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…
Tag: Transportation
Mercedes-AMG’s first ground-up SUV is a 1,150hp electric beast
Earlier this year, Mercedes’ AMG performance brand grabbed our attention with the GT four-door coupe, a souped-up sports sedan with three axial flux motors delivering over 1,150 horsepower. Well, now…
Tesla driver says he was asleep and using FSD when he crashed into highway patrol cars
After this horrific crash involving a Tesla driver who said he was asleep and using the driver assist mode, the California Highway Patrol warns that “Despite its name, full self-driving…
The incredible flying Tesla Roadster is just for show
Last night, Elon Musk gave the people what they want: a car driving vertically up a multi-story ramp, launching off the edge, executing a mid-air “kickflip” over a lineup of…
The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60mph in under a second
Elon Musk promised a flying car. And the Tesla Roadster did exactly that. Tesla demonstrated its next-generation Roadster at an event in Waco, Texas, where the electric supercar drove upside…
Volvo will use Nvidia’s tech for hands-free, point-to-point driving
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…
The Tesla Roadster could have stayed vaporware
For a car that’s supposed to be one of the fastest ever made, the new Tesla Roadster certainly took its sweet-ass time getting here. It’s been nearly a decade since…
Rivian partner Mind Robotics hires Doug Field as president
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe’s startup Mind Robotics announced the appointment of Doug Field as president in a major coup for the CEO’s secretive robotics project. Field was a VP of…
The feds are looking into reports of Tesla’s robotaxis speeding through school zones
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…
Inside the mini factory where GM builds its EV future
If you’re driving through GM’s sprawling campus in Warren, Michigan, you’d likely ignore the pair of adjacent, anonymous white buildings tucked away in the upper reaches of the 710-acre space.…