Jay Peters
Google Meet now has a native CarPlay experience.
Calls will be audio only, though — no video (which makes sense). An Android Auto version of Meet is set to launch “soon,” Google says.
Image: Google
Transportation
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.
- RELATED /
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
It’ll take more than a $4 gallon of gas to kill America’s love affair with big SUVs.
Lawrence Ulrich
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Hyundai made its own version of the Ford Bronco.
The Hyundai Boulder was a surprise reveal at the New York Auto Show this week, and suffice to say it made a splash. The body-on-frame concept sits on massive 37-inch tires, and will be designed, built, and manufactured in the US. Hyundai says the platform will also spawn a mid-sized truck by 2030.
1/9Image: Hyundai
Jay Peters
It’s still unclear how much robotaxi companies rely on remote assistance — even after a Senator asked.
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) published a new report today following an investigation on how the companies use Remote Assistance Operators (RAOs), and of the 14 companies he sent a letter to, “every AV company refused to disclose how frequently their RAOs intervene to help their self-driving cars,” according to a press release.
Thomas Ricker
Airbnb now offers private car shuttles.
Starting today, you can book a private car for transport between your Airbnb and point of arrival or departure right in the app. The service works in 125 cities across Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Sean Hollister
Less EV range anxiety with Android Auto + Google Maps?
“We’re bringing Maps’ AI-powered EV charging features to over 350 car models with Android Auto,” the company writes. It should predict where, when, and how long you’ll need to charge — after you punch in charge level manually. Google doesn’t mention battery preconditioning, though both Apple and Google are pursuing that vehicle-by-vehicle.
1/2
Putting Nokian’s James Bond tech to the test.
Tim Stevens
Thomas Ricker
WhatsApp is coming to CarPlay.
The native app is currently in beta for iOS users, according to WABetaInfo. It lets users access their recent chat list, view contact details, manage calls, and send messages from their car’s infotainment display. Meta’s devs are on a roll having recently brought WhatsApp to both Apple and Garmin watches.
Andrew J. Hawkins
Rivian and Volkswagen go winter testing.
The Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies joint venture brought one of its new software-defined test vehicles to Sweden and Germany to see how it handles the cold. They stress-tested the all-wheel drive system and validated over-the-air software functionality, amid other tests. Most importantly, the completion of these tests bring Rivian a step closer to receiving the next tranche of investment from VW, which will be crucial as the automaker ramps up its R2 production.
Andrew J. Hawkins
Crooked cab, crooked cab.
A prototype Tesla Cybercab was spotted out and about in Los Angeles recently, complete with a steering wheel and a human driver. The panel gaps, of course, were in full display. But the cab’s apparent misalignment was the thing that really caught this TikTok user’s attention. Also his observation that it looks like “a Pixar Model 3” is going to live rent-free in my brain for the rest of time.
Tesla and Lucid are raising eyebrows with their two-seater autonomous vehicles. But ridehail fleets have very different needs for EVs than retail buyers do, and that matters.
John Voelcker
Andrew J. Hawkins
Stellantis employees are getting ticketed for parking their non-Stellantis vehicles at work.
The company apparently gives parking priority to employees who own Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, or Ram vehicles, The Wall Street Journal reports. But if you get caught parking a rival brand in the wrong lot, you get a warning. And now many Stellantis employees are posting their frustrations on Reddit. One employee said he got a ticket for parking his Eagle Talon sports car in the lot — despite Eagle being a defunct nameplate from Chrysler.
Andrew J. Hawkins
In a pinch, Waymo relies on cops and firefighters to move its robotaxis.
The company has a roadside assistance team that it dispatches to move vehicles when they get trapped. But sometimes Waymo needs emergency responders to actually get behind the wheel. TechCrunch got the 911 dispatches and incident reports from California:
“Highway patrol turned everyone around, but unfortunately our car is not able to turn around,” one of Waymo’s remote assistance workers told an area 911 dispatcher, according to a recording obtained by TechCrunch in a public records request. The employee wanted officers on the scene to drive the robotaxi away, and to arrange transportation for the passenger inside.
Privatization is no magic bullet. But the status quo is untenable as well.
Darryl Campbell
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Jess Weatherbed
Kwikset’s smart lock app now works with Apple CarPlay.
The update — which also adds Android Auto support — allows owners to lock or unlock Kwikset smart locks directly from their vehicle’s dashboard. It’s not the first door lock to be accessible in CarPlay, but there aren’t many around. You can find out more about supported devices and setup here.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
How a Slovenian startup is keeping the in-wheel dream alive after the Lordstown implosion.
Tim Stevens
Richard Lawler
Google’s old drone project is launching service in the Bay Area.
Project Wing launched as a part of Google X more than a decade ago, and now, in 2026, the Alphabet subsidiary Wing is announcing drone delivery service will be available in the Bay Area soon. It hasn’t announced partners or other details yet, but says interested residents can sign up for updates here.
Andrew J. Hawkins
GM begins ‘supervised’ autonomous testing on public roads.
The automaker plans to start supervised public-road testing on limited-access highways across California and Michigan, with the goal of reaching 200 vehicles this year. According to GM:
Each vehicle will operate with a trained test driver at the wheel who is capable of taking manual control at any time. This marks a significant transition from manual data collection to active automated technology testing on public roads.
GM has said it will launch its first hands-free, eyes-off Level 3 driving feature in the Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028.
Andrew Liszewski
An early prototype of the Segway is up for auction.
Before the world was left scratching its head when the Segway was finally revealed in December 2001, the self-balancing personal transporter was codenamed “Ginger” and looked a lot less polished. Bidding for this early prototype from the collection of James Norrod, the former Segway President and CEO, ends this week.
1/2The prototype Segway stands 52-inches tall and includes an early version of its tilting steering mechanism. Image: RR Auction
Dominic Preston
Tera this, tera that.
Elon Musk says he’s planning to open a “Terafab” chip plant in Austin, Texas, jointly run by Tesla and SpaceX, as we approach dire risk levels of “tera” ceasing to have all meaning.
Dkfkhfkwkdnc:
Someone take SI units away from this man
Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Stevie Bonifield
Andrew J. Hawkins
Jay Peters
BMW’s new i3 is “more or less the successor of the i4.”
That’s according to BMW SVP Bernd Körber, speaking to Motor1.com. BMW announced the new i3 EV on Wednesday, but it appears that the i4 won’t be around much longer.
The BMW i4 Is Effectively Dead
[Motor1.com]
Andrew J. Hawkins
Uber’s former head of self-driving almost died using Tesla’s FSD.
Raffi Krikorian, who now serves as Mozilla’s CTO, writes in The Atlantic that he’s rethinking the relationship between humans and machines after a near-death experience in his Tesla.
Full Self-Driving works almost all of the time—Tesla’s fleet of cars with the technology logs millions of miles between serious incidents, by the company’s count. And that’s the problem: We are asking humans to supervise systems designed to make supervision feel pointless. A machine that constantly fails keeps you sharp. A machine that works perfectly needs no oversight. But a machine that works almost perfectly? That’s where the danger lies.