Latest news with #SeanO'Kane
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TechCrunch Mobility: The Tesla robotaxi Rorschach test and Redwood's next big act
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Less than a week ago, Tesla robotaxis began rolling out and giving rides to invited customers in Austin. As Sean O'Kane and I wrote this week, the rollout is the first big test of CEO Elon Musk's belief that it's possible to safely deploy fully autonomous vehicles using just cameras and end-to-end AI — an approach that differs from other players in the space, like Waymo. By all accounts (including Tesla's), this is a limited first run. The operating area covers South Austin, the fleet of vehicles is fewer than 20, and there is still a safety 'monitor' sitting in the front passenger seat. That doesn't mean there was a subdued reaction. Social media provided a flurry of video and personal accounts — from riders and onlookers — of the robotaxis milling about Austin. And in numerous cases, the vehicles appeared to be violating traffic laws such as moving across double yellow lines into the oncoming traffic lane and abruptly hitting the brakes in the middle of intersections. The videos prompted federal safety regulators to reach out to Tesla and ask for information on the deployment. The reaction to the Tesla robotaxi rollout — and more specifically, to the videos on social — provided an informative view on just how polarizing the company is. As O'Kane quipped to me the other day, 'It's like a Rorschach test.' Tesla's robotaxi rides are either evidence of the company's hubris and Musk's broken promises on automated driving, or the beginning of the end for Waymo, Uber, and Lyft. Here's what gets closer to the truth: One week in, and we have a lot of noise and very little signal. Let's get into the rest of the news. On the back of a series of executive departures over the past year, we're hearing that Tesla is planning another round of layoffs across the company this month. CEO Elon Musk spent the last year working on politics, which culminated in a dramatic exit from his duties as head of DOGE. Now he's poised to bring that slash-and-burn energy to his own organization and DOGE-ifying the team at Tesla, with low performers on the chopping block, according to one source who is connected to the company. Meanwhile, Tesla is pushing ahead on Cybercab production. One source noted it's created a pressure-cooker environment that has caused some employees to leave the company. Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O'Kane at or Rebecca Bellan at Or check out these instructions to learn how to contact us via encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop. The news cycle this week is giving me 2016 vibes. Take this deal involving Uber co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick. Kalanick is reportedly working with investors to buy the U.S. arm of Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony AI, and Uber might even help make it happen. That's an interesting move. In 2017, Kalanick was pressured to resign due to reports that he fostered a toxic workplace culture rife with sexual harassment, among other complaints. His resignation came a year after Uber purchased Otto, the self-driving trucks startup co-founded by Anthony Levandowski (CEO Pronto AI), Lior Ron (CEO Uber Freight), Don Burnette (founder of Kodiak Robotics), and Claire Delaunay (former Nvidia, former farm-ng CTO, and current seed investor). That deal, which was absorbed into what became Uber ATG, was controversial from the start and ultimately led to Waymo suing Uber over trade secrets theft. Fast-forward eight years: Waymo and Uber are on friendly business terms, and Kalanick is still wondering, 'What if?' The founder has been pretty vocal about saying Uber would have its own self-driving fleet had he still been in charge. Then there's Pony, which has operations in the U.S. that are at risk due to national security rules. The company has been poised to sell off its U.S. arm since at least 2022. Nascent Materials, a new startup developing cathode materials to drive down the cost of LFP batteries, raised $2.3 million in a seed round led by SOSV. The New Jersey Innovation Evergreen Fund and UM6P Ventures also participated. Raphe mPhibr, the Indian drone startup, raised $100 million in an all-equity Series B round led by General Catalyst. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent Ford a lengthy list of questions about its hands-free driver-assistance system BlueCruise as part of an investigation that started more than one year ago following two fatal crashes involving the software. There was a time when AV startups tried to avoid talking about remote driving as a means of supporting its driverless tech. Now companies are openly talking about it. Take self-driving trucks company Kodiak Robotics and Vay, a remote driving startup out of Berlin. The two companies, which announced a partnership this week, have been working together since last year. Waymo and Uber have officially entered another market. The companies, which launched the 'Waymo on Uber' service in Austin earlier this year, are now operating in a 65-square-mile area of Atlanta. On top of that, Uber Eats launched sidewalk delivery robots in Atlanta with Serve Robotics, an Uber spinout that went public last year. The upshot: Momentum seems to be building for all three companies. Uber is turning into the network connector to autonomous tech (it has 18 AV partnerships globally). Waymo is the robotaxi market leader. It provides 250,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across five major cities. With Atlanta joining that list and expansions in its existing markets, that figure has surely exceeded the 300,000 mark. And Atlanta marks Serve's fourth commercial city as it works to scale to 2,000 bots on sidewalks by the end of 2025. Redwood Materials is launching an energy storage business that will leverage the thousands of EV batteries it has collected from its battery-recycling business to provide power to companies. And it's starting with — what else? — AI data centers. Rivian has laid off 140 employees ahead of its launch of the more affordable R2 SUV in 2026. The manufacturing team was hit the hardest. Tesla's top sales executive has reportedly gotten the boot from Elon Musk. Omead Afshar was one of Musk's closest confidants who just this week was posting on X about the 'historic day for Tesla' when the company rolled out its robotaxis in Austin. There was a moment around 2017 when Intel appeared poised to become a dominant player in automotive. The company had acquired Mobileye, and its VC arm was investing millions into the sector. It was part of the future of transportation conversation. Now Intel is saying goodbye to its automotive architecture business — including its AI-enhanced system-on-chip design for vehicles that had been set for production by the end of 2025 — and laying off most of its staff as part of a broader restructure.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TechCrunch Mobility: Uber Freight's AI bet, Tesla's robotaxi caveat, and Nikola's trucks hit the auction block
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! For those U.S.-based readers out there, enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend, and if you're on the road, expect it to be crowded. AAA projects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period, from Thursday to Monday. About 39.4 million of those folks will use a car. Let's get to it! This edition has news on loads of companies, including Aurora, Uber, Tesla, and Waymo. Plus, a number of startups you may be interested in. Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O'Kane at or Rebecca Bellan at Or check out these instructions to learn how to contact us via encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop. Luminar, the lidar startup turned SPAC, appears to be grasping for capital. Why else would the company make a deal with Yorkville Advisors Global that could bring another $200 million into its coffers through the sale of convertible preferred stock over an 18-month period? Under the terms, Luminar will issue $35 million in convertible preferred stock to the investors. Luminar may issue additional tranches in amounts of up to $35 million no more than every 60 days at a purchase price equal to 96% of the stated value of the convertible preferred stock. You might recall Luminar's board recently replaced founder Austin Russell as its CEO. The company is also going through another restructuring — its third in a year. Other deals that got my attention … SparkCharge, which offers what it calls 'charging-as-a-service' for fleets, raised $15.5 million in a Series A-1 round led by Monte's Fam, with participation from Cleveland Avenue, Collab Capital, Elemental Impact, MarcyPen, and non sibi ventures. Alongside the equity round, SparkCharge also secured a $15 million venture loan from Horizon Technology Finance Corp. Sylndr, a Cairo-based online used car sales startup that is expanding into auto financing, servicing, and tools for dealers, raised $15.7 million. The round was led by Development Partners International's Nclude Fund. The startup also raised nearly $10 million in debt financing from local banks in the past year. Is an auction a deal? Perhaps for someone. Nikola's hydrogen trucks, which have a value of about $114 million, are up for auction — one of the company's last steps in unloading all of its assets after filing for bankruptcy in February. Aurora has put human 'observers' in its self-driving trucks at the request of its partner PACCAR, a disclosure that has some scratching their heads about the move. To be clear, these 'observers' are not human safety operators, meaning they can't intervene. An Aurora spokesperson confirmed and noted they have a different role than the human safety operators in the company's supervised hauls. This news prompted folks to send me a slew of messages with questions like 'Why?' and 'What's the point?' Einride founder Robert Falck is stepping down from the role of CEO. Einride's CFO, Roozbeh Charli, will take over the role of chief executive effective immediately. Reliable Robotics, the autonomous aviation company, appointed Marc Stoll as its new CFO. Stoll is the former VP of Finance at Apple and partner at Eclipse Ventures. Zoox has completed the 'initial mapping phase' and will begin testing its self-driving vehicles in Atlanta later this summer. The California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo's request to expand its commercial robotaxi service area into more communities south of San Francisco. Meanwhile, Waymo and Uber plan to start offering robotaxi rides in Atlanta to select customers who signed onto a waitlist earlier this year. Tesla plans to limit where its robotaxis operate in Austin, Texas, to specific areas the company deems 'the safest,' according to Elon Musk. Using a geofence represents a major strategy shift for Musk, who spent years claiming his company would be able to create a general-purpose self-driving solution that could be dropped into any location and work without human supervision. Arc unveiled a new electric boat called the Arc Coast, a $168,000 watercraft with a center console design. Senate Republicans have voted to overturn a waiver that allowed California to set stricter air pollution standards for vehicles. The state has received waivers more than 100 times since federal laws granted the right some 50 years ago. Uber plans to launch a B2B logistics service in India through a partnership with a government-backed nonprofit that aims to break the domination of Flipkart, the e-commerce giant backed by Amazon and Walmart. Uber Freight recently launched a suite of AI features to shippers around the world as part of its existing supply chain software. That includes an expansion of Insights AI, which Uber Freight quietly launched in 2023, as well as more than 30 AI agents built to 'execute key logistics tasks throughout the freight lifecycle.' Senior reporter Sean O'Kane interviewed CEO Lior Ron about the company's dive into AI — including the how, why, and what's next. Yup, 'This week's wheels' is back with Rebecca Bellan, who writes about her time on the new Heybike Alpha, a sturdy, fat-tire, all-terrain e-bike with a $1,699 price tag. The entire review can be read here. For those who want the highlights: The Alpha ticked a lot of boxes for Bellan — notably the mid-drive motor with torque sensor and long-lasting battery. There were some frustrations, though, too. Putting the bike together, the app, and outsized horn were disappointments. But generally, Rebecca felt the Alpha was an excellent all-around e-bike, whether you want to take it on off-road adventures or use it in the city to do your weekly Trader Joe's shopping. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TechCrunch Mobility: Inside Waymo's deal with SFO, Elon's moment of truth, and BYD's breakthrough
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Before we jump into the news, just a quick bit of housekeeping. I'm putting 'This week's wheels' on hiatus for a few weeks as I get into more EVs, hybrids, e-bikes, and robotaxis. Stay tuned! Waymo reached a deal with the San Francisco Airport Commission — and by extension the city — to use its vehicles to map the airport roadways. That news received widespread coverage because of the potential for the city to eventually give Waymo permission to expand its robotaxi service to the airport. For now, this only covers mapping and the vehicles will be manually driven. Some little birds shared with us the terms of the agreement, which include two important points. One source described these as 'concessions.' And it's likely these terms will show up in future agreements. Waymo has agreed to data-sharing after each mapping session per vehicle, according to the agreement that TechCrunch viewed. This 'data interface agreement' requires Waymo to track its vehicles as they enter and exit the airport and provide the time, geographic location, identification, trip identifier, transaction type, driver-based unique identifier, and vehicle license plate number, according to the agreement. The agreement also prohibits Waymo from using autonomous vehicles to move commercial goods. Sure Waymo no longer has a self-driving trucks program, but language like this matters for groups like the Teamsters. Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O'Kane at or Rebecca Bellan at Or check out these instructions to learn how to contact us via encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop. Just a few deals this week … Coreshell, the battery materials startup, raised $24 million in a Series A2 round led by Ferroglobe, which is also Coreshell's silicon supplier. Asymmetry Ventures, Estrada Ventures, Foothill Ventures, Helios Climate Ventures, Lane Venture, Translink Investment, Trousdale Ventures, and Zeon Ventures also participated. Einride, the Swedish driverless truck startup, is in talks about filing for an IPO that could value the company at more than $5 billion, Financial Times reported. Evera, a French EV subscription startup, raised 2 million euro from Groupe Magellim and Newfund NAEH Innopy, MCapital, AstoryaVC, and business angel Eric Ibled. Leta, the African logistics software-as-a-service provider, raised $5 million in seed funding led by European VC firm Speedinvest. Google's Africa Investment Fund and Equator, an Africa-focused climate tech fund, also participated. Pulsetrain, a battery tech startup, secured €6.1 million in a seed round co-led by Vsquared Ventures and Planet. Climate Club also joined. Seadronix, a South Korea-based autonomous ship navigation company, raised $11.3 million in a Series B funding round that included new investors LB Investment, KB Investment, and the Korea Development Bank. The fund included existing backers Wonik Investment Partners and Lighthouse Combined Investment. Ever wonder what inspired Nvidia to go 'all in' on self-driving cars? Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang snuck in a history lesson during his GTC keynote. Speaking of Nvidia's GTC conference, there was a bunch of AV-related announcements. Check out this roundup, which covers deals with Gatik, GM, Torc, and more. Zoox issued a voluntary recall for 258 vehicles due to issues with its autonomous driving system that could cause unexpected hard braking. BYD announced new EV charging technology that, if it comes to fruition, will blow away the competition and be as fast as fueling up a gas-powered car. Honda and its luxury and performance brand Acura will gain access to the Tesla Supercharger network in June. Dig in: We have a handy roundup of all the brands that have access. Tesla and Rivian are nailing the EV-charging experience. The two companies have the fewest problems, according to a survey by Consumer Reports. The worst: Shell's Recharge network, EVgo, and Blink. Meanwhile, Tesla is not doing so well with the Cybertruck — even though it continues to outsell other EV trucks. The automaker issued a recall for around 46,000 Cybertrucks sold to date because of an exterior steel trim panel on the side of the windshield that can peel off. And finally, and still on the Tesla front, analyst Dan Ives at Wedbush Securities pleaded with Elon Musk in a note published Thursday to reduce his role working with the Department of Government Efficiency. He said Musk is facing a 'moment of truth' at his EV company because of a 'crisis' he's created by spending so much time in the Trump administration. Joby Aviation has partnered with Virgin Atlantic to launch electric air taxis in the U.K., marking the seventh country in which the startup hopes to one day commercialize. Reminder: We first reported on this potential partnership in our "A little bird" section last year. Well, I suppose this is an in-car and out-of-the-car tech story. I'm talking about the expanded collaboration between GM and Nvidia, which was announced at the GTC conference. TL;DR: GM will work with Nvidia to build custom AI systems using several of the tech giant's products. The idea is to bring AI to GM's physical world of factories, robots, and cars. More details here. Tesla received a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission, news that some have conflated or inaccurately reported on. Here's what Tesla can and cannot do with this transportation charter permit. Sign in to access your portfolio
