Author: Eve Stevens

Baidu robotaxi malfunction causes disruption on the streets of Wuhan

On Tuesday, disruption was reported on the streets of Wuhan following a malfunction in Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi fleet.

Videos on social media captured the vehicles as they stopped in the middle of lanes of traffic, with passengers trapped inside. Some of the footage appears to show a vehicle involved in a highway collision, although police reports suggest no one was injured during the incident.

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Wayve rolls out autonomous robotaxi trails in the UK capital and MOVEmnt is invited

Earlier this month, the MOVE team had the opportunity to test drive one of Wayve’s autonomous vehicles and experience their Level 3 autonomous technology in real time.

Following their landmark $1.5 billion investment round, we caught up with the Wayve team to learn how the UK start-up is positioning itself as a serious contender in London’s robotaxi race.

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Will surging oil prices reignite EV demand amid the Iran conflict?

Since war broke out in Iran on 28 February, global oil prices have soared to unprecedented highs. The spike follows disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest shipping channel for crude oil.   

As the global conflict unravels and the oil crisis intensifies, analysts are recognising a renewed interest in electric vehicles (EVs) as consumers attempt to shield themselves from the impact of rising energy costs. 

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Jaguar Land Rover shuts UK plant due to fire at supplier site in Norway

Jaguar Land Rover is once again grappling with disruption, as production at one of its key UK facilities is set to pause following a fire at a supplier site in Norway. The interruption will affect output of its flagship Range Rover and Range Rover Sport vehicles at the Solihull plant, with operations halted until April 8. This latest grievance represents a significant setback for the automaker in a two year period punctuated by disruption. 

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Uber, Pony.ai and autonomous start-up Verne launch robotaxi trials in Croatia’s capital

As autonomous pilots accelerate across Europe, Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, represents the latest test bed for robotaxi trials, thanks to a partnership between Uber, Pony.ai, and autonomous technology start-up Verne.

The partnership brings together the autonomous driving technology of Chinese robotaxi developer Pony.ai with Verne’s fleet management expertise.

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Automakers scale back on “luxury” EV plans as global appetite wanes

Just this week Honda and Sony have announced they are among dozens of companies scaling back plans to develop luxury EVs. The news follows recent walk backs from automotive manufacturers in the luxury segment including Bentley and Rolls-Royce. 

Honda and Sony’s strategic partnership should have delivered a flagship Afeela EV with a premium price tag of $90,000 but the Japanese groups have changed course, abandoning the model altogether. Honda announced an eye-watering $16bn in EV write downs over the last two years following fluctuations in the global market, forcing the company to rethink its global EV strategy. 

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General Motors begins testing “hands-free, eyes-off” personal autonomy on public highways

General Motors may have taken a back seat in the robotaxi race after the collapse of autonomous robotaxi venture Cruise back in 2024, but the company is not resting on its self-driving laurels.  

Since then, the Detroit automaker has turned its attention to developing autonomy in personal vehicles, announcing yesterday that it would begin testing its hands-free, eyes-off driving system on public highways this week.

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Uber partners with Rivian in $1.25bn robotaxi deal, promising 50,000 vehicles by 2031

Uber is forging ahead with its vision for a driverless future through a new partnership with American EV maker Rivian Motors.

The agreement outlines plans for Uber to invest an initial $300mn, potentially rising to $1.25bn by 2031, contingent on Rivian hitting key autonomy milestones. Alongside the investment, Uber intends to purchase up to 50,000 autonomous vehicles, beginning with 10,000 robotaxi-ready versions of Rivian’s upcoming R2 SUV. The remaining 40,000 could follow from 2030.

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Einride paves the way for autonomous “smart corridors” in Texas

Founded in 2016, autonomous trucking company Einride is forging ahead with a partnership with the State Highway 130 corridor, a major toll road in Texas. This strategic collaboration aims to build out a smart freight corridor between Austin and San Antonio, operating as a testbed for Einride’s cab-less autonomous freight vehicles.

The project will represent the first time an autonomous truck company has partnered with a toll road operator to deliver this kind of service. Einride’s vision includes plans to build out Texas’ EV infrastructure through the co-development of next-generation rest stops with electric charging facilities and autonomous truck docking infrastructure.

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Hyundai and Kia deepen strategic partnership with leading chipmaker NVIDIA

On Tuesday, Hyundai Motor Group announced it is accelerating its advancements in the autonomous mobility space by deepening its collaboration with world-leading chipmaker NVIDIA. This partnership represents a wider shift in the industry, as automakers are increasingly turning to the tech world to accelerate the development of autonomous and software-defined vehicles through partnerships with chipmakers, AI firms, and software companies.

Hyundai Motor Group, made up of Hyundai Motor and Kia, has positioned this strengthened partnership as a means to drive forward progress on its Level 4 all-electric robotaxis through its joint self-driving venture, Motional.

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The design vs safety dilemma: Why carmakers are embracing buttons over touchscreens

As automakers seek to maximise the sleek, futuristic look of new models, the market has seen a sharp increase in the number of vehicles minimising bulky handles and buttons in favour of digital screens and concealed, automated handles.

Whilst these design features may offer the forward-looking glamour that elevates the in-car experience, concerns over safety have seen automakers retreating back to intuitive design features, including tactile buttons and manual handles.

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Elon Musk’s Tesla approved to enter UK energy market amid security concerns

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, could soon have sway over the UK’s private energy sector after its subsidiary, Tesla Energy Ventures, received approval to operate as an electricity supplier in the United Kingdom. The licence, granted by the UK energy regulator, clears the path for the company to enter a market that has faced turbulence in recent years and rising concern among households over an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

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Industry experts herald 2026 as “pivotal year” for UK autonomy at CAM Innovators’ Day

Industry experts gathered at the IET in London yesterday to discuss the key obstacles and scalable, practical use cases of autonomy within the UK.

The annual CAM Innovators’ Day, hosted by Zenzic, brought together some of the industry experts driving innovation in autonomy and connected mobility. Among those attending were representatives from government, industry leaders, scale-ups and key stakeholder groups, with speakers from Google, Waymo and several autonomous startups, including Oxford-based group Oxa.

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China’s NIO turns a tidy profit on EV strategy after 2025 record sales

Chinese electric-vehicle maker NIO reported its first quarterly net profit in the final months of 2025, representing a significant milestone for the Shanghai-based company. The result places the automaker among a small but growing group of profitable EV manufacturers in China, the world’s largest EV market, alongside emerging rivals XPeng and Li Auto. 

The accolade was fuelled by surging vehicle demand and stronger margins, following a year that began with slower-than-expected sales growth. The company’s upwards trajectory was sparked by the launch of the company’s redesigned premium SUV, the NIO ES8, which quickly became a major contributor to sales. 

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Introducing MOVE 2026’s Women in Mobility Awards

In honour of International Women’s Day, we are relaunching our annual Women in Mobility Award, recognising the inspiring women driving innovations in auto tech through their leadership and expertise.

After receiving hundreds of nominations for the MOVE 2025 Women in Mobility Award last year, we have brought it back this year to give more of the industry’s ever-growing female talent the chance to win the 2026 title.

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Firefighters and factory workers: Meet the intelligent robots at the forefront of the AI revolution

As corporations begin to embed AI into the ways they process data, make sales, and draft communications, many companies are also looking for ways to automate and implement AI in manufacturing processes, on factory floors, and to perform difficult or dangerous tasks that humans may not want or cannot do.

Automotive manufacturers are among the companies leading the charge in the physical AI space. Read more to find out how.

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Geely surpasses BYD in EV sales for second consecutive month

As the Chinese government winds down its EV incentives, China’s fiercely competitive EV market is showing signs of slowing down. EV sales in China fell for the first time in almost two years last month, the first time since February 2024. 

In the midst of this downturn, Chinese EV maker Geely has emerged as a clear frontrunner, surpassing BYD’s sales for the second month in a row. This two month lead comes just months after BYD was announced as the global-leader in EV sales for 2025, beating historical rival Tesla. 

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Stellantis explores Leapmotor’s EV technology to cut costs and boost European sales

Multinational automotive manufacturer Stellantis announced it is exploring the use of electric-vehicle technology from its Chinese partner Leapmotor as it looks for ways to cut costs and stay competitive in Europe.

The legacy automaker, headquartered in the Netherlands, is considering expanding the scope of its joint venture to gain deeper access to Leapmotor’s battery systems and EV powertrain expertise, particularly for high-volume brands such as Fiat, Opel and Peugeot. 

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