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Canoo defies the odds, receives another huge order for electric vans

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Canoo has announced another massive order for their electric vans, with Kingbee ordering nearly 10,000 units.

Canoo has made a 180-degree turn compared to earlier this year when it announced they were nearing bankruptcy. Since then, the company has received thousands of orders, most notably from Walmart, for their Lifestyle Vehicle (LV) and Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV) vans. Now, the company has added another order for nearly 10,000 vehicles to their list, this time from Kingbee, a work-ready van rental company.

The binding order from Kingbee vans is for 9,300 Canoo vehicles, with the option to increase their order to 18,600 vehicles in the future. Kingbee will be retrofitting the completed vans for construction work and deploying them over the 27 states where they operate. No timeline for introducing these vehicles was included in the press release.

Despite other options, such as the Ford E-Transit, Kingbee CEO Scott Haslam still believes Canoo vans are their best option. “Canoo vehicles are designed specifically for fleets to be upfit and last multiple users. This is exactly what we need. Our assets are our business, and we need products that provide the best driver experience with durability.”

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Tony Aquila, Chairman & CEO at Canoo, agreed with the sentiment regarding his product’s fleet design, further claiming that Canoo vans hold the title for “class-leading ROI.”

Canoo commented to Teslarati that their product’s customization is also a feature that has attracted customers. “New and legacy innovators recognize a need for safety, efficiency, and productivity in their fleet portfolio. Our LDV has it all in a fully electric multi-generational platform, with market-pushing customization, that is made to last and outperform expectations.”

Along with this nearly 10,000 vehicle order, Canoo has pre-existing orders from Walmart and Zeeba totaling roughly 10,000 vehicles, leading to the question; where does the brand plan on manufacturing these 20,000 units? Currently, Canoo has two production facilities. One in Northwestern Arkansas and another in Northeastern Oklahoma; however, it is unclear if these facilities are now in production or how many vehicles they have produced.

In a comment to Teslarati, Canoo clarified their production schedule saying, “[we] are finalizing our multi-year allocations for 2023 customer deliveries and will share our manufacturing plan with the broader market shortly.” Also, noting that “we haven’t shared our customer fulfillment schedule yet, but our CEO has shared that we will deliver product for fleet order for Walmart first.”

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Canoo has yet to post its Q3 results regarding financials or production numbers, but looking back to Q2 of this year, the company was still struggling with profitability. More worryingly for investors, despite Walmart’s already completed order for vehicles, they had not (at the time) announced that any units had been produced for delivery.

These more recent deals that Canoo has established may be the turnaround that the company desperately needed, but they aren’t out of the woods yet. Investors and consumers alike are looking for the ordered models to be produced. Without further evidence that they are moving towards that objective, they may find themselves in the same situation as earlier this year.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.

The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.

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Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.

The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.

UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch

This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.

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The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.

Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.

The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.

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Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.

Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.

The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.

Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:

New Grok Voice Commands

“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”

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Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App

“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”

Caraoke With Scoring

“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”

Automatic Navigation

“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.

In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”

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Preferred Routes

“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”

Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App

“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”

Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App

“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”

Rear Display Lock

“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”

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Other Improvements

  • Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
  • Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
  • Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
  • Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
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Tesla’s reason for Starlink integration on Cybercab might surprise you

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s reason for Starlink integration on Cybercab might surprise you, as the company’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, finally shed some light on the reason they are putting a satellite internet terminal on its ride-hailing-geared vehicle.

On Monday, Tesla officially confirmed that it would integrate Starlink V5 terminals into Cybercab vehicles, something many Tesla fans had figured the company would do, as the vehicle is primarily geared toward giving rides without any passenger intervention.

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The ability to access the internet would allow riders to work or play in the car with their devices. It seemed like a more-than-reasonable feature to add to the Cybercab, which made its way off the production lines for the first time earlier this year.

Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration

However, the move is not for the rider, as Elluswamy confirmed on Monday night. Instead, it’s actually for Tesla to be able to have a constant connection to the cars in the Robotaxi fleet so it can troubleshoot issues, contact riders, or resolve other issues.

Elluswamy said:

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“It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.”

Many initially assumed the option of constant connectivity would be enabled on the Cybercab for passenger entertainment or work. With the Cybercab, passengers won’t be doing anything but enjoying the ride, so it seemed more than logical that they would be hanging out with Starlink internet access as an amenity.

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However, Tesla’s primary concern with Robotaxi is safety, and nailing these first unsupervised rides is a crucial step to setting a good narrative on how effective driverless transportation can be.

Being able to get in touch with passengers or a vehicle if something is wrong is a crucial part of the overall experience, and preventative measures are being taken by Tesla to ensure a smooth process, even in the worst-case.

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