Uber Freight is launching a ‘Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program’ in partnership with Tesla to lower the most significant barrier to electric Class 8 adoption: upfront cost.

The buyer program pairs purchase subsidies for Tesla Semis with pre‑arranged dedicated freight and route planning around Tesla’s Semi Charger network, which is currently being deployed in the US.

As the name implies, the Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program aims to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles in Uber Freight fleets.

Here’s how Uber aims to achieve that from the press release:

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• Subsidized Price: Fleets purchasing Tesla Semis through this program will receive a subsidy on the purchase price.   
• Predictable Growth: Fleets will integrate their Tesla Semis into Uber Freight’s dedicated solutions for shippers for a pre-determined period. This creates an opportunity for carriers to forecast revenue with confidence, while shippers gain consistent access to reliable, zero-emission capacity. 
• Optimize Utilization: Uber Freight taps into its extensive freight network to match carriers with consistent, high-quality freight from our strong shipper base—helping ensure the addition of these Tesla Semis stay fully utilized and carriers see dedicated, real, measurable returns from the start.

Uber actually had a similar partnership with Tesla for its passenger vehicles in Uber’s ride-hailing fleet. Uber drivers were offered discounts on Tesla vehicles and Tesla integrated Uber’s app in its system to work with the car’s navigation and only suggest rides within the vehicle’s current range.

Now, Uber Freight will integrate its software on Tesla Semi trucks and help truckers get routes that work with the electric trucks and its

There are still many unknowns about the program. Primarily, we don’t know how much Uber and Tesla are subsidizing the trucks.

We don’t even have the price of the Tesla Semi.

Tesla originally announced a price of $150,000 for the 300-mile version of the Tesla Semi and $180,000 for the 500-mile version, but this was in 2017, when the electric truck was initially unveiled.

The vehicle program has been delayed several times since and Tesla never updated the price publicly since.

We recently reported on an early Tesla Semi customer, Ryder, complaining of a “dramatic” price increase. The price could have doubled, based on documents Ryders submitted to authorities to obtain financing for its Tesla Semi test fleet.

Now Uber Freight says that Tesla will review the total cost of ownership with potential fleet buyers through its new program.

Tesla Semi is now expected to enter volume production in 2026.

The automaker is also starting to deploy its Megacharger stations, EV fast-charging stations designed for commercial electric vehicles, such as the Tesla Semi.

It is currently primarily installing Megachargers at its own facilities and those of early test partners, but there are also a few public Megacharger stations on the way.

Electrek’s Take

This is cool. We don’t know the exact size of the subsidy, but it is a significant development that Uber Freight is offering more job opportunities for those who own an electric truck.

It should encourage more fleet managers to accelerate their fleet transition to electric vehicles.

The sticker price is often a significant barrier to EV adoption, even though the total cost of ownership is often cheaper than that of internal combustion engine vehicles. However, for truckers, the total cost of ownership is much more important since it is their business.

However, everything suggests that the Tesla Semi will cost closer to $300,000 than $150,000, and therefore, every consideration is important when making such a large purchase.

Interestingly, this new partnership coincides with Rebecca Tinucci’s recent appointment as CEO of Uber Freight.

Tinucci was the head of Tesla’s charging division until last year when she was reportedly fired, along with her entire team, by Elon Musk after she refused to let go a higher percentage of her team.

Now, she is back working with Tesla through this program.

Tesla has agreed to settle another wrongful death lawsuit from a fatal crash involving Autopilot before the case could get to trial later this year.

It’s one of many lawsuits involving several crashes involving Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised), after the floodgates were open following a watershed trial.

Over the last few years, Tesla vehicles have been involved in numerous accidents involving the automaker’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS): Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised), better known as ‘FSD’.

Despite the names of those feature packages, they are not considered automated driving systems. They are Level 2 driver assistance systems and require the driver’s attention at all times.

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Drivers and victims involved in those crashes have often sued Tesla, but the automaker has managed to have the cases dismissed, placing most of the blame on the drivers.

However, things started to change over the last year.

Last year, Tesla settled a wrongful death lawsuit involving a crash on Autopilot that happened in 2018, and last month, the automaker lost its first trial over a crash that occurred in Florida in 2019.

For the first time, a case went to trial before a jury, and they decided to assign a third of the blame for the crash to Tesla for the role Autopilot played. The rest of the blame was assigned to the driver, who had already settled with the victims and their families before the Tesla trial began.

The jury awarded the plaintiffs $243 million. The automaker has made clear its intentions to appeal the verdict.

Before the trial, the plaintiffs offered Tesla to settle for $60 million, and the company refused.

The trial process cost them much more.

The jury didn’t buy Tesla’s usual argument that it couldn’t be blamed because it clearly informs the driver that they are always responsible for the vehicle. The plaintiffs’ lawyers successfully argued that Tesla was careless in the way it deployed Autopilot, without implementing geofencing and marketing it to customers in a manner that encouraged the abuse of the system.

Following the trial results, Electrek reported that the “floogates of Autopilot lawsuits” were open.

There are dozens of additional lawsuits against Tesla involving incidents with Autopilot and FSD, and they are all riding on the verdict as well as all the information that came from the trial.

The same lawyers and law firms that represented the plaintiffs in the trial in Florida are also representing victims and the families in those other lawsuits.

Brett Schreiber, the lead attorney in the Florida case, is also leading Maldonado v. Tesla, another wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla involving its Autopilot feature. The case was set to go to trial in the Alameda State Superior Court by the end of the year.

The case involves a Tesla vehicle on Autopilot that hit a pickup truck on the highway, killing fifteen-year-old Jovani Maldonado, who was a passenger in the pickup truck. His father was driving him back home from a soccer game.

In a new court filing, Tesla and the plaintiffs have requested that the court approve a settlement that the two parties have reportedly agreed upon.

The settlement is confidential.

Electrek’s Take

Like I said, the floodgates are open. We are now starting to see the crashes that occurred in 2018 and 2019 being addressed in court.

This is just the beginning.

Crashes on Autopilot and then FSD have greatly ramped up starting in 2020-2021 with greater delivery volumes and Tesla launching FSD Beta.

I hope that more cases reach trial, as we do learn a lot more about Tesla and its deployment of driver assistance systems through them.

But with how the first one went, I am sure the automaker is much more eager to settle those cases.

However, can it just keep doing that?

There have already been over 50 deaths related to crashes involving Tesla Autopilot or FSD.

As morbid as it sounds, if the going rate for a Tesla Autopilot-related death is around $50 million, that’s already more than $2.5 billion and growing.

This is nuts. Will this continue to happen?

More people die in crashes involving Tesla’s half-baked ADAS products. Tesla continues to compensate the victims and their families with millions each time, essentially using the money it earns from selling the dream of those half-baked ADAS features eventually leading to real autonomy.

Lucid (LCID) rolled out a software update for the Gravity, which makes towing “a breeze” with helpful new features. Plus, Lucid is giving Gravity buyers the chance to try out exclusive new features still in development.

Lucid launches Gravity UX 3.3 software update

The Gravity already stands out, boasting up to 450 miles of range, lightning-fast charging speeds, and an Escalade-sized interior.

Through its new over-the-air (OTA) software update, launched on Tuesday, Lucid unlocked several new features and functions for Gravity drivers.

The Gravity UX 3.3 update introduces new features that Lucid promises will make towing “a breeze,” including an Integrated Trailer Brake Control, Hitch View, and a Trailer Light Check.

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Hitch view gives you the ability to see the trailer hitch directly on the Gravity’s infotainment screen. You know, to make sure it’s still connected and all. To ensure your trailer lights are working, the new Trailer Light Check feature illuminates them in a sequence. You can use it directly on the Lucid mobile app.

Lucid is offering Gravity drivers the chance to try out two new Halo Secure features, Live View and Drive Recorder, which are still in development.

Live View uses the external cameras, enabling you to see what’s around your vehicle in real-time remotely using the Lucid mobile app. Drive Recorder will capture clips, such as an accident, saving it directly to your USB storage device (which is not provided).

Lucid introduced a slew of other tweaks and modifications to make the Gravity’s infotainment system quicker and easier to use. You can now drop a bookmark on the home screen as a shortcut to navigate to your favorite places.

The Gravity’s audio system now “delivers clearer sound than ever,” Lucid said during phone calls with less background noise.

Lucid currently offers the Gravity Grand Touring, which starts at $94,900 in the US. Soon, Lucid will launch the lower-priced Touring model, starting from $81,550.

Orders for the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring opened in Europe last week with deliveries set to begin in early 2026. Lucid’s electric SUV starts at 116,900 euros ($137,000) in Germany, including VAT. Soon, the Lucid Gravity Touring will be available, starting at 99,900 euros ($117,000) in Germany.

Lucid is currently offering some of its biggest promotions to date, with the $7,500 federal tax credit set to expire at the end of the month. The Air is the most affordable it’s ever been this month, with leases starting at just $509 per month.

Ready to test drive it out for yourself? We’re here to help you get started. You can use our links below to find Lucid Air and Gravity models in your area.