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General Motors Co.’s Cruise unit started offering rides with its self-driving taxi business in two more cities, expanding beyond San Francisco with cars now operating in Phoenix and in Austin, Texas.

The United Auto Workers filed a petition to gain union membership for the 900 workers at the Ultium Cells LLC battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, that is jointly owned by General Motors Co. and Korean partner LG Energy Solutions.

Autonomous vehicle companies and suppliers have collectively spent around $75 billion developing self-driving technology, with scant sign of meaningful revenue emerging from robocar services.

Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s driverless-vehicle unit, said it has carted in excess of 1 million pounds of Modelo and Corona beer over 220 miles a day to Houston from Dallas under a pilot program with C.H. Robinson for Constellation Brands Inc.

Auto sales to rental fleets used to be seen as a sign of failure. With the dawn of the electric vehicle age, that’s changing.

It was a bit surprising when Cruise, the autonomous vehicle startup that’s 80% owned by General Motors, said it planned to expand its robotaxi service to Phoenix and Austin over the next three months.

GM expects to make the electric model of its popular Chevrolet Equinox SUV available for sale in about a year with a $30,000 price tag.

The Inflation Reduction Act would give up to $40,000 tax credits per heavy-truck purchase, suggesting that competition to get the Tesla Semi to compete with Nikola will heat up.

General Motors Co. reported weaker second-quarter profit than analysts’ estimates as semiconductor shortages kept production volumes in check. The automaker also warned it is bracing for tougher times ahead.

General Motors Co. will start selling a battery-powered Chevrolet Blazer next year, giving it a direct competitor to Tesla Inc.’s Model Y, the nation’s best-selling electric SUV.