Tesla’s stock (TSLA) surged by as much as 10% this morning following the controversial launch of its ‘Robotaxi’ this weekend, as investors are betting the automaker will now catch up to Waymo’s 6-year lead.

As planned, Tesla launched this weekend its ‘Robotaxi’ service in Austin, Texas.

The launch consisted of a few dozen vehicles equipped with Tesla’s latest “Supervised Full Self-Driving’ software and supervised by Tesla employees in the front passenger seat with their hand on what appears to be a modified door button to act as a kill switch – as pictured above.

Those vehicles offer rides in a limited area in South Austin through an app available only by invitation, which Tesla primarily sent to Tesla influencers on X.

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Based on these facts, Tesla is launching what Waymo started to do in 2018: driverless rides supervised by someone in the car.

A year later, Waymo began offering completely driverless rides with no one supervising inside the vehicle.

This would indicate that Tesla is currently about 6 years behind Waymo, provided it can remove the in-car supervisor within the next year.

Despite this evident lead from Waymo, which now offers over 200,000 driverless per week with a fleet of about 1,500 vehicles, Tesla’s stock rose about 10% this morning.

Tesla’s stock is now back trading at over 200 times its current earnings.

This would suggest that investors are betting on Tesla’s ability to catch up to Waymo and expand the driverless ride market by several multiples.

They believe that because Tesla itself has been arguing that:

However, there has been no evidence of that. Tesla claims that its system doesn’t require “expensive, specialized equipment or extensive mapping of service areas”, but the automaker was spotted extensively mapping and ground-truthing its service area in Austin before launching, including using lidar, which is likely what it refers to by “expensive, specialized equipment.”

Electrek’s Take

This is wild. 200 times earnings for completely unproven tech trying to compete with Waymo, which is basically growing as fast as it can in an unproven market.

Yes, anyone can see value in removing humans from the driving equation, but that’s not what Tesla has done yet as supervisors are in the cars and there’s also remote teleoperation involved. Here’s a picture from inside Tesla’s Robotaxi warroom:

Waymo hasn’t had drivers in the cars for about 6 years now, but it also uses teleoperation.

I hope everyone stays safe out there, but I think Tesla is about to be humbled and it will start to understand how hard it is to safely scale something like that beyond a demo for some Tesla influencers.

After this weekend, I see no evidence that we are no closer to Tesla’s promise of unsupervised self-driving in consumer vehicles, something some of us bought almost a decade ago at this point.

Toyota is the latest car maker with plans to raise vehicle prices in the US. The price hikes apply to Toyota and Lexus-branded models built from July 1. Here’s how much more you can expect to pay.

Why is Toyota raising vehicle prices in the US?

If you were planning on buying that brand-new Toyota, you might want to get on it. Starting next month, the average cost of a new Toyota will increase by $208. Lexus brand vehicle prices are going up by $208 on average.

Toyota is the latest in a string of automakers to announce it’s planning to raise US vehicle prices, including Subaru, Ford, and Mitsubishi.

Although most automakers cited the Trump administration’s new auto tariffs as a reason for the price hikes, a Toyota representative said that “the tariffs were not a direct factor.”

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Toyota claims that the price adjustments are based on market trends. According to the spokesperson (via Nikkei), “In addition to a vehicle’s quality and customer appeal, prices are determined based on market trends and the stance of competitors.”

Like many carmakers, Toyota adjusts prices annually. Although the tariffs may not have been “a direct factor,” they were still likely a big part of the decision.

Toyota’s imported vehicles account for about 45% of its US sales. The company imports about 500,000 cars to the US each year from Japan. It also imports vehicles from its plants in Mexico and Canada, which also face higher tariffs.

Last week, the Japanese automaker raised delivery, processing, and handling fees on Toyota models by $71 and $108 for Lexus-branded models.

Toyota didn’t specify which vehicles were included, but we will find out soon, as the price hikes are set to take effect on vehicles produced from July 1.

In May, a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Electrek that the company planned to increase prices on the Mustang Mach-E, Maverick pickup, and Bronco Sport, all of which are manufactured at its plant in Mexico. The higher prices went into effect on imported cars after May 2.

According to the spokesperson, the move is part of the company’s “usual mid-year pricing actions combined with some tariffs we are facing.”

Other Japanese automakers, including Nissan and Honda, have not raised vehicle prices. Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Kia and Genesis, is ramping up US production to avoid potential price hikes.

Looking to snag the savings while they are still here? Toyota is currently offering clearance savings on its electric vehicles as it prepares to introduce new models. The bZ4X, Toyota’s electric SUV, is available with up to $19,000 in lease cash with monthly leases starting as low as $269 per month. You can use our link to find Toyota bZ4X models at a dealer near you today.

Working on e-bikes can be a pain – literally – if you’re hoisting 70, 80, or even 100-pound (up to 45 kg) bikes onto a repair stand for assembly or maintenance – something I seem to be doing on an all too regular basis. That’s why I was excited to get and test out a Remco electric bike lift stand, a motorized work stand that does the heavy lifting for you. And after using it for a few months while assembling and maintaining a revolving door of hefty e-bikes, I can safely say that this thing is a game changer – especially if your back is tired of playing bike mechanic.

An electric lift that actually makes sense

The standout feature of the Remco lift is, obviously, the motorized lifting column. Unlike traditional stands that rely on muscle and leverage (and a healthy set of spinal discs), this one lets you roll your e-bike in low, clamp it near ground level, and press a button to raise it to the perfect working height. If you’re someone who regularly works on e-bikes – especially larger fat tire models or dual-battery cargo haulers – you’ll instantly understand how huge that is.

There are even preset height buttons that let you dial in and save your favorite work positions. That means no holding down the button, no guessing, no fiddling. Just tap and go. I loved being able to move between “wheel height,” “cockpit height,” and “full vertical” with a quick button press. It’s incredibly convenient and honestly kind of fun.

There’s a weird kind of pleasure I get from clamping my bike in at ground level, pushing a button to start a soft whirring noise, reaching around to select whatever tool I needed, then turning back to see my heavy e-bike waiting there suspended in mid-air at a comfortable work height. It honestly feels like a cheat code in real life.

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Built like a tank (and just about as heavy)

This thing is robust. The base is incredibly solid – honestly, it’s heavy as hell. Once you bolt everything down, the stability is on par with professional bike shop setups. I never worried about tipping, swaying, or wobble, even when lifting e-bikes that were pushing (or slightly exceeding) the listed 100 lb weight limit. Yeah… I may have lifted some 105+ lb bikes, and the Remco didn’t flinch.

The flipside to it being super stable is that it’s also super heavy. That pedestal foot alone weighs around 90 lb, not to mention the entire rest of the apparatus, motor, clamp, etc. I’m often moving it around my workspace depending on what I have going on, and I’ve taken to keeping a square piece of cardboard under the pedestal foot so that it slides better. Most people will probably have it live in one place for most of its life, but if you’re the kind to spill out of your garage or workshop during the day and then pack everything back in at night, be aware that the stand is not an easy move by itself.

The motor is surprisingly quiet, too. Like, whisper-quiet. I expected a bit of a gear whine or some buzzing, but the lift glides smoothly and silently, which adds to the premium feel with barely a gentle whirr. It just works, and it works really well.

Check out how easily it lifts a nearly 100 lb e-bike below. Those dual batteries and dual motors are nice for the ride, but they sure make the bike heavy while you’re working on it!

The only downside? The price

If there’s one catch, it’s the price. At around $700 (assuming you bring your own favorite clamp), this isn’t for your casual weekend chain-oiler. It’s probably overkill for most home mechanics – unless you’re like me and you’re constantly testing, assembling, or maintaining multiple e-bikes. In that case, it quickly goes from luxury to a near necessity.

When I can swing it, I’m definitely in favor of the “buy it for life” ethos, as in getting something good that will last you for years and years of service, instead of something cheap that you’ll end up needing to replace multiple times for more than the cost of a good one. And this is absolutely one of those products that feels well built – even overbuilt – to withstand the kind of daily use you’d expect of a high-end work stand.

Final thoughts

For shops, a stand like this is a no-brainer. Your employees will thank you, or you’ll thank yourself if you’re an “in the trenches” kind of bike shop owner. For dedicated home wrenchers like me, it’s a splurge – but a very worthwhile one.

I’d definitely say that if you’re tired of manhandling 90-pound e-bikes onto a standard repair stand, or if you simply want a more comfortable, efficient way to work at eye level without adjusting bike stand legs or lifting awkward frames, the Remco electric bike lift is a rock-solid upgrade.

It’s not cheap – but neither is back pain. And after using this thing daily, I’m not sure I can ever go back.

Oh, and if you want to see one in person and you happen to be at the Eurobike show this week, you can find Remco in Hall 11.1, booth B01. It’s definitely a stand you’ll want to see in action!