Serve Robotics launches Physical AI Services for robot builders

Serve Robotics launches Physical AI Services for robot builders

2 min read•Nov 6, 2026•
Anna Kowalski
Anna Kowalski

Serve Robotics is launching Physical AI Services to sell its connectivity and data tools to other robot builders, first reported by TechCrunch. The move gives companies a way to connect robots to data-center AI, sift field data for edge cases and use a data catalog built from Serve's sidewalk robots.

Physical AI Services adds a business line rather than replacing Serve's robot operations. CEO and co-founder Ali Kashani said the delivery and hospital-robot businesses are not going away, and that opening the technology to others would not have been possible without first developing Serve's own robot fleet.

The line has three products. Serve Link connects robots in the field to AI systems running in data centers, potentially letting customers use more powerful models without putting all the computing power onboard. A data curator helps companies find edge cases in real-world robot data and feed them into a training model to improve performance. The third product is a real-world foundation-model data catalog built from Serve's sidewalk robots to teach AI models to understand complex human environments.

Bedrock Robotics, a startup developing self-driving systems for construction equipment, is a customer, according to Serve. Serve is also working with T-Mobile to bring AI computing power closer to robots.

Serve is offering tools to other builders while drawing on its own robots: its sidewalk fleet supplies the data catalog, and the new line sells connectivity and data services. Kashani said the approach follows a playbook he learned from Amazon: build an end-to-end application first, then open the technology as others seek to build similar systems.

Serve spun out of Uber's acquisition of Postmates in 2021 and went public in 2024. Its sidewalk delivery business is expanding while shifting away from Uber toward other partners, including DoorDash and Wonder.

Plug-in vehicles reach 32% of global registrations in September

Plug-in vehicles reached 32% of global registrations in September, first reported by Cleantechnica. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 23% of registrations and set a record at 1.54 million, up 8% year over year, while plug-in hybrids fell 9%; year to date in 2026, BEVs were up 12% and PHEVs down 10%.

Global plug-in registrations rose 3% year over year to around 2.16 million in September, close to the all-time record of 2.17 million set last December.

Year to date, plug-in registrations were up 4% year over year: BEVs grew 12%, while PHEVs fell 10%. Their combined share for 2026 stood at 25%, with BEVs at 18% and PHEVs at 7%. The overall growth rate therefore hides a clear split between the two categories.

The Tesla Model Y led the model rankings with a record 165,000 registrations, up 17% year over year. Tesla Model 3 came second with 65,000, enough to move ahead of Geely Xingyuan and BYD Song despite a 4% annual decline.

BYD Song finished fourth at 54,519 registrations, up 19% and the fastest growth rate among the top five. An export push and the new-generation Ultra body helped lift the model.

At the make level, Tesla had a record 232,000 registrations, up 9% year over year. Toyota reached 61,332 for its fourth record in a row, finishing ahead of Volkswagen’s year-best 58,000 to become September’s best-selling legacy make.