Author: EVAI

A self-driving car is a vehicle that can transport passengers safely from point A to point B without any human intervention. These vehicles can range from privately owned vehicles to commercial fleet vehicles dubbed robotaxis to something in between, such as most recently Tesla’s Cybercab concept and its 20-passenger people-mover, the Robovan…

The 2025 Nissan Pathfinder three-row crossover SUV costs $38,460, or $1,315 more than last year Three oil changes are included in the first two years or 24,000 miles of ownership The V-6 and 6,000-pound towing capacity carry over The 2025 Nissan Pathfinder three-row midsize SUV carries over mostly unchanged, except for a significant price increase…

Eliminating internal-combustion engines would also eliminate many jobs related to engine-related technology, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda told Reuters and other media Thursday.

“If electric vehicles simply become the only choice, including for our suppliers, those people’s jobs would be lost,” said Toyoda, who previously held the job of CEO and is also the grandson of the company’s founder.

2024 Toyota bZ4X

These comments aren’t out of character for Toyoda, who said at another event in January that he does not see battery electric vehicles reaching more than 30% market share. The remaining 70%, Toyoda argued, will be taken up by hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, with conventional internal-combustion powertrains also remaining in the mix.

Despite the comments of its top executive, Toyota is dialing up its EV ramp. In September the automaker confirmed plans for a tenfold boost in EV production, to one million units globally by 2026. It’s also proceeding with production of advanced solid-state battery cells, albeit in relatively small numbers that will likely limit their use to niche models.

2025 Toyota RAV4

In the U.S., Toyota has made a long-term supply agreement with LG, with enough batteries coming from the supplier’s Michigan factory for U.S.-made EVs. Those will include a Kentucky-made three-row SUV expected in 2026, with a second model to be built in Indiana. Toyota and Subaru will also reportedly launch a second co-developed electric SUV in 2026 as a follow-up to the bZ4X/Solterra twins.

Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric vehicles, and fuel-cell vehicles accounted for 48% of Toyota’s U.S. sales in September, which is close enough to start the conversation of whether or not to drop internal-combustion powertrains that don’t include a hybrid component, Toyota chief scientist Gill Pratt said in a recent interview with Bloomberg. But the automaker still has a long way to go to reach even the pessimistic 30% prediction by Toyoda in this market.

BMW’s M3 will come in two separate versions in the future, one with an electric powertrain and the other with a gas engine. The information was revealed by BMW M boss Frank van Meel in an interview with BMW enthusiast website Bimmer Today published on Thursday. The M boss already confirmed in June that an electric M3 is coming. Its powertrain will…

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Two BMW electric sedans are being recalled over steering components that could break, requiring more effort to turn the wheel.

The recall includes 202 BMW i5 sedans from model years 2024 and 2025 and just 21 BMW i7 sedans, all 2024 models, plus non-electric versions of both. The recalled vehicles may have steering spindles manufactured with specifications that “may not have been appropriate for the application,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

2024 BMW i7 M70

In certain situations, the the swivel socket of the spindle’s double universal joint could break, resulting in an unexpected increase in steering effort required to properly steer the vehicle, according to the NHTSA. If this occurs, drivers may notice a noise coming from the steering column, as well as “changes in the steering behavior,” recall documents said.

A sudden increase in required steering effort can make it harder to avoid a crash, but BMW told the NHTSA that it is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to this issue, nor is it aware of any related warranty claims or customer complaints. The automaker said it first became aware of the problem when damaged steering spindles were noticed at assembly plants.

2025 BMW i5

Dealers will replace the affected double universal joints, free of charge. BMW plans to mail owner notification letters November 15. Owners can also contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 for more information.

The i5 and i7 are all-electric versions of BMW’s 5-Series and 7-Series sedans, respectively, sharing body shells and most non-powertrain components with their combustion-engine counterparts. This reflects a recent strategy by BMW to focus on electric versions of its existing models, one that the automaker is shifting away from with its upcoming Neue Klasse EVs, which will be based on a dedicated architecture.

Tesla reveals Cybercab and Robovan robotaxis Cybercab production targeted to start in 2026 Cybercab pricing targeted to start below $30,000 Tesla late on Thursday unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi, which the company dubs the Cybercab. The debut took place on the closed-off lot of Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, California, and included a surprise…

• Two-passenger Cybercab, also called Robotaxi, is due by 2027 and will use wireless charging
• Cybercab will cost less than $30,000, have no steering wheel or pedals
• Robovan bowed with seating for 20 and greatly reduced operating costs

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday night introduced its Robotaxi. The Cybercab, an autonomous electric vehicle is so locked into the evolution of Tesla’s so-called full self-driving system that it doesn’t have a steering wheel or any pedals. 

Tesla may have gotten some pushback about omitting the turn signal stalk and shift lever in some of its latest vehicles, like the revamped 2024 Tesla Model 3. But it seems that the company’s CEO Elon Musk has his head way farther into a future where none of those controls will matter—and ubiquitous autonomous vehicles may be competing with mass transit. 

“I think the cost of autonomous transport will be so low that you can think of it like individualized mass transit,” said Musk, at the invite-only event from a Warner Bros. Studio set in Burbank, California. 

The average cost of a bus—to run, not the ticket price—is about a dollar per passenger mile, Musk claims, while the Cybercab will probably be around 20 cents per mile in operating cost and 30 to 40 cents per mile “including taxes and everything else.”

Tesla is targeting a price below $30,000.for the Cybercab, which builds on years of Tesla Robotaxi hype. Musk originally promised in 2019 to have a fleet of revenue-generating, self-driving robotaxis in operation as part of a Tesla Network in 2020. 

Tesla Cybercab

Tesla Robotaxi Cybercab

Tesla Robotaxi Cybercab

Shown plying around the studio set, the two-seat coupe that appears to be compact- to midsize by U.S. proportions. Tesla didn’t reveal any details about the mechanical basis of the vehicle, its propulsion system, or even its architecture, and until Green Car Reports can see these vehicles up close we’re calling them concept cars. 

For whenever they do arrive, Musk pointed to an operator model in which individual owners manage autonomous fleets, likening it to shepherds tending to a flock. There was zero talk about how the vehicle rides or drives, with the focus instead a pragmatic bottom line. 

Shift to inductive charging for future Teslas?

Musk also confirmed that the Cybercab, which he interchanged in name with Robotaxi at points in the presentation, will use inductive wireless charging—and only inductive wireless charging. “The Robotaxi has no plug; it just goes over the inductive charger and charges—so yeah, it’s kind of how it should be.”

Given the shift to only inductive charging in a future product, and Tesla’s recent pullback in Supercharger development, there may be some big changes coming to the company’s public charging vision soon.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk at Cybercab event (screenshot) – Oct. 2024

Musk plots autonomous Teslas vs. public transit

Musk, as he has before, spent a time discussing what robotaxis enable on a societal level—although his argument includes a future in which such vehicles may truly face off versus public transit systems. 

Musk says that the average passenger car is only used about 10 hours, out of the 168 hours of the week. “So the vast majority of the time cars are just doing nothing; but if they’re autonomous they could be used—I don’t know—five times more, maybe 10 times more,” he said. 

In other words, autonomous vehicles may be clogging the highways much like human-piloted vehicles are today, but all their occupants will be free to use their cars as lounges or workspaces. 

Musk also added that if vehicles are almost always in use, there won’t be a need for as many parking lots, so there’s an opportunity to turn them into parks and reclaim green space.

2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Starts with “unsupervised FSD” of Model 3/Y in 2025

Musk also claimed that Tesla expects to start “fully autonomous, unsupervised FSD” in Texas and California next year in the Model 3 and Model Y. “And then we expect to be in production with the Cybercab, which is really highly optimized for autonomous transport.” 

Musk then reeled the statement in, noting that he tends to be a little optimistic with timeframes, landing at: “Before 2027, let me put it that way—and we’ll make this vehicle [the Cybercab] in very high volume. But well before that you will experience a robotic taxi via the Model 3 and Model Y program

Tesla Robotaxi Cybercab

On the company’s autonomous-driving systems, Musk repeated much of what he has in the past, regarding how Tesla’s driving computer can be much safer than a human driver as it’s trained on millions of cars, seeing in all directions simultaneously, and it doesn’t get tired or text. Musk sees autonomous cars becoming 10 or more times safer than a human: “So with autonomy, you get your time back, which is a very big deal; it’ll save lives—a lot of lives—and prevent injuries.

Tesla has faced DOJ and SEC scrutiny over its self-driving claims in 2022, culminating with an official safety recall (an over-the-air update) ordered over federal claims it posed “an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety” for the way it was deploying its city-enabled driver-assistance system labeled Full Self-Driving Beta. 

The CEO noted that Tesla plans to “overspec” the computer for the Cybercab, making them available for distributed computing. “Because I think there’s actually also an opportunity, sort of like Amazon Web Services, where if a car is driving for 50 hours a week there’s still over 100 hours left. Musk wasn’t clear about whether owners will “lease” out that compute power or whether that’s part of Tesla’s model to keep the price on the vehicle low.

Tesla Robovan

Tesla Robovan

Tesla Robovan

Robovan aims to “look like the future”…with a personal C-3PO

Tesla also introduced the Robovan (emphasis on the “bo”)—a long, autonomous electric van, not entirely unlike the Cruise Origin project that GM canceled, but truly embracing a dark, 1930s-1950s pulp sci-fi train-like look and good inside for transporting cargo or up to 20 people at a time. Musk has teased the idea of a Tesla Robovan multiple times, and the design makes it refreshingly different. 

“We’re going to make this, and it’s going to look like that,” said Musk, noting that it would potentially bring the cost per mile (per passenger) down to 5-10 cents a mile. 

“One of the things we want to do, and you’ve seen this with the Cybertruck, is we want to change the look of the roads,” he added. “The future should look like the future.”

Seemingly anticipating reactions to the look, Musk admitted, as we all know, that he likes the dark, apocalyptic stories about the future but is instead attempting to paint a more “fun, exciting future” with these products. 

In all, Tesla claimed to have 50 fully autonomous vehicles at the event, with many of them open for rides. That included some Model Ys and some Cybercabs. 

Tesla Optimus robot tasks

Tesla Optimus robot tasks

Tesla Optimus robot tasks

Tesla Optimus robot tasks

Musk also introduced a new generation of the Optimus humanoid robot, emphasizing that it has “progressed dramatically year after year.” 

“So if you extrapolate this, you’re really going to have something spectacular…so you can have your own personal R2D2, C-3PO,” Musk said, noting it would cost less than a car. It would be able to teach or babysit kids, walk the dog, mow the lawn, get groceries, serve drinks or “just be your friend.”

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) have filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against some of California’s electric vehicle mandates, which the state plans to implement via its Advanced Clean Fleets rules. The specific mandates require medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, including bigger pickups…

He also said if elected, he will invoke a six-year renegotiation provision of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that took effect in 2020.