Everyone needs to get around. How we do it will change more over the next decade than it has in the last century. Legacy automakers, like Ford and GM, are scrambling to become technology-savvy companies, and the tech industry is trying to cash in on the change. New players, like Rivian and Tesla, are disrupting the industry and sometimes stumbling. We look at how self-driving hardware and software make the automobile better or, in some cases, deeply flawed. We cut through the hype and empty promises to tell you what's really happening and what we think is coming. Verge Transportation cares about all moving machines and the place they have in the future.
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US eyeing new rules to keep Chinese software out of cars
The Commerce Department is expected to propose limits on vehicles using software and other components that originate in China.
The police department in Anaheim, California, apparently wants to “be the first” with a Cybertruck, according to an email sent to Tesla modification company Up.Fit and obtained by 404 Media.
Up.Fit has already shown what a Cybertruck for police use may look like. The Anaheim PD later confirmed to 404 Media that the email was “a joke” but that it would still like a Cybertruck for “community engagement.”
[404 Media]
The new $3,299 Hyperion Solar scooter reaches speeds of up to 65mph and offers a range of up to 70 miles. I know there are other scooters out there that can go even faster than this, but I’m too scared to go over 15mph on my Segway F-SE.
In a post on X, the CEO said the event to reveal the company’s long-promised fully autonomous robotaxi was delayed to make time for more design changes, include an ‘important’ change to the front of the vehicle. Musk also teased “a few other things” that will shown at the October event. The event was supposed to take place on August 8th, but now has been delayed until sometime in October. Tesla still hasn’t confirmed an exact date.
Ford is taking the opportunity to advertise its Pro Power Onboard generators available in some F-150 models, including gas and Lightning EV versions, after Hurricane Beryl caused major outages in the Houston area. Communications director Mark Levine posted a map showing where F-150 trucks generated at least one kilowatt of electricity.
A nice gesture from the new owners who have everything to lose if they don’t earn back trust:
The new VanMoof has launched a global initiative to help riders who ordered a bike before the bankruptcy and never received it. The company offers a €1000 / $1000 / £850 discount code off a VanMoof S5, A5 or future product to riders affected by this issue.
“Future product” presumably applies to the new electric scooter that should be launching soon, or even the dual-motor V superbike that’s still planned. You can apply for the discount here which is valid until the end of 2027.
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Verge Score
Engwe P20 folding e-bike review: $1000 buys a lot of forgiveness
Fully equipped direct-to-consumer e-bikes still require compromises at this price range.
Autonomous Cars
Tesla reportedly delaying its robotaxi reveal until October
Tesla’s not alone in betting on vision-only advanced driver assistance technology.
No, Tesla has not conducted ‘massive trials’ of driverless cars in the US.
Police pulled over a Waymo car for driving in the oncoming lane
Chinese automaker XPeng is revealing the first images of its P7 Plus electric car with camera-based self-driving technology that operates similarly to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) tech. As reported by Electrek, XPeng previously used Lidar in its cars, an approach that some automakers and robotaxi ventures count on in the pursuit of achieving autonomous driving.
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The world’s biggest car company is joining seven other automakers, including BMW, Honda, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. Ionna plans to install a few chargers by the end of this year, and more than 30,000 across North America by 2030. By that time, Toyota and Lexus together plan to offer 30 EV models globally, the company says.
Ride-sharing
Uber will let you see average fares and wait times for different cities
Uber and Lyft now required to pay Massachusetts rideshare drivers $32 an hour
Uber will pay you $1,000 to ditch your car for five weeks
Uber and Aurora announce ‘long-term’ driverless truck deal after successful pilot
That’s the maximum EV charge allowed under Electrify America’s new pilot aimed at reducing long wait times at some charging stations. Once an EV reaches 85 percent, the charging session will automatically end and the EV owner will have to unplug. The pilot will kick off at 10 Electrify America stations in California where congestion — defined as the number of EVs waiting to charge — has been the most pronounced.
[cloud.email.electrifyamerica.com]
Current and former Tesla employees told Business Insider that the images and videos from Musk’s Teslas have “received meticulous scrutiny,” allowing the automaker to tweak its software to address hiccups on certain routes. The company similarly prioritizes driving data from Tesla influencers, Business Insider reports:
The result is that Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD software may better navigate routes taken by Musk and other high-profile drivers, making their rides smoother and more straightforward.
Misleading claims about Tesla’s alleged autonomous vehicle development are a dime-a-dozen, but this quote in the Wall Street Journal about China’s AV program was enough to exasperate ex-Waymo CEO John Krafcik.
Just to be clear: Waymo operates fully driverless vehicles, while Tesla’s Full Self-Driving requires a human driver behind the wheel.
It’s been five years since Google Maps rolled out the feature on Android, and now it’s finally available to iPhone users, as spotted by TechCrunch. The feature lets you see how fast you’re going compared to the road’s speed limit.
The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (AVTM) program, which famously helped put Tesla on the map and also is funding Ford’s massive EV investment, will hand out $1.2 billion for a new factory in Terre Haute, Indiana to manufacture lithium-ion battery separators to be used in EVs. Its another sign that the Biden administration is racing to strengthen the domestic EV supply chain before the November election.
The automaker clearly has no qualms about slapping beloved nameplates on new vehicles (see: Mach-E, Mustang), so it shouldn’t come as a complete shock that it would bring the Capri name out of retirement for its second EU-only EV. (The first was the electric Explorer.) Also, what is this guerrilla campaign? Clearly Ford’s European marketing team has a longer leash to experiment than their stateside brethren.
By all reports, Apple and Warner Bros.’ F1 wasn’t cheap to produce, but you can definitely see director Joseph Kosinski putting that budget to work in the film’s new teaser trailer. The movie’s out internationally on June 25th, 2025, June 27th in the US, and will hit Apple TV Plus some time afterwards.
I’ve never been to a stock car race, but I have seen my share of monster trucks, dirt track races, and sprint cars.
Maybe that’s why my brain won’t accept how quiet NASCAR’s new EV prototype is in this video from the Chicago Street Course. Imagine going to a race and not feeling totally rattled and overwhelmed by the noise!
The Verge’s Adi Robertson already wrote about her experience with Distance Technologies’ prototypical heads-up display at Augmented World Expo. It’s nowhere near road-ready — it’s too dim, and the eye-tracking-driven stereoscopic 3D effect can be buggy, laggy, and tiresome.
Yet, for purely aesthetic reasons, I love the sci-fi future feel of this video from her time with it.