| It was an airplane week. People tried to figure out how to make them quieter; others wrangled those abandoned by a corporate collapse. (Rule, Britannia!) Some thought critically about the way the US handles air traffic control, especially as drones become more of a thing. Others—well, the highly trained investigators at the NTSB—worked to remedy whatever went wrong inside Boeing to allow planes with insufficiently understood tech to take off, and then tragically crash. If you're interested in the inside story of things up in the air, we've got you covered. Also last week: Tesla-affiliated researchers say they've invented a very long lasting car battery, the Porsche Taycan is very fun, and electric buses hit a potential speed bump, courtesy of Congress. It's been a week—let's get you caught up. Headlines Stories you might have missed from WIRED We test the new electric Porsche Taycan by driving it—where else?—on the German autobahn. Maybe it's time to get more obsessed with transportation efficiency, instead of speed. Y'know, for the planet's sake. How a congressional bill aimed at stimulating homegrown rail car and bus manufacturing businesses might put a damper on electric buses. The future face of the country's most popular rail route. How the UK government is getting 150,000 travelers stranded by the sudden collapse of a travel agency back to Britain. Software-focused developer + massive automaker = 🤑 Researchers associated with Tesla announce a breakthrough to create a longer-lasting lithium-ion battery that might be able to power a vehicle for over 1 million miles. From WIRED Opinion: The US government really should spend more money on revamping air traffic control for the drones and flying cars to come. The NTSB says Boeing didn't anticipate how pilots would react to the 737 MAX—a significant factor in two fatal crashes that happened just months apart. Uber announces a bunch of new features aimed at protecting rider safety. German researchers are trying to figure out how to get pilots to land their planes more quietly. Highway Fan of the Week Ignore the Phanatic—this guy loves I-95 more than you. Stat of the Week 833%
The jump in autonomous-vehicle job postings between 2015 and 2019, according to the jobs site Indeed. Job searches jumped, too, by 450 percent. But note, job searchers: The sector saw a dip between 2018 and 2019, with postings dropping by 19 percent. The majority of these jobs are near the usual places: San Jose, Pittsburgh (home of Uber and ArgoAI's self-driving efforts), and Detroit. Required Reading News from elsewhere on the internet A look inside Uber's fraught incident investigations unit, where contractors under time pressure have let rider and driver assaults and harassment slip through the cracks. A judge rules Tesla broke labor laws in dissuading employees from unionizing. According to the ruling, CEO Elon Musk will have to read a statement about how the company broke the law at a meeting at the Tesla factory in Fremont, and the company will have to reimburse workers wrongfully terminated. Last week in automotive execs in hot water: Carlos Ghosn, Nissan, and the SEC settle over pay deceptions; German prosecutors charge VW execs (including ex-CEO Herbert Diess) with failing to disclose emissions-scandal-related investigations to shareholders. Lyft and Uber rolled out bike-, scooter-, and transit-related updates last week. China's EV market hits a slump. And Chinese "Tesla killer" NIO is on the skids. Disagreements over federal cybersecurity standards are holding up self-driving car legislation. Ford self-driving cars come to Austin. Last week in San Francisco mobility: Up to 10,000 new scooters will hit the streets as the city threatens to pull Lyft's ebike operating licence. Taiwanese scooter company Gogoro has an adorable new offering, available globally in 2020. In the Rearview Essential stories from WIRED's canon
From 2008: Why air travel is terrible. | 
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