Waymo begins fully autonomous ops with 6th-gen Driver, targets 1M weekly rides
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.
BYD, Geely bid for 230,000-unit Nissan-Mercedes Mexico plant in North American push
BYD and Geely are among three finalists competing to purchase a Nissan-Mercedes-Benz joint venture plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, according to a Reuters exclusive report. The plant, which has a production capacity of 230,000 vehicles per year, would give either Chinese automaker an instant manufacturing foothold in North America, bypassing years of regulatory delays that have stalled their greenfield factory plans in the country.
The third finalist is Vietnamese EV maker VinFast. The three were selected from a pool of nine companies that expressed interest, including Chinese automakers Chery and Great Wall Motor.
Tesla gets 30-day extension to oppose ‘Cybercab’ trademark held by squatter
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.
Tesla (TSLA) sales in China crash 45% to lowest level in over three years
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.
The AI power crunch sparks a 1.5 GWh sodium-ion battery deal
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.
Texas bets on Tesla bets on WeChat, and a bet on Toyota to crack solid-state
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!