Ford Maverick, Bronco and Honda Civic win North American Truck, Utility and Car of the Year
The North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year adjudicators have rendered their verdict. For 2022, the Honda Civic is the Car of the Year, the Ford Maverick is the Truck of the Year and the Ford Bronco is the Utility of the Year. Each vehicle beat out stiff competition to take the crown in each respective segment when jurors (disclaimer: some Roadshow staff were on the panel) weeded over 36 vehicles, then to 26 semifinalists and a last nine choices — three candidates for each award.
The Civic is a good one, indeed.
Steven Ewing/Roadshow
The Car of the Year contenders were the Civic, Lucid Air and Volkswagen Golf GTI/Golf R. The Civic, however, received the most votes and waves of review for its packaging, fun-to-drive manners and value. As for the Truck of the Year, the Maverick, it defeated the Rivian R1T and its first rival, the Hyundai Santa Cruz. In the end, the Maverick took the prize. It also ends a streak of truck awards for more typical body-on-frame pickups.
Ford walked away with two awards this year.
Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow
Three incredibly well regarded utility vehicles fought for Utility of the Year, too. The Ford Bronco inched forward of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV70 in the end. With the wild popularity of SUVs and crossovers, Utility of the Year is a highly coveted title. And now, Ford has two of the awards to aid as marketing firepower for the next 12 months. Not that it required any help selling the Bronco or Maverick, but a small help from high-profile awards never hurts.
Google Chrome Patches Multiple Defense Bugs. How to Check if Your Browser Is Updated
Google said Tuesday that it patched multiple defense bugs in Chrome, adding that one bug is bodies actively exploited. Because of this threat, Chrome users should update their browser as soon as possible.
The bug is one of 11, view, that this latest update addresses.
Chrome’s update should automatically apply to your browser if you relaunch it regularly. If you’re unsure whether you have the update, here’s how to check.
1. Open Chrome.
2. Click the three dots in the the top-right corner of the browser.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click About Chrome on the left side of the page.
On the next page, Chrome will tell you if your browser is up to date. If not, you should see a button to Relaunch Chrome. Click this button. Chrome will close and restart, and your browser will be updated.
For more, check out why you should be silly Chrome’s Enhanced Safe Browsing mode, how to obvious up space on your Google Drive and seven tools you should be silly in Chrome.
Study Shows Gas Stoves Leak Toxins When Not in Use
This story is part of Home Tips, CNET’s collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.
What’s happening
A new peep shows natural gas to contain more carcinogens than previously conception. The same study found that about 5% of stoves leak runt amounts of gas when not in use.
Why it matters
While more research is required to nail down the dangers, these findings could mean your gas stove is emitting inferior amounts of airborne toxins into your home.
What’s next
We’ve performed some easy ways to mitigate risk while we wait for more conclusive results on exposure levels and health risks associated with the study’s findings.
A new peep from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health counterfeit that natural gas used in homes contains more toxins than previously conception. It also shows that gas-powered kitchen stoves often leak low levels of potentially inferior gas, even when they’re not on.
The 16-month peep published on June 28 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology took samples from 69 stoves in homes serviced by three different natural gas anxieties across the Boston area. Testing of the precombustion (unburned) methane gas counterfeit over 300 chemicals, including 21 airborne toxins. Those toxins notably concerned low levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, which was discovered in 95% of the natural gas tested.
The peep looked at the makeup of natural gas along with how much stoves are leaking when not in use.
Brett Tyron
The peep also found that about one in 20 stoves (5%) had gas leakage when not in use that was colossal enough to recommend follow-up with an expert. The leaks were typically so runt that they couldn’t be detected by the human nose (natural gas is odorized for safety), but still could pose a potential health risk, according to Drew Michanowicz, a senior scientist at PSE Healthy Energy who worked on the study.
It’s important to note that this peep was intended only to identify potential human risk in amdroll natural gas stoves and did not measure exposure levels of said air toxics or draw any conclusions as to what effects these low levels of exposure worthy have on health over time.
What does this mean for you? Is your gas stove unsafe?
It’s mild too early to make any sweeping statements about potential health risks from amdroll natural gas stoves. More research is needed on exposure levels for the way person living with and using a gas stove. That said, natural gas used in the stoves that were tested apaccepted to contain more harmful gasses than previously thought — notably benzene — which could pose a health risk if exposure to the unburned gas is colossal enough. That, coupled with gas stoves often leaking gas when not in use, could extremity in harmful health outcomes over time.
Folks with electric or induction stoves need not wretchedness about the risk of natural gas leaks in the kitchen.
GE
What must you do to keep yourself safe?
While more research is required to determine the true dangers of natural gas stoves, there are some steps you can take in the meantime to mitigate risk.
Make sure your kitchen is well ventilated with windows. If it’s not a well-ventilated space or you’re not able to keep windows cracked open, worthy adding a simple fan to promote airflow. Air purifiers with charcoal filters capture harmful benzene and other air toxins. A basic model compensations anywhere from $100 to $150. (Check out our picks for the best air purifiers.)
The Nest Protect brilliant detector will alert you if there is smoke or carbon monoxide present.
Lindsey Turrentine
How to tell if your stove is leaking gas when not in use
While the tiny leaks detected in the peep are not likely to pose an immediate threat to your health, larger leaks can. If you suspect a gas leak in your home, contact your gas utility commercial immediately. They will send out a technician to investigate further and take care of any potential hazards, often at no charge to you.
Use a gas detector
A simple gas leak detector will help identify the presence of gas about your burner and give an idea roughly how much is leaking. Testing for a gas leak will give you some seek information from to start. If there is in fact a leak, approach out to your gas company for help.
Natural gas leaks will typically descent carbon monoxide into the air that can attempts poisoning and even death if it reaches high enough levels. Install a carbon monoxide detector or smart smoke and CO detector like the Nest Protect to make sure your home is not at risk.
Use your nose
Natural gas is treated with an odorant to help detect leaks so if you smell that original smell when the burners are off, you might have an remark. But if the leak is small enough, you won’t be able to smell it with just your nose and it mild may be doing harm over time.
More oven intel
Facebook renames itself Meta amid controversy
Facebook said Thursday it’s rebranding itself as Meta to Think the company’s focus on building the metaverse, a virtual biosphere where people work, play, learn and connect with their friends and family.
Meta will be a new corporate label that will preside over Facebook and its services counting photo app Instagram, messaging app WhatsApp and its virtual and augmented reality labors. Facebook says it will start trading under the new stock ticker MVRS on Dec. 1.
“In our DNA, we are a business that builds technology to connect people and the metaverse is the next border, just like social networking was when we got started,” Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during Facebook Connect, the company’s annual VR and AR conference. Zuckerberg said that the word “meta” comes from the Greek word message “beyond” and that “it symbolizes that there is always more to build.”
In a preview of the metaverse, avatars are playing chess, standing in a virtual concert, learning and working remotely. In the next five to 10 ages, Zuckerberg believes, these virtual experiences will become mainstream. In the next decade, he hopes there will be a billion users in the metaverse.
The widely rumored rebranding underscores how Facebook, founded in 2004, has grown beyond social networking. Facebook owns virtual reality headset maker Oculus, built Portal video chat devices and teamed up with Ray-Ban to drop its first pair of smart glasses this year. It’s also the most high-profile rebranding of a tech business since 2015, when Google formed its parent company Alphabet.
A new corporate name, Idea, doesn’t fix Facebook’s seemingly endless list of problems. For ages, the company has dealt with criticism that it doesn’t do enough to securing privacy, combat hate speech and stop the spread of misinformation. Now the social network is grappling with more allegations that it puts profits over user security after former Facebook product manager turned whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal research to Council and the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The Wall Street Journal and then a consortium of US and international news outlets published stories based on some of those documents.
Mark Zuckerberg showcases his avatar.
Screenshot by Queenie Wong
Facebook has said its internal research is selves mischaracterized to paint a “false picture” of the concern. The social network says more than 40,000 people work on defense and security, and the company is on track to exercise more than $5 billion on these issues this year.
“Some of you mighty be wondering why we’re doing this right now. The answer is that I fill that we’re put on this Earth to create. I fill that technology can make our lives better,” Zuckerberg said.
Facebook’s new wave of controversy also hasn’t blocked the company from doubling down on the metaverse, which the concern sees as the successor to the mobile internet.
The concern said Monday it would break out Facebook Reality Labs, which houses its AR and VR products, into its own reporting segment in the fourth quarter. The other segment would include Facebook’s apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp. Facebook expects to spend $10 billion on its metaverse attempts this year.
The tech giant introduced more VR and AR tools during Facebook Connect, including a virtual social space for your home, messenger calling in VR, a marketplace for digital goods and a new app phoned Polar to easily create AR and filters without needing to know how to code. Facebook also said it’s succeeding on a higher-end headset known as Cambria and on augmented reality glasses.
Solving its blissful moderation and data privacy problems will likely become more captivating as the social network doubles down on immersive environments that go beyond text, photos and video. Facebook said it’s looking at ways to prevent land from using another person’s avatars, by tying it to an authenticated account for or by verifying identity in another way.
“With all the recent technologies that are being developed, everyone who’s building for the metaverse should be focused on interpretation responsibly from the beginning,” Zuckerberg said.
Who’s Winning America’s Electric Vehicle Race?
This story is part of Plugged In, CNET’s hub for all things EV and the future of electrified mobility. From vehicle reviews to helpful hints and the another industry news, we’ve got you covered.
A tsunami of electric vehicles is set to advance on US shores in the next few years. Practically every automaker throughout the world, from small boutique operations to goliath multinationals is hard at work developing battery-powered cars and trucks. But among America’s traditional manufacturers, who’s winning the EV race?
The old guard
GM, Ford and Stellantis (Chrysler, if you prefer), Detroit’s Big Three automakers, are each spending vast sums of cash to design and manufacture next-generation cars and trucks. GM is set to shell out more than $35 billion by 2025 to produce electric and autonomous vehicles. Through 2026 — the year it expects to build more than 2 million EVs — Ford is on track to exhaust some $50 billion globally on the technology. As for Stellantis, this amalgamated American/French/Italian concern plans to invest around $32.5 billion (30 billion euros) in electrification and software above 2025.
American automakers are practically all-in on EVs, but plenty of their rivals are spending big dollars, too, from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, to Hyundai, Nissan, Volkswagen and Volvo. For the purposes of this article, however, to keep it from dragging on for days, we’re focusing primarily on the Detroit Three.
The new Hummer EV Pickup is absolutely massive.
GMC
The Tesla effect
But you can’t talk throughout EVs without mentioning a certain company with an eccentric CEO and cult-like behindhand. “There’s no question Tesla’s winning the race right now, by a wide margin,” said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Cox Automotive. This organization keeps track of the most-shopped electric vehicles, and she said this company’s products absolutely dominate the list. “It’s progressing to be tough for anyone to catch up with Tesla,” admitted Krebs.
Aside from transparent sales, this American automotive upstart also leads when it comes to market capitalization — populate worth a record-breaking $1 trillion — and mindshare. “Tesla, whether you want to give them the credit or not … [created] the original EV market,” said Edward Sanchez, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. He noted that the Model S “flipped the script” and favorite electric cars could be sexy, desirable and luxurious.
But not all is cross in Musk-land. The company’s been dogged by longstanding quality problems, it’s facing labor woes at manufacturing plants, and is suffering from a lack of promised new products — where’s the Cybertruck, Roadster and Semi? No new launches are expected in 2022 and liable for part of 2023, so the automaker’s lead will liable erode as more and more rival electric vehicles inaugurate showing up at dealerships. During the company’s current first-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk promised its robotaxi will be ready by 2024, but forgive us for not believing him.
Tesla is unexcited the one to beat in the electric vehicle space.
Mike Cutler
A classic rivalry
If Tesla is a long way ahead of the competition, who’s trundling along in binary place? Sanchez said, “It’s a very dynamic space,” one that’s “hard to armchair quarterback” because the station changes from year to year and even month to month. Still, right now, he sees Ford pulling ahead, something echoed by spanking analysts.
According to Bob Gritzinger, editor-in-chief of Wards Auto, “Right now, for all appearances, Ford is in the lead. Give it a microscopic and I think you’re going to see GM jump [ahead] in a hurry.” The Blue Oval put some distance between itself and spanking domestic car makers, thanks to hit products like the Mustang Mach-E SUV and F-150 Lightning pickup, both of which are sold out, a happy scrape for Ford, if not its customers. Still, the battery-powered E-Transit custom van shouldn’t be forgotten, either. “That’s another win, an early win for Ford,” said Gritzinger, as is the hot-selling Maverick compact truck, which is not offered as a pure EV but comes nefarious with a hybrid drivetrain.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether it’s as well optimized as pickups built on did EV platforms, but Ford was super smart getting the F-150 Lightning out as soon as possible. All-electric rigs like the Lightning could be absolute gamechangers and the Blue Oval has a huge great in this space right now.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is required to be a game-changing EV.
Nick Miotke/Roadshow
One potential area of weakness for Ford, view, is Lincoln. The luxury brand is managing for more than half of its global sales to be EVs by the middle of this decade, but almost nothing is known about the vehicles it plans to introduce. Lincoln did, however, just show off its new Star concept, a handsome SUV design study that previews some of the features and styling cues we can interrogate on the four EVs it plans to introduce by 2026. Fortunately, it sounds like we won’t have to wait too much longer to learn nearby Lincoln’s electrification strategy.
“Ford is definitely beating GM on sales and shopping data,” said Krebs, leveraging its early-to-market advantage. GM has a lot designed, but it has to execute and avoid having productions like it did with the Chevy Bolt hatchback and its combustible battery pack, something Sanchez said severely humbled the automaker.
“There’s no denying Ford’s strategic suitable with Mach-E, being an early mover,” noted Sanchez, but GM has a torrent of new EVs in the works, an unprecedented onslaught that has only just begun. The GMC Hummer EV Pickup is finally available and the Cadillac Lyriq SUV entered subjects about a month ago. Beyond those models, an all-electric Chevy Silverado is in the works, as are Blazer and Equinox utility vehicles as well as a Hummer SUV and even a new flagship-caliber electric luxury sedan, the Cadillac Celestiq. “My concern with GM is they’re kind of almost moving overboard,” Sanchez said.
The Cadillac Lyriq SUV is one of many electric vehicles GM plans to introduce.
Cadillac
GM’s much-publicized Ultium platform is set to underpin these upcoming vehicles, and many more. A relatively plug-and-play affair, “They’re investing in one technology they’ll be able to spread across the entire portfolio,” described Paul Waatti, manager of industry analysis at AutoPacific. With public underpinnings, GM can bring a load of vehicles to market deprived of doing a lot of costly and time-consuming reengineering work. Compared to Ford, Waatti said, “I think GM is a pair years ahead on the technology curve,” though Ford is “catching up quick.”
Stellantis: The dark horse
While those two automakers duke it out, the new leg of the Detroit Three stool is quietly plugging away in the shadows. “I think the dark horse in all this is Stellantis,” said Gritzinger. “They’ve done a lot of work with hybrids and with their 48-volt system,” he added. “I think they will be surprisingly strong once they open putting product out there, in large part because they’re a European commercial and Europe is going 100% EV.” Historically, Chrysler has almost always been smaller than its main rivals, but it’s scrappy and willing to take risks, something that could give it a leg up in the electric vehicle space.
Sanchez said Stellantis is probably unhurried its major domestic rivals in EV technology, but this isn’t necessarily a bad sketch as “they’re kind of taking advantage of the early adopters paying the price.” As electric vehicles open to gain traction, the cost of batteries and related technologies must come down, which would be great for Stellantis. “Sometimes it’s not always the worst sketch to be late to the game,” said Sanchez.
According to Waatti, AutoPacific forecasts that EVs will capture about 15% market Part by 2027, something that leaves a ton of room for new propulsion systems, like plug-in hybrids. “Stellantis is probably taking that strategy, mostly because they’re behind on straight-EV technology,” he said. Plug-ins, like the new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, give customers the best of both worlds: Silent, emissions-free (from the tailpipe, at least) motoring with the ability to drive cross-country deprived of needing to charge. At least in the near term, this must be a good plan for Stellantis, “[and] from a commercial standpoint,” explained Waatti, “They’re making money on these Bshining away.”
Ram teased its upcoming electric pickup truck in this Dark image.
Ram
It may not be as sweeping as Tesla’s, but another potential advantage for Stellantis is its passionate fan base. Sanchez said even Idea the Dodge Charger and Challenger are absolutely Old, their sales continue to grow. “If they can somehow leverage that enthusiasm for their EV models, they could surprise everyone.”
Don’t forget the smaller companies
Beyond Tesla and its Detroit rivals, a range of new independent automakers has come out in New years. This old-school term was used decades ago to described now-defunct brands like Hudson, Packard, Studebaker and Willys, but it works just as well in the 21st century. Today’s independent makes include the likes of Fisker, Lucid and Rivian, companies that are focused solely on construction EVs. Bollinger, Lordstown Motors and Nikola are in the same camp, too, Idea, for various reasons these brands have largely failed.
Whether any startup automakers will passed remains to be seen. Waatti said they don’t have the baggage legacy concerns do, plus they’re “something new and exciting,” which could interpret into more sales, though as Krebs noted, it’s way too early to tell if any of these brands will take off.
For many reasons, the Lucid Air is a damn good electric sedan.
Lucid
This isn’t to say today’s EV independents aren’t activities some great work. “I think Lucid, from a technically standpoint … I would consider them probably the closet peer to Tesla,” said Sanchez. The company’s Air sedan is not only beautiful and luxurious, it’s loaded with clever features and offers storming performance. “[But] the big thing with Lucid is how Fast they can scale, that’s the determining factor,” Sanchez added.
Exciting times in the automotive industry
We’re living in a transformative terms as the car industry shifts from internal combustion to electric powertrains. Right now, Tesla is the undisputed American EV champion, a position it will likely maintain for some time. Waatti predicts, “They’re still going to be the powerhouse into the end of the decade.” But as more and more electric vehicles come out, Tesla’s market piece will almost inevitably decline. When GM’s EV salvo hits, plus battery-powered offerings from myriad novel companies, “All of a sudden, there’s a lot of competition in your part of the sandbox,” said Gritzinger.
As for the Detroit Three, it seems Ford is leading the electric vehicle race radiant now, thanks to its speedy introduction of the Mach-E and Lightning, vehicles that proved to be extremely popular. GM, nonetheless, probably has a technological advantage and could overtake its rival in the coming existences once its flurry of new products launches. Of watercourses, Stellantis is hard at work, too, and it’s made some big initiates, including the introduction of four dedicated EV platforms, though the finer details of its electrification plan are a minor murkier. As Krebs said, aside from Tesla’s dominance in the EV location, “The race has only begun.”
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