Waymo buys Apple’s abandoned self-driving car proving ground for $220M

Waymo has acquired a massive 5,500-acre autonomous vehicle proving ground in Wittmann, Arizona, for $220 million — nearly double the $125 million Apple paid for it in 2021. The facility was the centerpiece of Apple’s now-dead self-driving car program.

The deal, recorded June 5 in Maricopa County filings, adds a world-class test facility to Waymo’s infrastructure as the company races to scale its robotaxi fleet to 1 million weekly rides by the end of the year.

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Mitsubishi’s new EV breaks cover, and it looks a bit familiar [Images]

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is finally going electric with a little help from Nissan. Set to go on sale in the next few weeks, Mitsubishi unveiled the new Eclipse Sportback EV for the first time.

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Gazelle launches new 28 MPH e-bikes, bringing Dutch comfort to fast American riders

Gazelle has unveiled a completely redesigned Ultimate platform in North America, giving riders a faster take on the company’s signature Dutch-inspired comfort and refinement.

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Rivian R2 First Drive: This is everything I need to upgrade my Model Y except…

Rivian flew us out to beautiful Park City, Utah, to get a first test of the R2, its $45,000 “bet-the-company” mass market SUV that it has promised for years. Today it begins delivering these vehicles, and I can say unequivocally after driving a performance variant for 5 hours, that these early customers are going to be very happy, though with some notable caveats…

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Lucid (LCID) finally adds hands-free driving to the Gravity SUV

Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID) announced it has begun rolling out an over-the-air software update that brings hands-free highway driving to the Gravity SUV in North America.

Lucid first promised hands-free driving for its vehicles well over a year ago, but the feature’s actual rollout has been notoriously slow. The Gravity update arrives at a critical time for the EV startup, which is dealing with shareholder lawsuits, a new CEO, and a stock trading near all-time lows.

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Meet the electric aircraft tug that’s cutting ground emissions by 80%

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is testing an electric aircraft tug that can both move the plane around the tarmac and power its auxiliary systems – and that second bit could slash ground-level airport emissions by more than 80%, saving gobs of money on fuel in the process.

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ICE car sales continue to plummet in China, the top 16 cars are now EVs

Every one of the top sixteen cars sold in China was an EV in May according to China Passenger Car Association data, as gasoline-powered cars continue their structural decline in the world’s largest auto market.

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Ukraine officially adopts new electric motorcycle for military use

Ukraine has officially approved a new electric motorcycle for use by its armed forces, highlighting the growing role that battery-powered two-wheelers are playing in modern military operations.

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Solar is crushing gas growth worldwide, a new report finds

Natural gas is losing its grip on the global power mix as countries increasingly turn to cheaper, more secure renewable energy, according to a new report from climate and energy think tank Ember.

Ember’s analysis found that 61 out of 124 economies that generate electricity from gas have already passed peak gas power generation. That includes four G7 countries: the UK, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

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BYD’s 1,000+ hp drop-top luxury EV spotted undisguised [Images]

BYD is already calling it the world’s first intelligent electric supercar. Packing over 1,000 hp, the Denza Z can sprint from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in under 2 seconds, and it’s about to go head-to-head with Porsche, Ferrari, and other luxury brands in Europe.

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