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Uber will offer self-driving Volvos in Pittsburgh this month
Uber customers in Pittsburgh who request a ride from the ride sharing service may find themselves riding in a specially prepared Volvo XC90 that can drive itself. Passengers will ride in a self-driving vehicle chaperoned by a human driver behind the wheel ready to take control of the car if necessary and an engineer monitoring the operation of the autonomous system. This will mark the first time a self-driving car has been used in commercial service in the United States.
Uber’s self-driving car program has been under the stewardship of John Bares since January, 2015. Bares was head of Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center for 13 years before he left to start Carnegie Robotics, a Pittsburgh-based company that makes components for self-driving industrial robots used in mining, farming, and the military.
“I turned him [Kalanick] down three times. But the case was pretty compelling.” Bares says. Once he joined Uber, he quickly put together a team consisting of hundreds of engineers, robotics experts, and few old fashioned auto mechanics. The mission was nothing less that to replace Uber’s 1 million human drivers with robotic drivers as soon as possible. The message is, if you drive for Uber, you should keep your resumé up to date and your eyes open for other lines of work.
Pittsburgh is the center of the Uber self-driving experiment because that is where the talent is. Carnegie Mellon is a world leader in autonomous systems. Its graduates are working on the Google car and are in high demand at any company planning to offer self-driving cars, including Apple and Tesla. Earlier in the year, a Tesla Model S loaded with cameras and sensors, presumably a test mule for Autopilot 2.0, was spotted testing in Pittsburgh.
So far, Uber has just a few specially modified Volvo XC90s ready for commercial service, but it expects to have 100 of them by the end of the year. The hardware at the heart of its self-driving system includes cameras, radar, lidar, GPS receivers, and a liquid cooled computer mounted in the rear.
Uber self-driving Volvo XC90
Uber is moving fast. “We are going commercial,” says CEO Travis Kalanick. “This can’t just be about science.” Last month, it purchased Otto, a start-up company that is working to bring self-driving long haul trucks to market. In theory, its technology will allow truck drivers to crawl in back and nap while the trucks are on the highway. Uber will take over and re-brand that business and incorporate the Otto technology into its own self-driving systems.
Otto’s founders were all previously members of the Google car program, but grew impatient with the slow, plodding pace of development at Google. They wanted an opportunity to showcase their talents much sooner than they could if they remained at Google. “We were really excited about building something that could be launched early,” says Anthony Levandowski, co-founder of Otto.
Kalanick is clearly looking to be the first to begin offering a self-driving ride hailing service. He intends to beat Tesla, Apple, Google, Ford, and Genera Motors to the punch. “Nobody has set up software that can reliably drive a car safely without a human,” he says in an oblique reference to Tesla’s Autopilot system. “We are focusing on that.” Developing an autonomous vehicle, he adds, “is basically existential for us.”
At first, trips in the self-driving Volvos will be free. Uber’s standard local rate is $1.30 per mile but Kalanick says eventually prices will be so low that the cost per mile will be cheaper in a self-driving Uber than in a private car, even in rural areas. “That could be seen as a threat,” says Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson. “We see it as an opportunity.”
Source: Bloomberg Photo credit: Uber, AP
A new Tesla patent that has been granted to the company this week has revealed a potential strategy for solving a major issue that could impact both the Full Self-Driving suite and Optimus.
The patent, which is No. 12,636,684, describes a “Lens Cleaning System,” and was submitted by Tesla in May 2025.
The language in the patent details a lens cleaning system that can dispense fluid and wipe it away with a wiper assembly.
Optimus can see you now… 🤖👁️
The patent for @Tesla_Optimus‘s eye structure just dropped. $TSLA pic.twitter.com/Jac4VhDmKH
— SETI Park (@seti_park) May 26, 2026
This would effectively clean any debris that would potentially impact the visibility of the cameras on Tesla automobiles or Optimus’s camera eyes. Perhaps the most pertinent example is through the Full Self-Driving suite, as debris that can accumulate on the vehicle’s exterior cameras can impact the suite’s ability to operate effectively.
This requires a remedy through manual cleaning, but this patent hints that Tesla could be planning to implement this new technology on its upcoming vehicles.
Interestingly, we have started to see it on some Robotaxi vehicles, and it will likely be included in the Cybercab, especially as that vehicle will enable full autonomy.
Back in January, the first Model Y Robotaxi units were spotted with camera washers on the side repeaters, as the video below shows fluid squirting and rinsing off any debris that is limiting visibility.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
This hardware patent does bring up an interesting question for those of us who own Teslas with AI4 and have been told that our cars will one day be capable of full autonomy: Will this washer be available as a retrofit on already-built cars?
Perhaps the “Lens Cleaning System” patent is a good look at one way Tesla plans to combat one of the most obvious issues of autonomy that utilizes a camera-based system. For Optimus, it could be less needed as it could be manually cleaned by owners. For cars, it seems like a bigger necessity, especially as autonomy nears and Tesla gets close to launching a feature-complete FSD suite.
SpaceX’s Starlink product has just gotten its latest airline adoptee, and the move marks the successful partnership of three of the “Big Four” U.S. airlines.
American Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would utilize Starlink in more than 500 narrowbody aircraft beginning in the first quarter of 2027. These include the Airbus aircraft in its fleet, including the new A321XLR and A321neo.
With the new partnership with American Airlines, Starlink is now present on three of the largest airlines in the country: American, United, and Southwest.
Starlink gets its latest airline adoptee for stable and reliable internet access
Starlink’s VP of Enterprise Sales, Jason Fritch, said:
“We are proud to bring Starlink on board American Airlines, delivering fast and reliable internet to passengers and crew. Whether traveling for leisure or business, Starlink enables a fully connected experience gate to gate, making every flight smoother and more enjoyable.”
Additionally, American Airlines Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden, said:
“As a premium global airline, we are continuously seeking out world-class partners like Starlink to deliver what our customers need and want. The addition of Starlink solidifies American as a leading airline in keeping passengers connected in flight.”
Starlink has been on a tear over the past year, as it has continued to be adopted by a wide variety of airlines as a more consistent and reliable way to provide WiFi to its passengers. It has already gained a great reputation among residential users, but its biggest commercial application appears to be how it is being used in the air.
American Airlines will adopt Starlink on more than 500 of its narrowbody aircraft beginning in Q1 2027
“As a premium global airline, we are continuously seeking out world-class partners like Starlink to deliver what our customers need and want,” said American Airlines Chief… pic.twitter.com/XY2wflycc0
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 26, 2026
The only airline of the Big Four not to adopt Starlink thus far is Delta, which chose to opt for the alternative, which is Amazon Leo. CEO Ed Bastian said to Bloomberg that Delta chose Amazon’s product over Starlink’s because “the opportunities, in terms of the improved bandwidth with a much lower price point than what we’ve ever seen from Starlink, will make a big difference.”
Delta will not start installing Amazon Leo until 2028.
“Of course, we expect Starlink will be warning people that we’re going to go with an inferior product,” Bastian said. “But I’m not too worried about partnering with Amazon.”
Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim level is nearing its first deliveries just a few months after being offered for an incredible deal.
Back in February, Tesla officially launched a new trim of the Cybertruck, the All-Wheel-Drive, starting at just $59,990. It was a lot of truck for the money, especially considering what it offered the Rear-Wheel-Drive variant for last year, which was a total flop.
The $59,990 price that was offered initially was a deal due to its 325-mile range rating, powered tonneau, three bed outlets, Powershare capability, coil springs with adaptive damping for a refined suspension feel, Steer-by-Wire and four-wheel steering, a 6′ x 4′ composite bed, towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, and a powered frunk.
Tesla is now nearing deliveries of this trim, according to watcher Sawyer Merritt, as Tesla has officially started assigning VINs to people who ordered the vehicle initially:
I can confirm that Tesla has officially started assigning VINs to people who initially ordered the $59,990 Cybertruck Dual-Motor AWD, which means first deliveries should start in the coming weeks!
• 325 mile range
• 7,500 lb towing capacity
• 0-60mph: 4.1s
• Bed with… pic.twitter.com/PQwVYbZf6j— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) May 24, 2026
Earlier this month, we reported on units of the trim being spotted outside Gigafactory Texas by Joe Tegtmeyer.
Tesla Giga Texas buzzing as new Cybertruck appears to enter production
This Cybertruck trim was interesting because it was released basically out of nowhere, priced incredibly well, and gathered many orders in a small amount of time. However, CEO Elon Musk noted just days afterward that the vehicle would only be priced at this bargain level for ten days.
Tesla fans were not happy.
Awful way to treat customers – particularly when they already sent out a marketing email announcing the $59,990 truck…with zero mention of it being a limited-time offer.
— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) February 24, 2026
However, the issues with the pricing strategy have blown over since the February unveiling event, and now that deliveries are near, Tesla fans are anticipating the truck making its way to their driveways soon.
The truck is currently priced at $69,990, and deliveries for new orders are slated for between August and September 2026.
Tesla patent reveals strategy for solving major Full Self-Driving, Optimus issue
SpaceX Starlink gets its latest airline adoptee, grabbing three of the ‘Big Four’
