Autonomous sidewalk delivery specialist Serve Robotics has just unveiled its third generation of robots that are faster, smarter, tougher, and a fraction of the cost to manufacture. With production now underway, Serve looks to deploy these upgraded delivery robots soon as a critical component in its plans to expand its services across the entire United States.
Serve Robotics ($SERV) is a developer of autonomous AI-powered sidewalk delivery robots spun out as an independent company from Uber in 2021. Investors include NVIDIA, 7-Eleven, and Uber Eats, which partnered with its former entity to begin offering autonomous robot deliveries to select customers around Los Angeles.
That initial 2022 transaction included the deployment of up to 2,000 delivery robots before Serve Robotics expanded its relationship with Uber Eats by signing a deal with Shake Shack to offer select customers in Los Angeles robot deliveries.
Most recently, Serve’s Gen2 robots have been deployed for testing with drone delivery operator Wing to explore autonomous robot-to-drone deliveries. According to the partners, Wing deliveries will be able to be picked up by a Serve delivery robot from the curb or sidewalk in front of a participating restaurant, then delivered autonomously to a Wing drone AutoLoader nearby before it is delivered by air to customers as far as 6 miles away.
While Serve explores air deliveries with Wing, it has also kept a keen focus on what it knows best—autonomous sidewalk deliveries. Today, the company unveiled its Gen3 delivery robot, which has seen some major improvements inside and out.
Source: Serve Robotics
Serve’s Gen3 delivery robots are smarter, faster, and cheaper
According to details shared by Serve Robotics today, its next generation of autonomous sidewalk robots has seen a complete overhaul in nearly every category, all for the better. For instance, its cargo space gained 2 gallons (+15%) of additional volume and can now transport four 16-inch pizzas.
The new delivery robot also saw a 67% increase in battery capacity, boosting its all-electric range from 23 miles (10 hours) in Gen2 to 48 miles (14 hours) in the Gen3 model. The exterior was bolstered to support more inclement weather ranging from -4 to 113℉ and heavy rain, and its new suspension offers a smooth ride to keep hot meals safer in transit.
The all-terrain drivetrain also saw improvements, bringing the delivery robot’s top speed up from 7mph to 11mph (+60%), with the ability to stop 40%more quickly. Improved sidewalk safety is also the result of quicker reaction times and ultra-fast decisions, thanks to the Gen3 robot’s major sensor suite upgrades, including an NVIDIA Jetson Orin chip and Ouster REV7 digital LiDAR.
All of the improvements are impressive in their own right, but the most newsworthy aspect of Serve’s Gen3 robot debut is arguably the fact that it implemented all these upgrades while cutting manufacturing costs in half. Serve Robotics co-founder and CEO Dr. Ali Kashani elaborated:
Producing a cutting-edge robot that can drive faster and further while running 5 times more AI and slashing costs by half is a true engineering feat. I am proud of what our team has accomplished with our third-generation robot, which represents the culmination of years of relentless effort. Our new robot puts Serve significantly down the cost curve and ahead of the competition as we roll out one of the largest autonomous fleets in the country in the coming months.
Serve shared that Gen3 robots are already being assembled in North America with the help of contract manufacturer Magna International. The initial rollout will include 2,000 autonomous robots to new cities in 2025 through Serve’s continued partnership with Uber Eats. That will begin in Los Angeles and “one new metro market” that has yet to be shared, but Serve intends to continue to expand its fleet of delivery robots across the entire US someday.
You can see more of the Gen3 robot in Serve’s video below:
Source: Serve Robotics
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Bodo G-Wagon electric golf cart; via Mecum Auctions.
With a fully-enclosed, G-Wagen-inspired body and an 80 mile electric range, the Bodo G-Wagon golf cart is the NEV you need when you decide it’s time to get serous one-upping the rest of the Palm Beach country clubbers.
The shiny black 2024 Bodo G-Wagon sold at Mecum Auctions last month for $31,900, which seems like it might not be a lot of money to the sort of person who decides to take a flyer on a goofy, limited-use EV that ships with real, metal doors, power windows, heating and air conditioning, fully digital instrument cluster and infotainment, and a “posh,” caramel leather interior.
It even has windshield wipers, power steering, and a rear-seat entertainment system that’s built into the front headrests!
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It’s really nice in there
Under the hood, the Bodo packs a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor drawing power from a 10 kWh li-ion battery that won’t deliver a scorching 0-60 mph time (it only goes 35), but will deliver you and your buddies from one end of any golf course in North America and back several times over, thanks to the G-Wagon’s 80 mile range.
The official Mecum Auctions listing goes into a bit more detail, and I’ve included it here, in case it gets deleted after a while and you’re just finding this for the first time in 2027:
Be the envy of any country club or golf community showing up with this 2024 Bodo G-Wagon Golf Cart. Perhaps more appropriately known as an E-Wagon, this baby G-Wagon is powered by a 15kW motor with a 10kWh lithium battery. Boasting an 80-mile range and a 35 MPH top speed, the Bodo is an enclosed, luxury golf cart that pampers occupants with heating and air conditioning, rear-seat entertainment, power windows, power locks and a posh, caramel-colored interior. With the Bodo fitted with power steering and 4-wheel power disc brakes with brake boost, drivers will think they’re in a full-size G-Wagon, thanks to the multiscreen entertainment cluster, the rearview camera, windshield wipers, turn signals, running lights and so much more.
Finished in black with the right amount of brightwork, the overall vibe is one of jaw-dropping, smile-inducing fun. While the Bodo would be an excellent choice for any golf community, it should also prove to be hugely popular around a race track or car condo community as well, or maybe even a neighborhood with its own airplane runways. Over the past decade in particular, the demand for unique, luxury golf carts has been on the rise, and understandably so. The number of luxury communities with specific interests in sports, aero and auto has also been on the rise, with people buying homes in these exclusive locations to better engage with like-minded people. All too often a golf cart is the perfect way to get around these gated neighborhoods, and this one is enclosed, comes with the amenities of a full-size car and is infinitely more stylish.
You can check out a few more photos of the 2024 Bodo G-Wagon golf cart that sold at Mecum, below – and if you want one for yourself, you’re in luck! I found this brand-new 2025 “G600 E-Wagon” (in white) for $23,900 at Gulf Carts in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Head on down to the comments and let us know if you buy it.
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The Hyundai IONIQ 5 got a raft of upgrades and sporty, rally-focused XRT trim level for 2025 – but the biggest upgrade for the Made in America Hyundai might be this: the 5 has regained eligibility for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit!
Despite being assembled at Hyundai’s Georgia meta plant for the last four month, the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 was nowhere to be found on the EPA’s list of rebate-eligible vehicles. But that was then – with a fresh updated to the list coming online May 1st, Hyundai’s new-age electric hot hatch is back in the rebate game.
As if to celebrate, Hyundai announced that it was taking on the celebrate One Lap of America road rayy and race event in a factory collaboration with the track-focused enthusiasts at Grassroots Motorsports this week with One Lap veterans Andy Hollis and Tom Suddard campaigning a stock, 601 hp 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N in the Alternative Fuels class.
“After winning our class in a gutted, caged race car last year, we wanted to compete in the best-of-all worlds this year: A vehicle that’s incredibly fast, incredibly comfortable on a road trip, and incredibly capable on a racetrack,” explains Suddard. “Electrification means it’s finally possible to have huge power without huge compromises in a street car, and the IONIQ 5 N promises to pair that huge power with the durability and capability to survive a week of racing.”
One Lap is widely regarded as one of the toughest street-legal motorsports events in the world, pitting amateur and professional drivers alike compete in stock and heavily modified vehicles of every description, battling it out in a series of scored challenges, including timed events at road courses, drag strips, skid pads, and autocross courses.
In between tracks, competitors safely travel thousands of miles around the country, proving the mettle and durability of the vehicles and the teams that drive them. This year, 86 teams from all over the country will compete in 17 scored events over the course of eight days at tracks like Virginia International Raceway and NCM Motorsports Park.
The Tire Rack One Lap of America is currently underway – you can track the Hyundai’s progress here, then let us know what you think of this new tax development in the comments.
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With the launch of the first-ever Class 8 vocational EV in the North American market, PACCAR Kenworth is raising the battery-electric bar and underscoring just how far the market has come since the Tesla Semi made its debut nearly a decade ago.
When Tesla pulled the wraps off its all electric Semi truck all the way back in November of 2017, the rest of the industry was hardly thinking about BEVs. Nearly a decade later, the world is still waiting for the Semi to begin regular production, and PACCAR is launching its second generation of HDEVs with the debut of this, the all-new Kenworth T880E vocational truck.
“The Kenworth T880E marks a groundbreaking milestone in Kenworth’s history as we bring to market the first Class 8 battery-electric solution built for vocational applications,” explains Kevin Haygood, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “The T880E is engineered to meet the evolving needs of operators and vocational fleets while still providing the durability, reliability and customization our customers expect.”
The new electric K-whopper is motivated by PACCAR’s in-house ePowertrain platform, capable of putting up to 605 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of peak torque to work, while delivering the same levels of drivability and dependability fleets expect from a Kenworth – but power and torque are only part of the T880E’s work-ready résumé.
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Open to work
Kenworth T880E; via PACCAR.
In addition to a stout, Class 8 electric chassis fitted with heavy-duty Kenworth brakes and axles, the T880E’s central drive eMotor allows for significant wheelbase flexibility so fleet buyers can spec out exactly the machine they need to get the job done. The T880E was also designed to enable lift axle installations from trusted Kenworth upfitters for a vocational-friendly BEV integration.
Additionally, the T880E features a wide selection of factory-installed options that include both high- and low-voltage ePTO (electric Power Take Off) ports, mechanical ePTOs, and the same wide array of body configurations as the ICE version.
Speaking of the ICE version, the electric T880E also can also be had in the same set-back front axle and set-forward front axle configurations with the same multi-piece hood construction. Inside the cab, the latest in driver-focused technology includes the Kenworth SmartWheel and a new 15″ DriverConnect digital touchscreen. Dash and vocational features like RAM Mounts and factory-installed PTO switches are available. The T880E is also offered with Kenworth ADAS packages for customers interested in DigitalVision Mirrors, Bendix Fusion, and Lane Keeping Assist.
It’s so big, you guys
Kenworth T880E; photo by the author.
The T880E was on static display at last week’s ACT Expo in Anaheim, California. Check with your local Kenworth dealer for availability.
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