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.
Tesla might be about to give in and adopt Apple’s CarPlay system in its cars. It’s a welcome change, but somehow I suspect this commenter isn’t the only one holding out on a Model Y purchase for slightly different reasons.
Brian Ford:
Unfortunately, the addition of CarPlay won’t erase the other dealbreaker for me.
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A new test with Instacart will allow some guests in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and Orlando to order groceries before they arrive at their stay, as first reported by Bloomberg.
Airbnb spokesperson Tom Korolyshun confirmed to The Verge that the company “will pilot groceries with Instacart in select markets across the US beginning in January.”
This is a lot, right? Like, why is this so much?
The joint venture, which operates under the official name Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, is prepping its first prototypes for winter testing in the first quarter of 2026, InsideEVs reports. These include VW, Audi, and Scout test mules equipped with zonal architectures, with consolidated ECUs and less wiring. The first crop of passenger vehicles will also be Audi, Scout, and VW branded models, including the VW’s ultra-low cost ID.EVERY1. Audi and Scout will feature three zonal ECUs, like the second-generation R1T and R1S vehicles, while the VW ID.EVERY1 will come with just one zonal ECU.
It’s been almost two years since the German automaker said it was adopting Tesla’s NACS standard for its electric vehicles. And at last, long after pretty much all the other automakers have already adopted the standard, VW is following through. Starting November 18th, VW ID.4 and ID Buzz owners can buy a NACS adapter online or from their local dealer for $200, which they can then use to fast charge at any of the 25,000 Supercharger outlets in North America. That’s super!
A letter sent to employees warned that the company could be forced to close up shop in January if it can’t find more funding soon. A “very promising” deal to keep Rad alive was in the works, but unfortunately “did not come to fruition.”
“Rad continues to face significant financial challenges, including in the form of tariffs and the macroeconomic landscape.”
Just hours after Tesla’s former Cybertruck chief announced he would be stepping down, Model Y program manager Emmanuel Lamacchia said on LinkedIn that he’s also leaving the company, Electrek reports.
Siddhant Awasthi, who was also in charge of the Model 3 program, announced his departure on LinkedIn after three years overseeing the Cybertruck’s dismal rollout. A recent recall notice shows that just 63,619 have been sold in the US since its 2023 launch — far from the 250,000 annual sales that Elon Musk once predicted.
As the shutdown enters its second month, the FAA has decided to only allow commercial space launches and reentries from 10PM to 6AM, local time. The government has to clear significant swaths of airspace for SpaceX and others, and this is part of a broader order to ease stress on the air traffic control system.
b. Prohibition on Commercial Space Launches and Reentries During Peak Hours
Accordingly, with respect to commercial space launches and reentries, under the authority provided to the FAA Administrator by 49 U.S.C. §§ 40103, 40113, and 46105(c), and authority delegated to the FAA Administrator under 51 U.S.C. § 50909(a), it is hereby ordered that, beginning at 6:00 a.m. EST on November 10, 2025, and until this Order is cancelled, Commercial space launches and reentries will only be permitted between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00a.m. local time.
[Federal Aviation Administration]
You can’t get more minimal than removing the rear windshield.
The long-delayed, next-gen Roadster is maybe, finally going to see the light of day, Elon Musk said during the company’s shareholder meeting Thursday.
Production is scheduled to start 12-18 months after the demo, or sometime in mid-to-late 2027. The seemingly interminable delays have already caused MKBHD and Sam Altman to cancel their reservations. And Musk hedged on whether the April demo will actually take place. I’m sure the fact that Musk is planning the demo on April 1st isn’t a big red flag.
Elon Musk just floated the idea of a chip fabrication facility, or “tera-fab,” to keep up with Tesla’s own demand for semiconductors. He was speaking during the company’s annual shareholder meeting, where he just was awarded a $1 trillion pay package tied to growing Tesla’s value by orders of magnitude.
Tesla is holding its annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas, today, where investors will decide the fate of CEO Elon Musk’s enormous $1 trillion compensation package. The meeting starts at 4 pm ET and will be livestreamed on X.com.
The proposal is widely expected to pass, considering Musk’s popularity with retail shareholders, and his ability to vote his own extensive holdings. Polymarket currently has its likely passage at 94 percent, same as Kalshi.
The Wall Street Journal cites unnamed sources at the company in its report on the electric truck’s possible demise.
In some respects, it makes sense. EV demand is much weaker now that President Trump killed the $7,500 EV tax credit. Electric trucks have always been a tough sell, with their big, expensive batteries pushing prices up higher than most consumers are willing to spend. And now Ford is heavily invested in a brand new EV platform, making the F-150 Lightning an awkward fit for the company’s future lineup.
[Wall Street Journal]
British Airway parent IAG announced Thursday a partnership with Elon Musk’s satellite internet company. Starlink will be available in more than 500 aircraft across IAG’s fleet, covering both short-haul flights in Europe and long-haul journeys overseas, with the first taking flight next year. IAG is the latest airline to ink a deal with Starlink; others include United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet, Qatar Airways, and Air New Zealand.
We’ve been waiting for BMW’s next-gen voice assistant for a while now. The custom Alexa voice assistant for was initially announced in 2022, but progress has been slow in an attempt to build it around Amazon’s more capable LLM-powered Alexa Plus. Now BMW and Amazon say that customers will be able to experience it “soon.” How soon? We don’t know! Which models? Unclear!
Yes. The answer is yes.
More than yet another insanely expensive toy, the Czinger 21C is the poster car for a new era of manufacturing as a service.
New industry-backed research shows how waste from deep-sea mining could have far-reaching effects on fish and their food.
Users can now have conversations about their route or surrounding landmarks with Gemini while using Google Maps.
The change affects some 2017 through 2020 vehicles, GMAuthority reports. Apps that affected owners have downloaded won’t receive support, and if they delete an app or do a factory reset, they’ll lose access to that app.
The suit alleges that the company’s vehicle design trapped five people inside a burning Model S following a 2024 crash in Wisconsin, killing all of them. Tesla is already facing a federal investigation into complaints that its door handles, which sit flush against the vehicle and are electronically controlled, can trap people inside their vehicle during a crash. The company has said it would redesign the handles.
Risher sees Lyft as a service company above all, but AI makes everything weird.
The concept version of the three-row Ioniq 9, which is coming to the annual SEMA show next week, has a lifted suspension, auxiliary lighting, and unique wheels paired with aggressive all-terrain tires. It was co-designed by Jeremiah Burton and Zach Jobe, who left Donut Media last year to form their own YouTube channel, BigTime. Burton said he was “stoked” to work with Hyundai on the revamped Ioniq 9. “EVs have come a long way, so getting a chance to put our own spin on an off-road-themed Ioniq 9 is pretty cool,” he added.
Waymo said it would make a donation to a local animal rights group after one of its robotaxis killed a beloved bodega cat named KitKat, KRON4 reports. According to Waymo, the cat darted under the vehicle while it was pulling away from picking up a passenger. But according to a 311 complain, the robotaxi did not slow down, swerve, or attempt to avoid the cat. This isn’t the first furry friend to perish under a Waymo — a small dog was killed in 2023. (Waymo said the collision was unavoidable.)
[The San Francisco Standard]
Just like MKBHD in September, the OpenAI CEO has now canceled his Roadster preorder — or tried to, at least, given his email request bounced back. Altman said he understands delays, “but 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait.” Using it to advance his feud with Elon Musk was probably a bonus.
