News
Netherlands ranks 1st in autonomous vehicle readiness, US places 3rd
The recently-released Automated Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) report by auditing firm KPMG has revealed that the Netherlands is the world’s most autonomous vehicle-ready country. The AVRI, which ranks nations across the globe according to their readiness for self-driving technologies, has also placed the United States in third place, right behind Singapore.
KPMG International evaluated countries according to four particular pillars. To make it to the index’s rankings, nations must perform well on policy and legislation, technology and innovation, infrastructure, and finally, consumer acceptance. The countries’ scores for each pillar are then aggregated and ranked.
Topping the list was the Netherlands, which was the clear world leader in the AVRI. The European nation ranked 1st in infrastructure, 2nd in consumer acceptance, 3rd in policy and legislation, and 4th in technology and innovation. The country’s aggregated score was 27.73 points, placing it well ahead of other nations in the index.
According to an EE Times report, the Netherlands’ impressive performance was attributed largely to its AV-friendly infrastructure. As of writing, the Netherlands boasts the highest density of electric vehicle charging points in the world. By 2016, the European nation already offered 26,789 charging points for the public. The country is also known for its well-maintained road network, which is currently rated as one of the world’s best.
In a statement to Geospatial World News, KPMG Netherlands Digital Advisory Manager Stijn de Groen noted that the country, even at this point, is already prepared for the upcoming autonomous vehicle revolution.
“The Dutch ecosystem for AVs is ready. The intensively-used Dutch roads are very well developed and maintained, and other indicators like telecoms infrastructure are also very strong. In addition, the Dutch government Ministry of Infrastructure has opened the public roads to large-scale tests with self-driving passenger cars and lorries,” the KPMG executive said, according to a GWN report.
AVRI’s second-placer on its rankings is Singapore, topping the list both in policy and legislation as well as consumer acceptance. According to KPMG, the Asian city-state received high marks in these pillars due to its recent amendment to its Road and Traffic Act, which allowed autonomous vehicles to be tested on public roads. Singaporeans were also found to be readily accepting of self-driving cars as a means of transportation.
Singapore also ranked 8th in technology and innovation and 2nd in infrastructure. The Asian city-state earned an aggregated score of 26.08 points.
The United States ranks third in the AVRI, despite ranking first in technology and innovation. Among all the countries in the index, the US earned near-maximum ratings on industry partnerships and research and development hubs, among other factors. The country’s overall score, however, was hampered by its low ratings on patents and overall usage of electric cars. The limited adoption and actual capabilities of fully autonomous vehicles also contributed to the country’s score.
Overall, the US ranked 7th in infrastructure, 10th in policy and legislation and 4th in consumer acceptance. The United States’ aggregated score in the AVRI is 24.75 points.
In a statement to GWN, KPMG US Infrastructure Advisory Principal Timothy D. Wilschetz noted that the country, while highly innovative in the autonomous vehicle sphere, still suffers from several setbacks. Wilschetz believes, however, that US regulators have the power to change this trend.
“The US has a highly innovative but largely disparate environment with little predictability regarding the uniform adoption of national standards for AVs. Therefore, the prospect of widespread driverless vehicles is unlikely in the near future. However, federal policy and regulatory guidance could certainly accelerate early adoption, particularly concerning limited freight applications such as truck platooning.”
Top 10 countries most prepared for the future of autonomous transportation by KPMG
- Netherlands
- Singapore
- United States
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Canada
- United Arab Emirates
- New Zealand
- South Korea
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
