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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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MKBHD reviewed the Vinfast VF8. It didn’t go well.

After his review of the Fisker Ocean turned into a wild saga (and maybe helped contribute to the company’s recent struggles), the popular YouTuber is turning his critical gaze to another fringe EV: the Vinfast VF8. And wouldn’t you know it, there were a lot of similarities between the two: cheap materials, outdated-looking tech, and inexplicable feature choices. At the start of the video, he says:

It brings back the age old smartphone question: Would you rather buy a brand new cheap piece of tech or a depreciated older flagship? And this one makes a good argument for the depreciated older flagship.


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Fisker turns to extreme markdowns to stave off bankruptcy.

The struggling EV company slashed the price of the Ocean, its only model, by nearly 40 percent, to $37,499 — as it looks for a miracle to avoid going out of business. Fisker is in the process of being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange for failure to keep its share price above $1. And it paused production of the Ocean in order to focus on fundraising. Fisker always promised it would be a mass-market EV company. But I doubt this is how they wanted it to happen.

Of course, this is the EV that MKBHD called “the worst” car he’d ever reviewed.


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Tesla helped bring a little bit of California to China.

While it was working on its first factory in China, the company successfully lobbied to create a regulatory credit system in the country that was very similar to the one that helped it survive in California during its early years.

In 2015, at a clean transportation conference in California, Chinese central government officials listened as a Tesla lobbyist laid out the reasons that Beijing should adopt an emissions mandate, said Yunshi Wang, an energy economist who organized the session.

“Obviously Tesla was all in,” said Dr. Wang, director of the University of California-Davis’s China Center for Energy and Transportation.


GoCycle details folding cargo e-bike accessories.

Not entirely clear how quickly and securely the accessories and child safety system attach to the new GoCycle CX series, but it’s fun to see a fresh take on a longtail electric cargo bike that’s also lightweight and foldable. You can preorder now for £5,999 / €6,999 / $6,999 with first deliveries starting in September.


<em>Urban Iki Child Seat &amp; Small Bag Example Config.</em>

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Urban Iki Child Seat & Small Bag Example Config.
Image: GoCycle
MTA’s redesigned subway app is now available, and it looks great.

Some big changes include the addition of real-time ETA, live train and bus tracking, service alerts, and multi-modal trip planning. If you already have the MTA app, it will automatically update. If not, it’s available for Android or iOS. I’m no New Yorker, but this looks way better than the app we have for Los Angeles public transit.


Graphic images of smartphones showing screenshots of the redesigned MTA app.
Good news! Your boss can now drag you into a meeting during your morning commute.

Gone are the days when your car was a refuge from work. Ford is the latest automaker to bring Cisco’s Webex video conferencing application to its vehicles, starting with the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus, 2025 Lincoln Aviator, and 2025 Ford Explorer. More models will follow.

If you’re driving, it’s audio-only. While parked, you’ll be able to see your coworkers’ beaming faces, but they won’t be able to see yours because it’s not connected to the in-cabin camera — yet. I’m of the opinion that selfie cameras in the car are inevitable. (See: Benz, Mercedes.)


Lincoln Nautilus with Cisco’s Webex
Just be sure to turn off Mike and the Mad Dog before you unmute yourself.
Image: Ford
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Fisker delisted.

Trading was halted on the EV company’s stock due to an “abnormally low” share price. Basically, the stock hit rock bottom and now the New York Stock Exchange is delisting Fisker for failure to comply with rules requiring its stock trade above $1 for at least 30 days. Earlier today, the company said that investment talks with another automaker (probably Nissan) broke down. Now Fisker seems to be heading to an all-too-familiar place. At least for founder Henrik Fisker.


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The Full-Self Driving will continue until morale improves.

In an internal memo, the Tesla CEO announced that its controversial driver assist system FSD would come pre-installed on all new vehicles, and that every customer taking delivery of a new Tesla would get a demonstration of its capabilities.

My theory: FSD sales are flatlining because Tesla has slashed prices so much that regular people — and not die-hards who hang on Musk’s every tweet — are now buying them. And most price-sensitive normies aren’t going to hand over $15,000 for a driver assist system that could drive them into a tree.


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Lucid gets a lifeline.

An affiliate of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund will invest $1 billion in the struggling EV maker. (I need to find a new adjective other than “struggling” to describe these companies. Leave your suggestions in the comments please!) This is hardly a surprise, given that the Saudi government owns a 60 percent stake in Lucid. Like other, ahem, distressed EV companies, Lucid has slashed prices and laid off employees in the face of weaker demand. But it could be a lot worse! At least Lucid isn’t tottering on the edge of bankruptcy like Fisker and others.


Things are getting pretty dire for Fisker.

Negotiations with an unnamed automaker (most likely Nissan) about a possible investment have collapsed. Trading has been halted on the company’s stock, but not before the share price plummeted 30 percent. Production on the Fisker Ocean is paused for six weeks to allow the company to raise $150 million by selling convertible notes.

It’s missing interest payments and passed the deadline to report its first-quarter earnings. We all know what comes next. This isn’t Henrik Fisker’s first rodeo.


Fisker Ocean
At least the puppy looks happy.
Image: Fisker
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Boeing’s CEO will step down at the end of this year.

In a letter to staff, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun writes the Alaska Airlines door blowout was a “watershed moment” for Boeing and that now is the “right time for a CEO transition.” Boeing will select a new CEO before Calhoun steps down later this year.

Additionally, Boeing announced that its Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal is retiring and will be replaced by Stephanie Pope starting today. The company’s board chair Larry Kellner will also not stand for reelection, with Steve Mollenkopf serving as his replacement.


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The first Boeing Starliner astronaut flight test is planned for May.

The mission will launch “hopefully the first of May,” according to Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, who was joined by fellow astronaut Suni Williams during a NASA press conference yesterday.

NASA postponed the first crewed Starliner flight test last summer over safety concerns. When the mission launches, Wilmore and Williams will dock with the International Space Station for up to two weeks before returning to Earth.


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GM will no longer sell your driving data to third-party companies.

The automaker was caught by the New York Times providing micro-details about its customers driving habits, including acceleration, braking, and trip length, to insurance companies. Clueless vehicle owners were then left wondering why their insurance premiums were going up. But now GM tells the Times it’s going to stop.

“OnStar Smart Driver customer data is no longer being shared with LexisNexis or Verisk,” a G.M. spokeswoman, Malorie Lucich, said in an emailed statement. “Customer trust is a priority for us, and we are actively evaluating our privacy processes and policies.”

No word yet on Kia, Subaru, and Mitsubishi, which also were reportedly sharing driver data with insurance firms.


Boom’s first test flight could signal the return of supersonic air travel

After years of delays, the Colorado-based startup’s XB-1 demonstrator takes flight for the first time.

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US probing airline industry’s privacy protections.

The Department of Transportation announced the “first industry-wide” review of the ten largest airlines to insure passengers’ sensitive personal information is not “improperly monetized” or shared with third-party data brokers.

The agency is requesting information from the carriers around how they collect and handle people’s personal data, as well as complaints that information was mishandled in violation of the law. USDOT did not say specifically what incident prompted the review.


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What’s one more Tesla investigation among friends?

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) would like the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate Tesla over the lack of independence of its board of directors from Elon Musk, according to the Wall Street Journal. Tesla’s board, which includes Musk’s brother and a number of the billionaire’s friends, poses a potential conflict of interest, that could harm shareholders, Warren alleges. The SEC, which has investigated Tesla more times than I can remember, declined to comment on its response to Warren.


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If you’re not angelmaxxing your Citi Bike are you even commuting?

Aftermath, the video games website, has published its first strategy guide: a dive into min-maxing your use of NYC’s bike share program, complete with fetch quests, rewards, and weird point multipliers. It’s good.


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E-bike sales in Germany surpass regular bikes for first time.

According to the German bicycle association (ZIV), 53 percent of all bicycles sold in 2023 were electric, with average prices rising from €2,600 (2020) to €2,950 last year. That’s 2.1 million e-bikes compared to 1.9 million regular bikes sold in one of, if not the most important bicycle markets in Europe.

Today Cowboy’s CEO predicted that by 2030, “e-bike sales will surpass car sales in Europe.”


Stellantis still believes in flying cars.

The automaker (parent company to Jeep and Dodge) announced a purchase of 8.3 million shares in eVTOL company Archer, in a deal roughly worth over $39 million. Stellantis already has a deal to manufacture Archer’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, which are set to launch in 2025. Today’s open market stock purchase is meant to signal “Stellantis’ continued confidence in Archer’s plans” to bring its aircraft to market. Despite numerous layoffs, trade secret disputes, and company shutdowns, the eVTOL true believers are still racing to get something in the air to prove all this cash burn has been worth it.


Archer’s eVTOL aircraft is meant for short distance trips of 20-50 miles.
Archer’s eVTOL aircraft is meant for short distance trips of 20-50 miles.
Image: Stellantis
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Is Rivian working on a high-performance R1X?

After the bombshell reveal of the R3 and R3X earlier this month, it probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that the EV company also has high-performance versions of the R1T and R1S vehicles in the works. A member of the Rivian owners forum (flagged by Breaking News) noticed a trademark filing with the USTPO for “R1X,” which suggests there could be a Tesla Plaid-rivaling Rivian on deck.


Rivian ‘R1X’ Trademark Reveals New Flagship Performance...

[Rivian Forum – Rivian R1T & R1S News, Pricing & Order...]

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Hertz CEO out after Tesla flub.

Stephen Scherr, the man who bet heavily on EVs to transform the future of the company, is stepping down after just two years in the role. He’s being replaced by Gil West, the former COO of Cruise robotaxis. West was one of several execs dismissed by GM after that body-dragging incident.


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Tesla reached a settlement with a Black employee who won two trials over racial abuse.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, reports CNBC. Owen Diaz had previously told the court that supervisors failed to intervene when his coworkers used “daily racist epithets” against him and other Black employees at the Fremont, California plant where he worked.

He was awarded $137 million in 2021 but asked for a retrial after a judge reduced the amount to $15 million in 2022.


The Zoox come out at night.

Amazon’s robotaxi company is expanding its operating conditions in the two cities where it has been testing its autonomous vehicles, Foster City and Las Vegas. The robotaxis will start driving at night, as well as in light rain and damp road conditions. They will also starting driving at speeds of up to 45 mph on multi-lane roads. And in Las Vegas, it will start tackling roads along the south end of the Strip. Zoox’s purpose-built AVs (no steering wheel, no pedals) will start accepting real passengers later this year.


Zoox robotaxi at night
Gadzooks! It’s a Zoox at night!
Image: Zoox
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Watch these Toyota engineers build Pokémon’s Miraidon from soup to nuts.

While everyone was getting worked up about the announcement of the next Pokémon game, the Toyota Engineering Society was busy working on a special project to create a life-sized Miraidon, the motorcycle-like legendary dragon mascot from Pokémon Violet.

Even though we’ll probably never get a chance to see the thing actually zooming around, it’s still cool as hell seeing it come together in this video about the collaboration.