which violates its terms of service on transparency. They also claim that the use of automated agents can negatively affect the shopping experience on their platform. Why is it important. The case could set limits for autonomous AI agents in real-world tasks that require using third-party services, such as in this case Amazon. If stores or travel platforms close the door to AI agents, the promise of autonomy is compromised. On the other hand, leaving all doors open could influence e-commerce. It is something that has already happened before, such as cases of bots buying tickets to shows. Bullies. Perplexity has responded with a post on your blog in which they describe the move as “corporate bullying” and affirm that it is “a threat to all Internet users.” They also highlight that Comet users love the agentic AI features and that Amazon should too because it translates into more purchases and happy customers. For the company, an AI agent should have the same rights and responsibilities as a real human user since the agent is acting on behalf of the user. “It’s not Amazon’s job to oversee that,” Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, said in an interview. Agents on Amazon. Amazon already has its own assistant Rufus and is developing its own agents, so there are more reasons behind this movement against Perplexity. It is not about protecting the experience, or at least not only about that, but that Perplexity is a direct competitor. Perplexity champions choice. “I don’t think it’s customer-centric to force people to only use their assistant, who may not even be the best shopping assistant,” Srinivas said. AI Ecosystems. The dispute between Amazon and Perplexity is the first example that the AI ​​war is also about ecosystems. It presents a scenario in which service providers decide whether an AI agent can enter their stores or travel platforms, or if they prefer to develop their own and force users to use that. The truth is that Amazon had already blocked the Perplexity agent a few months ago, but the company released an update that circumvented the blocking. We’ll see how everything turns out. Image | Pxhere In Xataka | CAPTCHAs had become an excellent tool to fight bots. Until ChatGPT Agent arrived

China’s plan to fill the streets with electric and autonomous cars in 15 years is now official

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With the European Union launching into the electric car, with the intention of definitively abandoning the combustion engine and manufacturers trying to stop this possibility, China has presented its new automobile roadmap. The institution in charge has been China Society of Automotive Engineers (CSAE) who have revealed the Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Technology Roadmap 3.0. Or, in other words, its roadmap for the automotive industry between now and 2040. The “new energy” car, that is, electric and plug-in hybrid, will be the cornerstone of a strategy that focuses on a reduction in polluting emissions but also on intensive automation of mobility. In said document, they assure ChinaDaily2,000 experts have been involved and it has taken 18 months to carry it out. “New energy” and autonomous cars The key points of the new Chinese roadmap in relation to its automobile market are summarized in CarNewsChinawho have exhaustively compiled the main pillars of a strategy that has gained in complexity. And this is based on the 1+5+26 concept: 1 roadmap or general strategy to establish global objectives 5 technological groups that group the technologies to be applied 26 specialized research topics to delve deeper into each area Among the key points of the new Chinese strategy, the following stand out: goals: It is expected that in 2028, polluting emissions produced by the automobile industry will reach their maximum. From there, the goal is to reduce them by 60% in 2040. It is expected that by 2040, 85% of cars will be “new energy”, the name China uses to call plug-in hybrids and electric cars. Of those, around 80% are expected to be fully electric. In 2040, it is expected that a third of cars sold will continue to use combustion engines, either as hybrids, plug-in hybrids or extended-range electric vehicles. From 2035 all passenger vehicles will be, at a minimum, hybrids. As a result, new energy vehicles are expected to lead sales from 2030 onwards. Gradual penetration of cars with technology level 4 autonomous driving (current robotaxis) and appearance of level 5 cars (same way of operating but in any type of circumstance, without restrictions due to lighting or weather circumstances). In the presentation Zhang Jinhuapresident of CSAE, has pointed out that one of the big differences between this roadmap and the previous ones (they already presented similar documents in 2016 and 2020) is that this time the program has focused on put more emphasis on production strategies that must be put in place to promote these technologies when. In previous documents, he assures, they would have focused on the technology itself and not so much on the industry. This has its consequences therefore in all areas of the industry. First, because manufacturers must adapt their production models to reduce polluting emissions when manufacturing vehicles, but also because, they say, a more robust connected network integrated into the cloud will be created to servicing autonomous vehiclesimproving their safety and independence when driving on their own. This is essential to achieve the great objective: “zero accidents, zero victims and high efficiency.” Regarding emissions targets, a classification system and methodology will be created to improve efficiency during production. The final goal is not only that in 2040 manufacturing will emit 60% less pollution than in 2028. Manufacturers are expected to save costs by working with data interconnection to analyze the most efficient system, even for the supply of parts or the sale of items. The program also focuses on the solid state batteries. This type of energy accumulators promise to position themselves as the element that allows the electric car to be consolidated at all levels, with promises of ranges of a thousand kilometers and greater safety for the batteries. For make China the leader in the sectorit is wanted that in 2030 the solid state batteries They are already part of the reality of their industry, although on a small scale. The great productive leap is not expected until 2035. So far, CSAE has presented two other roadmaps that have been gaining weight within the Chinese State. To understand how the situation has changed in less than ten years, 500 experts participated in the first program, a quarter of those who made up this latest presentation. In 2016 The program focused on the 1+7 strategy, with an overall roadmap and seven technologies in which China wanted to be a leader: energy-saving vehicles, “new energy” vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, smart connected vehicles, battery technology for electric cars, technologies related to vehicle weight, and automotive manufacturing technology. In 2020the program was expanded with the well-known 1+9. Then, that same roadmap was expanded with two new objectives, the development of combustion engines and the intention to make the Chinese automotive industry cleaner. 1,000 experts already participated in that redesign. Now the new project review some of the previous objectivesremaining as specified at the top of the article. What is certain is that in China they have been meeting the goals they had set. For example, in the 2020 roadmap they anticipated sales of 20% for “new energy” cars in 2025. However, this figure is almost 50% at the end of September 2025. Photo | Xataka In Xataka | Speed ​​has moved to China: BYD and Xioami are breaking all the records that Europe once dreamed of

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