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.
I’m sure you’ve seen the posts on Facebooks complaining about scofflaw teenagers on high-powered electric bikes. But the real culprit here is the outdated laws that allow manufacturers to market what are essentially high-speed electric motorcycles and mopeds as “e-bikes” by putting pedals on them. Berm Peak just put out a great video that gets at the crux of this freakout.
Mayor Eric Adams announced that the DOT has granted Waymo a permit to test up to eight autonomous vehicles in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn with a safety driver at the wheel. Waymo aims to eventually operate its robotaxis without safety drivers, which NYC currently prohibits.
The AV startup closed on a round of funding that started earlier this year with an initial tranche of $106 million. An additional $97 million comes from Uber and a bunch of returning investors. Nuro recently announced a deal with Uber for a fleet of 20,000 luxury Lucid-made robotaxis. But it’ll have to achieve certain “milestones” before it receives the rest of Uber’s investment.
Either the end of 2026, or not at all, according to Elon Musk. The new six-seater Model Y L variant is creating some buzz after just launching in China, but Musk said that the rise of autonomous vehicles may preclude its arrival in the US. Whatever that means.
A few weeks after losing its first wrongful death jury trial, Tesla is facing a new set of legal problems. A judge in California approved a request to bundle a number of lawsuits alleging the company misled customers about autonomous driving into one class action suit. That could mean a much bigger payout if Tesla loses. The company is also facing a lawsuit from the California DMV over similar claims.
The six-seater EV starts at ¥339,000, or about $47,000. That’s about $3,600 more expensive than the Model Y Long Range AWD in China. The range is 751 km (466 miles) on the CLTC driving cycle, which is typically more generous than the WLTP and EPA estimates. Here in the US, we’re still waiting for the cheaper version of the Model Y.
Instead of fixing air safety regulations, the Trump administration is undermining them.
The Toyota Engineering Society’s Miraidon Project — a life-size version of the motorcycle-like legendary pokémon Miraidon, the mascot of Pokémon Violet — is on display at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, California. I’m still hoping to see it actually move at some point in the future, but seeing such a precise and detailed re-creation of Miraidon in person was pretty rad.
Chevy came to Monterey Car Week with a pair of sick-looking concepts that will “serve as inspiration to inform Corvette design language for years to come.” The Corvette CX is an all-electric hypercar with a cockpit inspired by fighter jets, while the CX.R Vision Gran Turismo is a track-exclusive hybrid V8 with three electric motors. And later this month, the two concepts will be drivable options in Gran Turismo 7.
The company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft took off from Marina Municipal Airport, where its operations are based, and flew over 12 miles to Monterey Regional Airport through FAA- controlled airspace. Joby calls it “a critical measure of the maturity of the company’s path to commercialization.” I call it “not enough time for an in-flight movie.”
What’s that? An Elon Musk project is falling short of expectations? The Tesla Diner has scraped half its menu, including the “all-day breakfast” option? You don’t say!
A new Spotify integration will let you connect your account to Waymo, allowing you to play your favorite tunes while the robotaxi takes you to your destination. Waymo also offers the ability to cast music, as well as listen to a selection of curated radio stations.
According to Bloomberg, the automaker is looking to “lure back” some of the 1,000 workers it axed earlier this year after shutting down the beleaguered robotaxi division. The workers would be rehired as part of a renewed push into personally owned autonomous vehicles, a project that’s being led by ex-Tesla and Aurora executive Sterling Anderson.
‘Car bloat’ is what you get when companies prioritize profits over safety.
The vehicle was one of Baidu’s Apollo driverless vehicles, according to local media reports. A female passenger was inside the robotaxi when it fell into a deep construction pit. She was apparently uninjured, though rescue crews had to use a ladder to get her out.
