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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.

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This very fancy e-bike is one of the first to go semi-solid state

The Lemmo 3 has more range, fewer explosions.

Thomas Ricker
BMW’s revamped i3 boasts up to 468 miles of range

The i3 50 xDrive will start at $62,850 when it arrives in the first quarter of 2027.

Andrew J. Hawkins

Latest In Transportation

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
The NYC Council’s marathon e-bike hearing seemed like a waste of time.

The hearing, ostensibly on a massive package of 21 bills pertaining to e-bike safety, lasted approximately seven hours — but amounted to very little. According to Hell Gate:

Perhaps the hearing’s lack of substance was due to the middling quality of the legislation itself, a hodgepodge of basic street safety actions (installing calming measures in bike lanes), cries for the state to do something (require e-bike riders to be registered), and increased app-based surveillance of deliveristas. But you can’t deny there were numerous bills. City Council Speaker Julie Menin touted the number as a “record” for a single hearing.

The anti-e-bike crowd was there, too, booing any mention of cars and trucks as the cause of the overwhelming majority of traffic crashes. What a productive use of everyone’s time!

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Amazon vehicles in NYC got over 14,000 traffic and parking citations from 2020 to 2025.

Its delivery vehicles were cited for over a dozen violations, including double parking, speeding in school zones, blocking bus and bike lanes, and more, according to a report from ALIGN. During the same five year period, Amazon vehicles also got 13,029 reports for idling too long.

Amazon Delivers Danger

[Alliance for a Greater New York]

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Tesla’s Roadster 2 launch just got pushed back two more weeks.

Tesla said in a post on X that it’s delaying its outdoor Roadster event slated for October 1st until October 15th due to a severe weather forecast. The delay comes a week after Tesla re-opened reservations for the next-gen Roadster it originally revealed almost a decade ago.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Uber removed its branding from its safari vehicles after “outrage” from local tour guides.

According to the Wall Street Journal, local guides were initially concerned Uber would be sending regular drivers out for its tours of Kenya’s Nairobi National Park, rather than licensed guides:

“It got to a point where safety was paramount,” said Uber East Africa General Manager Imran Manji, who helped create the service. He imagined a worst-case scenario where Uber-branded vehicles could be targeted in retaliation. “We don’t want to put the driver or the guide in danger, and we don’t want the passengers in any danger,” he said.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Sony quits CES.

Sony’s keynotes were once a highlight of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But the company’s presence has shrunk in proportion to its slow exit from consumer electronics. And with Bravia now a TCL brand, and the Afeela EV joint venture with Honda scrubbed, there’s little reason to attend.

Can ‘eSUV’ e-bikes really go from trail to town?

8

Verge Score

Yes, if it’s Amflow’s TL Carbon — but expect compromises.

Thomas Ricker
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Geely says its new EV smart charging tech uses AI to help batteries last longer.

It claims its new Smart Charging Station offers its “fastest production-ready charging performance” yet, and also includes a new system that can “gradually fix” EV battery degradation from fast charging:

The Group has additionally developed lithium-ion pulse restoration technology, which uses micro-pulse currents to reactivate lithium ions accumulated at the negative electrodes during repeated fast charging. By combining AI charging management with battery restoration technology, Geely is able to increase battery cycle life by 20%.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
VW’s ID Buzz is taking another year off.

The all-electric minibus was supposed to come back this year, but now Volkswagen is pushing it the first half of 2027. When it does return, it will be slightly different, with only two-tone exterior paint, physical buttons on the steering wheel, NACS charging, and a Tourer trim aimed at camping enthusiasts. According to Automotive News, other changes include updated software, vehicle-to-load functionality, and digital key integration. In the meantime, MOIA America is using the previous generation versions as robotaxis.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Silicon Valley’s power ranking.

If you want to know where the power in tech currently lies, you only need to look at this photo of the head table at Donald Trump’s state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping. I see Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, AMD’s Lisa Su, Apple’s Tim Cook, and SpaceXaiTesla’s Elon Musk seated by the leaders of the world’s two superpowers. The CEOs and / or founders of Alphabet (Google), OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, Qualcomm, Micron, Dell, and… Zoom, were also in attendance.

Xi Jinping, China’s president, speaks during the state dinner.
Xi Jinping, China’s president, speaks during the state dinner.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Here’s the Tesla Semi… again

The long-delayed truck is finally in production and reaching customers this week. Now Tesla has to prove that it was worth the wait.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla teases next week’s Roadster reveal.

The teaser came at the very end of tonight’s Semi re-launch, showing a brief flash of an illuminated light bar, followed by a glowing “Roadster” logo. Not much to go on, but we’ll likely see a lot more at the October 1st event.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Bentley launched its first fully electric vehicle, the Torcal SUV.

The new EV has a range of up to 375 miles, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, and Reuters reports it starts at £173,000 / $230,000, a lower price than Ferrari’s poorly-received Luce. The Torcal might even sound like it has an gas engine — Bentley says it includes “Handcrafted propulsion sound performed by musicians inspired by the beat of a Bentley 6¾ litre V8.”

The Bentley Torcal electric SUV
The Bentley Torcal electric SUV
The Bentley Torcal electric SUV
The interior of the Bentley Torcal electric SUV
1/4Image: Bentley
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
NHTSA opens probe into Comma’s driver assist devices.

Remember George Hotz, the iPhone-hacker-turned-driver-assist-developer? His company Comma.ai is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after three people died and 11 people were injured while using the company’s hands-free driver assist products. The investigation is focused on vehicles crashing into other vehicles that are stopped in the lane, like emergency vehicles. That sounds familiar!

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla gets Grok Bot.

The AI agent can “manage your inbox, clean up your calendar, or talk through existing files/chat/tasks – all hands-free,” the company says. Some Tesla owners posted videos using Grok Bot to order Starbucks for them. The AI bot is only available to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers, who pay $300 a month for access. Bloomberg just reported that Grok Bot topped 400,000 weekly users roughly a month after launching.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
DoorDash admits “we screwed up” in paying NYC workers.

The company will pay $131.5 million to settle an NYC legal dispute that accused DoorDash of underpaying workers. “Our mistakes meant some Dashers were underpaid or paid late,” DoorDash says.

The settlement includes $115 million for more than 260,000 impacted DoorDash workers, as well as over $16 million in civil penalties.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Rivian CEO says R3 will be ‘materially’ cheaper than the R2 — and the R4 will be even cheaper.

“We haven’t announced pricing yet, but it will move materially lower,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said of the sporty hatchback of my (and many others) dreams, the R3, to the New York Times in a recent interview. “There’s a product beyond that, called R4, which again moves that further.” Wherefore R4? Perhaps one of these mystery vehicles teased a couple years ago?

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Waymo expands teen accounts to Nashville.

The company first introduced teen accounts in Phoenix last year, in which riders aged 13-17 can sign up to use the Waymo ridehail app. Now that opportunity is coming to Nashville, where Waymo first started offering rides to the broader public this summer. Teen accounts have to be linked to a parent or guardian, but approved teens will be allowed to ride independently without an adult. The teenagers that got early access were excited about the independence — and the ability to blast their own music. Here’s Nashville teen Asher Huffman, in a quote provided by Waymo:

I really enjoyed being able to hail a ride home from a concert without having to bother my parents, and I even got to show Waymo off to my friend. Getting to play my music as loud as I want, with no one else in the car, was also awesome. Kind of like I was in my own little bubble.”

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
The screen-used hero Batmobile from Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is headed to auction.

If you’re on team Burton instead of team Nolan when it comes to which is the best Batmobile of all time, starting on November 23rd you can bid on an amazing piece of Batman memorabilia. Julien’s Auctions will have the screen-matched Batmobile hero car from Batman Returns up for grabs which is expected to fetch upwards of $7 million.

If you buy something from a link, The Verge may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

1/3Image: Julien’s Auctions
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla re-opens $50,000 reservations for its next-gen Roadster.

Nearly a decade after it was first revealed, Tesla is planning on re-revealing the next-generation Roadster on October 1st. For real this time. Maybe? For those willing to take another chance, Tesla is now accepting $50,000 reservations again — $5,000 immediately, followed by a $45,000 wire transfer — about two weeks before the official re-reveal.

The initial deposit is “fully refundable,” for what it’s worth. Will notable Roadster reservation cancellers like Sam Altman and MKBHD take the plunge again?

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Joby completes first cross-country autonomous flight.

The flight covered 3,199 miles with “zero control inputs from onboard safety pilot,” including autonomous taxi, takeoff, cruise, and landing, the company said. The modified Cessna Caravan aircraft equipped with Joby’s Superpilot autonomous flight system took off from Buchanan Field Airport in Concorde, California, and landed at Dare County Regional Airport in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. In addition to the on-board safety pilot, Joby monitored the aircraft remotely from its headquarters in California, as well as from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, up to 2,323 miles away.

Image: Joby Aviation
Your robotaxi might be a narc

Waymo is watching you.

Rani Molla
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Behold the Carhartt WIP x Omnium Mini-Max.

This cargo bike is meant to get your workman juices flowing by fitting “bear trap” pedals to a limited edition Omnium Mini-Max with a stainless-steel frame, left raw (but clear coated) to revel in the heat discoloration of its welds. There’s no motor here — if you need one, this collab isn’t for you. Just 150 units will be sold in Europe for €4500 starting September 24th.

1/4
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Lucid scores another robotaxi deal.

The EV company announced plans to sell 25,000 vehicles to Estonia-based mobility company Bolt for a robotaxi service in Europe. The robotaxi will be based on Lucid’s upcoming midsized Cosmos vehicle and will be Level 4 capable. This is Lucid’s second major robotaxi deal, after announcing plans to deploy 20,000 vehicles with Uber and Nuro in the US. With Lucid burning cash and facing heavy market pressure, these types of deals are a possible bridge to a more secure financial future.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
House approves AM radio requirement for new cars.

The bill would require all new cars, including electric vehicles like Tesla, to be capable of receiving AM radio broadcasts. It now advances to the Senate, where a companion bill has already racked up 60 cosponsors. The bill’s main sponsor Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) celebrated the House passage in a statement:

This vote sends a clear message to car manufacturers that AM Radio is a lifeline that must be protected in new vehicles. From emergency response to sports, entertainment, and news, AM radio is an essential communication tool for tens of millions of Americans.

Some automakers have dropped AM radio in recent years, citing dwindling audiences and possible interference with electric powertains.

Update September 16th: Cars would be required to receive AM broadcast, not send broadcasts.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
NHTSA gives Tesla a deadline to respond to Cybercab queries.

The electric automaker has until September 30th to answer a series of questions about how its steering-wheel- and pedal-less Cybercab complies with federal safety standards.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are going amphibious.

Two boat manufacturers, Crest Marine and Balise Pontoons (both owned by MasterCraft Boat Holdings), announced today their plans to enable smartphone projection in their upcoming models in 2027. The boats will feature a seven-inch “marine touchscreen” that will display CarPlay or Android Auto alongside marine-specific technology. The manufacturers are also working with marine navigation app Savvy Navvy to offer access to nautical charts, smart routing, GPS tracking, live weather, and tidal data — all displayed on the same screen as other apps. Avast!

Image: Crest Marine / Balise Pontoons
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Waymo says it will launch in Japan in 2027.

The robotaxi company is partnering with taxi operator Nihon Kotsu and ride hailing app GO to offer on demand, 24/7 self-driving rides through both the Waymo and GO apps in 2027. Waymo has been testing its vehicles in Tokyo since 2025, but this is the first time it’s put an official date on the launch of its commercial robotaxi service. The company is eyeing additional overseas markets, including London and Munich.