Traffic collision forces Sig Alert for all of CA Highway 121: CHP
Crews to clear debris left from Santa Cruz Wharf collapse
There is no estimated time for the roadway reopening.
It is not yet clear what led to the crash or how many vehicles or people were involved.
Commuters are advised to expect delays and avoid the area by taking alternate routes.
This story will be updated.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Forbes
12 minutes ago
- Forbes
Three Of The Smallest 2025 Cars, Tested
The charms of the pint-sized automobile are many. You can slip in and out of tight parking spaces with ease. They're (mostly) affordable. Friends will never say 'Hey, I'm moving this weekend - can I borrow your MX-5?' Here are three recently tested pint-sized vehicles I loved, and why. 2025 Mazda Miata MX-5 2024 Mazda MX-5 Unlike so many cars (and haircuts, and clothes) from the 80s and 90s which seem funny to us today, the long-in-the-tooth MX-5 Miata has never had an awkward stage in all this time, and the 2024 model is still one of the funnest, smartest and affordable peanut convertibles available. What's New for 2025? Light tweaks arrived last year like new exterior lighting elements, an updated grille, and improved wheel designs. A new 8.8-inch infotainment display replaced the outgoing 7.0-inch screen, There's also a 35th Anniversary Edition - a limited-production edition celebrating the Miata's legacy and delivering exclusive design elements like Artisan Red Metallic paint and a tan Nappa leather interior. Pricing starts in the $29,000 range, all the way up to the late 30s with options and delivery charge. Inside It's a tight squeeze, as everyone knows. Getting in and out requires the bit of creativity no matter what size you are. There's almost no room for the little things we cart around, so into the little trunk they go. If you do an overnight, both of you will have to fit your stuff into one suitcase. The nav/audio/climate system worked well. The Miata isn't known for its kickin' audio system. 2025 Mazda MX-5 Mileage It's got better-than-average mileage - 26 MPG City / 34 Highway / 29 Combined. I filled the tank from near-empty with a little more than 20 bucks. The Drive The thrill of the MX-5 has always involved sweetly smashing that standard shift, whipping through K-turns, slipping through tiny spaces in between the other cars and generally enjoying yourself. You're not ferocious in any way, but you get that delicious thrill and feeling of freedom the MX-5 provides. You'll get some decent velocity at blast-offs by giving it lots of gas and winding quickly through the gears, but this is not a car that's in any type of hurry. You'll think you're doing 65 but you'll see you're only doing 45. Not a problem. Would you want the MX-5 in a snowstorm? No. But that's true of any little sports car. Room for improvement The cabin is so loud even with the top up that conversation with a partner was difficult at speed. Also, other drivers with bigger rides instinctively know they can cut in front of you, and they're right. 2025 Mini Cooper Countryman SE ALL4 2025 Mini Countryman Electric The 2025 Mini Cooper Countryman SE ALL4 is a splendid, can-do all-electric compact crossover SUV blending Mini's identifiable characteristics with modern electric performance. It's also not 'mini' as we understand the term. This electric model is new for 2025. But it must be included on this list. Looks It is large and lovely, with a length of about 175 inches and a width of 81.5 inches. It features customizable LED lighting elements, including daytime running lights and taillights which owners can personalize. The front grille is now an octagonal shape - a new design element for the 2025 model year - integrating sensors and cameras. Inside It's neat, minimal and they've put the window controls on each of the doors, where they belong. The interior materials include reasonably premium fabrics and Vescin leatherette, with options for massaging seats and a panoramic sunroof. Mini's 9.4-inch circular center display is on deck here, and it looks elegant when you finally get it to do as you wish. 2025 Mini Countryman Electric As for tech, the Mini Operating System 9 supporting wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. This unique system also allows for personalized backgrounds and includes driving modes like Trail Mode, displaying a compass and inclinometer, for example. Motor You motivate via a 66 kWh battery, offering an EPA-estimated range of 212 miles, 204 miles with 19-inch wheels. That's on the low side. It supports DC fast charging up to 130 kW, enabling a 10% to 80% charge in under 30 minutes. Price The starting price for the 2025 Countryman SE ALL4 is $45,200, with higher trims and options increasing the cost to $51,145. The Drive This 'Mini' weighs 4,500 pounds so although the acceleration, steering and handling are on-point, it is quite the large vehicle and behaves as such. Acceleration from a dead stop is electric-hasty and thus handy and a lot of fun. But a zippy, mountain-carving unit this isn't, and that's ok. For reference, the original Mini weighed 1,250 pounds. Options Notable options include the customizable ambient lighting, a Harman Kardon sound system and various style packages that accentuate different vehicle features. Additionally, the vehicle offers a head-up display and massaging front seats. Room for improvement The range is on the low side compared with competitors. The ignition and drive selector are the tiniest you've ever seen in any car, anywhere. The infotainment system never remembered my Droid on each ride - one had to reconnect each trip using six steps. Most vehicles require you to sync just once, and you're connected throughout the test. Safety Safety features include standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, and optional adaptive cruise control with lane-centering. 2025 Fiat 500e 2025 FIAT 500e As soon as I got to the end of the block during my first drive, I loved the Fiat 500e. There was enough room inside, first, for both me and the 76-pound dog I was watching. Unlike the other vehicle I had at the time where the pooch just couldn't get settled or sit still, sometimes for two hours, she just sat, alert, in the 500e the entire time. The other thing I loved was that, as in an MX-5, you just zip around any obstacle, quietly. Need to make a u-turn? You don't even think about it, just do it. You're also a welcome sight to most people. Being cute can have its advantages. Nobody on the road was pushy or disrespectful. Now, the disadvantages. The 500e's 140-150 mile range is very much on the low side. This shouldn't be a problem – if there are fast-chargers along your route. What I found, though, when nearing Bear Mountain during the test was that of the 12 chargers listed in my map's software, 12 were also occupied. Ditto the four chargers nearest that. I would have to head home and plug the 500e into the three-pronged outlet in the garage and leave it there at least 10 hours, which I really didn't mind. It's nice to think you can buy an electric car and just plug it into your house and not think about it. What's New For 2025 The 500e was new as of last year, the previous model having been discontinued in the USA in 2019. There isn't any mechanical or performance difference between the 2024 and 2025 Fiat 500e, aside from a new Giorgio Armani Collector's Edition styling package added for this year. Inside 2025 FIAT (500e) RED It'll fit you and a partner and a big dog like mine or a couple of little kids. The big and tall adults, not so much. A generous 10.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system runs a Uconnect 5 software interface and the sound was punchy and satisfying. Overall, the interior is mod and pleasant and is outfitted with more stuff than was the outgoing model. You feel a bit like you're in a movie space pod. Motor You've got a single 87-kW permanent magnet electric motor, delivering the equivalent of 117 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. How much is it? The 2025 Fiat 500e has a starting MSRP of $30,500, with the Giorgio Armani edition priced at $37,495, according to CarEdge and Kelley Blue Book. The base model, the 500e INSPI(RED), also starts at $30,500. Performance Front-wheel drive is your only option, a plus for a little car when it has to ford snow or ice. You zip-zip as you will in any electric in parking lots and city streets, but acceleration is a slightly sluggish on highways - 60 mph is reached in about 8.5 seconds. You've got three different regenerative modes—Normal, Range, and Sherpa, Sherpa being a sort of emergency electricity miser that'll numb all responses and keep your speed under 50 MPH, in aid of you making it to the next charger when you're low. How's the drive? The ride is firm but the cockpit's quiet. Keep a firm grip on the wheel over rough roads, or it'll snap right out of your hands. There isn't a whole lot else to say about the drive except that it matches the vehicle's size (tiny) and its motor (little.) One doesn't expect a screeching, spitting experience. Conclusion? The experience delivered is exactly what's expected - a stylish little electric, done well.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla robotaxi incidents spark confusion and concerns in Austin
Two weeks into Tesla's robotaxi prototype rollout on the streets of Austin, Texas, a string of viral videos showing apparent mishaps and the severely limited access to the service have caused a cloud of confusion and concern around the vehicles and their safety. Tesla launched its Austin service on June 22. People who've gotten an invitation, a group that appears to be composed largely of influencers adjacent to and acolytes of CEO Elon Musk, use an app to call for a ride, similar to ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft. Each ride costs $4.20, a cannabis-associated number that Musk frequently uses. The service is somewhat of a prototype. Although no human is in the driver's seat, each car has a company employee in the front passenger seat who can stop the car with a button if there are safety concerns. Tesla says its experimental software is driving the vehicles. Experts in the field of autonomous driving say it's too early to judge the success or failure of the venture. Federal regulators and some local and state politicians say they're concerned about several incidents — documented on camera and shared on social media — where the cars appeared to break traffic laws or put people in danger. Some people who've used competing robotaxi services, such as Google spinoff Waymo, yawned at what they considered old technology. Even the stock market shrugged off the launch, with no lasting imprint on Tesla's share price. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment on how the service is going. Several key metrics, such as how many miles it has driven and how often Tesla employees need to intervene with the driving software, remain mysteries. Because the service operates only in Texas, where there are currently minimal rules surrounding autonomous vehicles, the company is not required to report such information to regulators at any level of government. In the first days of the rollout, videos of Tesla robotaxis appearing to violate traffic laws or behave oddly proliferated online. In one, a Tesla dropping off a passenger did so in the middle of an intersection. In another, a Tesla drives on the wrong side of a double yellow line. In at least two videos, its robotaxis are traveling faster than the posted speed limit. And in several examples, the Tesla cars brake suddenly and passengers say they were confused as to why. In all, NBC News found 13 instances in videos online where a Tesla appeared to break the rules or otherwise make a mistake. In each case, NBC News contacted the people who made the videos but did not hear back. Some elected officials in Austin said they're worried about the incidents. 'There are just a lot of errors,' said Vanessa Fuentes, a member of the Austin City Council and the mayor pro tempore, meaning she runs council meetings when the mayor is absent, in a phone interview. 'They have proven that the technology they have is unsafe for Austinites.' And while other autonomous vehicle companies such as Waymo or former General Motors unit Cruise have been documented on camera making embarrassing or illegal maneuvers, Fuentes said that she doesn't believe Tesla has coordinated enough with the city government — which Tesla is not legally required to do, but she said would build trust. 'Tesla has had no regard for public input or working with our city, and unfortunately, I'm not OK having this done at the expense of Austinites' safety,' she said. She said she embraces autonomous vehicles in the city as a general matter but would like to see Tesla's service halted for now. Zo Qadri, an Austin City Council member whose district overlaps with the Tesla robotaxi service area, said he is hearing from people in his district who are worried. 'We've been seeing chaos unfold. We have a lot of constituents who are very angry,' he said. He said the situation reminded him of problems associated with Cruise robotaxis in Austin in 2023, when residents complained that Cruise cars were making unsafe turns and being a nuisance. Cruise shuttered last year. Qadri said he has not heard similar complaints from constituents about Waymo, which also operates there. It's not clear whether Tesla could face local consequences for such incidents, such as traffic tickets, for breaking any laws. Fuentes said the process in Austin for ticketing a robotaxi is more complicated than simply writing a ticket for a driver: A police officer must draft a complaint affidavit, send it to a lieutenant, and then have the affidavit witnessed and sent to a municipal court. The Austin Police Department said in a statement: 'As with any company operating autonomous technology on public roadways, when a potential legal or safety concern is brought to our attention, we promptly share it with the company. These concerns are then addressed through our regular meetings, where we follow up on the issue and review the steps taken to resolve it. Our priority is to maintain public safety while supporting innovation in transportation,' the department said. Federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also took notice of the safety incidents, saying in a statement June 23 that the agency 'is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.' Texas state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, a Democrat whose district includes part of Austin, said she wants Tesla to proceed cautiously. 'I think that it's in their interest to make sure safety is top of mind and that nothing goes wrong. Otherwise, that could really derail their plans for launching it fully,' she said. Goodwin was one of seven Texas lawmakers who sent a letter to Tesla on June 18 asking for the company to delay the launch of its robotaxis until Sept. 1 — the day a new law regarding autonomous vehicles is set to go into effect. Tesla did not delay its launch, but Goodwin said the company did respond to their letter, saying it would update its policies to ensure that it would be compliant with the new law. Goodwin said part of her desire for caution comes from owning a Tesla herself and experiencing unexpected maneuvers while using the company's driver-assistance software. 'I've had personal experience with using cruise control and having the car brake for me, which can be very disturbing,' she said. 'I've had that experience on a number of occasions, and it just leads me to believe that it really is important to have a person in the vehicle.' Tesla is aiming to compete with Waymo, which says it has about 1,500 robotaxis on the road in several cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. Musk said Tesla's service would start small with 10-20 vehicles and try to grow over the next several months, although how quickly it could expand is not clear. Tesla's stock price soared the day after its service launched on a Sunday, jumping more than 9% on the following Monday. But the stock, which is often volatile, retreated over the following days as it became clear how many hurdles Tesla faces in trying to scale up the service. The public knows about the safety incidents involving Tesla robotaxis mainly because Tesla sent many of the initial invitations to use the service to online influencers, including people with YouTube channels or similar video platforms. The invitations were so scarce that at least one Tesla influencer, a person named Omar who goes by the pseudonym Whole Mars Catalog, offered to share rides for $10. 'Take a Tesla Robotaxi ride round trip with Omar. Includes two rides, there and back,' the person's sponsorship page said. The $10 would be more than the combined cost of two $4.20 rides. The account did not respond to a request for comment. Eliana Sheriff was among the early riders. A video creator with a YouTube channel focused on Musk's rocket company SpaceX, she said she came away a fan of the robotaxi service. 'I was totally trusting of the technology,' she said in a YouTube video on her channel, 'Ellie in Space.' She did have one complaint. After she reached her destination in the robotaxi, a storm appeared overhead and she wanted to stay in the car to shelter. A Tesla customer service agent called into the car's audio system to say that she couldn't. She exited and called a second ride to take her back to where she started. (Some posts online said erroneously that Tesla kicked her out midride, but she said in an interview that she did reach her destination.) Sheriff said that despite some concerns in the automotive and tech industries over whether Tesla's technology is good enough to deploy robotaxis, she has faith in Musk to pursue the best approach. 'Elon must have a reason for why he believes in that,' she said. She's not alone. Since the robotaxi launch, the legions of Musk and Tesla fans have proclaimed their enthusiasm for the service across the internet: on X, the social media app that Musk owns, and on other apps such as Reddit and TikTok. And they've employed a wide variety of superlatives to describe the robotaxis: 'flawless,' 'seamless' and 'history-making.' But because the service is invite-only, with only a handful of cars on the road, almost no consumers who aren't Tesla fans have gotten to use the service firsthand. Musk and his fans have described the service as futuristic and groundbreaking, but the rollout has succeeded mainly in preaching to Tesla's already-converted choir of supporters. Brad Templeton, a consultant in the autonomous vehicle industry who worked for Google's self-driving car project from 2010 to 2013 before it became Waymo, said Tesla's most enthusiastic fans are 'all fairly convinced that it's just on the cusp of being ready, and they get really annoyed when other people don't see it.' Like other experts, Templeton said the only measure for robotaxis that counts is whether they're safe over the very long term, measured in the tens of millions of miles driven. 'What matters is not individual demonstrations. It's statistics,' he said. Many of the Tesla and Waymo fans clash head-to-head on Reddit, where the message board r/SelfDrivingCars has been heating up with competition between the two sides. Waymo boosters regularly argue on the site that the company is years ahead of Tesla in experience: Waymo had paying customers in its first market, Phoenix, while still using safety drivers in December 2018 — six and a half years ago. Waymo began 'rider only' rides in 2019. Lately, some Tesla fans have been pushing back by highlighting videos of what they considered to be Waymo vehicles driving poorly, including stopping in standing water. One Reddit user, in a popular recent post, vented that the r/SelfDrivingCars message board was being 'flooded with Tesla apologist propaganda and disinformation. … The astroturf army is out in full display these past couple weeks.' The top comment on the post asked for a truce. 'I want to see progress by both companies,' the Reddit user Juice805 wrote. 'Waymo is doing great and is quite far ahead in their rollout and Tesla just made a huge first step in theirs.' 'I just want cars to drive themselves,' they wrote. They did not respond to a request for comment. This article was originally published on
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Latest Sales Data Reveal Clear Winners And Losers in a Messy EV Market
The second quarter of 2025 painted a chaotic picture of the electric vehicle market in the United States. While General Motors enjoyed a breakout quarter, most other automakers, especially Tesla and Ford, stumbled hard. EV sales are now a mix of breakthroughs and breakdowns. And all of this is happening under a White House that has turned decisively against green subsidies. Despite a political environment hostile to clean energy, GM managed to deliver a stunning 111% increase in EV sales compared to the same quarter last year, moving 46,280 electric vehicles. The Detroit automaker's investment in new models appears to be paying off. GM now commands an estimated 13% share of the U.S. EV market and is emerging as a real contender to Tesla's long-standing dominance. Many analysts attribute this rise to both product quality and a growing consumer backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk's polarizing political activities. 'Tesla, the market leader for years, is now clearly in retreat. The company delivered 384,122 vehicles globally in Q2, a 13.5% decline year-over-year. U.S. sales fell an estimated 16.7% to 125,000 units. Industry experts say Tesla's troubles go beyond competition. Musk's involvement in Donald Trump's administration, as head of the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has alienated many liberal and progressive buyers who once made up a key slice of Tesla's customer base. Ford's EV division didn't fare much better. The company's electric vehicle sales dropped 31.4% in Q2, totaling just 16,438 units. Key models like the F-150 Lightning and the E-Transit van were down 26% and 88% respectively. Even Ford's best-performing EV, the Mustang Mach-E, saw a 20% decline. A stop-sale order during the quarter due to a safety recall involving over 317,000 vehicles further dented Ford's EV momentum. Toyota continues to gain ground but largely on the back of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. It sold 320,817 'electrified vehicles' in Q2, up nearly 30% from a year ago. But only a small fraction of that total consists of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Hyundai and Kia reported steep declines Both companies declined to share sales data for other electric models like the Kona EV and Niro EV. The shifting landscape also extended to the newer, 'disruptive' electric vehicle manufacturers. Rivian, known for its electric trucks and SUVs, delivered 10,661 units in the second quarter, marking a 22% decline from a year ago. While this drop might seem concerning, Rivian stated that its production was intentionally limited during this period to prepare for the launch of its 2026 model year vehicles later in July. In contrast, luxury EV maker Lucid saw a notable increase in deliveries, soaring 38% to 3,309 units in Q2. This marks a new record for Lucid's quarterly deliveries and its seventh consecutive quarter of increased handovers. The real wildcard in this turbulent market is federal policy. President Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' signed into law on July 4, will end the $7,500 federal tax credit for new EVs and the $4,000 credit for used EVs on September 30. Those subsidies were cornerstones of the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act and helped power EV adoption across the country. The bill also slashes incentives for rooftop solar, heat pumps, and other green energy products, and removes fuel-efficiency penalties for automakers. As the expiration date looms, many industry watchers expect a rush of purchases in Q3 as consumers scramble to lock in discounts. But after September? That's the real test. The EV market is entering a period of uncertainty. GM is rising. Tesla is falling. Ford is scrambling. And the federal government is pulling back its support. If Q2 was a mess, Q3 could be a feeding frenzy, and Q4 a reckoning.
