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.
The Alphabet-owned company was previously only giving rides to people on its interest list. Now it will be open to anyone who downloads the Waymo app. The robotaxi operator says its also testing out rides to Nashville International Airport, and hopes to begin offering service soon. And coming later this year, Waymo will be an option in the Lyft app in Nashville.
You might remember I took a break from Decoder last year — we had a baby, so I took some leave. In my place, we had an excellent slate of guest hosts, and we’ve been working hard to bring you those episodes in full video since we launched our official Decoder YouTube channel.
So today, we’re featuring a really great interview conducted last fall by my very good friend Joanna Stern, now the founder and CEO of New Things, and Ford CEO Jim Farley. Watch it here, or read the full transcript here.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration kicked off a new rulemaking aimed at eliminating the requirement for brake pedals as long as the vehicle is fully automated. If it passes, it would be a gift to companies like Zoox that make purpose-built AVs without traditional controls. Safety advocates have expressed concerns about these moves, arguing that its premature to eliminate the requirement for manual controls and could pose a safety risk.
Outdoor retailer REI has been getting some heat for this (now removed) AI slop ad on Instagram, but the company says Meta is to blame. “Meta auto-enrolled us in an AI personalization tool that produced an inaccurate and inappropriate alteration of a vendor-provided image,” an REI spokesperson told Business Insider.
The truck asks one central question: will Americans trade features for affordability?
The fire occurred in Martin County late last week after “a brake pad from the trailer hauling the six Teslas ignited and quickly spread to the vehicles,” according to local news outlet WPTV. Both lanes of Florida’s Turnpike and part of I-95 were shut down as toxic fumes and smoke clouded the area.
The Dual Standard variants had smaller batteries and less range than some of the other trims. But they also had some of the less expensive starting prices: $76,990 (before fees) for the Dual Standard R1S and $72,990 for the Dual Standard R1T. The move to simplify the R1 lineup comes as Rivian is ramping up production of the crucial R2, which initially starts at $57,990.
Tata Electronics, an India-based manufacturing partner for both companies, says it’s investigating a “cybersecurity incident” after the World Leaks ransomware group posted more than 200,000 component and specification documents on the dark web. The files reportedly include inspection standards for iPhone circuit board components, and drawings for the Model 3 revamp that Tesla launched in 2023.
As TechCrunch reports, Lucid’s second round of layoffs this year will eliminate a new production shift it had added as part of plans to double its production.
This involves a reduction of the Company’s current U.S. workforce by approximately 18 percent, including full-time employees, contractors and hourly production workers in manufacturing. As part of this reduction, the Company has eliminated the second shift of production at its AMP-1 factory. The Plan is expected to provide the Company with annualized cost savings of approximately $158 million.
That’s what investigators in Harris County, Texas, aim to find out after Michael Butler’s Model 3 smashed into the home of a 76-year-old woman, killing her in her own living room. Tesla’s driver assist system has been linked to thousands of crashes and dozens of fatalities, and yet the company claims its tech makes driving safer.
The number of pedestrians killed each year has increased by about 75 percent since 2009, and large pickups and SUVs — which have taller hoods and bigger blind zones — are contributing to rising fatalities. This interactive deepdive from The New York Times examines the growing risks of having bigger vehicles on US roads.
Legal wrangling between leading eVTOL companies Joby, Archer, and Vertical threatens the future of the industry.
When the Google Meet UI for Apple CarPlay launched in April, Google said Android Auto would follow soon, and now it’s here, with the rollout set to finish by June 26th. If you want to take a work call while in the car, you can see your schedule, dial colleagues, or join calls (audio only, both ways) without picking up your phone.
The recall comes just weeks after Waymo vehicles drove past ramp closure signs in Arizona and entered closed lanes in San Francisco, according to a filing with the NHTSA. The company paused freeway service last month due to the issue, which it’s fixing with a software update.
The company has yet to launch in its first market (San Francisco, later this year) but is already gearing up for its second. In Houston, Uber will be competing for passengers with Waymo and Tesla. But the ridehail company is in it to win it, having already secured a 50,000 square-foot facility for maintenance, and a charging pitstop for its Lucid-made, Nuro-powered robotaxis.
Rivian has had layoffs in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and now, within a week of launching the long-awaited R2 SUV, layoffs in 2026. The Wall Street Journal reports the cuts made Tuesday affected less than two percent of its employees, which the company confirmed, saying it “restructured a handful of teams,” as it attempts to turn a profit for the first time.
While on his “The World’s First World Tour” with plans to play on all seven continents, the vocalist, producer, filmmaker, and professional scooter rider was one of six people killed after two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. O Globo reports that after the crash on Sunday, one of the helicopters fell into an electric car dealership’s parking lot, sparking a fire that burned dozens of cars.
Semi-solid state batteries are a less volatile bridge to the future.
While talking to the press ahead of a race in Barcelona this weekend, Hamilton said his friends’ reaction to the Luce was “mixed, like you see on social media.” “Mixed” is definitely one word for the online reaction to Ferrari’s new EV, which attracted a wave of memes and criticism over its design.
The Autopian spotted the highly anticipated EV in Long Beach this week. Although it was heavily camouflaged, the outlet was able to estimate its measurements to be around 64-inches tall and about 195-inches long, which would make it a little smaller than a Ford Maverick. That’s extremely interesting to me as a person who thinks most trucks today are way too big for their britches. Sure, it’s no kei truck, but for Ford, it’s practically microscopic. Bring on the baby trucks!
You can also use the Ask DoorDash assistant for suggestions about where and what to eat next based on what you’re in the mood for. DoorDash plans on adding a new feature for booking reservations as well, allowing you to search for a “table for 2 downtown at 8PM” across all the restaurants in your area.
He said the company’s autonomous ridehail vehicles would be available to half the US population by the end of 2025. Well, here we are in June 2026, and Tesla only has 59 vehicles in a handful of Texas cities. Bloomberg breaks down the growing chasm between Musk’s bombastic predictions and the realities of a very slow, often inconvenient robotaxi service.
The 2027 Eclipse Sportback EV is based on the next-gen Nissan Leaf and will go on sale in North America later this fall. The Japanese automaker says it will reveal the prices and specs closer to launch, but given this is a Leaf in different clothing, you can probably expect a 75 kWh battery pack providing an estimated 303 miles of range.
The 5,458-acre site in Wittman, Arizona, was once the centerpiece of Apple’s ambition to build its own self-driving car. But after Tim Cook pulled the plug on Project Titan, the tech company put the testing ground up for sale. The deal, recorded June 5th in Maricopa County filings, is for $220 million — nearly twice the $125 million Apple paid for it in 2021. And it comes as Waymo expands its presence in Arizona, including new office space in Tempe.
[Phoenix Business Journal]
