Andrew Hawkins

Mileage is flat, the number of vehicles are shrinking, and safety is an open question.

“When I logged into my Tesla account and view my lease/contract with it, it loads a PDF which just shows the Book of Enoch?” the anonymous owner said in a Reddit post (first spotted by Electrek). “What do I even do with this? Lol.” The Book of Enoch is a 2,000 year old apocalyptic religious book about angels and demons, so it’s anyone’s guess why it would pop up for a Tesla solar customer looking for their lease. AI-prompted mixup seems like a likely bet. [Link: Tesla swapped a solar owner's lease contract for the Book of Enoch

New safety rules could take years to adopt.

DoorDash has FAA approval to launch its own commercial drone delivery service.

The automaker only announced the new 4-door electric sedan last spring and it’s already adding a new variant. The Mercedes-AMG GT 53 will be a new high-performance model arriving in US dealerships in 2027. Mercedes has used the 53 badge for its electrified 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engines. Now it will be applied to an all-electric sedan with a dual-motor 800V architecture, 536 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-60 acceleration in 3.4 seconds. [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/pre-media_26c0241_001.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/pre-media_26c0241_002.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/pre-media_26c0241_003.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/pre-media_26c0241_004.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/pre-media_26c0241_005.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]

The massive $16.8 billion chip facility, which is being built by Tesla and SpaceX with help from Intel, will be located in Grimes County, population 29,268. After securing over a billion dollars in tax breaks from two rural school districts, SpaceX says it will break ground later this year. The fab will supply AI chips to power Musk’s plans to build a “robot army” that includes self-driving cars and humanoid robots, as well as for the data centers he plans on launching into space. [Media: https://twitter/Tesla/status/2085365278276284803?s=20]

The German automaker must have gotten an earful from owners, because after a brief, stick-less interlude, the 911 Carrera S is getting its manual transmission back. The Porsche 911 Carerra S with MT Package (starting price $169,450 for the coupe, $183,350 for the cabriolet) shares its six-gear transmission with the Carrera T, and comes exclusively in rear-wheel drive. Manual transmissions aren’t for everyone, but plenty of Porsche people still prefer them. [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/AUBERGINE_911_CARRERA_S_MANUAL_001_DSC02248-R.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/AUBERGINE_911_CARRERA_S_MANUAL_013_DSC03764.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/AUBERGINE_911_CARRERA_S_MANUAL_018_DSC0229A.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/AUBERGINE_911_CARRERA_S_MANUAL_024_MU202010-R.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/AUBERGINE_911_CARRERA_S_MANUAL_026_DSC03987.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]

Ford converted the plant in less than a year.

Bike shop owners say the law, which places heavy restrictions on e-bike ownership in the state, is fueling a steep drop in sales, with some saying as much as 90 percent of their business has evaporated. > “It has had a chilling effect on the legitimate e-bike industry,” said Mike Grotz, owner of Cyclesport in Park Ridge. “We sold over 50 Class 1 e-bikes last year, this year, a total of 4 e-bikes.” Workers are being laid off, and some shop owners predict they will be forced to shut down. Who could have predicted this? [Link: N.J. bike shops report up to 90% drop in e-bike sales after new law: ‘They are breaking us’

SV stands for Supervolce, or ‘super fast.' And that's an apt description for this heat-seeking missile of a sports car.