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Ford built this high-tech hub in New York to prove it’s more than a car company

Ford isn’t just a car company anymore. As a part of its effort to build a portfolio of products that empower smarter cities, the car-maker has opened its first FordHub in New York — a space that showcases its emphasis on being a “mobility” company as well as an automotive company.

“Business is moving from the traditional automotive to automotive and mobility, and we wanted to build a brand experience studio where we can connect with consumers and consumers who don’t own cars,” Andrew Birkic, global advanced consumer experience platforms manager, told Digital Trends. “As we migrate to a different business model — obviously we’re still with the core business — but it’s an opportunity to showcase our other products and so this is our first studio doing it.”

Located in the Oculus, the transportation hub near the World Trade Center in New York City, the FordHub offers a glimpse at the possibilities of a smarter city thanks to a union between technology and transportation.

For example, as you walk in it’s impossible to miss a large screen that displays commute information — such as departure times for trains at the Fulton Station, the Staten Island ferry, the PATH and the LIRR, as well as how many CITI bikes are left at a nearby docking station. All of this information is available via a plethora of online services and apps, but Ford’s display puts it all together in real-time.

In front of the display is another touch-interface that lets you choose a location, such as Chelsea Market. Tapping it pulls up a path from the FordHub to Chelsea Market on the larger, mounted display that also offers brief information about the history of the market.

This installation uses Lidar sensors and model cars to sense movement. Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

In the middle of the space is a large racetrack-like model, where golf-sized balls rolled through. Birkic said it is meant to symbolize the many different layers of city transportation, from highways to the subway, as well as the flow of moving from one to the other.

Many of the things you can do at the FordHub are interactive. For example, you can also customize a Ford car via a tablet, and if you’re interested in the result, employees will put you in contact with local dealerships. There’s a virtual reality station that has you building a Mustang on top of the Empire State building with the HTC Vive; and you can also move through a city while playing an interactive game — a tool meant to demonstrate the things you could do during when you’re in a self-driving car.

One of the cooler installations is all the way at the back, and it involves approximately 5,412 model cars. Each are outfitted with an LED, and Birkic says the bottom of the installation features Lidar sensors — the same technology used by self-driving cars to detect obstacles on the road. Thanks to Lidar, the installation senses movement and changes the color of the cars to create various patterns.

Visitors can get a Ford Hub Card at the Hub, which is used to activate some interactions like the Lidar selfie installation — the code on the card can be used to find their “saved experiences” online.

It seems as though the FordHub will be open indefinitely, unlike Google’s recent pop-up that lasted three months. The next FordHub slated to launch is in San Francisco.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Mobile and Wearables Editor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
The week in EV tech: From sky-high dreams to ground-level drama
tesla robotaxi feud alef in transition flight

Welcome to Digital Trends’ weekly recap of the revolutionary technology powering, connecting, and now driving next-gen electric vehicles. 
Buckle up, folks — this week we’re taking off with a look at the futuristic dream of flying electric cars possibly gliding above U.S. roads sooner than you think. But before we get carried away, let’s bring it back down to the bumpy road of present-day realities.
Even if you’re mostly interested about the tech powering the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, it’s become increasingly hard to avoid the politics around it: You guessed it, we’re talking about this week’s public feud between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump.
What does this have to do with EV tech? Well, quite a lot actually. For starters, the technology behind Tesla’s Autopilot and Full-Self Driving (FSD) modes may return in the crosshairs of regulators: Despite the names, these are still driver-assist features that require active driver supervision, and until Trump’s election, they had been under heavy scrutiny by safety regulators for several years.
Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  (NHTSA) launched an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. Big questions remain about the driver-assist system's performance under adverse, yet naturally-occurring conditions such as fog, sun glare, rain, and snow.
When Musk, who spent about $275 million to help elect Trump, was appointed to head a newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), it raised more than a few eyebrows about his power and influence over the regulators who are supposed to oversee traffic safety, and therefore Tesla.
It didn’t help that the Trump administration followed Musk’s recommendations and relaxed crash-reporting requirements put in place since 2021, while also relaxing rules to accelerate the deployment of fully-automated robotaxis.
The Trump/Musk clash takes place just as Tesla is due to launch its robotaxi pilot progam in Texas later this month. While Trump is now threatening to pull billions of dollars in government subsidies and contracts from Musk’s companies, it’s unclear whether he might pressure the Department of Transportation to again tighten the regulatory screws on Tesla. What is clear is that Trump has never been a fan of electric vehicles and is already trying to end federal subsidies on EV purchases and leases. And while he had made a big deal about buying a bright red Tesla Model S back in March, Trump now says he wants to sell it.
Back to the tech
Meanwhile, Tesla is still required to respond to information and data requests from NHTSA regarding the safety of its robotaxis by July 1. And ultimately, it should come down to the performance of the technology.
For Autopilot and FSD, Tesla has opted for less expensive navigational tech relying on multiple onboard cameras that feed AI machine-learning models. But especially for so-called adverse driving conditions, it’s the more expensive technology relying on a blend of pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar) which has received the nod of regulators.
Waymo, the sole robotaxi service currently operating in the U.S., and Zoox, Amazon’s upcoming robotaxi service, both use that blend of navigational tech.
For its robotaxis, Tesla is said to have upped its game in terms of autonomous driving with its Hardware 4 (HW4) technology, which does include radar sensors and promises enhanced environmental perception.
Will that be enough for Tesla to convince regulators, catch up with Waymo, or compete effectively with Zoox?
We’ll have to wait and see.
Flying cars
In a recent edition, we noted that while consumer confidence about robotaxi technology is on the rise, most people also want more data before they hop into a self-driving vehicle.
What about flying taxis? According to a recent survey by Honeywell, nearly all U.S. airline fliers, or 98%, said they would consider using a so-called electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, as part of their travel journey.
But while the buzz around flying electric vehicles has mostly focused on air taxis— like Archer Aviation’s Midnight, expected to fly athletes around the 2028 LA Olympics, or Joby’s slick air taxi, backed by Toyota — one California startup is shooting for something a little more... driveable.
Meet Alef Aeronautics, a Bay Area company that wants to put the “car” back in “flying car.” This week, Alef announced it has received over 3,400 pre-orders for its electric flying vehicle, the Model A — and get this: it’s not a futuristic prototype gathering dust in a lab. Alef says production could begin by the end of 2025, or early next year.
On the ground, the Model A operates like a low-speed electric car, complete with hub motors in the wheels and—wait for it—a real steering wheel. You can legally drive it at up to 25 mph on public roads, parking it in a normal garage like any other EV. It’s refreshingly manual in an increasingly hands-free world.
But when it's time for lift off, the steering wheel takes a backseat. For vertical takeoff and flight, the Model A transforms into a drone-like aircraft. Its cabin rotates sideways to create lift, and eight electric rotors—controlled by a flight system and joysticks—take over. No pedals, no yoke, just a bit of joystick magic (or autopilot, if you prefer).
The Model A has already received the nod from regulators for test flights.
While the $300,000 price tag won’t fit everyone’s budget, the company is clearly betting on a future where you don’t have to choose between a car and a flying machine—you can have both.

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8 key things you need to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 event
From a fresh look and updated names, to new features, more intelligence and live translation
iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 shown on devices.

The WWDC 2025 keynote ran for just over an hour and a half. For those of you who don't fancy sitting through the whole presentation, we've pulled out the key things you need to know from the latest Apple event.

1. Welcome to the 26 club

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Tesla’s robotaxi service is almost here, but it’s not the car you want to see
Silver Tesla Model Y Juniper side

Tesla chief Elon Musk has said that the automaker is aiming to launch its robotaxi service on June 22, in Austin, Texas.

“Tentatively, June 22,” Musk said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding: “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.”

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