Latest news with #Cybertruck-style
Business Insider
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Tesla officially launches robotaxis in Austin to a small group of users, charging a $4.20 flat fee per ride
On a balmy Sunday in Austin, Tesla fans awaited the promise of the future. After a few hours of delays, that promise finally came true, and a select group took their first rides, livestreaming their experience. While Tesla robotaxis are meant to be fully autonomous, Tesla employees were still present in the passenger seat of the cars for safety reasons. Earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased the launch of the robotaxi, a driverless Tesla Model Y emblazoned with its namesake in Cybertruck-style font. "Beautifully simple design," Musk wrote on X. "These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving," he added. On Sunday, Musk said the first Tesla robotaxi rides would be available for a flat fee of $4.20. A small group of invited users was the first to try them out. Tesla fans buzzed on social media in the lead-up to the official launch, which was initially delayed as users awaited the release of the official Tesla robotaxi app. "We are approaching the window where we expected to have the app and showing everything," Chuck Cook, one of the early invitees to try the Tesla robotaxi, said on X. "There looks like there will be a small delay in the distribution of the app for couple hours." Tesla AI, the division behind the robotaxis, said Sunday on X that Tesla robotaxis will eventually be deployed anywhere they are approved and are designed for "scalability." "It does not require expensive, specialized equipment or extensive mapping of service areas. It just works," the company said. The company launched a website where users can sign up for early access when the service becomes available in their area. It also launched an X feed dedicated to Tesla robotaxis. With the launch of Tesla robotaxis, Austin continued to solidify itself as a new theater for Silicon Valley's race to shape the new age of driverless transportation. In March, Google-backed Waymo launched its autonomous ride-hailing service in partnership with Uber. Waabi, a Canadian startup backed by Uber and Nvidia, is set to launch fully autonomous trucks in Texas this year. Zoox, backed by Amazon, opened its first robotaxi serial production facility in Austin last week. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
a16z-backed Infinite Machine shows off cheaper, modular electric scooter
New York-based micromobility startup Infinite Machine has revealed a seated scooter called Olto that will cost $3,495 when it starts shipping later this year. The Olto will feature 40 miles of range, pulled from an easily swappable 48V lithium-ion battery. Infinite Machine says the Olto will have a top speed of 20 miles per hour in bike lines and '33mph off-road,' powered by a 750W rear hub motor. There is a headlight with high and low beams, as well as turn signals, to help with visibility on the road. Infinite Machine is also promising the Olto is modular, with the ability to attach or detach elements you might find on a larger cargo bike, like a child carrier, rear rack, or basket. There are even fold-out pedals that can provide pedal-assist propulsion via a chain connected to the rear wheel, which lets the rider use the Olto sort of like an e-bike. And Infinite Machine says the Olto can seat two people, supported by the vehicle's dual-suspension frame. It's a hefty price tag, but it's less than half of what Infinite Machine is charging for its flagship Cybertruck-style two-wheeler, the P1. That vehicle, which the startup has begun shipping to its first customers, costs $10,000. The Olto is the newest entry into the always-churning market for electric two-wheelers. That churn has been difficult to navigate, especially in the United States. One of the leading American e-bike brands, Rad Power Bikes, has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs and recently changed its leadership. International brands have struggled to find a foothold in the U.S., too, contributing to the bankruptcy restructurings of VanMoof and Cake. Infinite Machine began turning heads with the design of the P1 scooter in 2023. It ultimately secured $9 million in late 2024 in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Founder and CEO Joseph Cohen told TechCrunch at the time that his goal for Infinite Machine was to ultimately have vehicles in every major city around the world. In the near-term, though, Infinite Machine is focused on the U.S. market — which is a challenging place to sell vehicles like the Olto. 'We think that what we can bring as an American company is an amazing product sensibility that doesn't exist with the products in the market, and that's the angle that we're taking,' Cohen told TechCrunch last year. 'We are coming into this category and saying, you know, these plastic things that look like printers, we can do it better. We can make something that feels like your favorite car — but not a car, but something that extends to the city.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
