Enlarge / Toyota has shown us plenty of electric vehicle concepts and renderings but last year built just 24,000 battery EVs. (credit: Toyota)

It's all change at the top of the world's largest car maker. Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder and CEO since 2009, is being replaced by former Lexus boss Koji Sato as Toyota's new president and CEO. Toyoda will assume the role of company chairman.

The management changes are seen in large part as the company responding to a need to embrace battery-electric vehicles, a huge growth area in the industry but one that Toyota has seemingly neglected in favor of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

At a press conference, Sato and his new management team faced many questions about the company's BEV strategy—or lack thereof. BEVs are important to the company, but "this is by no means a rapid change of direction toward BEVs," Sato said.

Enlarge / Toyota has shown us plenty of electric vehicle concepts and renderings but last year built just 24,000 battery EVs. (credit: Toyota)

It's all change at the top of the world's largest car maker. Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder and CEO since 2009, is being replaced by former Lexus boss Koji Sato as Toyota's new president and CEO. Toyoda will assume the role of company chairman.

The management changes are seen in large part as the company responding to a need to embrace battery-electric vehicles, a huge growth area in the industry but one that Toyota has seemingly neglected in favor of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

At a press conference, Sato and his new management team faced many questions about the company's BEV strategy—or lack thereof. BEVs are important to the company, but "this is by no means a rapid change of direction toward BEVs," Sato said.

Enlarge / Toyota has shown us plenty of electric vehicle concepts and renderings but last year built just 24,000 battery EVs. (credit: Toyota)

It's all change at the top of the world's largest car maker. Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder and CEO since 2009, is being replaced by former Lexus boss Koji Sato as Toyota's new president and CEO. Toyoda will assume the role of company chairman.

The management changes are seen in large part as the company responding to a need to embrace battery-electric vehicles, a huge growth area in the industry but one that Toyota has seemingly neglected in favor of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

At a press conference, Sato and his new management team faced many questions about the company's BEV strategy—or lack thereof. BEVs are important to the company, but "this is by no means a rapid change of direction toward BEVs," Sato said.

Enlarge / SpaceX has built a site to launch the world's largest rocket in South Texas. (credit: SpaceX)

Everything is bigger in Texas, or so the saying goes. When it comes to investing in commercial space, it just might be true.

As part of the state's biennial budget process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called on the state legislature to provide $350 million to create and fund a Texas Space Commission for the next two years.

"With companies seeking to expand space travel in coming years, continued development of the space industry in the state will ensure Texas remains at the forefront not only in the United States, but the entire world," Abbott stated in his budget document for the 88th Legislature. "Further investment will cement Texas as the preeminent location for innovation and development in this rapidly growing industry. Due to increased competition from other states and internationally, further planning and coordination is needed to keep Texas at the cutting edge."

Enlarge / SpaceX has built a site to launch the world's largest rocket in South Texas. (credit: SpaceX)

Everything is bigger in Texas, or so the saying goes. When it comes to investing in commercial space, it just might be true.

As part of the state's biennial budget process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called on the state legislature to provide $350 million to create and fund a Texas Space Commission for the next two years.

"With companies seeking to expand space travel in coming years, continued development of the space industry in the state will ensure Texas remains at the forefront not only in the United States, but the entire world," Abbott stated in his budget document for the 88th Legislature. "Further investment will cement Texas as the preeminent location for innovation and development in this rapidly growing industry. Due to increased competition from other states and internationally, further planning and coordination is needed to keep Texas at the cutting edge."

Enlarge / SpaceX has built a site to launch the world's largest rocket in South Texas. (credit: SpaceX)

Everything is bigger in Texas, or so the saying goes. When it comes to investing in commercial space, it just might be true.

As part of the state's biennial budget process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called on the state legislature to provide $350 million to create and fund a Texas Space Commission for the next two years.

"With companies seeking to expand space travel in coming years, continued development of the space industry in the state will ensure Texas remains at the forefront not only in the United States, but the entire world," Abbott stated in his budget document for the 88th Legislature. "Further investment will cement Texas as the preeminent location for innovation and development in this rapidly growing industry. Due to increased competition from other states and internationally, further planning and coordination is needed to keep Texas at the cutting edge."

Enlarge / Baidu is leading the ChatGPT AI charge in China with plans to incorporate its Ernie chatbot into its search engine from next month. (credit: SOPA Images via Getty )

China’s tech giants, including Baidu, Alibaba, and NetEase, are racing to match the West’s recent developments in artificial intelligence, touting projects that they hope will achieve the same buzz created by the release of ChatGPT.

After months of announcing cost cuts and headcount reductions, big groups are now optimistically presenting investment plans to rival OpenAI’s chatbot, while trademark trolls are lining up to claim words related to ChatGPT’s achievements.

Zhou Hongyi, head of Internet security company Qihoo 360, characterized ChatGPT, a program that produces realistic text answers to questions posed by humans, as the start of the artificial intelligence revolution. “It has shortcomings but also unlimited potential,” he said in a talk-show discussion last week.

Enlarge / Baidu is leading the ChatGPT AI charge in China with plans to incorporate its Ernie chatbot into its search engine from next month. (credit: SOPA Images via Getty )

China’s tech giants, including Baidu, Alibaba, and NetEase, are racing to match the West’s recent developments in artificial intelligence, touting projects that they hope will achieve the same buzz created by the release of ChatGPT.

After months of announcing cost cuts and headcount reductions, big groups are now optimistically presenting investment plans to rival OpenAI’s chatbot, while trademark trolls are lining up to claim words related to ChatGPT’s achievements.

Zhou Hongyi, head of Internet security company Qihoo 360, characterized ChatGPT, a program that produces realistic text answers to questions posed by humans, as the start of the artificial intelligence revolution. “It has shortcomings but also unlimited potential,” he said in a talk-show discussion last week.

Enlarge / Baidu is leading the ChatGPT AI charge in China with plans to incorporate its Ernie chatbot into its search engine from next month. (credit: SOPA Images via Getty )

China’s tech giants, including Baidu, Alibaba, and NetEase, are racing to match the West’s recent developments in artificial intelligence, touting projects that they hope will achieve the same buzz created by the release of ChatGPT.

After months of announcing cost cuts and headcount reductions, big groups are now optimistically presenting investment plans to rival OpenAI’s chatbot, while trademark trolls are lining up to claim words related to ChatGPT’s achievements.

Zhou Hongyi, head of Internet security company Qihoo 360, characterized ChatGPT, a program that produces realistic text answers to questions posed by humans, as the start of the artificial intelligence revolution. “It has shortcomings but also unlimited potential,” he said in a talk-show discussion last week.