Toyota’s robot is really good at basketball. And it will only get better thanks to AI. After sinking an over 80-foot basketball shot, Toyota’s hoop prodigy set a new Guinness World Record for the longest basketball shot by a humanoid robot. Check out the impressive shot in the video below.

Although you see plenty of Toyota ads during the big game, the Japanese auto giant isn’t usually the first name that comes to mind when you think of basketball. The company looks to change that with “Cue” the robot.

Cue was first developed in 2017 by a few Toyota volunteers in their free time. By March 2018, the first generation Cue debuted at a home game of the Alvark Tokyo, a professional basketball team in Japan

After it became a social media sensation, Toyota released several new models over the years. In May 2019, “Cue3,” the third-gen model, earned its first Guinness World Record for “The most consecutive basketball free throws by a humanoid robot (assisted),” with 2,020 free throws made.

Since then, the AI basketball-loving robot has been steadily improving its skills, such as shooting three-point shots, dribbling, and making free throws.

As Toyota’s robot continued improving, the company set its sights on a bigger goal: to make the longest basketball shot by a humanoid robot. On September 26, 2024, Toyota’s CUE6 sunk an 80 ft 6 in shot in Nagakute, Japan, securing its second Guinness World Record title.

On its first attempt, CUE’s shot hit the rim and bounced back at him. On its second attempt, Toyota’s robot nailed the shot. You can watch the shot and learn more about Toyota’s basketball-loving robot in the Guinness World Records video below.

By learning from his mistakes and correcting things like posture, arm position, and shot strength, Cue continues to improve over time.

Tomohiro Nomi, Toyota’s CUE project leader, said, “Using Artificial Intelligence based on robot structure, it learned and thought of the throwing style that would be the most effective.”

Source: Guinness World Records

Cyclic Materials, a cleantech company focused on metals recycling, has struck a multi-year deal with Swiss mining giant Glencore to supply recycled copper.

The collaboration is a step forward in making copper production more sustainable and meeting the skyrocketing demand for materials essential to clean energy technologies.

Cyclic Materials extracts copper from recycled electronic scrap – think EV motors and wind turbines – and refines it for reuse. The copper (Reuters reports at least 10,000 metric tons) will then go to Glencore’s Horne Smelter and Canadian Copper Refinery, where it’ll be turned into copper cathode. That refined copper can find a new life in technologies driving the energy transition, like EVs and renewable energy systems.

Instead of mining more raw materials, which is time-consuming, costly, and can be controversial, the two companies are tapping into what’s already out there – an approach that reduces waste and minimizes environmental impact.

Kunal Sinha, Glencore’s global head of recycling, praised the deal: “Cyclic Materials is filling a critical gap in the market. Their focus on rare earth recovery is exactly what we need to build a circular supply chain for critical materials.”

Cyclic Materials CEO Ahmad Ghahreman called the agreement a milestone: “We are excited to be partnering with Glencore on the recycling of copper materials. This is a significant milestone in establishing key partners to purchase our recycled materials and close the loop for all critical materials we will produce.”

The first shipments of recycled copper are expected to start in late 2025.

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New EV sales were strong in November, with early estimates pointing to the second-best month ever in the US, just behind August 2024, according to Kelley Blue Book. Like the new vehicle market at large, generous incentives are driving the momentum.

The average transaction price (ATP) for a new EV in November was $55,105. That’s down 1.8% from October’s revised figure and 3.8% lower compared to November 2023.

Tesla’s ATP in November was $54,610, down 3.7% from October ($56,705) and up 4.3% year-over-year, when it was $52,375.

Incentives for EV buyers also climbed in November, hitting 14.9% of the ATP – the highest since the pandemic. That’s up slightly from October’s 14.6% and works out to more than $8,200 per vehicle, including point-of-sale government-backed incentives when applicable.

The takeaway? Lower prices and bigger incentives are making EVs more accessible, fueling strong demand in the US market.

“We have said consistently that 2024 will be the ‘Year of More’ for electric vehicles,” said Cox Automotive executive analyst Erin Keating. “There are certainly more incentives being offered. EVs right now are the best deals in the market.”

Electrek’s Take

Inventory of new cars is back at pre-pandemic levels – car lots are full – and consumers are buying them.

Trump has made it clear that he intends to cancel the the $7,500 federal tax credit, which would make the shift to electric pricier going forward. I anticipate robust December new EV sales and lease numbers as buyers scramble to secure that federal up-front tax credit.

Read more: Cybertruck reached its highest-ever average transaction price in September

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