Waymo begins fully autonomous ops with 6th-gen Driver, targets 1M weekly rides

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Waymo is now running its 6th-generation Driver without safety drivers on public roads, marking the beginning of fully autonomous operations with the company’s latest and most cost-effective hardware stack.

The announcement, authored by Waymo VP of Engineering Satish Jeyachandran, confirms that the 6th-generation system, first unveiled in August 2024, is now validated for driverless operations across multiple cities. Waymo describes it as the product of seven years of service and nearly 200 million fully autonomous miles logged across 10+ major U.S. cities.

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Kia’s electric van gets its first camping kit that turns the PV5 into a campsite in minutes

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Kia’s electric van really can do it all. VanLab delivered the first PV5 camping kit that transforms it into a campsite, remote workspace, and more in minutes. All you need is a screwdriver.

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Tesla gets 30-day extension to oppose ‘Cybercab’ trademark held by squatter

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Tesla has been granted a 30-day extension by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to decide whether to formally oppose UNIBEV’s “Cybercab” trademark application, pushing Tesla’s deadline to March 14, 2026. The extension comes as Tesla prepares to begin mass production of the vehicle — whatever it ends up being called, in April.

According to USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) records, Tesla filed the extension request on February 11, 2026, and it was granted the same day. The move signals that Tesla is not ready to walk away from the “Cybercab” name, but it’s also not ready to launch a full legal fight over it.

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Tesla (TSLA) sales in China crash 45% to lowest level in over three years

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Tesla’s domestic sales in China collapsed 45% year-over-year in January, falling to just 18,485 units — the automaker’s lowest monthly retail figure in the country since November 2022. The data, released today by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), paints a grim picture of Tesla’s demand in the world’s largest EV market.

The figure represents an 80% plunge from December’s record-high 93,843 domestic deliveries. While seasonal declines between December and January are normal in China, a 45% year-over-year drop is not.

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Why Boston wants to ban some residents from using e-bikes

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Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn has filed a new ordinance that would ban delivery app drivers in the city from using e-bikes, mopeds, or other motorized scooters to make deliveries, citing growing safety concerns.

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The AI power crunch sparks a 1.5 GWh sodium-ion battery deal

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Utility-scale energy storage developer Energy Vault just signed a strategic agreement with Peak Energy, which manufactures sodium-ion energy battery storage systems, to build a battery platform specifically designed for “AI-first” data center operators.

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Texas bets on Tesla bets on WeChat, and a bet on Toyota to crack solid-state

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On today’s Texas-sized episode of Quick Charge, Tesla Cybertruck owners in the Lone Star state get V2G access, Tesla Model 3 and Y models get WeChat via OTA, and Toyota has an all-new electric Toyota Highlander with up to 320 miles of range!

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ChargePoint data shows a new EV bottleneck forming

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ChargePoint enabled more than 100 million EV charging sessions over the past year, and it says demand is now growing faster than new chargers are being installed. Using its network data and 2025 EV sales figures, the company argues infrastructure isn’t keeping pace with the expanding fleet of EVs already on the road.

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Toyota is already offering a $5,000 discount and 0% financing on its new EVs

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The 2026 C-HR and bZ Woodland electric SUVs are just arriving at dealerships, and Toyota is already discounting them.

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Tesla calls police on IG Metall rep at Giga Berlin works council meeting before critical vote

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Tesla filed a criminal complaint and called police to its Gigafactory Berlin after accusing an IG Metall union representative of secretly recording a closed works council meeting on Tuesday. Police seized the representative’s laptop. The incident comes just three weeks before roughly 11,000 employees vote in a works council election that could reshape the future of the plant.

The confrontation marks the latest, and most dramatic, escalation in the increasingly bitter fight between Tesla and Germany’s most powerful industrial union at the automaker’s only European factory.

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