Wing is expanding into seven more U.S. cities through its partnership with Walmart.

An airport in the Netherlands has started operating the world’s first fully electric TaxiBot, which is designed to tow passenger aircraft from the gate to the runway while keeping their engines switched off.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, also known as Schiphol Airport, unveiled the system in May 2026, together with easyJet, Airbus, ground-handling company Menzies Aviation, and supplier Smart Airport Systems.

The electric TaxiBot is now transporting Airbus A320 aircraft to the Polderbaan Runway. This is the airport’s longest and newest runway, measuring 2.36 miles (3.8 kilometers). It is also the most distant runway and the one with the longest taxi times.

“By deploying the TaxiBot, we’re taking another practical step towards reduced emissions and noise on the apron,” Esmé Valk, Royal Schiphol Group people and transformation chief, revealed. This is how we’re creating a healthier and cleaner workplace, and an ever more sustainable and modern airport that is ready for the future.”

How TaxiBot works

The TaxiBot is a specialized tow vehicle that connects to an aircraft’s nose wheel and transports it across the airport at speeds of up to 23 knots (about 26 miles per hour, or 42 kilometers per hour). It can reduce fuel use by up to 65 percent before takeoff, while lowering emissions and noise.

In contrast to conventional airport tugs, the electric TaxiBot is controlled directly by the pilot from the cockpit. Meanwhile, aircraft engines remain off during the journey from the gate to the runway. They are once again started shortly before departure.

Once the aircraft reaches the runway, the TaxiBot disconnects. An operator drives the vehicle back to the terminal area to assist the next flight. “With TaxiBot, we are taking a tangible step towards making our operations at Schiphol more efficient,” William Vet, easyJet’s director for the Netherlands and Scandinavia, pointed out.

Schiphol selected the Polderbaan Runway for the rollout because it’s the runway with the longest taxi time. This can reduce fuel consumption by up to 65 percent. At the same time, lower fuel use also cuts carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and (ultra)fine particle emissions.

Cleaner airport operations

Still, the aircraft tug does far more than just slash emissions. Reduced engine use means cleaner air for the employees working on the apron and lower exposure to pollutants generated by aircraft during ground operations. It additionally reduces noise levels and creates a more comfortable working environment around aircraft stands and service areas.

The electric TaxiBot joins two hybrid TaxiBots that have been towing KLM Boeing 737 aircraft to the same runway since 2022. It is being deployed on four of the Airbus A320neo aircraft, allowing engine-off taxiing to the runway.

“This immediately leads to lower fuel consumption, emissions, and ground noise,” Vet concluded in a press release. “This is only possible thanks to the commitment of our partners, and in particular the Menzies Aviation team, who play a crucial role in our ground operations.”

Schiphol currently runs the world’s only electric TaxiBot. The airport expects three additional electric units to arrive later this year. The expansion will allow the technology to support more aircraft types. Schiphol is also working with KLM Cityhopper and industry partners to certify the system for Embraer aircraft, while Transavia plans to participate with its Boeing 737 fleet.

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China has officially started construction on a massive new ship lock system at the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower dam, which is set to nearly double cargo capacity along the Yangtze River.

Valued at USD 11.4 billion (CNY 77.2 billion), the project is considered the biggest infrastructure investment on the world’s third-longest river in decades. It includes the construction of a new five-stage ship lock system, often described as a “water staircase” or “water elevator.”

It will allow larger vessels to pass through the Three Gorges Dam more efficiently. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Monday, June 8. The construction effort will take a total of 112 months, or about 9.3 years.

“The project will significantly improve efficiency for the implementation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt development strategy and support domestic economic circulation,” Liu Weiping, Three Gorges Group president and dam and future locks operator, said.

Expanding Yangtze capacity

The system will have a 22,000-foot-long (6,680-meter) two-way lock channel with five consecutive stages. It will moreover allow 11,000-US-ton (10,000-tonne) class vessels to pass through the dam more quickly and efficiently than before.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the initiative will also include wider approach channels upstream and downstream, along with new navigation facilities. Once completed, the novel facilities will raise annual cargo capacity at the Three Gorges Dam to 370 million US tons (336 million tonnes). That is nearly twice its current capacity.

The expansion is set to reduce transportation costs and boost logistics efficiency across the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the backbone of the nation’s economy. It generates more than 40 percent of the country’s total economic output. Spanning 11 provinces and municipalities, the river corridor supports almost 50 percent of the nation’s population.

“The old Three Gorges locks and ship lift have become a chokepoint,” Ministry of Transport representatives pointed out. “Even the boldest planning [decades ago] failed to anticipate the huge rise in passengers and cargo flows along the Yangtze today.”

Modernizing river transport infrastructure

The project has been included in the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). It forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen domestic transportation networks and support economic growth.

The Yangtze River has become increasingly important for manufacturers moving raw materials, industrial components, and finished goods between China’s coastal regions and inland provinces. However, rising river cruise traffic has placed extra strain on the existing navigation infrastructure.

Cargo volume passing through the existing locks first exceeded their 110 million-US-ton (100 million-tonne) design capacity in 2011. By 2025, annual throughput at the dam had climbed to 191 million US tons (173 million tonnes).

The new project represents the largest infrastructure effort on the Yangtze River in decades. It surpasses the scale of any major work undertaken since the Three Gorges Dam began operating in 2003.

Officials said the expansion has become necessary as growing shipping demand continues to strain the existing facilities. The development aims to strengthen the Yangtze River’s role as a crucial transport route.

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Company opens Virginia office, announces $4 million pre-seed funding

The post UK startup Applied Atomics to enter US market with focus on military space mobility appeared first on SpaceNews.

Decart is launching Oasis 3, a real-time world model that generates photorealistic driving environments for autonomous vehicle testing, now available via API for developers to build on.

Electricity demand from AI data centers is pushing everyone — including automakers like GM and Ford — into the energy storage business.

Waymo made a virtual driver called ReD to help its robotaxis avoid accidents.

Chinese EV colossus BYD has announced plans to speed up its conquest of the European auto market with the rollout of superfast Flash Chargers across the continent. BYD has already installed the first new chargers in Germany and the UK, and plans to roll out 3,000 across Europe by the end of next year.

At an estimated cost of €580,000 (about $670,000) per charger according to the Financial Times, that would mean a total spend of roughly $2 billion to install the network. The 1,500kW charging stations are significantly more powerful than Tesla's 500kW V4 Superchargers, though Tesla already has 20,000 chargers installed in Europe. BYD, which h …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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 …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Waymo created a new computer model to help it better understand how humans behave in crash scenarios that its robotaxis encounter.

NASA’s experimental X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft hit a major milestone. During a test flight over California’s Mojave Desert, it broke the sound barrier for the first time. This achievement brings NASA closer to changing the future of commercial supersonic travel.

The X-59 took off from Edwards Air Force Base at 11:08 a.m. PDT, piloted by NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less. After flying for 81 minutes, the aircraft landed safely, finishing its first supersonic flight and starting a new phase of testing.

First supersonic flight validates aircraft performance

During the June 5 flight, the X-59 climbed to 43,400 feet and went faster than the speed of sound. It reached Mach 1.077, almost Mach 1.1, which is about 713 mph.

An F-15 chase plane flew alongside the X-59 during the flight, watching its behavior and gathering data. Although the main goal of breaking the sound barrier was met, researchers could not record the X-59’s sound signature. The F-15’s sonic boom was too loud for the sensors, so they could not pick out the X-59’s unique sound.

Still, this flight was a big achievement for NASA and its engineers. Since its first flight in October, the X-59 has done 16 test flights at lower speeds. This latest mission showed that the aircraft works as expected when it goes supersonic.

Aircraft built to reduce sonic boom noise

The X-59 was built to solve a key problem of reducing the loud sonic booms that have prevented supersonic travel over land.

The X-59 looks different from other supersonic planes. It has a long, narrow body and a sharp, stretched-out nose. Engineers designed it this way to spread out the shock waves, rather than letting them combine into a single strong pressure wave.

Traditional supersonic planes make a loud boom when their shock waves hit the ground. The X-59 is designed to be much quieter. Instead of a thunderous noise, people on the ground should hear a softer sound, like a car door closing in the distance. That quieter acoustic footprint is central to NASA’s broader goals for the aircraft.

Data could influence future aviation regulations

The X-59 is part of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to collect real flight data and hear what the public thinks about quieter supersonic flights.

Current U.S. regulations prohibit commercial supersonic flights over land due to the sonic boom issue. These rules have been in place since 1973, when technology could not solve the noise problem.

NASA hopes the X-59 will show that quieter supersonic planes can fly without disturbing people on the ground. If regulators agree the noise is low enough, these results could help change old aviation rules. If the rules change, passenger planes could one day fly faster over land while still keeping noise at acceptable levels.

Next test flight targets higher speeds

NASA worked with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to design and build the X-59. One of its standout features is an external vision system that replaces the usual forward cockpit view, which is blocked by the plane’s long nose.

Every flight provides engineers with new insights into how the plane flies and performs. This data will help shape future programs to make supersonic travel more efficient and quieter.

The next test flight is expected in a few days and will push the X-59 even further. NASA plans to fly it at about Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet, which is closer to what commercial flights might look like.

This flight will also give NASA another chance to record the X-59’s unique sound using special sensors on the chase plane and microphones on the ground.

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The exec, Emad Dlala, has left just a few months after being promoted to SVP of engineering and digital, TechCrunch has learned.

Otto Aerospace has cleared a major regulatory hurdle as it pushes its unconventional Phantom 3500 business jet closer to certification. The milestone gives the Texas aircraft maker a defined path forward as it develops one of the industry’s most closely watched clean-sheet aircraft programs.

The Federal Aviation Administration has finalized the Phantom 3500’s G-1 Issue Paper, establishing the aircraft’s certification basis under 14 CFR Part 23. The move allows Otto to transition from defining requirements to proving that its ambitious design can meet them. The company continues to target first flight in 2027 and entry into service by 2030.

Defining the path ahead

Otto became an FAA applicant for type certification in September 2025 and chose to pursue approval under Part 23. The company sought to take advantage of efficiencies introduced through Amendment 23-64, which streamlined parts of the certification process.

Closing the G-1 Issue Paper defines the airworthiness standards the Phantom 3500 must satisfy before entering service. Otto is also working with the FAA’s East Certification Branch to complete the G-2 Issue Paper, which outlines how compliance will be demonstrated throughout the certification campaign.

Scott Drennan, president and chief executive officer of Otto Aerospace, called the milestone a significant moment for the program. He said the agreement with regulators provides clarity on what the company must demonstrate and gives the team momentum as it moves toward first flight.

Otto recently completed its Preliminary Design Review and has started advanced material testing to support the next stages of development.

Rethinking jet efficiency

The Phantom 3500 has drawn industry attention because of its unconventional approach to aircraft design. Otto’s strategy centers on transonic laminar flow technology, which aims to keep airflow smooth across the aircraft’s surface and reduce the turbulence that creates drag.

The company recently completed an unmanned flight-test campaign in New Mexico to validate the aerodynamic principles behind the concept. Those same principles also explain the Phantom 3500’s windowless cabin design.

Traditional passenger windows interrupt airflow and make it harder to maintain laminar flow along the fuselage. Otto instead plans to use digital displays connected to external cameras, creating a cleaner exterior profile.

The company says combining laminar-flow aerodynamics with carbon-fiber composites could reduce fuel consumption by 61% compared with today’s super-midsize business jets. Otto also claims the design could deliver 35% less drag and a striking 90% reduction in emissions.

Toward first flight

Otto plans to conduct flight testing from Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, where the company has established its new operational base. Engineers continue advancing certification work while preparing for the first flight of the Phantom 3500’s test vehicle in 2027.

Kerri Hinton, Otto’s director of test and certification, said safety remains central to the program as the company works alongside regulators to move the aircraft through the approval process.

The Phantom 3500 also enters its next phase with substantial commercial backing. Flexjet has committed to purchasing 300 aircraft in a deal worth more than $5 billion, marking one of the largest orders in business aviation history.

For Otto Aerospace, regulatory progress now shifts the focus to execution. The company must prove that its bold engineering ideas can perform in real-world conditions and redefine expectations for business jet travel.

EVs from GM will soon be able to top up at more kinds of public chargers.