Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn’t interested in creating a partnership using the Uber platform for its planned robotaxi launch, said Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi. “I’ve had conversations with him at this point,” The Uber CEO said Friday. “They want to build it alone, so to some extent in Austin, we and Waymo will be competing with Tesla when they launch,” he said, referring to Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous-vehicle unit. “Life is long, but we would love to partner with them.”
Tesla said its autonomous taxi service, named Cybercab, is set to debut in a pilot in Texas this June. Khosrowshahi had put in a lot of time and energy advocating for a partnership model with Tesla, highlighting that many Uber drivers already use Tesla vehicles and would be eager to integrate Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities with Uber’s platform.
Robot batteries: Hyundai Motor Co. and its Kia subsidiary today announced an agreement to partner with Samsung SDI to develop a significant ancillary business: high-performance batteries specifically for robots. The aim will be increasing energy density, output and usage time significantly. The collaboration will combine Hyundai Motor, Kia and Samsung SDI’s resources and technical expertise to develop batteries optimized for robots and integrate them into various service robots.
Rivian R2: The Rivian R2 is on track for launch in the first half of 2026, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said late last week. The company said its managed to reduce costs for the R2 by 50%. The company is aiming at make the R2 a high-volume crossover to go from nice to major player in automotive.
Wildfire damage: Following the recent wildfires in Los Angeles County, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just hit a major milestone in the agency’s largest ever wildfire hazardous waste cleanup. President Trump signed an Executive Order directing EPA to complete this hazardous materials mission within 30 days, with the agency reaching 75% of its target by last week. As of this report last week, 892 electric vehicles and bulk energy storage systems destroyed by the fire were removed. Fourteen lithium-ion battery teams have been leading efforts to recover from this part of the disaster.
Roadie delivery services: Roadie has expanded its delivery solutions and offerings for customers and drivers alike through RoadieXD, a cross-docking solution enabling retailers to offer their customers efficient same-day delivery for items of all sizes, including oversized and bulky goods. It was created for drivers with larger vehicles such as cargo vans and box trucks. It’s one of the few successful platform-based networks connecting truck owners to customers. The crowdsourced delivery platform in the U.S. that connects businesses of all sizes with a network of independent drivers to provide flexible, efficient, and reliable deliveries. In 2021, UPS acquired Roadie to expand into same-day delivery solutions. Roadie operates as a standalone entity, according to The Rideshare Guy.
E15 gasoline: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said late Friday it will maintain a fuel policy change initiated under President Biden aimed at increasing sales of corn-based ethanol, despite oil industry warnings it could raise gasoline costs and cause fuel supply disruptions. The federal agency said it will stick with April 28 as the implementation date for ending special treatment that waives conventional E10 gasoline from fuel volatility limits in as many as eight Midwestern states. The change effectively places E10, which contains 10% ethanol, on the same regulatory footing as higher-ethanol E15 gasoline and allow both varieties to use the same raw gasoline blendstock, in a shift meant to allow both fuel blends to be sold widely during the summer, where the existing policy often keeps E15 out of the market.
