Tesla pushes Optimus deliveries to late 2027, says hands still a problem

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Elon Musk now says Tesla will start delivering Optimus humanoid robots to outside customers around the end of 2027. On Tesla’s Q3 2026 earnings call, he said the hands, the robot’s durability and its AI all still need work before then.

Those are the same three problems every humanoid robot company is fighting. And despite Musk’s claim that nobody is close to Tesla, XPeng and Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics look at least as far along.

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Volkswagen is launching its most affordable EV yet in 2027, starting at around €20,000

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Volkswagen’s upcoming electric car will be smaller and lower-priced than the ID. Polo, starting at around €20,000 ($22,500).

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Scania speeds up switch to silent semi trucks with Chinese production

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Record fuel prices driven by the dumb oil war in Iran are fueling a faster-than-expected switch to electric trucks in the world’s biggest freight markets – and Swedish heavy truck brand Scania is scrambling to meet demand with a new factory in China.

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New Jersey may finally reverse its draconian e-bike law after massive backlash

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New Jersey lawmakers are already looking to walk back one of the country’s most controversial e-bike laws, just months after the sweeping new regulations took effect and sparked widespread backlash from riders, bicycle shops, and advocacy groups.

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Fortescue is using KUKA welding robots to handle 6 MW charging cables [video]

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Humanoid robots aren’t ready to juice up the massive, 240-tonne electric haul trucks Fortescue is putting to work in Australia’s punishing Pilbara. Instead, the company is using specially modified and massively powerful automotive assembly-line robots from KUKA to wrangle the massive cables needed to deliver a mind-bending 6 MW of power to its trucks’ batteries.

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Tesla (TSLA) quietly cuts 2026 capex guidance to $20B

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Tesla has lowered its 2026 capital spending forecast. In its Q3 10-Q, the company now says it expects capital expenditures “to be in excess of $20 billion in 2026,” down from the “more than $25 billion” it had guided since April.

The change was in the 10-Q Tesla filed Wednesday, not in the shareholder letter it released the same day. And it lands in a quarter where Tesla reported $1.53 billion of positive free cash flow, a number that depends a lot on timing.

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Kia’s EV6 GT beat out the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7 in a German EV comparison test

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Kia’s electric sports car beat out the Tesla Model Y Performance and BYD’s Sealion 7 in a recent comparison test by the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, ranking first overall.

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The 2027 Ford Mustang Mach-E gains a standard long-range battery and starts at $40,000

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Ford opened orders for the 2027 Mustang Mach-E, which now offers a standard extended-range battery for under $40,000. A new Trail model is also joining the lineup.

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Redwood and Rivian set to expand their EV battery recycling partnership

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Redwood Materials and Rivian are expanding their existing EV battery partnership, adding a fresh battery material recycling effort to the EV startup’s Normal, Illinois, vehicle factory and, potentially, other Rivian-owned sites.

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Rio Tinto eyes a giant hot-brick battery to cut fossil fuel use

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Rio Tinto wants to put Australia’s cheap midday electricity to work at its Yarwun alumina refinery – by storing it in hot bricks and using that heat battery to make steam after the sun sets.

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