Mercedes has launched an all-new in-car payment system that will integrate with its car feature subscription technology.
Mercedes became a controversial figure in the automotive world after it began offering customers new features they could unlock by paying a subscription. This includes features like rear-wheel steering and mobile A/C controls. To support those systems, Mercedes has unveiled an all-new in-car payment system, complete with a fingerprint scanner for verification.
The “Mercedes pay+” system, now available in Germany, allows customers to pay for the aforementioned in-car services, as well as upgrades such as remote parking assist, adaptive high beam assist, and even “advanced navigation services that provide information on the weather or available parking spaces at customer’s destination.” Mercedes pay+ will make its way to a broader European release later this year.
Mercedes also hopes to integrate the new payment system with fueling and charging later this year.
This new payment processing system follows the announcement of Mercedes’ new operating system, which the brand hopes will reinvigorate its U/I experience and improve customer engagement overall.
The premium German automaker is not alone in its efforts to help make car ownership more profitable for itself. BMW has announced similar subscription services, while Toyota has already integrated many of them into the Toyota app, allowing customers to subscribe to remote start, mobile A/C controls, and more.
The controversy stems from the fact that, as most of these services are already built into the finished vehicle, many believe they are entitled to those functions after buying the vehicle or purchasing the systems initially.
It remains unclear if these new functions will prove to be a helpful or profitable enterprise for many automakers, especially as some, such as Tesla, have avoided the subscription model for the most part. Some analysts believe that consumers may begin to favor these brands, especially in the used market, where the functions can continue to be useful without paying the automaker.
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!

News
Here’s where Waymo is launching autonomous robotaxis next
Waymo has its sights set on three new U.S. cities in the months to come.

Google parent company Waymo has announced plans to bring its self-driving robotaxis to yet another U.S. city, adding to the list of those it plans to deploy the service to in the next several months.
On Tuesday, Waymo announced in a press release that it will be bringing its autonomous ride-hailing vehicles to Washington D.C. in 2026, after it recently announced plans to start deploying the services in Atlanta, Georgia, and Miami, Florida, sometime in 2025. The D.C. services will utilize the Waymo One app, unlike some of the cities which will roll out through a partnership agreement.
“Waymo One is making fully autonomous driving a reality for millions of people across the U.S.” said Tekedra Mawakana, Waymo Co-CEO. “We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year.”
The company says it plans to continue working closely with legislators on regulations needed to operate driverless vehicles in D.C. Additionally, Waymo says it’s currently operating over 200,000 fully autonomous, paid driverless ride-hails per week, as Tesla and others aim to enter the commercial robotaxi space in the coming months.
This video shows the strength of Tesla's vision-based approach.👀🤖
There are very few, if any, advanced driver-assist systems today that will be able to navigate a road like this without specific training.pic.twitter.com/sSAUhjYp7V
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 5, 2025
Gonna be pretty tough to do the Waymo approach in a road like this.
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 5, 2025
READ MORE ON WAYMO: Ex-Waymo CEO dismisses Tesla, Cybercab: ‘They’re a car company with a driver-assist system’
“I’ve experienced firsthand how safely the Waymo Driver operates around pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users,” writes Jonathan Adkins, the CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “Waymo has worked with GHSA and our first responder network as they’ve expanded their service, always putting safety first. As someone who walks to work almost every day, I’m excited to share the road with Waymo in Washington, D.C.”
Waymo also recently launched its robotaxi services will deploy in a partnership with Uber in Austin, Texas, where Tesla also has a so-called Gigafactory and plans to roll out its own robotaxi services later this year. The company currently operates paid driverless ride-hailing or early testing in the following cities, primarily in the U.S.:
- San Francisco, California
- Larger San Francisco Bay Area Metro, California
- Los Angeles, California
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Austin, Texas
- Miami, Florida (early pilot testing)
- Tokyo, Japan (early pilot testing)
The news also comes as Tesla aims to roll out its first unsupervised drives with its in-house Full Self-Driving (FSD) software this summer, along with rolling out initial robotaxi ride-hailing services. While the company doesn’t currently operate any paid ride-hailing like Waymo One, the company’s vehicles can generate real-time training data from drivers with FSD Supervised engaged.
News
Tesla Superchargers open to Hyundai’s EVs in the U.S.
Hyundai and Genesis are the latest brands to gain access to Tesla’s charging network.

Tesla’s Superchargers are now officially open to Hyundai’s electric vehicles (EVs) across the U.S., adding to the wave of auto brands that can now charge on the once-exclusive network.
In a press release on Tuesday, Hyundai announced that owners of the Kona electric, Ioniq hatchback, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 5 N, and Ioniq 6, can charge at Tesla Superchargers in the U.S. using a CCS to NACS adapter, which the company is offering complimentary to owners. The news is set to give access to roughly 20,000 Superchargers in the U.S., as Tesla continues to roll out access to non-Tesla EV brands across the industry.
Hyundai says that those who purchased their EVs prior to January 31, 2025 will begin receiving emails on how to claim the free NACS adapters starting the week of April 7. The news also comes after Hyundai was the first automaker to debut a native NACS port with the Ioniq 5, beginning late last year.
🚨 Starting today, U.S. owners of the current Hyundai KONA Electric, IONIQ Electric hatchback, IONIQ 5, and IONIQ 6 models equipped with a CCS port gain access to 20,000 Tesla Superchargers in the United States using an NACS adapter. pic.twitter.com/3xLfwCIXsc
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 25, 2025
READ MORE ON HYUNDAI: Hyundai dives into the robotaxi business with TX-based startup
“Starting today, more Hyundai EV customers will have access to 20,000 Tesla Superchargers across North America, doubling their fast-charging options,” says Olabisi Boyle, Hyundai North America’s SVP of product planning and mobility strategy. “This move improves the public charging experience by giving our customers even more choice. It’s a vital part of our commitment to ease America’s transition to electric vehicle ownership.”
Currently, the news only applies to Superchargers in the U.S., though one spokesperson from the automaker told Teslarati that more details are expected to come about the launch of access in Canada later this year.
Tesla now lists Hyundai, and its subsidiary Genesis, on its website as EV brands that are able to charge at its Superchargers, along with several others which have been added in the past several months such as Polestar, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Lucid, and Rivian, among others.
Hyundai also had record auto sales in the U.S. in 2024, with general retail sales up 4 percent and EV sales up 13 percent year over year.
Hyundai prepares for Trump’s tariffs with billion-dollar investment in the United States
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s simple message to vandals

Tesla CEO Elon Musk had a simple and straightforward message to the vandals who continue to damage cars, showrooms, and Superchargers that the company and its owners utilize during an All-Hands meeting last week.
For the first time, Tesla and Musk broadcasted on X an All-Hands meeting the company held with its employees.
It seemed to be a justified response to skeptics and investors who have said that Musk has spent more time worrying about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) than Tesla.
During the meeting, Musk showed the company’s roadmap for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026 and aimed to resolve any sort of skepticism regarding his commitment. He told the employees to “hang onto their stock,” and commented on Tesla’s future impact:
“It’s very difficult like for people in the stock market, especially those that look in the rearview mirror — which is most people — to imagine a future where suddenly a 10 million vehicle fleet has five to ten times the usefulness. It’s so profound and there’s no comparison with anything in the past that it does not compute. But it will compute in the future.”
However, Musk did not stop there. He also had a message for those who have gone out of their way to key, damage, and sometimes even destroy Tesla vehicles and showrooms.
Several locations have been hit with gunfire, Molotov cocktails, and other things, while owners are reporting petty vandalism like keying and slashing tires more frequently now than ever.
Musk’s message to the vandals was simple:
“This is psycho. Stop being psycho!”
He continued:
“If you read the news, it feels like, you know, Armageddon. It’s like, I can’t walk past the TV without seeing a Tesla on fire. Like, what’s going on? Some people, it’s like, listen, I understand if you don’t wanna buy our product, but you don’t have to burn it down. That’s a bit unreasonable.”
Tesla’s biggest haters have continued to spew violence toward the company and owners of its cars, with some even putting on bumper stickers that read things like “I bought this before Elon went crazy!” to hopefully divert attackers.
🚨 We spotted this Tesla with “I bought this before Elon went crazy” and “Anti-Elon Social Club” bumper stickers on.
Gimme a break.
Do you think these are legitimate beliefs or an attempt at stopping people from vandalizing their cars? pic.twitter.com/hTDFVTvAvj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 24, 2025
The company also has the help of the federal government. The FBI has already established a task force to help investigate instances of vandalism and violence against Tesla. Additionally, President Trump has said attacks against the company are being considered as domestic terrorism.
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