Rivian will equip R2 vehicles with its in-house RAP1 autonomy computer and LiDAR starting with employees by end of 2026, with customer deliveries beginning in 2027. LiDAR costs have dropped to a few hundred dollars, and the company plans point-to-point autonomous driving on current hardware by year-end, while targeting an Uber robotaxi service by late 2028.
A discussion of potential merger uncertainty between Tesla and SpaceXAI, examining how speculation about a possible deal affects both stocks. While some analysts price high odds of an eventual combination, prediction markets are more conservative on timing, and both companies face independent operational and valuation pressures that drive price action beyond merger speculation.
Tesla launched the Cybercab, a two-seat autonomous robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, in Austin, Texas. The vehicle represents a major engineering bet to optimize for trip-based service rather than traditional vehicle ownership, using ruthless cost minimization and deletion of unnecessary features to achieve profitability at scale.