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Lyft gets exclusive pickup zone as Sphere's rideshare partner. The Sphere is seen reflected in a rearview mirror along Twain Avenue on Monday, March 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto Las Vegas Review-Journal September 16, 2026 - 9:55 am Gift this article Sphere has inked a multiyear marketing deal with ride-hailing giant Lyft, naming it the official rideshare partner of the immersive arena. The deal, announced Wednesday, includes adding Lyft signage inside and outside of Sphere and a creating a dedicated pickup and drop-off zone in the arena's rideshare lot. "At Sphere, we welcome guests from around the world, offering brands unparalleled opportunities to connect with a global audience," Marcus Ellington, executive vice president, ad sales and sponsorships at Sphere, said in a statement. "Lyft has built one of the most widely used rideshare platforms, connecting people to the places and experiences that matter most to them," he said. "This partnership provides Lyft meaningful visibility across Sphere's global platform while extending best-in-class services to our guests." As part of the deal, Lyft will also receive brand exposure at events at Sphere, including during musical act residencies held at the more than $2 billion facility. "Sphere is redefining what live entertainment can be, and we want getting there to feel just as extraordinary and joyful to our customers," Jordan Glassberg, vice president of Partnerships for Lyft, said in a statement. "This partnership puts Lyft at the center of that journey from the moment someone requests a ride to the moment they walk through Sphere's doors, we're focused on making it seamless, safe, and genuinely exciting." Sphere also has a deal with autonomous vehicle company Zoox and named it the official autonomous ride-hail partner of the arena. LOCAL NEWS YOUR WAY

Amazon's Zoox and Alphabet's Waymo are expanding their robotaxi operations to more US cities. Zoox will begin mapping and testing in Houston and San Diego, bringing its presence to 12 locations. The company launched paid rides in Las Vegas in August after previously offering free testing rides. Waymo is introducing public rides in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, expanding its service to 14 cities. Both companies are targeting San Diego, though Zoox remains in testing whilst Waymo begins commercial operations. Waymo also plans to test autonomous vehicles in Munich before a proposed commercial launch in Germany by late 2027. Neither company disclosed potential revenue from the new markets. The expansion allows both firms to test technology under varied conditions and reach more customers.

Amazon's EV robotaxi service Zook is set to arrive in Houston. Sep 7, 2026, 8:49 am Amazon-owned electric robotaxi ride-hailing service Zoox is zooming into Houston in September. Initially, self-driving retrofitted SUVs with safety drivers on board will serve downtown Houston, centrally located tourist hotspots, and certain residential neighborhoods. The SUVs will test Houston roads before Zoox rolls out autonomous robotaxis, the company says. Zoox takes Houston for a test drive. At the outset, Zoox says, a limited number of vehicles will be driven by people to gather data about Houston roads. "This helps create a detailed picture of each street, from road geometry to traffic lights," the company says. "Once we have mapped out an area, we will test autonomous driving capabilities. Safety and operational readiness govern the pace of our rollout." Zoox says its robotaxi differs from vehicles operated by other ride-hailing services. The all-electric robotaxi "is purpose-built for autonomous ride-hailing and designed for riders from day one," the company says. "It has no traditional driving controls and instead has carriage-style seating, sliding glass doors, and features that let the rider personalize their journey." To help manage the fleet, Zoox plans to open a depot in Houston for vehicle charging and maintenance, a representative says via email. Along with Houston, Zoox is launching this month in San Diego. The ride-hailing service already operates in Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Zoox breaks into "sprawling" Houston market. Zoox describes Houston as its "most sprawling market to date." "Driving here means navigating complex service-road networks, unique merging scenarios, and challenging environmental conditions, including severe heat, heavy rain, and urban flooding," the company says. "It's a rigorous test of our technology across geography and terrain." Zoox will join two other autonomous ride-hailing services in Houston: * Waymo began rolling in Houston in February. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, owns Waymo. * Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla began offering robotaxi services earlier this year. A third Zoox competitor is arriving within the next year. A partnership comprising rideshare provider Uber, EV manufacturer Lucid, and autonomous technology company Nuro plans to launch a robotaxi service in Houston by mid-2027. fresh funding Must-attend meetings EnergyCapitalHTX emails are awesome. A View from HETI. The View from HETI coming soon Sep 4, 2026, 9:00 am Crews have broken ground on the forthcoming 347-megawatt direct-current SunRoper Solar project in Wharton County, Texas, that will add capacity to the ERCOT grid. The solar project, which is slated to begin operations in December 2027, will provide electricity to an undisclosed Fortune 100 company under a long-term power purchase agreement, according to a news release. San Antonio's OCI Energy and Israel's Arava Power are developing the project. It's being financed by ING Capital and constructed by Louisiana-based WHC Inc. The project received $394 million in construction financing in February. "SunRoper demonstrates how strategic partnerships can help meet Texas' growing demand for electricity through investments in critical energy infrastructure," Sabah Bayatli, president of OCI Energy, said in the release. Project partners, landowners and company executives attended a groundbreaking event for SunRoper on Sept. 1 at the site outside of the Houston metro area. The companies say they are advancing this energy project to strengthen grid reliability and to help deliver affordable power to one of the highest-demand areas in the state. "WHC is proud to serve as EPC contractor on the SunRoper Solar project, bringing our construction expertise to bear on a facility that will deliver meaningful power to the Houston region," Randel Badeaux, president of power North America for WHC, added in the news release. "This groundbreaking reflects months of careful planning and coordination with OCI Energy, Arava Power and our project partners, and we look forward to executing a safe, high-quality build through to completion in 2027." OCI Energy currently operates several utility-scale solar and battery energy storage system projects outside of the San Antonio area, and has five other projects under construction outside of San Antonio and Waco, with more than 30 under development in Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, Colorado and Alberta, Canada. The company also has existing projects in New Jersey and Georgia.