Connect with us

News

Lucid Air, NIO, Elon Musk capture big wins in Forbes’ 2020 Transportation Awards

(Credit: Lucid Motors/Instagram; NIO/Instagram; Tobias Lindh/YouTube)

Published

on

Forbes’ 2020 Transportation Awards gave the upcoming Lucid Air the title of “Best Product” of 2020, despite the vehicle not being in full production yet. The Air is shaping up into one of the most highly-anticipated electric vehicles in the market, thanks to its intense focus on luxury, allowing it to compete against vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The Air’s specs are no joke, either, as its range and power seem to rival even that of Tesla’s Model S.

“Arriving in 2021, the Lucid Air, an elegant battery-powered sedan from Newark, California-based Lucid Motors, promises to be the first true competitor to Elon Musk’s electric vehicle empire. Developed by Peter Rawlinson, the ex-Tesla chief engineer who was instrumental in creating the company’s breakthrough Model S, Lucid’s $77,000 luxury car may outperform Tesla’s best in range, power and amenities,” Forbes wrote.


It was not just the Lucid Air that caught a win in Forbes’ 2020 Transportation Awards. William Li, the 46-year-old founder and CEO of NIO and a man dubbed as the “Elon Musk of China,” was deemed by the publication as the “Most Intriguing Newcomer” of the year. Forbes cited Li’s thriving electric car business in China as a driver for his award. NIO stock, similar to Tesla shares last year, also saw a massive surge during the year, rising 1,000% since the start of 2020.

“Chinese entrepreneur William Li made a fortune with an online car-selling website. Now, NIO, his Shanghai-based electric vehicle startup, is making steady sales gains in China for its battery-powered crossovers and cars. NIO’s continued success in that market could undermine Tesla’s Middle Kingdom aspirations and elevate the Musk-admiring Li into a major rival. NIO’s shares, which are traded in the U.S., are up 1,000% since the start of 2020,” the publication noted.

Advertisement

A discussion about the transportation sector in 2020 would not be complete without mentioning Tesla, the world’s largest automaker by market cap, as well as Elon Musk, the man that led the company to where it is today. It was then unsurprising to see the publication giving Tesla CEO Elon Musk its “Forbes Person of the Year in Transportation” award for 2020. Such an award seems warranted considering Tesla’s dominance and sustained growth at a time when the automotive market was practically brought to its knees by the pandemic.

Amidst this growth, Elon Musk’s net worth also skyrocketed, allowing him to take his place just under Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the second-richest person in the world.

“Love him or hate him, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk dominated transportation in 2020 in much the same way Donald Trump loomed over U.S. politics. Neither can stay out of the news cycle (or off social media) for long. But while Trump’s wealth slipped during the year, Musk’s skyrocketed to $143 billion, up 440% over just 12 months, as gains in Tesla’s surging share price and profitability unlocked a string of massive stock awards,” Forbes noted.

The full list of winners in Forbes’ 2020 Transportation Awards could be viewed here.

Advertisement

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com or reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla discloses two Robotaxi crashes to NHTSA

Newly unredacted data filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals the two incidents. 

Published

on

Tesla has disclosed information on two low-speed crashes that occurred in Austin with its Robotaxi platform. These incidents occurred with teleoperators steering the vehicle, and there were no passengers in the car at the time they happened.

Newly unredacted data filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals the two incidents.

The first crash took place in July 2025, shortly after Tesla launched its nascent Robotaxi network in Austin. The ADS reportedly struggled to move forward while stopped on a street. A teleoperator assumed control, gradually accelerating and turning left toward the roadside. The vehicle then mounted the curb and struck a metal fence.

In the second incident, in January 2026, the ADS was traveling straight when the safety monitor requested navigation support. The teleoperator took over from a stop, continued forward, and collided with a temporary construction barricade at approximately 9 mph, scraping the front-left fender and tire.

Tesla Robotaxi service in Austin achieves monumental new accomplishment

Tesla has previously told lawmakers that teleoperators are authorized to pilot vehicles remotely—but only at speeds below 10 mph, as the only maneuvers they were approved to perform were repositioning in awkward areas.

“This capability enables Tesla to promptly move a vehicle that may be in a compromising position, thereby mitigating the need to wait for a first responder or Tesla field representative to manually recover the vehicle,” the company stated in filings earlier this year.

Before this week, Tesla redacted the NHTSA reports, but they decided to reveal all 17 Robotaxi incidents recorded since the launch in Austin last Summer. Most of the other crashes involved the Tesla being struck by other road users and were not caused by the self-driving suite itself.

There were other incidents, including two additional self-caused accidents involving the ADS clipping side mirrors on parked cars. In September 2025, one Robotaxi struck a dog that darted into the roadway (the dog escaped unharmed), while another made an unprotected left turn into a parking lot and hit a metal chain.

Although Waymo and Zoox have reported more total crashes, Tesla operates at a far smaller scale. The cautious pace reflects the company’s broader safety concerns; it has been very slow with the Robotaxi rollout to ensure the suite is ready for operation.

Last month, CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that “making sure things are completely safe” remains the primary bottleneck to expanding the network, describing the company’s approach as “very cautious.”

The unredacted filings arrive amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of autonomous vehicles. NHTSA recently closed a separate probe into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software repeatedly striking parking-lot obstacles such as bollards and chains—a problem that also prompted a recall at Waymo last year.

Tesla Robotaxi has been a widely successful program in its early days of operation, and the transparency Tesla brings here is greatly appreciated. Incidents will happen, of course, but the honesty gives customers and regulators a sense of where Tesla is in terms of developing its self-driving and fully autonomous ride-hailing suite.

Continue Reading

Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck chosen by Kazakhstan’s elite security force: here’s why

Published

on

Tesla Cybertruck was chosen by a Middle Eastern government agency because of its capability, safety, and other advantages that it offers over traditional pickups.

In a striking display of futuristic security technology, Kazakhstan’s State Guard Service has integrated Tesla Cybertrucks as mobile command-and-control vehicles for the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held today in Turkistan.

The deployment, announced by Teslarati on May 14, marks one of the first known instances worldwide of the electric pickup truck being used in official state security operations.

The Cybertrucks are supporting a range of real-world tasks, including rapid response, field coordination, communications, and command functions.

Officials highlighted the vehicles’ suitability for the challenging mountainous terrain around Almaty, where superior off-road mobility allows them to navigate rugged landscapes that might challenge conventional vehicles. Their quiet electric operation enables discreet deployment, while the high onboard power output provides sustained energy for communications equipment and external devices—critical during a high-profile international gathering.

The summit brings together leaders from Turkic-speaking nations to discuss cooperation in politics, economy, and culture. Against this backdrop, the Cybertrucks stand out not only for their angular, stainless-steel exoskeleton and imposing presence but also for their practical advantages in modern security protocols.

This move underscores Kazakhstan’s push toward innovative and sustainable solutions in public safety. The Cybertruck, Tesla’s rugged all-electric pickup, was designed from the ground up for versatility, boasting impressive range, durability, and power capabilities that align well with governmental needs.

By choosing the vehicle, Kazakh authorities signal confidence in electric mobility even for demanding operational roles—potentially setting a precedent for other nations exploring green alternatives to traditional fleet vehicles.

Tesla Cybertruck too safe for even Musk’s biggest critics to ignore

As the summit unfolds on May 15, the presence of Cybertrucks symbolizes a broader shift: electric vehicles transitioning from consumer roads to critical infrastructure.

For Tesla, the development offers valuable real-world validation of the Cybertruck’s capabilities beyond civilian use. For Kazakhstan, it blends cutting-edge American engineering with national security priorities, creating a memorable visual and functional statement at this landmark regional event.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla grabs massive Las Vegas warehouse for interesting Cybercab project

Tesla quietly filed plans to build the Cybercab car wash, and on May 12, the company submitted a permit to begin renovating the “Tesla Center Cybercab Phase 2 Car Wash,” documents show.

Published

on

Credit: TechOperator | X

Tesla is beginning to construct what will be an incredibly unique project, as it is now building a 36,000-square-foot car wash just for the Cybercab in Clark County, Nevada, near Las Vegas.

Tesla quietly filed plans to build the Cybercab car wash, and on May 12, the company submitted a permit to begin renovating the “Tesla Center Cybercab Phase 2 Car Wash,” documents show.

This is not just some ordinary car wash. Instead, it’s a dedicated, high-tech maintenance hub built specifically for Tesla’s ride-hailing vehicle and the many units that will be in the fleet.

According to the permit documents, which were first spotted by MarcoRP, a Supercharger observer on X, the work involves upgrading and updating the interior and exterior of an existing 36,000-square-foot facility. Crews will construct a full car-wash enclosure, relocate tire-service equipment, and install new power raceways.

Every camera on a Tesla Cybercab must stay clean, and without a human driver to perform manual maintenance on the vehicle, this Cybercab-specific car wash will be crucial in keeping the fleet operational, safe, and effective.

Tesla has spent years perfecting unsupervised FSD, and the Cybercab – unveiled last year as a driverless, two-seater purpose-built for ride-hailing – is the physical embodiment of that vision. Industry skeptics have long questioned how a massive Robotaxi network could scale without drivers handling basic upkeep.

Tesla just answered them with a permit filing. Sources close to the project suggest this could be the first of several such hubs, with whispers of similar plans already surfacing in Texas.

A purpose-built Robotaxi wash station means fleets can cycle vehicles through cleaning, charging, and minor servicing at lightning speed with almost no human intervention. Optimus robots could eventually handle the physical work, turning the entire operation into a lights-out, 24/7 machine.

Las Vegas, with its endless tourist traffic and wide-open roads, is the perfect proving ground. Imagine stepping out of a gleaming Cybercab after a night on the Strip, knowing the same vehicle will be sparkling clean and ready for the next rider within minutes.

California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law

Critics who claimed Robotaxis would get filthy and unreliable now look shortsighted. However, it will be interesting to see how many of these types of facilities the company establishes, especially as it plans for the Robotaxi fleet to be available everywhere.

If the permit moves forward as expected, Las Vegas could witness the first large-scale, fully autonomous taxi operation complete with its own cleaning infrastructure. As soon as Tesla solves wireless charging, we’re looking at a very capable and potentially fully autonomous ride-sharing business from A to Z.

Continue Reading