Back in October 2024, Tesla’s “We, Robot” event introduced the world to Optimus, the Robovan, and the Cybercab. Drawing design inspiration from the Cybertruck, the Cybercab offered yet another look at the proposed driverless car future, this time sans a steering wheel and pedals.

But the biggest shocker was the Tesla CEO’s claim that not only did he expect the Cybercab to be offered to customers at under $30,000, but that it would also enter high-volume production before 2027. Granted, by his own admission, Elon Musk said at the time that he tends to be “a little optimistic with timeframes,” but it got tech creator Marcus Brownlee, aka MKBHD, thinking.

More: Tesla Offers Rides In A Car With No Wheel Or Pedals, So Naturally The Feds Showed Up

So confident was MKBHD that Tesla wouldn’t meet such a timeline, he made a bit of a one-sided bet: he offered to shave his head live on camera if they made good. To be specific, Brownlee said that Tesla wouldn’t sell a Cybercab to a customer for $30,000 before 2027.

Semantics aside, that moment triggered a bunch of AI videos and memes, particularly from fans of Tesla, with Elon Musk even replying to one such post on X, saying, “Gonna happen. 😂”

A Long Time Coming

Since the Cybercab reveal, we’ve seen more information about the car trickle out, including it would likely deliver around 300 miles (482 km) of range, use large castings to save costs, and still projected to cost $30,000 or less. In February, the team even appeared to be ahead of schedule, with the first Cybercab rolling off Tesla’s Texan production line.

Brownlee himself admitted he was a little nervous when it came to light that a new Cybercab event had been scheduled for the 3rd of September. But luckily for him (and his hair), the event had nothing to do with customer sales. Instead, it announced that the Cybercab would be added to the Tesla Robotaxi network within their existing geofenced areas.

But while it looks like his hair is safe for now, the Tech Tuber went on to say that although he thinks Tesla may be ahead of its time with the Cybercab, he expects self-driving cars to become more mainstream in the next 10 years. Oh, and regardless of whether he wins the “bet” or not, he’ll be donating to Cancer Research in January.

Tesla Cybercab

London’s iconic black cabs have some new high-tech competition. Uber and British autonomous driving specialist Wayve have launched the UK’s first autonomous ride-hailing service, putting self-driving cars onto the capital’s famously busy streets.

Starting today, passengers ordering UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort could find a Wayve-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E turning up instead. There’s no additional charge, and anyone who’d rather leave the driving to an actual person can reject the autonomous option before it arrives.

Related: A Tesla Robotaxi Got Boxed In By Bollards, So It Bulldozed Its Way Out

Calling these robotaxis completely driverless is getting slightly ahead of ourselves, though. During this opening phase, every car will carry a trained, Transport for London-licensed private hire driver who can keep an eye on things. Neither company has said exactly when the human safety net will disappear.

Doors are unlocked, and journeys are started through the Uber app, and once aboard, passengers get interactive displays supporting 64 languages, showing the route the car intends to take. Unlike some autonomous services in other parts of the world that are confined to carefully selected neighborhoods, Wayve’s cars can operate throughout London, with the exception of airport zones.

That autonomous freedom comes from Wayve’s AV2.0 system, which uses an AI Driver trained through experience rather than relying on traditional high-definition maps and piles of hand-written instructions. Wayve has been teaching the technology on London roads since 2018, so it’s logged pretty much every kind of traffic situation.

140,000 Riders, But Only 15 Cars

More than 140,000 people have already opted in through Uber’s Ride Preferences, though their chances of actually getting into one of these cabs is pretty slim. There are currently just 15 Wayve Mustangs versus roughly 100,000 Ubers in London.

London is Wayve’s home city but doesn’t represent the end of its ambitions. Wayve and Uber plan to expand their partnership across 12 international markets, with AI-driven Nissan Leafs due in Tokyo later this year. Uber, meanwhile, expects autonomous rides to be operating through its platform in as many as 15 cities by the end of 2026.

Wayve, Uber

Hyundai’s massive product push dominated their investor day event, but it wasn’t the only thing the company announced. Quite the opposite as the automaker talked about increasing production, ramping up autonomous driving efforts, and offering improved technology.

Starting with autonomous driving, the first Ioniq 5 Waymo robotaxis will be delivered in the fourth quarter and they’ll “enable an international expansion of robotaxi services as early as 2027.”

More: Hyundai Is Launching More Than 100 New Vehicles By 2030

Besides the Waymo effort, Hyundai-owned Motional will use Ioniq 5 robotaxis. They’re scheduled to begin commercial operations later this year in Las Vegas. Additional cities should then follow in 2027.

On the consumer front, “Hyundai Motor Group is standardizing its sensor architecture around the NVIDIA ecosystem so that data acquired by Hyundai Motor, Kia, 42dot, and Motional can be integrated and used to a single consistent standard.” This means learnings from one company can be applied to others.

Hyundai is also working to deploy its autonomous driving artificial intelligence, known as Atria AI, by the end of the year. It will eventually be used to power the company’s Level 2+ system, which arrives in 2028.

The automaker went on to say “Atria AI will be extended progressively across mass-produced vehicles, building a full lineup of autonomous driving capability from Level 2+ to Level 4.” Since Hyundai sells millions of vehicles annually, they’ll collect a ton of data, and this will be used to rapidly improve the AI’s self-driving capabilities and performance.

Improved EVs

Hyundai has been an electric vehicle pioneer and this experience is about to pay off as the company has developed its own battery cells. They “deliver more than double the output of the high-nickel cells … used previously, while cutting charging time by 40 percent.” The new cells will apparently debut in the upcoming Santa Fe or Genesis range-extended vehicle.

Starting next year, EVs will use new “mid-nickel NCM cells.” This will reduce battery costs by approximately 30%, while “maintaining optimal performance under real-world driving conditions.” Furthermore, the new batteries will have 30% more energy than equivalent LFP batteries of the same size.

Lastly, the company will improve its cloud-based battery management system by 2028. This will reportedly extend battery life by an average of 20%.

Amazon Partnership

Hyundai’s partnership with Amazon on Amazon Autos appears to be a success as they’ll expand listings to markets outside of the United States next year. Alexa built-in will also roll out across the Hyundai lineup, while Genesis models will follow.

Speaking of tech, Hyundai is relying on Amazon Web Services to accelerate their “cloud and AI capabilities.” Amazon is also said to be looking at using Hyundai fuel cell vehicles.

Increased Production Capacity

With more than 100 new models coming by 2030, Hyundai is ramping up their production capacity by 1.27 million units globally. North American plants will be able to build an additional 500,000 units, while Indian facilities add 320,000 units. Korean production will increase by 200,000 vehicles, while CKD sites will see their capacity grow by 250,000 units.

Focusing in on North America, Hyundai is increasing their local parts sourcing target to 80%. That’s up from 60% and the automaker confirmed there will be more than ten hybrids on the continent by 2030, which are produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America.

Developing and building fully autonomous vehicles isn’t easy. Just ask Tesla, which has been working on the technology for more than a decade and has yet to perfect it. Based on a recent video of a Model Y currently being used by its robotaxi fleet in Austin, Texas, Tesla still has a long way to go.

This clip was recently shared on Reddit by a frequent user of Tesla’s Austin robotaxi service, and it may make you think twice before trying it yourself. For whatever reason, the Model Y in question attempted to make a right turn at a large intersection, but failed to realize that the inside corner of the road was blocked off by bollards for pedestrian safety.

Read: Tesla’s Cybercab Is About To Carry Real Passengers

A human driver would have seen these bollards and realized you have to turn around them. Instead, the Tesla Model Y drove directly into the blocked-off area and sat there for several seconds, presumably because it realized it was now stuck. Unable to reverse out and correct its mistake, the robotaxi instead tried to thread its way through two of the bollards, hitting them in the process.

It didn’t take long for Redditors to identify the exact intersection where the incident took place, and a Google Street View search revealed the bollards had been there since at least February 2024.

Video Reddit /bladerskb

Cybercabs Are Coming

Despite incidents like this, Tesla appears to be plowing ahead with plans to expand its robotaxi fleet in Austin. According to a recent report, it completed a local trial with the Cybercab and company employees on private roads and is now preparing to add the Cybercab to its fleet and make it available to the public.

It remains to be seen whether the Cybercab’s self-driving capabilities will be better than those of other Tesla models. We do know it’s equipped with more RAM and an upgraded AI4 Fully Self-Driving computer. Whether it actually performs any better than a Model Y like this remains to be seen, but as we’ve seen so often from Tesla in the past, members of the public will be used as test dummies.

It’s been almost two full years since Tesla unveiled its autonomous Cybercab, and it now appears to be gearing up for a public launch of the vehicle, adding the EV to its existing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.

Tesla has spent recent months testing its Cybercab on public roads but, up until this point, has not allowed any members of the public to experience the self-driving car. Last month, it started allowing employees to take the Cybercab on rides through private roads near its Austin headquarters.

Read: Tesla’s Cybercab Weighs 700 Pounds Less Than The Lightest Model 3

Unnamed sources have told The Information that, following the trial with employees, the public launch of the Cybercab is scheduled for later this month. Prior to receiving approval to roll out the new EV in its robotaxi service, Tesla recently completed emergency training with first responders across Austin, specifically on handling Cybercab-related issues.

Tesla this week teased the Cybercab’s impending introduction to its robotaxi fleet, announcing that those who use the current fleet before August 23 will go into the running to attend the launch event. It says the more rides someone completes, the better their chances are of securing an invite. Whether an invitation to the launch event will include a ride in a Cybercab remains to be seen.

Tesla Still Only Has A Small Robotaxi Fleet

Although adding the Cybercab to its self-driving taxi service in Austin will be a big step for Tesla, it’s worth noting the service remains small and has failed to grow anywhere near the levels Tesla boss Elon Musk has promised. There are currently just 186 Model Ys registered in its Austin fleet. Production of the Cybercab started in Texas in July, although it’s not expected to reach volume production until next year, so it’s unlikely a large number will be added to the fleet in the coming months.

Recent prototypes of the Cybercab have been seen both with and without pedals and a steering wheel. There’s no word on whether the cars initially added to the fleet will have these traditional controls or forgo them. If this report about the impending launch is accurate, we won’t have to wait long to find out.

Live in the US and want a Chinese EV? Not happening. The federal clampdown on cars from the world’s second-largest economy has been comprehensive enough to keep every mainstream Chinese brand out of American showrooms, and nobody in Washington is in a hurry to change course. Thousands of Chinese-built robotaxis from Zeekr have been rolling off ships onto American docks anyway.

The decision traces back years, to when Google-owned Waymo needed a vehicle for its next generation of self-driving taxis and passed over the American automakers to sign with Zeekr for a dedicated electric van. Known as the CM1e in China and the Ojai within Waymo, the compact electric van has since become part of the company’s robotaxi fleet.

That agreement was signed long before the Trump administration rolled out its sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods, which left one obvious question unanswered. Could Waymo keep importing Zeekr products at all?

Read: You Can Now Chat To Waymo’s Newest Robotaxi As It Drives You Around

As it turns out, Waymo hasn’t let the tariffs get in the way of its plans. It’s been revealed that more than 3,200 Zeekr vans have been imported into the US since 2024. Of these, more than 2,600 have found their way onto local shores this year, Forbes reports.

Expensive, But Cheaper Than Jaguars

US import declarations reportedly put the Ojai’s value at around $38,000, close to the CM1e’s $39,000 sticker in China. Forbes pegs US tariffs on Chinese EVs at 127.5 percent, which means that $38,000 van lands at roughly $86,500 before a single sensor gets bolted on. Factor in Waymo’s Gen 6 hardware and software package at about $25,000 per vehicle and the running total per Ojai climbs comfortably past $100,000.

Evidently, Waymo has crunched the numbers and determined that using the Zeekr Ojai still makes financial sense. Each of the current Jaguar I-Pace models in its robotaxi fleet is estimated to cost it upwards of $200,000, so the Zeekr is significantly cheaper, all while having a more spacious cabin, better suited to ferrying passengers around.

The company says “more than 100” of the Zeekr-built vans are already in service, including in Los Angeles and San Francisco. How many of the 3,200-plus imported examples are testing, sitting in a lot, or waiting on a deployment date is anyone’s guess.

Thousands of fully autonomous robotaxis built by Chinese company Pony.ai are headed for European roads under a new partnership with ride-hailing juggernaut Uber, a deal that gives the Chinese firm a distribution network it would have spent years assembling on its own. Europe isn’t the end of it, either, as the Middle East is next on the list.

Pony.ai isn’t arriving as a newcomer. The company already runs paid robotaxi services across four Chinese cities and has spent more than a year working with Uber on pushing that operation beyond its home market. The two also teamed up earlier this year with Verne, the self-driving robotaxi venture backed by Mate Rimac, which is launching in Zagreb, Croatia.

Read: Rimac Sells $2 Million Hypercars, His Other Startup Charges $2 A Ride

As part of the partnership, Pony.ai will provide its Level 4 autonomous driving technology and operational expertise, and Uber will provide customer access through its app, which also handles payments. Local fleet partners may be used to run the day-to-day operations at select markets.

The expansions will see Pony.ai’s vehicles become available in four European cities, though it’s not yet clear which cities these will be. The two companies have also yet to say when the rollout of these additional robotaxis will begin.

“This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony.ai and Uber. It reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe, reliable Robotaxi services to more European cities,” Pony.ai chief executive and founder Dr. James Peng said. “By combining Pony.ai’s proven autonomous driving technology and operational know-how with Uber’s global mobility platform and extensive market reach, we aim to build sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond.”

Of course, it’s not just in Europe where Uber is introducing robotaxis. The firm recently announced its new Oro Mobility unit, established to manage and service large fleets of autonomous vehicles and its in-house autonomous robotaxi program using Lucid vehicles with self-driving systems developed by Nuro.

Rivian has released its second-quarter financial results, and things are looking up for the automaker. Jumping right into the numbers, revenues were up 27% to $1.658 billion. The company also achieved a gross profit of $179 million, which was $385 million more than a year ago.

More: For $50 A Month, Rivian Will Make You A Passenger In Your Own EV

Despite a glimmer of good news, Rivian still expects to lose $1.8-2 billion this year. CNBC notes that’s down slightly from a previous estimate of up to $2.1 billion.

Putting the financials aside, the automaker announced Amazon now has over 40,000 electric delivery vans, and they recently surpassed one billion miles (1.6 billion km) traveled. The company also confirmed they’re developing new variants to support the online retailer.

According to Rivian, they’re working on models with all-wheel drive as well as a larger battery pack. The latter is “expected to offer a 30% increase in range,” which would equate to around 210 miles (338 km/h). The all-wheel drive variant, on the other hand, appears aimed at markets with snow as well as rural areas with muddy dirt roads.

As a refresher, the current Delivery 500 and 700 are front-wheel drive and offer a range of up to 161 miles (259 km). Pricing starts at $79,900, and the larger of the two can hold up to 652 cubic feet (18,463 liters) of goods.

Besides talking about Amazon, Rivian said they expect to begin rolling out “point-to-point advanced assisted driving capabilities by the end of this year.” This is an evolution of their current Universal Hands-Free driving system, which works on more than 3.5 million miles of roads in the United States and Canada.

If everything goes according to plan, eyes-off driving will arrive in 2027. A Level 4 robotaxi could then follow in 2028.

The company delivered 12,194 vehicles in Q2, and the R2 launched on June 9. Rivian is still ramping up production, but CEO RJ Scaringe said “I believe R2 will be a game changer for our customers and a driver of Rivian’s long-term growth and profitability.” He added the “U.S. automotive marketplace is starved for high-quality EV choice, and I believe R2 is an attractively priced option for everyday adventures that will resonate with a broad set of consumers.”

Waymo’s fleet of robotaxis in the United States is getting a big upgrade, although the Jaguar I-Paces you’re probably familiar with will be missing out. Instead, the self-driving company is focusing its updates on the Zeekr-built Ojai, now allowing riders to speak with Google’s Gemini AI assistant.

The Ojai is still a relatively new addition to Waymo’s fleet and, unlike the I-Pace, which the firm has converted into a robotaxi, the Ojai was designed from the outset to autonomously ferry passengers around. Now with Gemini included, riders will be able to effortlessly interact with the vehicle.

Read: Waymo Crashes 68% Less Than Humans, Then You Reach Austin

You can now ask an Ojai to adjust the climate control, not that reaching over and doing it yourself was ever a struggle. The assistant can also reel off facts about local landmarks and even help you pick up a new language, along with just about anything else you might throw at it.

Waymo has also updated how the Ojai’s three in-car screens operate. If a rider is sitting in the rear right of the robotaxi, they will be shown dedicated controls on the closest screen, while the other two screens will show a simplified overview of the trip. In addition to the screen offering climate control adjustments, riders can also use it to change what media is playing.

If speaking with a Google-run, AI-powered assistant while being driven around in a Google-owned self-driving taxi sounds a little too much like starring in an eerie episode of Black Mirror for you, Waymo says Gemini remains inactive unless a rider begins to interact with it.

The introduction of Waymo’s new Ojai robotaxi hasn’t been without issue. Earlier this year, one of the robotaxis swerved off the side of a road and crashed into multiple parked vehicles in California. While some were quick to point blame at the vehicle’s autonomous driving systems, it was quickly determined that a person was behind the wheel.