Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility<\/strong>, your hub for all things \u201cfuture of transportation.\u201d To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free \u2014 just click TechCrunch Mobility<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n Seven or eight years ago, anyone consuming business tech news might have come across the phrase \u201cthe race to build autonomous vehicles.\u201d In private conversations, company execs and startup founders I spoke to sometimes referred to the commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology as \u201ca race.\u201d The phrase seeped into reporting at the time \u2014 including some of my articles.\u00a0<\/p>\n What we\u2019ve learned is that this is not a race so much as a long, curved, and fragmented road \u2014 one that looks more like the fan of an alluvial plain than a racetrack \u2014 to develop and prove the technology works and<\/em> make it a profitable business. It\u2019s not a race against others as much as an internal contest with existential stakes.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t real battlegrounds among those working on the technology, especially with robotaxis. Many might point to the number of cities a company has launched in as one indicator. I believe that while helpful, it\u2019s a bit too vague and easy to manipulate.<\/p>\n Two recent news items got me thinking about more narrow and specific battlegrounds within cities: airports and public transit.<\/p>\n Airports were critical to the success of ride-hailing companies. Robotaxis are no different. Today, Waymo offers rides to and from Phoenix\u2019s Sky Harbor Airport. And it\u2019s clearly looking to unlock more.<\/p>\n This week, Waymo<\/strong> was granted a permit to start testing its autonomous vehicles at San Francisco International Airport, ahead of the launch of a commercial service. This comes just two weeks after Waymo was cleared to start testing at nearby San Jose Mineta International Airport<\/a> \u2014 and as Tesla<\/strong> is also trying to elbow its way into offering ride-hail service to these airports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> Meanwhile, Waymo and transit software company Via<\/strong> struck a deal <\/a>that could have far-reaching implications for cities. Government agencies that use Via\u2019s software for public transit will be able to fold Waymo\u2019s robotaxis directly into their public transit networks. The first city will be Phoenix suburb Chandler through its Chandler Flex fleet of on-demand, shared vehicle fleet.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is meaningful, in terms of reach, although it may not be a cash cow for Waymo in the short term. As a Waymo spokesperson explained to me: When a traditional Chandler Flex vehicle isn\u2019t available, riders may have the choice to book a trip with Waymo. Should a person choose to ride with Waymo, Chandler Flex will direct them to the Waymo app to hail a fully autonomous ride at a reduced price of $2 or less. At such a low price, it\u2019s hard to see how this will push Waymo\u2019s balance sheet into the black.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s an important volume play. And Via CEO Daniel Ramot indicated in one interview <\/a>that he hopes this spreads to hundreds of cities.<\/p>\n I gave you three little birds last week, and this week\u00a0\u2026 welp, none that I could verify. Don\u2019t fret \u2014 there will be more in the future.<\/p>\n Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at\u00a0<\/em>kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or Sean O\u2019Kane at\u00a0<\/em>sean.okane@techcrunch.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n U.K. startup Wayve<\/strong> has garnered buzz for locking up deals \u2014 and capital \u2014 for its generalized end-to-end approach to automated driving technology. You might recall that a year ago, Wayve raised $1.05 billion in a Series C round with SoftBank Group, Microsoft, and Nvidia participating.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wayve is now working on a Series D round, and it appears that Nvidia<\/strong> is ready to plunk down more capital. In a letter of intent, which the two companies recently signed, Nvidia said it will evaluate making a $500 million strategic investment<\/a> in Wayve\u2019s next round. I spoke to Wayve CEO Alex Kendall, and he wouldn\u2019t say exactly when this round is expected to close. But he did say \u201cwe\u2019re working quickly towards it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Other deals that got my attention \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Divergent Technologies<\/strong> was once solidly in the automotive sector. These days, the advanced manufacturing company has positioned itself as a defense company and has locked up deals with Lockheed Martin, RTX, and General Dynamics. Now it\u2019s raised $290 million<\/a>, including $40 million in debt, to expand production of missile parts and other specialized components for the military.<\/p>\n EV Realty<\/strong>, a startup focused on providing charging for semitrucks, raised $75 million<\/a> in a round led by private equity investor NGP. The startup will use the funds to build additional charging hubs throughout California.<\/p>\n Moove<\/strong>, the African vehicle-financing startup backed by Uber, is trying to raise more than $300 million in a round<\/a> with a post-valuation of more than $2 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources.<\/p>\n XL Batteries<\/strong>, a Marlborough, Massachusetts-based startup developing flow batteries for energy storage, raised $7.5 million<\/a> from Merrin Investors.<\/p>\n Hyundai Motor Group<\/strong> <\/strong>is intent on growing, and North America is central to its plan. During its investor day, the Korean automaker said it wants to increase annual sales <\/a>from 4.17 million in 2025 to 5.55 million by 2030. In the short term (meaning for this year), the company shared new targets for an increase in revenue of between 5% and 6% and an operating profit margin of between 6% and 7%.\u00a0<\/p>\n To get there, Hyundai is investing capital, including putting $2.7 billion over three years into expanding the total production capacity of the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia. The company said \u201celectrified vehicles\u201d (that includes 18 new hybrid models by 2030) are expected to account for 60%\u00a0of total sales, reaching 3.3 million units, with significant growth anticipated in North America, Europe, and Korea.<\/p>\n Rivian<\/strong> officially broke ground<\/a> on its long-planned factory near Atlanta.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stellantis<\/strong> ended plans<\/a> to produce the all-electric Ram 1500 REV pickup truck, citing low demand for full-size EV trucks; however, it\u2019s holding on to the extended-range Ramcharger, which is now confusingly being renamed to Ram 1500 REV.<\/p>\n Tesla<\/strong> said it will redesign its door handles<\/a> so they\u2019re less likely to trap people inside their cars. The decision came a day after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation<\/a> into claims that Tesla\u2019s door handles become inoperable in certain situations on Model Y SUVs. It also follows an investigation by Bloomberg that exposed the problem.<\/p>\n Meanwhile in Australia, Tesla recalled Powerwall 2 home batteries<\/a> in the country after the company received reports of fires that led to \u201cminor property damage.\u201d<\/p>\n Uber<\/strong> will test using drones<\/a> for Uber Eats deliveries in some U.S. markets by the end of this year, part of a new partnership with Israeli startup Flytrex.<\/p>\n Waymo<\/strong> is launching a commercial robotaxi service<\/a> in Nashville in 2026, and it\u2019s partnering with Lyft<\/strong> to expand its reach.<\/p>\n Speaking of Wayve<\/strong>, I thought it was worth reminding y\u2019all that the startup\u2019s co-founder and CEO, Alex Kendall, <\/a>will be joining us onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. The event will be held October 27 to October 29 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Register here<\/a> to join more than 10,000 startup and VC leaders at Disrupt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 27-29, 2025<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA little bird<\/h2>\n
Deals!<\/h2>\n
![\"money](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/money-the-station.png?w=680\")
Notable reads and other tidbits<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-station-ride-hailing1.png?w=680\")
One more thing \u2026<\/h2>\n