Latest Tech News

Stay updated with the latest in technology, AI, cybersecurity, and more

Filtered by: vehicles Clear Filter

Tesla robotaxis launch in Austin with $4.20 invite-only service and human "safety monitors"

What just happened? Tesla's long-awaited robotaxi service finally launched yesterday (June 23) in Austin, Texas. So far, it has been limited to invited participants and not the general public, and passengers aren't alone in the vehicles; Tesla's "safety monitors" sit in the front passenger seat ready to take over if something goes wrong – despite Elon Musk promising the service would launch unsupervised. Musk's "tentatively, June 22" response early this month to an X user's question about when

Tesla robotaxi 'low-key' launch in Texas

Tesla robotaxi 'low-key' launch in Texas 1 hour ago Share Save Liv McMahon Technology reporter Share Save Reuters Tesla's long-awaited robotaxis rolled out for the first time on roads in Austin, Texas on Sunday. In videos shared by Tesla on X, a small group of invited analysts, influencers and shareholders were shown participating in paid rides. The small number of vehicles deployed had a human safety operator in the passenger seat, according to reports. Analysts said the "low-key" robotaxi l

Tesla’s robotaxi is live: here are some of the first reactions

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Tesla finally did the damn thing. The company launched its hotly anticipated robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, June 22nd — and we’re now starting to see some of the first reactions roll in. But first, we have to get a few important caveats out of the way. Tellingly, the service is not open to the general public

Waymo’s robotaxis are coming back to New York City

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Waymo announced today that it intends to launch a fully autonomous robotaxi service in New York City — but first it needs to change state law to permit its vehicles to operate with safety drivers behind the wheel. The Alphabet-owned company said it has applied for a permit from the city’s Department of Transportation to te

Waymo has set its robotaxi sights on NYC

Waymo said Wednesday it has applied for a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in New York City, the Alphabet company’s first step in a sticky regulatory process to bring its robotaxis to U.S.’s largest city. Waymo applied for a permit with the New York City Department of Transportation to operate its self-driving Jaguar I-Pace vehicles with a human safety operator behind the wheel in Manhattan. New York’s autonomous vehicle demonstration or testing permit requires a human driver to be able t

EVs dominate the most American-made cars index and it’s not just because of Tesla

Tesla vehicles took the four top spots of the 2025 American-Made Index (AMI), an annual list calculated by Cars.com that ranks qualifying vehicles built and bought in the United States. Tesla’s dominance in the AMI isn’t new. The U.S. automaker, which assembles its four light-duty passenger vehicles in Texas and California, has landed in the top 10 ever since it started participating in the annual ranking five years ago. This year, the Model 3 was ranked as the most “American-made” vehicle sold

TechCrunch Mobility: The cost of Waymo

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced late this week that it plans to streamline the Part 555 exemption process to make it faster for automakers that want to deploy self-driving vehicles built without human controls like a steering wheel or pedals. The letter sent to “stakeholders” (meaning those com

Trump Wants to Kill California’s Emissions Standards. Here’s What That Means for EVs

This week the White House and President Donald Trump attempted to kill, once and for all, California's plan to accelerate the sale of zero-emission cars and trucks in the state. In a ceremony in Washington, DC, on Thursday attended by trucking executives, Trump signed three resolutions passed by Congress aimed at revoking California’s nearly 60-year-old power to set its own motor vehicle emissions rules. In doing so, the federal government is taking aim at one of the most ambitious vehicle elec

USDOT wants more self-driving cars without pedals or steering wheels

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. The US Department of Transportation wants to make it easier for automakers and tech companies to deploy self-driving cars without traditional controls like steering wheels and pedals. In a letter sent to stakeholders, the department said it would streamline reviews of requests for exemptions from safety rules requiring vehi

Tesla's new Model S and X vehicles are now available in the US

Tesla has officially launched new versions of the Model S and the Model X in the US. As Electrek notes, however, the upgrades may not be quite as big or compelling as one could hope when the vehicles now cost $5,000 more. The automaker has posted a list of updates for the vehicles on X, including a new Frost Blue paint color option and a range of up to 410 miles for the Model S Long Range version, which is Tesla's longest range yet. Getting the Frost Blue paint will cost buyers $2,500 more, howe

Nvidia CEO says this is the decade of robotics and autonomous vehicles

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang attends a round table discussion at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025. Autonomous vehicles and robotics are going to take off in a big way in the years ahead, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. "This is going to be the decade of AV [autonomous vehicles], robotics, autonomous machines," Huang told CNBC's Arjun Kharpal Thursday at the Viva Tech conference in Paris

Musk targets June 22 launch of Tesla’s long-promised robotaxi service

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company will start offering public rides in driverless vehicles in Austin, Texas, on June 22, which would mark the beginning of his long-promised robotaxi service. That date could shift because Musk claimed Tesla is “being super paranoid about safety.” Tesla Model Y SUVs have been spotted in recent days and weeks being tested around Austin with no drivers in the seat. Bloomberg News previously reported that Tesla was eyeing a June 12 launch of the service. Musk has