Elon Musk Has His Tesla Robotaxi Sights Set On San Francisco

Tesla

Good morning! It's Thursday, July 10, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift, your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatens to nonstop his robotaxis to San Francisco, complete 1 cardinal Ram trucks mightiness still person a large rollaway issue, Nissan halts U.S. accumulation of 3 vehicles it sells successful Canada, and we've sewage different monolithic Ford callback connected our hands.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company's already-controversial robotaxis will caput to nan San Francisco Bay Area successful "a period aliases two" depending connected regulatory approval, and fixed their way grounds I cannot show if this is simply a committedness aliases a threat.

The imaginable move comes astir a period aft nan Austin, Texas-based automaker rolled retired the long-promised and very-limited work successful it's hometown. Right now, location are only astir a twelve operational robotaxis, and they only cater to a prime group of passengers. They've besides sewage galore restrictions including a quality information show successful nan beforehand rider seat. From Reuters:

Tesla will grow nan work to "a larger area successful Austin this weekend," Musk said connected his societal media level X successful consequence to a station from a personification astir nan deficiency of an update connected description . Musk did not specify nan location aliases size of nan description .

Another X personification – Tesla Owners Silicon Valley – past asked astir an description to nan Bay Area, and Musk replied, "Waiting connected regulatory approvals, but astir apt successful a period aliases two.

[...]

[W]hile Tesla faced almost nary regularisation successful Texas, California tightly controls wherever and really firms tin run autonomous vehicles and requires testing information for permits.

In California, Tesla would request a bid of permits from nan state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and nan California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to run a afloat autonomous robotaxi work that charges customers.

Back successful March, nan CPUC gave Tesla nan first successful a bid of approvals that are required to yet motorboat nan service. The automaker would beryllium entering an autonomous conveyance section that is currently being dominated by Alphabet's Waymo.

At present, Waymo has astir 1,500 vehicles successful its fleet, and it has been expanding slow but surely for years. It has rides disposable successful San Francisco, Los Angles, Austin, and Atlanta. Musk and Tesla person a full batch of activity to do if they ever want to drawback up.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a rollaway rumor that could effect astir 1.2 cardinal Ram pickup trucks. The statement says it opened a callback inquiry, citing concerns related to nan brake transmission displacement interlock. That's nan system that keeps nan conveyance from shifting while nan brake pedal isn't depressed.

The rumor only seems to effect Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 models built for MY13 to MY18 that are fitted pinch file shifters. Sure, everyone made nosy of that small shifter dial Ram utilized during this time, but look who's laughing now.

Real Ram Heads™ mightiness person noticed that this isn't nan first clip NHTSA has looked into nan rumor facing Ram and its brake transmission displacement interlock. Actually, it's not moreover nan second. From the Detroit Free Press:

In 2017, NHTSA recalled complete 1.4 cardinal Ram trucks from 2009 to 2017 exemplary years erstwhile it was discovered nan trucks could beryllium shifted retired of parkland and into cogwheel without pressing nan brake aliases putting nan cardinal successful nan ignition.

A twelvemonth later successful 2018, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis) recalled 180,000 much Ram trucks for nan aforesaid issue.

The problem was expected to beryllium remedied pursuing nan 2017 and 2018 recalls, but NHTSA's caller investigation indicates that nan agency has now received 14 caller vehicle-owner complaints and six decease and wounded reports citing a akin transmission interlock failure.

The reported failures, NHTSA said, "occurred connected vehicles that had each antecedently been repaired" nether nan first 2 recalls.

NHTSA says this latest investigation will reappraisal nan effectiveness of nan erstwhile callback remedies and reside them further if deemed necessary. A spokesperson for Stellantis told Freep that nan automaker is cooperating pinch nan investigation.

I conjecture if astatine first you don't succeed, try, effort again.

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Nissan is pausing accumulation of 3 vehicles it builds successful nan U.S. for nan Canadian marketplace because of Donald Trump's tariff mess. Both nan U.S. and our neighbors to nan northbound person imposed communal tariffs connected car imports. Because of that, accumulation for Canadian marketplace Pathfinders, Muranos and Frontiers has been halted.  The erstwhile 2 are built astatine a installation successful Tennessee, while nan second is assembled successful Mississippi.

There's nary connection connected really agelong nan suspension is expected to instrumentality around, aliases moreover erstwhile it started. However, nan Japanese newspaper Nikkei suggests it started each nan measurement backmost successful May. From Reuters:

"This is simply a short-term and impermanent measure, and we stay hopeful that ongoing discussions betwixt nan U.S. and Canadian governments will lead to a successful statement successful nan adjacent future," Nissan said successful a statement.

[...]

Nissan said its top-selling vehicles successful Canada, specified arsenic nan Versa, Sentra and Rogue, were each originated from either Mexico aliases Japan, pinch accumulation from those 2 countries accounting for 80% of its Canadian sales.

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The Trump management imposed 25% further tariffs connected car imports successful April, prompting Canada to instrumentality retaliatory tariffs. Mazda Motor besides halted Canada-bound accumulation astatine its Alabama works while boosting accumulation for nan U.S. market, nan institution said successful May.

While Canada is simply a comparatively mini marketplace for Nissan, nan suspension underscores nan trouble facing world automakers from nan tariffs. The levies person besides added to a deepening situation astatine Nissan, which has been severely deed by deteriorating income and an ageing conveyance lineup.

Nissan doesn't person immoderate factories successful Canada, and past twelvemonth it sold astir 104,000 vehicles successful nan country. That's little than half of what it sold successful Mexico and a spot much than 10% of what it sold successful nan U.S. Overall, it accounted for conscionable 3% of Nissan's world income successful nan past financial year. Still, Nissan really isn't successful a position to waste less cars aliases suffer retired connected nan money it needs to enactment afloat. 

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Folks, it wouldn't be a time that ends successful "y" without a Ford recall. The Blue Oval is recalling 850,318 vehicles successful nan U.S. because of an rumor pinch nan low-pressure substance pump that could yet lead to nan mechanism's failure. As I'm judge you know, engines request substance to work, truthful nan faulty pump could extremity successful an motor stall, according to nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. From Reuters:

A faulty substance pump tin trim substance travel from nan vessel to nan engine, causing an motor stall and expanding nan consequence of a crash, NHTSA said.

The car information authority received six user complaints alleging nonaccomplishment of powerfulness owed to pump failure.

Before a substance pump fails, drivers whitethorn announcement mediocre motor performance, including misfiring, unsmooth running, reduced power, aliases a cheque motor light, NHTSA said successful a announcement to dealers.

Failures are much apt erstwhile substance levels are debased aliases successful basking weather, it added.

[...]

Ford is still processing a remedy.

The wide-ranging callback impacts vehicles for illustration nan Lincoln Aviator, Ford Explorer, F-150 pickup trucks and moreover nan Mustang. The NHTSA says that astir 10% of nan perchance affected vehicles really person nan defect. 

History.com

It's very funny to maine that each these years later, your weird uncle still thinks seatbelts are a authorities ploy to termination you.

I ne'er would person thought that successful nan Big 25, Hoodie Allen would driblet my individual opus of nan Summer, but present we are.