Mobility Monitor

Autonomous Vehicles

• Waymo is launching testing in London as it eyes future commercial service pending U.K. government approval (TechCrunch)
• Waymo hits 500,000 weekly rides and over 4 million miles, while California regulators confirm Tesla is "not operating an autonomous vehicle service" (The Driverless Digest)
• Waymo launches its 6th-generation driver system, and a new Chinese robotaxi company from Geely enters the market (Ride AI)
• New data from Gridwise shows AVs are beginning to cannibalize human rideshare trips in cities where robotaxis operate (The Driverless Digest)
• Zoox quadruples its San Francisco service area and expands robotaxi testing to Austin and Miami (The Driverless Digest)
• Zoox and Uber announce a robotaxi partnership, with Uber also committing $100 million to invest in robotaxi charging hubs (The Driverless Digest)
• Uber taps Rivian to build robotaxis in a deal worth up to $1.25 billion, while Bolt and Nvidia partner to scale AVs (The Driverless Digest)
• Lucid raises over $1 billion, names a new CEO from Nuro, and expands its robotaxi deal with Uber (Electrek)
• Wayve secures a $1.2 billion Series D with Nvidia, Microsoft, Uber, and Mercedes aboard, and partners with Uber and Nissan to launch robotaxis in Japan (The Driverless Digest)
• Tesla begins removing robotaxi safety monitors and admits its robotaxis are sometimes remotely driven by humans (Ride AI)
• Tesla adds FSD usage streaks and stats to encourage driver engagement with its Full Self-Driving software (TechCrunch)
• WeRide surpasses 1,000 AVs worldwide and launches in Singapore, while Waymo explores an Australia launch (Ride AI)
• Volkswagen's MOIA unit kicks off robotaxi testing in Los Angeles (The Driverless Digest)
• Waabi pivots into robotaxis as a new entrant in the commercial AV space (Ride AI)
• A China robotaxi outage stranded passengers on highways, while 100 Apollo Go robotaxis froze simultaneously (The Driverless Digest)
• China restricts Level 3 driver assist approval as Wayve's $1.2 billion raise draws attention (Ride AI)
• A European supercar maker puts robotaxis on the Uber platform, while China's biggest lidar companies report massive growth (Ride AI)
• BYD confirms it will use Nvidia chips for its autonomy systems as vehicles move toward steering-wheel-free designs (Ride AI)
• WeRide and Uber launch a driverless robotaxi service in Dubai, and Waymo expands to San Antonio International Airport (The Driverless Digest)
• Motional transitions to fully driverless operations as the AV industry pushes toward commercial scale (Ride AI)
• DoorDash's Dot autonomous delivery robot hits public roads as the company outlines its autonomous delivery strategy (Ride AI)
• Coco launches new delivery robots on city streets as autonomous last-mile delivery scales up (The Driverless Digest)
• Waymo's remote assistance program is explained by Dr. Missy Cummings, debunking claims of offshore remote control (The Driverless Digest)
• American Airlines launches electronic boarding gates at DFW, with critics questioning whether turnstiles improve or worsen the passenger experience (news.aa.com)

Electric Vehicles

• Global EV sales reached 4 million units in Q1 2026, down 3% year over year, with growth uneven across markets (Electrek)
• BMW discontinues the iX in the U.S. to make room for the upcoming Neue Klasse iX3 (Electrek)
• Nissan reveals the all-electric Juke EV with a bold, concept-car-like design described as "disruptive" (Electrek)
• Hyundai's new Venus IONIQ EV is spotted driving on public streets ahead of launch (Electrek)
• CATL partners to develop sub-10-minute EV fast charging technology to challenge BYD (Electrek)
• Ford CEO Jim Farley warns that Chinese EVs would strike "the heart and soul" of the U.S. auto industry (Electrek)
• Tesla FSD's Europe launch triggers backlash from HW3 owners who paid for the feature, with a Dutch collective claim site launched (Electrek)
• Nissan CEO confirms the GT-R is in active development and pledges more sports cars across the lineup (The Drive)
• Rolls-Royce is producing just 100 highly bespoke two-seater EVs for ultra-wealthy clients in a four-year co-development process (MoveMnt)
• Segway launches the MUXI compact cargo e-bike, blending urban utility with a light electric motorcycle form factor (Electrek)
• Europcar UK reports a 93% surge in BEV rentals in 2025, approaching half a million electric rental days (evfleetworld.co.uk)
• Bolt launches a new AI-equipped e-scooter capable of detecting pavement riding and no-go zones to improve compliance (ZAG Daily)

Airline Industry

• United CEO Scott Kirby has reportedly pitched regulators on acquiring American Airlines, a move that would represent a major revenge deal and trigger an antitrust battle (View From the Wing)
• A United-American merger would resolve American's long-running identity crisis of acting like a low-cost carrier rather than leveraging its premium network (View From the Wing)
• Skift breaks down what a United mega-merger would mean for competition, antitrust, and the legacy carrier landscape (Skift)
• Air Canada reveals new cabin designs for the 787-10 and A321XLR, with its COO sharing details on design philosophy and fleet strategy (View From the Wing)
• Airbus unveils a two-passenger, two-room first class suite concept for the A350-1000 with virtual windows and elevated ceilings (View From the Wing)
• Delta softens its climate targets, shifting language from "goal" to "aspiration" amid strain on the industry's 2050 net-zero pledge (Skift)
• A federal appeals court rules Spirit Airlines must refund TSA security fees kept from canceled tickets, a decision that could affect Southwest's $48 million case (View From the Wing)
• Airlines are prioritizing AI and biometric ID investment, but data fragmentation is hampering progress at airports (Phocuswire)
• Airlines face significant hurdles replicating Amazon-style personalized retailing due to legacy systems and slow adoption (Phocuswire)
• American Airlines launches a new private jet partnership allowing AAdvantage miles and elite status earning outside the terminal (View From the Wing)
• Airport concession vendors are adding surcharges rather than raising listed prices due to airport pricing restrictions, obscuring the true cost to travelers (View From the Wing)

AI / Automation in Travel

• Expedia's new survey finds only 8% of travelers trust AI to handle bookings, even as the OTA expands partnerships with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon (Skift)
• Skift maps the five layers of the AI travel stack and the growing divergence among OTAs over which layer is worth owning (Skift)
• David's Bridal integrates its inventory with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, enabling AI-assisted wedding shopping (Retail Dive)
• Rent the Runway is revamping its discovery experience with curated outfit displays and conversational search to boost conversions (CX Dive)
• Airbnb details how it built privacy-first social features for Experiences using context-aware profile IDs and least-privileged access controls (Airbnb Tech)

Rental Car Industry

• Hertz Car Sales is capitalizing on demand for "near-new" vehicles, typically under a year old, as affordability concerns drive consumers away from new cars (LinkedIn/Hertz)
• Europcar highlights its Supersite network of specialized commercial vehicle hubs designed for B2B clients needing rapid fleet access (LinkedIn/Europcar)
• Final Rentals launches operations in Geneva, Switzerland as part of its European airport and city-center expansion (Auto Rental News)

Rideshare Industry

• Uber is investing $100 million in robotaxi charging hubs as it deepens its AV partnerships across multiple companies (The Driverless Digest)
• AV fleet management is emerging as a major competitive moat, with Moove AV's CEO discussing why Waymo chose it as a fleet partner (The Driverless Digest)