Robotaxi network Waymo is continuing the rapid expansion of its test fleet vehicles in new cities around the US as it looks to offer more driverless ride options to the public. The Alphabet Inc. subsidiary announced three new cities where test vehicles will roll out en route to commercial services, marking Waymo’s second expansion announcement in just three days.

As we recently pointed out, 2025 continues to be a pivotal year for autonomous rideshare developer Waymo, as it expands its fleet of test vehicles and public robotaxis to new cities around the US. This week, in particular, has been quite newsworthy, as Waymo has been announcing expansions to new cities around the US.

Today, Waymo’s robotaxi vehicles offer public rides in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco – three of those cities recently gained freeway access. Two days ago, Waymo confirmed the expansion to five additional cities: Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.

This new confirmed previous reports from Waymo that cities like Miami were in the works. Washington, DC, Nashville, and London have also been previously announced. Today, Waymo confirmed expansion to three more cities, with test vehicles rolling out in those regions immediately.

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Waymo to quadruple the cities its vehicles are available

Waymo posted three “new city alerts” on its website this morning, confirming plans to roll out robotaxi vehicles in Minneapolis, Minnesota, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Tampa, Florida. As it has with all the cities mentioned above, Waymo is laying the initial groundwork in new areas, such as NOLA, to “integrate seamlessly with the community and alongside existing transportation options.”

The recently announced rollout will follow the same phased approach used to achieve public robotaxi rides in the five cities where Waymo currently operates, beginning with manual drivers in its test fleet. Those Waymo vehicles currently consist of Jaguar I-Pace SUVs and the Zeekr RT – a purpose-built EV for the company.

According to the company, those test vehicles can be spotted on new city streets immediately, especially ahead of winter in Minneapolis, for example, so that the Waymo team can test its technology in snow conditions. Here’s a breakdown of Waymo’s current and pending robotaxi network:

• Waymo Cities With Public Robotaxi Operations:
  • Atlanta
  • Austin
  • Los Angeles
  • Phoenix
  • San Francisco
• Cities With Plans For Future Waymo Operations:
  • Dallas
  • Denver
  • Detroit
  • Houston
  • Las Vegas
  • London
  • Miami
  • Minneapolis
  • Nashville
  • New Orleans
  • Orlando
  • San Antonio
  • San Diego
  • Seattle
  • Tampa
  • Tokyo
  • Washington, DC

According to Waymo, more cities will be announced as the company intends to more than quadruple the number of cities where its robotaxi vehicles are available to the public.

The PV5, Kia’s first 100% electric van, was unanimously chosen as the 2026 International Van of the Year, becoming the first Korean model to win the prestigious award.

The Kia PV5 wins International Van of the Year

Kia’s electric van continues to impress. After its debut earlier this year, the PV5 was named International Van of the Year at SOLUTRANS 2025 in Lyon, France.

The PV5 beat out six other finalists and was unanimously selected by 26 leading commercial journalists for the most authoritative global award in the light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment.

To have the PV5 named International Van of the Year is “an exceptional honor,” Kia’s CEO Ho Sung Song said after winning the award.

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The accomplishment is not only a testament to the potential of fully electric vehicles in the commercial space, but also Kia’s belief that it can “redefine the segment,” according to Song.

Kia’s electric van is now the first Korean vehicle, and Asia’s first electric van, to win the award. The PV5 is Kia’s first fully electric van as part of its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business.

Earlier this week, Kia introduced a new Chassis Cab variant at SOLUTRANS 2025, adding to the Passenger 5-seater and Cargo Long models that are rolling out across Europe and South Korea. Starting in 2026, Kia plans to launch the Chassis Cab, Cargo Standard (L1H1), and High Roof (L2H2) variants. However, that’s just the start.

Kia revealed seven different PV5 body types during a tech day event in July, including a light camper, a refrigerated truck, a luxury “Prime” passenger, an open-bed version, and several others.

In 2027, Kia will expand with a larger PV7 van, followed by an even bigger PV9. All electric vans are based on the modular E-GMP.S platform, which enables different variants.

The PV5 Cargo Long Range set a new Guinness World Record for the “greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge” in September.

Powered by a 71.2 kWh battery with 665 kg (1,466 lbs) payload, the PV5 drove 693.38 km (430.84 miles) without stopping to charge.

All electric vans are built at Kia’s dedicated Hwaseong EVO plant in South Korea. Last week, the company marked a milestone after opening the first PV5 production hub at the site. Once complete, the hub will be about the size of 42 soccer fields with an annual production capacity of 250,000 units.

Pedego, one of the most recognizable names from the early days of American e-bike brands, is entering a new era. The company has been acquired by the “US-based” ownership group behind the Asian e-bike brand Urtopia, a relatively young, tech-forward electric bike brand known for carbon fiber e-bikes with built-in connectivity and smart features. The result is a newly formed New Pedego Holdings Inc., which both companies are pitching not as a takeover, but as a reboot designed to modernize Pedego and rebuild the dealer network that once made it a retail powerhouse.

The new entity will be led by Pedego CEO Larry Pizzi, an industry veteran and longtime advocate for e-bike legislation. Pizzi says the partnership grew out of something very simple: Pedego dealers were already selling Urtopia bikes – and the company claims they were selling well. As he told BRAIN, “Fifty-eight dealers took on Urtopia and it was like magic,” noting that the sleeker, more futuristic Urtopia models pulled in a distinctly younger audience than Pedego’s traditional comfort-cruiser demographic that has long been popular with the more silver-haired crowd.

That complementary fit paved the way for a broader deal. Verlinvest, the Belgian investment group that bought Pedego in 2021, had already signaled its desire to exit earlier this year.

Pizzi spent months searching for a buyer before selecting Urtopia’s backers, calling the partnership a way to combine Pedego’s community-focused retail model with Urtopia’s engineering and manufacturing strengths.

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According to the official announcement, Pedego gains access to Urtopia’s supply chain, lean manufacturing processes, and smart-bike technology – all of which the company says will significantly reduce production costs and bring a wave of new, lighter, more connected models starting in Spring 2026. The two brands will continue to operate distinctly, with Pedego stores selling Pedego bikes, Urtopia bikes, and a small number of approved third-party brands. Urtopia will keep selling online and through independent retailers in the US and Europe.

But one of the biggest storylines is dealer expansion. Pedego peaked at around 220 dedicated stores during the pandemic before shrinking to around 120 today. New Pedego Holdings plans to rebuild aggressively, forecasting a return to growth in 2026 with a goal of more than 500 US and Canadian retail locations within three years – a massive ramp-up that would reestablish Pedego as the largest dedicated e-bike retail network in North America.

Pedego hasn’t launched a new model in over a year and a half, but that drought is expected to end next year. If the Urtopia partnership delivers the innovation and efficiency the company promises, Pedego could be gearing up for one of the biggest comebacks in the e-bike industry. If not, this could be another Hail Mary to cap off a year of stunning falls from grace.