Autonomous & Electric Hit Their Stride

CX Insights - Trend Watch - Automotive Industry (ICYMI May 2025)

The autonomous and electric vehicle stories we’ve been following are starting to feel less like distant promises and more like your neighbor’s new car. Not everything is available everywhere yet, but the technologies that seemed experimental just a couple of years ago are quietly becoming actual options for actual people.

| AUTONOMOUS EVERYTHING: FROM TEST TRACKS TO REAL STREETS

The self-driving narrative has shifted from “Will this work?” to “Where can I try it?”

Self-driving rentals become reality: The world’s first autonomous car rental service is launching, which means someone finally solved the puzzle of combining two notoriously stressful experiences: rental cars and robot drivers. Soon you’ll be able to skip the rental counter entirely and let your car pick you up – assuming you’re comfortable with the idea of a vehicle that never asks for directions but somehow always knows where it’s going.

Waymo keeps expanding: Waymo’s robotaxis continue their methodical expansion, proving that the tortoise approach might win the autonomous race. They’re not trying to launch everywhere at once, just steadily adding cities and routes with the patience of someone who actually wants this to work long term.

Production scales up: And with the geographic expansion comes production expansion as well. A new factory is gearing up to produce tens of thousands of self-driving taxis annually. This isn’t another pilot program or limited trial – this is the automotive industry betting real money that people want rides from cars without drivers. The shift from “interesting experiment” to “let’s build a lot of these” suggests someone’s confident the technology is ready for prime time.

Amazon’s Zoox partners with Vegas resorts: Because nothing says “Vegas hospitality” quite like a self-driving shuttle. Amazon’s autonomous vehicles are now ferrying resort guests around, which is either the future of customer service or the most high-tech way to avoid small talk with your driver.

| EV REVOLUTION: ELECTRIC DREAMS MEET WALLET REALITY

The electric vehicle conversation has matured from environmental enthusiasm to practical consideration – and the numbers are getting more interesting.

Consumer interest holds steady: Despite market ups and downs, 59% of car shoppers are still considering electric options, according to J.D. Power. It’s not exactly a stampede, but it’s not a retreat either. The EV market has found its groove somewhere between “early adopter excitement” and “mainstream curiosity.”

Affordable EVs actually become affordable: Rivian and VW’s $22,500 collaboration  represents the industry’s serious attempt to make electric cars accessible to people whose car-buying decisions involve actual budgeting. Meanwhile, the Slate at $25K promises to transform American mobility by making EVs genuinely accessible to mainstream buyers. The emergence of genuinely affordable EVs could be the tipping point that moves electric vehicles from “nice to have” to “why wouldn’t I?”

Charging gets smarter: Hyundai’s new robot will automatically charge your EV, eliminating the minor but persistent inconvenience of actually plugging in your car. It’s like having a valet for your electrons. Meanwhile, practical charging solutions are expanding in places like Detroit, making EV ownership less of a strategic planning exercise.

Battery technology quietly improves: GM’s new battery technology promises to make future EVs both cheaper and more efficient, which is the kind of behind-the-scenes innovation that actually matters. Less flashy than flying cars, more important than most headlines suggest. 

| THE BIGGER PICTURE: STEADY PROGRESS, NOT SUDDEN REVOLUTION

We’ve been tracking these trends for a couple of years now, watching autonomous vehicles expand beyond tech demos and electric cars gain serious market consideration. What’s become clear is that the future of transportation isn’t arriving in a dramatic flash; it’s showing up gradually, one practical application at a time.

The pattern is consistent across both technologies: steady expansion, practical improvements and the quiet transition from “interesting concept” to “service you might actually use.” Autonomous vehicles are moving from limited trials to commercial production. Electric vehicles are moving from premium pricing to mainstream affordability.

Whether it’s a robotaxi that doesn’t need bathroom breaks, or (barring an unforeseen tariff catastrophe) an EV that costs less than your current car, these technologies are finding their place in the real world. Not everywhere, not for everyone, but increasingly for people who just want reliable transportation that happens to be powered by batteries or guided by algorithms.

The future of mobility is happening at human speed, which might be exactly the right pace for most of us to actually get comfortable with it.