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Robotaxi developer Waymo announced that this past January, it surpassed 1 million miles of autonomous driving with no human present in the vehicle. With the news, Waymo joins competitor Cruise as the latest to reach the autonomous milestone but has also publicly shared the data to back up its progress. As previously teased last year, Waymo is also now officially testing driverless rides in Los Angeles.

Waymo was launched in 2009 by Google’s parent company Alphabet, Inc. as a self-driving car project. In 2016, the Google project was officially rebranded as Waymo, derived from “a new way forward in mobility.” Since then, Waymo has tested its various self-driving vehicles in several states.

Additionally, it has been charging driverless rides for people in Chandler, Arizona, since 2019. That was followed by paid rides in San Francisco. At the time of its application to the California DMV, Waymo stated it had logged over 83,000 autonomous miles in the San Francisco area alone.

Obviously, its total for autonomous driving miles is much larger, given the company’s growing footprint in robotaxi testing. Today we learned that Waymo finally eclipsed 1 million miles on its way south to testing more driverless rides in Los Angeles, California.

Waymo Los Angeles
Credit: Los Angeles

Waymo is bringing driverless rides to Los Angeles

According to a blog post from Waymo today, the company recently surpassed 1 million miles on public roads without a human monitor present in the vehicle. The company points out that this distance equates to 40 trips around planet Earth or 80 years behind the wheel for the average American.

As previously mentioned, fellow robotaxi developer Cruise announced the same accomplishment last month. However, Waymo has one-upped its competitor by publicly sharing the safety performance data gathered from each and every ride. Throughout those million miles, Waymo vehicles were only involved in two crashes and 18 “minor contact events,” for a total of 20 incidents with zero reported injuries. Impressive.

Waymo also points out that over half the contact events were the result of a human driver hitting a stationary Waymo vehicle, not the other way around. Per the blog post:

Despite 24/7 driving across major U.S. cities, Waymo experienced no collisions at all of the types that are responsible for 94% of fatal collisions in NHTSA’s crash investigation database (FARS).

Every vehicle-to-vehicle event involved one or more road rule violation and/or dangerous behaviors on the part of the human drivers in the other vehicle.

Waymo states that with its million-mile milestone and the data results shared today, it is confident of its commercial progress and looks to provide even more evidence of the safety using its driverless robotaxis provides during transportation around crowded urban landscapes. Part of that expansion will now include further driverless testing in Los Angeles. Here’s a recent Tweet from Waymo Co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov:

Looking ahead, Waymo has added Los Angeles to its list of cities where pedestrians can hail driverless rides. As you can see in the footage above, it has already begun testing in the City of Angels. Last October, we reported that some Waymo vehicles could be spotted in Los Angeles, exploring how the robotaxi tech could fit into the city’s infrastructure – one that is riddled by anemic public transit and remains heavily reliant on automobiles to get around.

Testing appears to be growing in Southern California and should continue as Waymo looks to reach its next million in driverless miles. So keep an eye out for those robotaxis if you’re living in the Los Angeles area.

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Genesis GV90 coach door system revealed in new patent

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Genesis GV90 coach door system revealed in new patent

Genesis is preparing to shake things up with its most luxurious SUV yet, the GV90. Thanks to a new patent filing, we are getting a detailed look at how its Rolls-Royce-style coach doors will work.

New patent reveals Genesis GV90 coach door system

When Genesis first unveiled the full-size SUV at the NY Auto Show last March, it wasn’t the stunning design or advanced tech that caught everyone’s attention. It was the coach doors.

Although we were worried it wouldn’t make it to the production model, like many concepts, the Genesis GV90 will be offered with coach doors.

The ultra-luxe electric SUV was first caught with coach doors earlier this year on a car carrier in South Korea. Just last month, the GV90 was spotted in California with a hinge at the rear to open the coach doors.

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After several new patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new door latching devices, we are getting a sneak peek at how they are expected to work.

The patents, titled “Cinching Device For Door Latches in Vehicle,” and “Door Latch Device for Vehicles,” give a pretty detailed explanation of how the Genesis GV90’s coach doors will operate. The “Door Latch Device” uses a door striker on the lower side of the door, which is opened or closed by a hinge unit.

Unlike traditional doors, which use the B-pillar for support, the device is attached directly to the door itself, allowing for hinge-like movement.

The cinching device works in a similar way. It’s also attached to the door and part of the vehicle. However, unlike most of its kind, Genesis found a way to use a single cinching device to control multiple units. Again, the device is used for B-pillarless doors that swing open.

Genesis already said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles. The patent reveals a glimpse into how the luxury automaker could make it a reality.

Genesis-GV90-coach-doors
Genesis Neolun ultra-luxury electric SUV concept (Source: Genesis)

Although the Genesis GV90 is expected to be offered with coach doors, they will likely not be standard. Other variants, with traditional door handles, have also been spotted testing in the US and South Korea.

Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. It will be built at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in South Korea. The flagship Genesis SUV is scheduled to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform, which the company said will “provide 50% improvement in driving range.” It will also be loaded with the latest technology, software, connectivity, and Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities.

Source: USPTO

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Podcast: Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more

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Podcast: Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the launch of the Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

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We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:

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US EV sales stay strong, but looming tariffs threaten affordability

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US EV sales stay strong, but looming tariffs threaten affordability

July EV sales looked strong on the surface, but the looming impact of tariffs and the end of EV tax credits reveal a more complicated picture, according to Cars.com’s new Industry Insights report.

New-vehicle sales jumped 6.6% year-over-year, even as dealer inventory fell for the first time since 2022. Much of the spike came from a “buy now” mindset as shoppers raced to lock in deals before tariffs and policy changes drive prices higher. For EVs in particular, the looming end of the federal $7,500 tax credit on September 30 added another layer of urgency.

EV inventory growth is slowing – for now

Shoppers technically have more EV options than ever, with 75 models on the market – a 27% jump from last year. But new EV inventory growth has slowed to just 9% year-over-year, the lowest since before the Inflation Reduction Act revived federal incentives. Analysts expect another wave of buying before the tax credit vanishes, but after that, higher prices could cool demand, especially with most new EVs still priced in the premium-to-luxury bracket.

Tariffs set to push prices higher

Automakers absorbed an estimated $12 billion in tariff costs in the second quarter alone to keep sticker prices steady. That’s not sustainable, and once those costs flow into 2026 models, EV buyers could be facing thousands more on the same car.

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At current 25% tariff levels, the average new-vehicle price could jump from $48,000 to $54,400 – about $6,400 more. Even if trade deals trim tariffs to 15%, buyers would still see increases of more than $4,000. That’s a huge gap compared to household incomes, which grew only 1% last year.

The used EV market is heating up

While new EV prices are bracing for impact, the used EV market is gaining momentum. Inventory is up 33% year-over-year, while average prices dipped 2% to $36,000. Affordable used EVs under $25,000 – including the Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, and Chevy Bolt EV – are selling 20% faster than average. Many also qualify for the $4,000 used-EV tax credit, which, like the new EV credit, ends September 30.

Read more: Global EV sales hit 10.7M in 2025 – Europe surges, US stalls


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