When I first saw the Robotaxi wordmark, I assumed someone had already vandalized the car like a Waymo caught in a protest. The creative experts consulted by Fast Company are even more critical of the cyberdork aesthetic:
“A good logo always tries to convey the brand promise,” says type designer and Hoefler & Co. founder Jonathan Hoefler. “And this one definitely foreshadows the tragic collisions ahead.”
Ford says it will complete the EV battery factory its building in Michigan, even without the generous tax breaks included in the (probably doomed) Inflation Reduction Act. The $3 billion factory is being built in Marshall, about 100 miles west of Detroit, in partnership with China’s CATL. That combination alone (an EV factory? with China?) makes it a likely target of Republicans who are in the process of gutting all the IRA’s clean energy investments. But Ford is sticking with its plan, even without generous tax breaks on the table.
“We don’t want to back off on this facility,” Ms. Drake told reporters. “When we invest, we stick behind our investments. Ford is a company that will weather the storm until we get there.”
The two people were shot Sunday night while sitting in a Waymo robotaxi near Santa Monica’s 3rd Street promenade, KCAL News reports. We still don’t have any details about the condition or identities of the victims, and police are still actively searching for a suspect. The shooting comes a few weeks after five Waymo vehicles were vandalized and destroyed during anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles.
By most accounts, the company’s robotaxi launch in Austin yesterday went off without a hitch. Most of the Tesla fans and influencers who received invites to test it out said the experience was “smooth” and “natural.” But you knew something was going to happen, and that something turned out to be a robotaxi briefly driving in the opposite lane of traffic. Not a good look.
The Senate parliamentarian — a nonpartisan congressional advisor — says Republicans are violating a budget reconciliation rule in their attempt to fast-track some parts of President Trump’s agenda.
That includes measures to undo Biden-era tailpipe pollution standards and repeal funding authorizations for climate programs under the Inflation Reduction Act. Republicans have been getting creative lately, however, with ways to get around the parliamentarian’s objections.
An industry-favored 2017 law made Texas a hotbed for AV investment, but critics say safeguards are needed as driverless cars fill public roads.
Mark Walter is buying majority ownership of the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation, reports ESPN. Walter runs TWG Global, which owns chunks of other sports teams, and also owns a fun grab-bag of other companies, including Shield AI and Slate Auto. LeBron-themed pickup truck when?
