You may not know it, but minivans are making a comeback in the US. Look around, and you'll start to notice an uptick in these breadboxes on wheels. Sales were up 21 percent in 2025, suggesting that the humble minivan is shaking off its "uncool" stigma and finding new fans among an SUV-weary public. I'm here for it.

One of the companies currently carrying the torch for minivans is Kia, which has sold its popular Carnival minivan here since 2021. Kia is also one of the few automakers making all-electric vans. This week, the Korean automaker rolled out its new PV7 at IAA Transportation in Germany. This is the second electric van from Kia's Pla …

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A new federal program to test the feasibility of electric, hybrid-electric, and autonomous aircraft kicks off today in Texas - before the rules governing this new technology have even been finalized.

Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration's Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) selected eight state-led projects to serve as some of the first public tests of these new aircraft. The first one kicks off today in Texas, featuring three eVTOL companies: Joby, Beta, and Wisk.

For the next week, these companies will conduct test flights demonstrating future routes …

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Joby Aviation announced it was acquiring Dayton, Ohio-based defense firm Resonant Sciences in a $500 million deal, in a bid by the electric aircraft company to expand further into the military industrial complex.

Joby says it expects to finance the deal with $450 million in cash and $50 million in equity. After the deal closes, which is expected in early 2027, Resonant will continue its existing work as Joby's dedicated defense division, the company said. The commercial division will remain focused on air taxis, the first of which are expected to launch later this year.

The deal is the latest example of the fledgling electric aviation in …

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Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, unveiled a new look for its boxy, bidirectional robotaxi, calling it the "next evolution" of the vehicle intended for mass production. The company is currently operating a free robotaxi service in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Austin, and Miami while it waits for the federal government to approve its request for an exemption from safety rules that require production vehicles to have traditional controls, like steering wheels and pedals.

While other robotaxi operators have typically relied on vehicles with familiar nameplates for their fleets, Zoox is unique in its embrace of a purpose-built …

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Against all odds, the Tesla Cybercab is in production. And while Elon Musk's company may not have a very coherent plan for the tiny, autonomous two-seater, it's still taking the necessary steps to certify the EV's legitimacy. As such, Tesla recently filed paperwork with the Environmental Protection Agency that reveal many of the Cybercab's specs, including its weight, battery size, and preliminary range estimates.

What these documents reveal is the lightest, most range efficient vehicle Tesla has ever produced - and quite possibly one of the most efficient EVs ever produced.

The EPA filings confirm the Cybercab runs on a single front-mou …

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SpaceX is now a publicly traded company.

In one of the most highly anticipated and controversial public offerings of all time, the rocket venture helmed by Elon Musk started trading on Nasdaq on June 12th at the take-it-or-leave-it price of $135-per-share - though most retail investors will likely pay far more.

The IPO is historic for many reasons: SpaceX is hoping to raise $75 billion under the ticker symbol SPCX, which would make it the largest public offering in history. The company is controlled by Musk, who also runs Tesla, another trillion-dollar company. The IPO is expected to make Musk, who is set to control 85 percent of the voti …

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Just in time for Le Mans, BMW is pulling the cover off its new M performance concept built on the Bavarian automaker's Neue Klasse next-generation architecture.

The concept is the debut of a new design language for BMW's M division, signaling a shift toward a more electrified future. The company says it is built on the guiding principle "Born on the racetrack. Made for the streets," bridging BMW's motorsports heritage with its next-generation EV technology.

Marketing bromides aside, the new concept is a two-door sedan with powerful proportions, precise lines, wide wheel arches, and a muscular shoulder section. It's also an introduction to …

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Uber One, meet Waymo Premier.

The robotaxi operator announced a new $29.99-a-month premium tier for riders who want a more elevated and exclusive autonomous experience. The invite-only membership service is aimed at Waymo customers who use the service most frequently, offering them a number of perks, including priority pickups, 10 percent cash back on every trip, early robotaxi access in new cities, and up to five free cancellations a month.

Waymo Premier will be initially offered to select riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, the company said. The program will scale to new cities as Waymo continues to expand; the company h …

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Waymo has a lot of experience building virtual systems to help its autonomous vehicles better understand the real world. It built realistic 3D worlds to better anticipate natural disasters and unpredictable edge cases. It created a virtual representation of a hyperattentive driver to test against its own autonomous vehicles in a series of simulated scenarios to see which is better at crash avoidance.

Now, in a new research paper published today in Nature Communications, Waymo describes a new computer-based cognitive model that explains how human drivers make split-second decisions to avoid crashes. The company thinks the new model will serv …

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