Transportation | The Verge

Spirit Airlines shuts down after Trump’s war on Iran doubled jet fuel prices

2026-05-02T13:54:48-04:00

Spirit Airlines planes are parked on the tarmac at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 02, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. | Getty Images

The ultra-low-cost air carrier Spirit Airlines shut down operations after 34 years in business and canceled all flights at 3AM ET on Saturday morning. Its website now redirects to spiritrestructuring.com, instructing fliers not to go to airports, with air traffic control records capturing controllers and pilots signing off to each other as its last flights came in for landings after the shutdown was announced.

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A statement on its website said that for people who purchased tickets directly, "Refunds for tickets purchased by credit card and debit card have been issued, and will be processed by …

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Dreame’s rocket-powered car can do 0–60 in 0.9 seconds because you can just say things now

2026-05-01T15:37:51-04:00

The NEXT 01 JET Edition Car at the Dreame NEXT event during the Silicon Valley Summit at the Palace of Fine Arts on April 29, 2026 in San Francisco, CA. | Photo by Kelsey McClellan / The Verge

When I first heard that a vacuum company had released a rocket-powered electric vehicle with physically impossible-sounding performance specs, I immediately thought James Dyson was up to his old tricks again.

Fortunately, I was wrong. This time the household appliance company trying its hand at super car design is Dreame (pronounced like "dreamy"), a little-known Chinese firm that has grand ambitions to become a global consumer electronics giant. The company held an expo of sorts in San Francisco this week that resulted in a flurry of product announcements. And because we live in an attention economy, and one of the best ways to grab people …

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Rivian’s revenue is up as R2 production kicks into gear

2026-04-30T17:38:05-04:00

Rivian reported its first quarter earnings of 2026, providing us a closer look at the company's financial health as it kicks off production for the crucial R2 electric vehicle.

We've already got Rivian's production and delivery statement from the first three months of the year. The company sold 10,365 vehicles in Q1, representing 20 percent increase year over year. And it produced 10,236 vehicles at its factory in Normal, Illinois, which represents a 30 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The company also reaffirmed its prediction that it will sell 62,000-67,000 vehicles this year.

In terms of earnings, Rivian said it …

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Rivian downsizes new EV factory after Trump’s DOE slashes loan agreement

2026-05-01T10:18:18-04:00

Rivian announced some changes today with regard to the factory its building in the state of Georgia.

The company was planning to build the facility in two phases, each resulting in 200,000 vehicles of annual production capacity, for a total of 400,000 units. Rivian held a ground breaking ceremony late last year.

Now the company says it is only planning for 300,000 units of annual capacity as a result of a revised loan agreement with the US Department of Energy - though its planning on hitting that annual capacity sooner than originally planned. DOE will now loan Rivian $4.5 billion, instead of the originally agreed amount of $6.6 billion …

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Gemini is rolling out to cars with Google built-in

2026-04-30T08:49:46-04:00

Here’s an early look at the new Gemini assistant on a vehicle infotainment system. | Image: Google

Google is preparing to update vehicles that have Google built-in with its Gemini AI assistant. This will be an upgrade from the current Google Assistant according to Google's announcement, and promises to provide an improved experience for natural conversations, fetching vehicle-specific information, settings adjustments, and more.

"When cars with Google built-in first hit the road in 2020, we made a commitment that your car will get better over time," Google senior product manager Alankar Agnihotri said in the announcement. "That means that Gemini is coming not only to new cars, but also to existing ones through a software update."

The a …

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Now California’s cops can give tickets to driverless cars

2026-04-30T11:37:53-04:00

Autonomous vehicles roving California's roads will no longer be immune to traffic tickets starting on July 1st. New regulations announced by the California DMV this week allow law enforcement to give AV manufacturers a "notice of AV noncompliance" when one of their cars commits a traffic violation, like running a red light or failing to stop for school buses.

The updated regulations come after years of viral traffic violations and multiple safety investigations involving robotaxis. Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is also under investigation for running red lights and driving in the wrong direction. Now, driverless vehicle companies …

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Uber adds hotels to its app in big travel swing

2026-04-28T20:01:18-04:00

Open Uber's app and you'll see options to hail a car, order some food, or go grocery shopping. And starting today, you'll see something new: hotels.

In a major expansion into the world of travel accommodations, Uber says that it's adding the ability to book and pay for a hotel room to its app. The news was announced at the company's annual Go/Get product event, at which the company also unveiled several other travel-oriented features.

Hotel reservations would be one of the biggest swings in Uber's recent history. But it's also something that's been on the company's radar for quite a while. Uber says its working in partnership with Expedi …

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Electric air taxis are finally taking flight — just not with passengers

2026-04-29T09:11:43-04:00

Joby’s electric air taxi at the Lower Manhattan helipad, April 28th, 2026. | Photo: Owen Grove / The Verge

It was the perfect day for an electric air taxi demonstration - albeit one without passengers.

On Monday, an electric aircraft from Joby Aviation took off from JFK Airport for a flight demonstrating the company's future air taxi route to Manhattan. The aircraft - egg-shaped cabin, six tilt-rotor propellers, electric motor - made its way west along the Brooklyn shore before turning north toward the city. Approximately 14 minutes after takeoff, it touched down at the heliport at West 30th Street, completing its historic journey.

You could tell it was a momentous occasion based on the number of references the assembled officials made to the …

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China freezes new robotaxi licenses after Baidu chaos

2026-04-29T06:39:21-04:00

A Baidu Apollo Go robotaxi in Wuhan, China. | Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images

China has suspended new licenses for autonomous vehicles, Bloomberg reports, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The move comes after dozens of robotaxis operated by Chinese tech giant Baidu ground to a halt in traffic last month in Wuhan, creating chaos.

The restrictions will prevent companies from adding new driverless cars to their fleets, expanding into new cities, or starting new test projects. It is unclear when officials will start issuing new licenses again.

Bloomberg said the Wuhan incident alarmed authorities in Beijing, prompting regulators to urge local governments to review the sector to prevent similar episodes. …

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General Motors is adding Gemini to four million cars

2026-04-29T05:14:38-04:00

Gemini is coming to Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles. | Image: General Motors

General Motors is planning to bring Google's Gemini AI assistant to around four million vehicles across the US. Model year 2022 and newer Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles with Google built-in will be eligible for the AI upgrade, which will be rolled out via over-the-air software updates for GM's infotainment system "over several months," according to GM's announcement.

GM says this update represents "one of the largest deployments of Gemini in the industry," and that "customers will notice an upgrade from the current Google Assistant to a smarter, more intuitive AI assistant that continues to improve over time."

The assistant …

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