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The car industry is reinventing the wheel to prepare for autonomous vehicles.

Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. are nearing a framework agreement to join forces on electric and self-driving vehicles, capital-intensive areas that are reshaping the auto industry and straining carmakers’ finances across the globe.

Of all the freeways in the United States, the most productive corridor for self-driving trucks appears to be Interstate 5 through Washington and Oregon, according to a report released this week by the Kirkland, Wash.-based Inrix data company.

Self-driving cars could be on the road in large numbers sooner than anyone expected — possibly by 2021 — even if public support for autonomous vehicles appears to be dropping.

As things stand today, the driverless car of the future can’t handle more than a dusting of snow.

Don’t worry, you haven’t fallen, but the turnip truck is about to start driving itself.

Kodiak Robotics, founded in April by Don Burnette and Paz Eshel, said it has raised $40 million from a group of venture capital investment firms, including Battery Ventures, CRV, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Tusk Ventures.

With all the media buzz about autonomous vehicles, it was only a matter of time before autonomous trucks became part of the hype cycle. Take autonomous trucks one step further and some are already predicting job losses in transportation.

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection unanimously approved a legislative markup July 19 to advance self-driving vehicle technology. Navigating the autonomous vehicle landscape has been difficult because of the traditional boundaries it breaks.

The race to field the first autonomous car will be a Darwinian exercise, with more than 50 major competitors reduced to a handful of winners over the next decade, according to a new study by consultant AlixPartners.