Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part.<\/em> To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free \u2014 just click TechCrunch Mobility<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n A quick heads-up to readers: I will not publish an issue next week due to the July 4th holiday. I will see you all the following week.\u00a0<\/p>\n A series of stories this week highlight the continued \u2014 and apparently growing \u2014 scrutiny of Tesla\u2019s<\/strong> automated driving system known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised). A fatal crash involving a Tesla that struck a home in Texas and killed a 76-year-old woman gained national attention after the driver told police that Autopilot \u2014 the company\u2019s basic driver-assistance system, which has since been discontinued \u2014 was engaged at the time of the crash.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ashok Elluswamy<\/strong>, vice president of AI software at Tesla, shared a different account of the crash, claiming<\/a> on X that the driver manually overrode \u201cself-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area.\u201d<\/p>\n His comments suggest the vehicle was equipped with FSD (Supervised), and not Autopilot, but without an independent investigation we don\u2019t know for sure. But we might, eventually.\u00a0<\/p>\n The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration<\/strong> (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board<\/strong> (NTSB) have now opened investigations<\/a> into the crash.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Tesla settled a lawsuit<\/a> connected to a fatal 2023 crash involving a vehicle using FSD (Supervised). This crash is part of a different NHTSA investigation into Tesla FSD focused on whether the system could \u201cdetect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions,\u201d such as \u201csun glare, fog, or airborne dust.\u201d<\/p>\n All of this attention comes as Tesla positions itself as an AI and robotics company. FSD (Supervised) is currently the most visible, revenue-generating product tied to that branding.<\/p>\n A reader who has shared tips with us before alerted me to a research report on Waymo<\/strong> and its growing fleet of Ojai robotaxis<\/a>. For a refresher, Waymo struck a supplier deal with Zeekr<\/strong>, the brand owned by China\u2019s Geely Holding Group<\/strong>, to provide it with an electric vehicle designed to operate as a robotaxi.<\/p>\n The minivan-like robotaxi was designed in Sweden and is manufactured in China. (These vehicles don\u2019t contain any vehicle communication modules; current U.S. policy bans Chinese-connected vehicle technology.) Once it gets to the U.S., Waymo takes over and adds in its self-driving system. The Ojai is equipped with Waymo\u2019s sixth-generation system \u2014 including 13 cameras, four lidar sensors, six radar units, and an array of external audio receivers.<\/p>\n The New York-based research firm MoffettNathanson<\/a> did a bit of gumshoeing to figure out how serious Waymo\u2019s Ojai program is. The firm examined Bill of Lading documents, which are detailed receipts of shipped goods that are filed with the U.S. government. The company counted Zeekr vehicle labels CM1e or CME, the company\u2019s label for Waymo-bound vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n MoffettNathanson, which shared its report with TechCrunch, discovered that Waymo is on pace to import 3,156 vehicles into the U.S. this year, about 300 vehicles per month.<\/p>\n Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at <\/em>kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com<\/em><\/a> or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O\u2019Kane at <\/em>sean.okane@techcrunch.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Aseon Labs<\/strong>, a Silicon Valley startup developing mobile pods that can autonomously inspect, clean, and charge robotaxis, raised $10 million<\/a> in a seed round led by Crane Venture Partners. Other participants included Y Combinator, Uber co-founder Garrett Camp\u2019s venture firm Expa, Robin Hood Ventures, and Founders Capital.<\/p>\n CaoCao<\/strong> and May Mobility<\/strong>, an autonomous vehicle technology startup, partnered<\/a> to jointly explore commercializing robotaxi services in international markets, beginning with Europe.<\/p>\n Elroy Air<\/strong>, the autonomous heavy-cargo \u200cdrone startup, plans to go public<\/a> through a merger with blank-check firm \u200bColumbus Circle Capital Corp II. The deal is valued at about $1 billion.<\/p>\n Partly<\/strong>, a company that creates AI tools for the automotive repair supply chain, raised $50 million<\/a> in a Series B round led by DST Global Partners.<\/p>\n Spiro<\/strong>, an African electric vehicle and clean energy infrastructure platform, finalized a $55 million investment <\/a>from NewTrails Capital, a Chinese growth-stage fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n Terawatt Infrastructure<\/strong>, a company that provides EV charging for fleets, including for Waymo and other autonomous and electric fleets, set up a five-year senior secured credit facility that could allow it to borrow as much as $300 million<\/a> from banks. The proceeds will support the acquisition and development of charging depots, the company said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Companies like Tesla<\/strong> and Zoox<\/strong> could get a boost from the U.S. Department of Transportation<\/strong>, which has proposed changes to federal vehicle regulations that would allow companies to skip the inclusion of brake pedals<\/a> in \u201cvehicles designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucid Motors<\/strong> is laying off 18% of its workforce<\/a>, or around 1,500 employees, and cutting the second shift of EV production at its factory in Casa Grande, Arizona. Reminder: The layoffs come just four months after the EV maker cut 12% of its staff. CEO Silvio Napoli said the cuts are part of an effort \u201cto simplify the company, sharpen execution, and position Lucid to become more competitive over time.\u201d In this pursuit to simplify, what will Lucid give up?\u00a0<\/p>\n Lyft<\/strong> CEO David Risher<\/strong> posted a blog<\/a> that got my attention. In it, he laid out the company\u2019s multi-sensor safety standard for autonomous rides. The upshot: Autonomous vehicles that use one type of sensor can\u2019t go on the Lyft network. I reached out to the company and they confirmed what this seemed to imply \u2014 vehicles like the Tesla Cybercab and Tesla robotaxis that use FSD (Unsupervised) won\u2019t qualify since they only use cameras. The rules don\u2019t apply to advanced driver-assistance systems, by the way. So all of those humans who drive Tesla vehicles on the Lyft app are not affected.<\/p>\n OpenAI<\/strong> hired away Uber<\/strong> India<\/strong> president Prabhjeet Singh to be its first managing director<\/a>.<\/p>\n Polestar<\/strong>, the Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer owned by Chinese automotive giant Geely, can no longer sell<\/a> its new cars in the U.S. market. The imported vehicles are restricted by a U.S. government law that bans Chinese connected car technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n Samsara<\/strong>, the\u00a0fleet management company, is rolling out business-card-sized sticky tracking labels to solve cargo theft<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Slate Auto<\/strong>\u2019s radically simple electric truck starts at $24,950<\/a>. Would you pay $25K for a two-seater truck with a 205-mile range, hand-crank windows, no infotainment system, and gray composite material finish (owners can order customizable wraps for the vehicle)? And climate tech reporter and in-house battery expert Tim De Chant explains why Slate changed the battery<\/a> in its cheap EV truck.\u00a0<\/p>\n Uber<\/strong> is facing a lawsuit by shareholders<\/a> that accuse the board and management of putting profits ahead of compliance and safety, decisions that have exposed the company and its shareholders to risk.<\/p>\n Waymo<\/strong> has set up an entity in Germany, which German news outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung<\/a> first reported. The company registration filing makes it pretty clear that it\u2019s gearing up to launch a robotaxi service in the country. However, this doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s imminent, insiders tell me. Meanwhile, Waymo has dropped its waitlist in Nashville<\/a>, a move that opens up its service to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zoox<\/strong> gave its custom-built robotaxis a makeover<\/a> as it prepares for commercial service and larger-scale production at its Hayward, California, facility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\nA little bird<\/h2>\n
Deals!<\/h2>\n
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Notable reads and other tidbits<\/h2>\n
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