Uber drivers in San Francisco can rent cars from Maven in test program

By Bruce Brown Published November 4, 2016

General Motors isn’t wasting time expanding the Maven car sharing service. Shortly after announcing Maven’s expansion to Los Angeles, making a total of eight cities, Maven is now embarking on a 90-day pilot program in which Uber drivers can rent GM vehicles, according to Reuters.

The Uber rental program is only available to drivers in San Francisco during the test, but that’s usually how these test programs are carried out. Uber North American and Canadian regional general manager Rachel Holt said the program is only in San Francisco “for now.” If it works out, you can expect Maven will flip the switch to turn on the program in the other cities it serves, including Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. San Francisco is now the ninth Maven city.

Recommended Videos

Uber drivers will be able to rent new GM cars for $179 plus taxes and fees. Exactly what is meant by “fees” wasn’t disclosed, but Holt added that drivers who use the cars for personal use will not have to pay additional fees.

Lyft has a similar program with GM and Hertz called Express Drive. Spokespeople from both GM and Lyft said that the Express Drive program was similar to the Maven and Uber pilot test, with comparable prices. Lyft’s Sheila Bryson said, “It’s expected that vehicle access programs have multiple partners.”

General Motors, like Ford, Daimler, BMW, and Toyota, is exploring multiple paradigm-shifting mobility services. The individual car ownership model won’t disappear anytime soon, but ride sharing, ride-hailing, and car sharing are building blocks for the concept of “cars as a service” (CaaS).

In expanding to Los Angeles, GM noted that it saw the program as a way to make money while giving potential customers extended test rides. The cars in the L.A. program are new Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC vehicles, typically loaded with options so hourly Maven renters, who typically pay $6 to $8 per hours, get a look at and hands-on experience with the latest GM features. If the same types of vehicles are rented to Uber drivers in San Francisco both the drivers and their many passengers will be exposed to new, loaded GM cars.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

Topics

Cars

Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?

jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii 4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Cars

Tesla just scrapped the Cybertruck range extender

Tesla CEO Elon Musk behind the wheel of a Cybertruck.

The writing was pretty much on the wall for the Cybertruck range extender last month when Tesla removed the option from its website. Now, it’s officially scrapped it and is refunding the $2,000 deposits that customers put down for the $16,000 battery pack.

“We are no longer planning to sell the range extender for Cybertruck," Tesla said in a message to customers on Wednesday, adding, "As a result, we will be refunding your deposit in full.”

Cars

Zoox recalls robotaxis after Las Vegas crash, citing software fix

Amazon's self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, has issued a voluntary safety recall after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a minor collision in Las Vegas. The incident, which occurred in April 2025, led the company to investigate and identify a software issue affecting how the robotaxi anticipates another vehicle’s path.
The recall, affecting 270 Zoox-built vehicles, was formally filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Zoox said the issue has already been addressed through a software update that was remotely deployed to its fleet.
Zoox’s robotaxis, which operate without driving controls like a steering wheel or pedals, are part of Amazon’s entry into the autonomous driving space. According to Zoox’s safety recall report, the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making an unprotected left turn, leading to a low-speed collision with a regular passenger car. While damage was minor, the event raised flags about the system’s behavior in complex urban scenarios.
Establishing safety and reliability remain key factors in the deployment of the relatively new autonomous ride-hailing technology. Alphabet-owned Waymo continues to lead the sector in both safety and operational scale, with services active in multiple cities including Phoenix and San Francisco. But GM’s Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI were forced to abandon operations over the past few years.
Tesla is also expected to enter the robotaxi race with the launch of its own service in June 2025, leveraging its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While FSD has faced heavy regulatory scrutiny through last year, safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, says it issued the recall voluntarily as part of its commitment to safety. “It’s essential that we remain transparent about our processes and the collective decisions we make,” the company said in a statement.