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Elon Musk says Tesla will sell 5 million cars by 2030 β€” math says otherwise

22 October 2026 at 19:42
A stylized rendering of Tesla’s Cybercab with its doors swung open appears on a green background.

On Tesla's earnings call Wednesday, Elon Musk made one of his patented pie-in-the-sky predictions that typically sends his fans into paroxysms of ecstasy: 5 million vehicle deliveries by 2030.

"We were aiming for 5 million vehicles a year by approximately 2030," he said. "And I think we've got a good shot of achieving that goal."

You'd be forgiven for missing the statement amid the veritable firehose of Musk superlatives - the company's Terafab chip factory "will be the most valuable building in the world" with "an economic value that's going to be placed in the top 20 countries" and "Tesla will end up being a majority of all passenger mi …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Tesla says customers can add their own vehicles to the robotaxi fleet next year β€” will it happen?

22 October 2026 at 01:36
Tesla Robotaxi on a graphic yellow background.

For years, Elon Musk has been making big promises to Tesla owners about unsupervised autonomous driving and the ability to add their own vehicles to the company's robotaxi fleet. During today's third-quarter earnings call, the company finally gave itself a deadline.

According to Tesla VP for Autonomous Driving Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla owners will be able to add their own vehicles to the company's robotaxi fleet in the second quarter of 2027. Here's his exact quote (emphasis ours):

Like I mentioned earlier, the software for Cybercabs and Model Y is the same. And pretty soon we'll be able to release the same software as part of the V15 relea …

Read the full story at The Verge.

GM promises smarter cars, faster updates, and autonomous dry-cleaning runs

21 October 2026 at 20:00
GM factory
A vehicle is welded by robot arms as it goes through the assembly line at the General Motors Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant March 10, 2010 in Lansing, Michigan. | Photo: Getty Images

General Motors is still very much in the business of selling gas-guzzling trucks and massive SUVs. But if you listen to its leadership, the Detroit giant is rapidly transforming into a nimble, software-defined tech player with a tightened grip on AI.

That was the pitch today, when GM hosted its tech-focused Onward event to unveil a wide-ranging slate of EV, autonomous vehicle, and AI initiatives - all aimed at fending off the rising threat of tech-heavy Chinese automakers.

The promises are big: GM claims it will use AI to cut vehicle development times in half, introduce compute units up to 40 times more powerful than its current hardware, …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Cities want to put the boot on robotaxis

18 October 2026 at 14:00
AUSTIN, TEXAS - APRIL 8: Tesla Cybercabs are lined up on a lot at Tesla Giga Texas in Austin, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. | Image: Getty Images

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on autonomous vehicles, policy, and road rules, follow Andrew J. Hawkins. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.

How it started

The first state to pass a law legalizing self-driving cars operating on public roads was Nevada in June 2011 - long before such vehicles were operating on public roads. This was three years before the introduction of Tesla's Autopilot, five years before Waymo spun out of the Google self-driving car project, and seven years before the first commercial robotaxi …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Volvo will use Nvidia’s tech for hands-free, point-to-point driving

15 October 2026 at 19:30
Volvo XC60

Volvo plans to launch hands-free, point-to-point driving by 2030, powered by Nvidia's latest AI technology. The Chinese-owned, Swedish-designed automaker said Thursday it would use Nvidia's autonomous driving stack to power a new partially automated driving system similar to Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

Volvo says the new point-to-point system will be Level 2++, meaning it can handle complex urban environments, including traffic lights, stop signs, and unprotected left turns without explicit driver control. In addition to Tesla's FSD, it will also resemble the Nvidia-powered system that Mercedes-Benz recently rolled out for the …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The feds are looking into reports of Tesla’s robotaxis speeding through school zones

13 October 2026 at 19:40

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it's evaluating allegations that Tesla's 1,000 or so robotaxis using its automated driving system are exceeding "posted speed limits in active school zones." Waymo's robotaxis have also faced similar inquiries, including for illegally passing school buses and hitting a child near a California elementary school.

NHTSA:

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a DP on September 23, 2026, requesting an investigation into model year (MY) 2026 Tesla Robotaxis (Model Y and Cybercab) with the Automated Driving System (ADS) engaged. The Petitioner alleges that the ADS exceeds poste …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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