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Uber is making its next big move in autonomous mobility with the announcement of a new partnership with May Mobility to deploy thousands of self-driving taxis, beginning in Arlington, Texas, by the end of 2025.

The press release, published on Uber’s investor relations site, details how the ride-hailing giant plans to integrate May Mobility’s autonomous vehicles into its app, starting with hybrid-electric Toyota Sienna minivans equipped with May’s proprietary Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology.

A Gradual Road to Autonomy

The launch will start with safety drivers behind the wheel, transitioning into full driverless operation as the technology matures and regulatory approvals are secured. According to the companies, this phased approach ensures both safety and public confidence as the autonomous fleet expands.

Why Arlington?

Arlington isn’t new to autonomous vehicles. May Mobility has been operating in the city since 2021 through its RAPID shuttle service in collaboration with the University of Texas at Arlington. This makes the city a logical and strategic starting point for scaling operations.

What This Means for Riders

For Uber users, the rollout will be seamless. Riders in Arlington will begin seeing self-driving options appear in the Uber app – initially with a driver present, eventually with no driver at all. Uber says this initiative is part of its long-term plan to increase access to affordable, reliable transportation while reducing road congestion and emissions.

The Bigger Picture

Uber’s collaboration with May Mobility joins its other autonomous efforts, including partnerships with Waymo and Avride. As competition in the driverless ride-hailing space heats up, Uber appears determined to lead the charge in making AVs a core part of everyday travel.

More cities are expected to join the program in 2026 as the company ramps up production and expands its autonomous network.

On 27 April 2025, Hon Chris Bishop and Hon Simon Watts announced the Government is updating the way it co-invests in public EV chargers with the private sector to accelerate the delivery of EV chargers across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Mr Watts says, “Since 2016, government investment in EV chargers has consisted of direct grants… The Government is moving to a more sophisticated, commercial procurement model. We have set aside up to $68.5 million in currently held grant funding, to provide concessionary loans to private operators to co-invest in public EV charging infrastructure. Loans will be quicker to implement and will help achieve the Government’s objectives with less complexity, cost and risk.”

Drive Electric sees the announcement as a postive step in the right direction and shows the Government is continuing its investment and commitment to 10,000 public chargers across Aotearoa New Zealand by 2030.

There are 1,349 operational charge points across the country. In order to meet the Government’s goal of 10,000 public chargers by 2030, installations will need to increase from approximately 20 per month to 125.

Drive Electric board chair, Kirsten Corson who discussed the issue RNZ, Newstalk ZB and the TVNZ breakfast show on 28 April, says, “We hope that will be successful, but there is more that needs to be done. We can’t rely on that.”

Funding alone will not solve the infrastructure challenges in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the UK, there are six line companies; in Australia, there are typically one or two per state. Aotearoa New Zealand, by comparison, has 29. Each company has “…different processes, different pricing and CPOs don’t have visibility on the network capacity” says Corson.

Since 2023, the Drive Electric CPO Subgroup has been addressing industry-wide barriers to investment that are curtailing the roll-out of charging infrastructure at pace and scale. Click here to learn more about the group, their work and the other barries the Goverment could remove to speed up installation.

The post Government announces $68.5 million concessionary loan scheme for public EV chargers appeared first on Drive Electric.

On 27 April 2025, Hon Chris Bishop and Hon Simon Watts announced the Government is updating the way it co-invests in public EV chargers with the private sector to accelerate the delivery of EV chargers across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Mr Watts says, “Since 2016, government investment in EV chargers has consisted of direct grants… The Government is moving to a more sophisticated, commercial procurement model. We have set aside up to $68.5 million in currently held grant funding, to provide concessionary loans to private operators to co-invest in public EV charging infrastructure. Loans will be quicker to implement and will help achieve the Government’s objectives with less complexity, cost and risk.”

Drive Electric sees the announcement as a postive step in the right direction and shows the Government is continuing its investment and commitment to 10,000 public chargers across Aotearoa New Zealand by 2030.

There are 1,349 operational charge points across the country. In order to meet the Government’s goal of 10,000 public chargers by 2030, installations will need to increase from approximately 20 per month to 125.

Drive Electric board chair, Kirsten Corson who discussed the issue RNZ, Newstalk ZB and the TVNZ breakfast show on 28 April, says, “We hope that will be successful, but there is more that needs to be done. We can’t rely on that.”

Funding alone will not solve the infrastructure challenges in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the UK, there are six line companies; in Australia, there are typically one or two per state. Aotearoa New Zealand, by comparison, has 29. Each company has “…different processes, different pricing and CPOs don’t have visibility on the network capacity” says Corson.

Since 2023, the Drive Electric CPO Subgroup has been addressing industry-wide barriers to investment that are curtailing the roll-out of charging infrastructure at pace and scale. Click here to learn more about the group, their work and the other barries the Goverment could remove to speed up installation.

The post Government announces $68.5 million concessionary loan scheme for public EV chargers appeared first on Drive Electric.

On 27 April 2025, Hon Chris Bishop and Hon Simon Watts announced the Government is updating the way it co-invests in public EV chargers with the private sector to accelerate the delivery of EV chargers across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Mr Watts says, “Since 2016, government investment in EV chargers has consisted of direct grants… The Government is moving to a more sophisticated, commercial procurement model. We have set aside up to $68.5 million in currently held grant funding, to provide concessionary loans to private operators to co-invest in public EV charging infrastructure. Loans will be quicker to implement and will help achieve the Government’s objectives with less complexity, cost and risk.”

Drive Electric sees the announcement as a postive step in the right direction and shows the Government is continuing its investment and commitment to 10,000 public chargers across Aotearoa New Zealand by 2030.

There are 1,349 operational charge points across the country. In order to meet the Government’s goal of 10,000 public chargers by 2030, installations will need to increase from approximately 20 per month to 125.

Drive Electric board chair, Kirsten Corson who discussed the issue RNZ, Newstalk ZB and the TVNZ breakfast show on 28 April, says, “We hope that will be successful, but there is more that needs to be done. We can’t rely on that.”

Funding alone will not solve the infrastructure challenges in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the UK, there are six line companies; in Australia, there are typically one or two per state. Aotearoa New Zealand, by comparison, has 29. Each company has “…different processes, different pricing and CPOs don’t have visibility on the network capacity” says Corson.

Since 2023, the Drive Electric CPO Subgroup has been addressing industry-wide barriers to investment that are curtailing the roll-out of charging infrastructure at pace and scale. Click here to learn more about the group, their work and the other barries the Goverment could remove to speed up installation.

The post Government announces $68.5 million concessionary loan scheme for public EV chargers appeared first on Drive Electric.

The first quarter of 2025 has been anything but boring in the U.S. electric vehicle market. Between record-breaking deliveries, surprising slowdowns, political shake-ups, and bold new promotions, the EV world is buzzing with energy—and a little chaos.

If you’re someone who’s excited about the future of electric cars (or just curious about what’s really going on behind the headlines), you’re in the right place. We broke it all down—no fluff, just the good stuff.

Tesla Hits the Brakes

Tesla delivered 336,681 vehicles in Q1 2025, but that’s down 13% compared to this time last year. It’s their biggest year-over-year dip since the pandemic.

What’s going on? A few things could be behind the slowdown:

• Stronger competition in the EV space

• Cooling demand in both the U.S. and Europe

• And yes, politics—Elon Musk’s public support of former President Trump may have turned off some of Tesla’s core customer base
  

Tesla’s still the giant in the game, but this stumble shows even the biggest names aren’t bulletproof.

Lucid Breaks Records—But Investors Shrug

Lucid Motors delivered 3,109 vehicles in Q1. That’s a personal best for the brand—but Wall Street wasn’t impressed. Their stock actually dropped over 4% after the announcement.

Why the disconnect? A couple of reasons:

• Sales came in lower than expected at $234 million (vs. the $250 million analysts were hoping for)

• Rising costs and pricing pressures are making investors nervous
  

In short: Lucid is growing, but the road ahead still has some bumps.

Rivian Comes Close, But Not Quite

Rivian delivered 8,540 vehicles in Q1—just a little below what analysts expected and about 8% down from Q4 2024. Still, the brand isn’t backing down. They’re sticking to their full-year delivery goal of 46,000–51,000 vehicles.

That’s confidence we like to see.

Tariff Talk: It’s Getting Expensive

One of the biggest headlines this quarter? President Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and car parts. While it’s aimed at protecting U.S. automakers, it could also raise prices across the board—especially for EVs that rely on imported components.

Some estimates say we could see price hikes of up to $10,000 on certain models.

Translation: If you’ve been thinking about buying an EV, now might be a smart time to lock in pricing.

Ford Doubles Down on American-Made

Ford’s not waiting around. They just launched a promo called “From America, For America,” offering:

• Employee-level pricing on select 2024 and 2025 models

• A free home charger and basic installation when you buy an EV through their Power Promise program

The deal runs until June 2, 2025, and it’s clearly designed to win over customers who are feeling the tariff pressure.

What It All Means for You

The U.S. EV market is still growing—but not in a straight line. Q1 showed us that:

• Even big names like Tesla can lose momentum

• Startups like Lucid and Rivian are still climbing, but it’s not easy

• Politics and policy decisions are shaping what cars will cost—and where they’ll be built

• And smart shoppers should keep an eye on the calendar (and promotions like Ford’s) if they want to score a deal

We’ll keep watching the trends and bringing you the real talk—without the jargon. Because EVs aren’t just the future. They’re your future.

Hyundai is officially going all-in on electric vehicles in the U.S.

This March, the automaker opened a $7.6 billion electric vehicle and battery plant in Bryan County, Georgia. The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) is now one of the most significant EV investments on U.S. soil—set to create over 8,500 jobs and roll out 500,000 EVs per year once fully operational.

The move positions Hyundai to compete more aggressively with Tesla, Ford, and GM—but it also has a lot to do with tariffs, tax credits, and where the EV market is heading next.

Why Build in Georgia?

For Hyundai, building EVs in the U.S. isn’t just a supply chain move—it’s a smart response to evolving policies.

The Inflation Reduction Act has reshaped how EV tax credits work. Today, vehicles only qualify for the full federal tax credit (up to $7,500) if they’re assembled in North America and source a significant portion of their battery components locally. Until now, Hyundai’s EVs—like the popular Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6—didn’t qualify.

With the new Georgia plant, that changes.

This facility allows Hyundai to build qualifying vehicles like the upcoming Ioniq 9, a three-row electric SUV designed with U.S. families in mind. It also gives the brand control over its North American supply chain, especially with SK On—Hyundai’s battery partner—building a battery plant nearby in Bartow County, Georgia.

 

The Timing Isn’t a Coincidence

Hyundai’s announcement couldn’t have come at a more strategic moment.

On the same day as the plant’s official opening, former President Donald Trump announced his plan to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles if reelected. Even though Hyundai is based in South Korea, this rising anti-import sentiment makes it more urgent for automakers to build local and hedge against political risk.

With growing U.S. support for reshoring manufacturing and protecting domestic industries, Hyundai’s investment in Georgia is both timely and forward-thinking. It’s not just about building cars—it’s about securing a future-proof position in a rapidly changing market.

What This Means for EV Buyers

For current and future EV owners, Hyundai’s U.S. expansion could mean:

• More access to federal tax credits on models like the Ioniq 5, 6, and 9

• Faster delivery times with local production

• Lower costs as Hyundai avoids import-related tariffs and shipping expenses

• Increased innovation, thanks to investment in advanced AI-powered manufacturing at the Metaplant

The Ioniq 9, Hyundai’s first three-row EV, is expected to appeal to the growing number of American families looking to go electric without compromising space or comfort. And with local production, it’s positioned to be a strong competitor in the family SUV segment.

Hyundai’s move to build EVs in Georgia isn’t just a win for the brand—it’s a signal to the entire industry. With political pressure, evolving policies, and growing demand for American-made EVs, we’re entering a new chapter in the electric revolution.

If you’re in the market for an EV or just watching the space closely, this is a big one to keep an eye on.