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FedEx launches Ford E-Transit pilot to test last-mile delivery decarbonization

Credit: FedEx

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FedEx is testing the Ford E-Transit as a delivery vehicle for its SameDay City delivery service, the company announced. The program will assess the E-Transit’s effectiveness as a delivery van while also being an introductory part of FedEx’s plan to have zero tailpipe emission vehicles across its fleet by 2040.

Initially, FedEx is testing ten Ford E-Transit vans across the United States, where the all-electric utility van will operate within the logistic giant’s SameDay City delivery service, which offers door-to-door delivery of time-sensitive parcels within hours with real-time notifications.

“The EV market for commercial vehicles now has more options than ever before, enabling FedEx Office to explore different sustainable vehicle technologies to incorporate into our fleet as FedEx works to electrify its entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet by 2040,” Biran Philips, President and CEO of FedEx Office. “FedEx SameDay City is a perfect use-case for testing the capabilities of the Ford E-Transit. With the vehicle’s range and the availability of charging infrastructure, we are excited to see how this vehicle performs in our operation and helps us understand the path forward to scale an electrification strategy for FedEx Office.”

FedEx said it is testing the vehicles in nine markets: Chandler, Arizona, Newark, California, Boca Raton, Clearwater, and Plantation, Florida, Chicago, Illinois, Madison Heights, Michigan, and Allen, and Frisco, Texas.

FedEx has already taken delivery of EV delivery vans from BrightDrop. The company announced in June 2022 that it had 150 units of the Zevo 600 from the GM startup in its possession and planned to utilize the vehicles for last-mile deliveries.

Several companies, including Wal-Mart and Amazon, are utilizing electric delivery van models to test last-mile deliveries. Wal-Mart purchased 4,500 Canoo all-electric deliver vans that will make last-mile deliveries. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Rivian EDVs will also help the e-commerce giant decarbonize its last-mile logistics.

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Rivian’s Amazon EV delivery van will drop packages in 100 cities by end of 2022

“We are thrilled FedEx Office selected E-Transit as the test battery electric vehicle for FedEx SameDay City,” General Manager for Ford Pro North America, Tim Baughman, said. “Ford Pro’s advancements in technology and work-ready electric products will help companies like FedEx improve productivity, lower ownership cost, and accelerate a carbon emissions-free future.”

Along with the Ford E-Transit, FedEx is currently designing Roxo, the FedEx SameDay Delivery Bot. FedEx said Roxo “could help transform the future of shipping and logistics by making widespread same-day, last-mile delivery a reality while providing a safer, more sustainable solution with reduced street traffic and emissions.”

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla Cybercab sightings broaden well outside of Austin with autonomy in focus

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Credit: Tesla Robotaxi | X

Tesla Cybercab sightings are broadening far and wide, well outside of downtown Austin, Texas, with autonomy in focus as the company plans to launch the all-electric, two-seater this evening in the Lone Star State.

Tesla is set to launch Cybercab to a small group of people this evening in a dedicated event in Austin, Texas. Public details on the event are relatively slim.

However, Tesla’s focus on Cybercab falls well outside of the downtown Austin area and is expanding well across the United States as things continue to move quickly with the company’s autonomous efforts in 2026. Today, various images of Cybercab fleets in interesting locations have started to circulate.

The most notable is a fleet of at least 20 Cybercabs at Miami International Airport in Florida. Spotted last night, the fleet is expansive and is indicative of a looming release of Cybercabs once regulatory boxes are checked off.

Tesla has already been operating the Robotaxi platform in Miami for several months, but this Cybercab fleet at the airport could be joining the ride-hailing platform as approvals arrive:

Another fleet of Cybercabs was spotted at the Devon, PA showroom just outside of Philadelphia. We have seen several Cybercab units testing around the Philadelphia Metro Area, which is interesting considering Tesla does not have any active Robotaxi geofence in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia would be an ideal location to test ride-hailing due to its dense tourist population, large, sprawling city layout, and to compete with other ride-hailing companies that operate in the city.

Expansive fleets of Cybercabs will be popping up in and around major cities throughout the rest of the year, if we were betting on it. Tesla has made it obvious that the Cybercab rollout will be aggressive and fast-paced, but within reason. Tesla is still prioritizing safety, so these testing phases will likely go on for some period of time before more members of the public are able to snag a Cybercab for a personal chariot.

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Tesla Model Y L gets suspension complaints in over odd issue China

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Credit: @TeslaNewswire/X

The Tesla Model Y L is arguably the most hyped trim of the all-electric crossover, other than the Performance configuration that comes with white-knuckle speed and sports car-level handling.

However, it is not all perfect. Tesla owners in China who took delivery of the Model Y L, denoted with an L to highlight its longer wheelbase, are experiencing what they are referring to as “collapsing” of the rear wheels, as suspension issues appear to be an issue with some of the builds.

The gap between the wheel arch and tire has narrowed to the point that “not even a single finger” could fit, according to a report from Car News China. The failures are not tied to a specific mileage, as one owner said that after just 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles), they noticed the suspension issue when their car was fully loaded.

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Another one had the issue at 30,000 kilometers (18,640 miles) and noticed that the wheel gap shrank to two fingers, so not as drastic as the person who reported a similar issue at 9,000 km.

Tesla Model Y L is gaining momentum in China’s premium segment

Along with the visual recognition of the issue, others are saying the sagging is causing abnormal wear on the inside of the tires. Extra weight and instant torque already provide additional stress on the tires in electric vehicles during normal operation, so it is no surprise that this is another complaint.

There has been no recall issued by Tesla, and the company has not yet publicly acknowledged the issue.

Some are suggesting that owners use a “finger test” to self-diagnose whether there is an issue with the suspension. There should be four fingers between the tire and the wheel well; anything less than that starts to get dicey.

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Tesla Cybercab event gains steam ahead of massive launch

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Credit: TechOperator | X

Tesla is starting to truly tease and hype its groundbreaking Cybercab event, which takes place tomorrow in Austin, Texas. It will be the first time members of the public will be able to ride in a Cybercab, a vehicle without any manual controls, on public roads.

Tesla has been dropping some hype on X over the past several days, but this morning, the excitement has truly started to build up for the event. Although Cybercab has been unveiled before, this is truly Tesla’s announcement that it is ready to start offering autonomous rides for public passengers in its new ride-hailing-geared vehicle for the first time.

The hype has started with a variety of different social media posts that are a true indication that Tesla is preparing for something big. Teasing so much of the potential of Cybercab, including its ability to truly revolutionize how people hail rides for local travel, is what the big idea for the event entails. The time that many Tesla owners, fans, and investors have been waiting for is potentially here:

The event has remained slim on details. Even invitees are still awaiting true details about what the event will entail, where they’ll go, and what is in store for the evening. This is pretty typical for an event run by Tesla; they keep things under wraps for the most part until the very last minute.

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However, there is no secret about what the real intention of Tesla is for this event: it is going to be a huge reveal party for a vehicle that has no steering wheel and no pedals. It is a truly massive step for the company moving forward.

Speculation persists as to whether this is going to be an event that simply announces that rides will begin with the Cybercab, or it will be something more substantial. Tesla has said in the past that they plan to sell the Cybercab to the general public in what could become a great way to earn passive income by adding it to a more global fleet of Robotaxi-geared vehicles.

Tomorrow, the show begins in Austin, and the Cybercab goes live at some capacity; we just don’t know exactly how quite yet.

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