Welcome again to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for information and insights on the way forward for transportation. Enroll right here without spending a dime — simply click on TechCrunch Mobility!
Somewhat fowl
If it wasn’t apparent earlier than, it’s now. Uber needs a giant piece of the autonomous car know-how pie. The ride-hailing firm has spent the previous two years locking in partnerships with nearly each AV firm you possibly can consider, and throughout each sector, together with supply, robotaxis, and vans.
And but, I wasn’t completely ready for the sum of money Uber invested in its newest tie-up with EV maker Lucid and AV startup Nuro. Click on right here to learn my article on the partnership settlement and Uber’s plans for a premium robotaxi service.
We’re right here within the “Little fowl” part as a result of I’ve realized one thing new, and welp, I needed to share it with subscribers first.
As a publicly traded firm, Lucid needed to disclose that Uber invested $300 million into the corporate. However Uber didn’t should share what it invested into Nuro, saying solely that it was a multi-hundred-million-dollar determine. One supply with direct information instructed me it was greater than Lucid’s $300 million. Because the article was printed, I’ve had some little birds fly in to inform me it was round $400 million.
Acquired a tip for us? Electronic mail Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Sign at kkorosec.07, Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com, or Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com.
Offers!
When Waymo shuttered its self-driving vans program, I questioned the place that expertise would go. And I (accurately) assumed some may go off and begin their very own firms.
Techcrunch occasion
San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025
Final yr, I heard that Boris Sofman, who led the self-driving vans program at Waymo, had began an autonomous car know-how startup centered on heavy tools used at building websites. I had even written just a little nugget about it within the “Little fowl” part. However I used to be by no means capable of confirm precisely how a lot it raised and who else was connected to it.
Now we all know. The startup, referred to as Bedrock Robotics, raised $80 million from traders Eclipse and 8VC. Sofman co-founded Bedrock Robotics alongside Waymo veterans Kevin Peterson and Ajay Gummalla, in addition to Tom Eliaz, who beforehand labored at Section and Twilio.
Different offers that received my consideration this week …
Amogy, a Brooklyn-based ammonia-to-power startup that may apply its tech to transport, raised one other $23 million in funding, bringing its most up-to-date fundraise to $80 million. The spherical was led by the Korea Growth Financial institution and KDB Silicon Valley LLC with participation from BonAngels Enterprise Companions, JB Funding, and Pathway Funding.
Geely Auto will take its luxurious EV subsidiary Zeekr non-public by means of a merger settlement, simply over a yr after the corporate debuted on the New York Inventory Trade.
Gridserve, a U.Ok.-based cellular EV charging firm, raised £100 million ($134 million) from its current institutional traders, together with TPG Rise Local weather, Infracapital, and Mitsubishi.
Pronto, the San Francisco-based startup that developed a self-driving system designed for haulage vans and different off-road autos used at building and mining websites, acquired competitor SafeAI. Phrases weren’t disclosed. Co-founder and CEO Anthony Levandowski described the acquisition as a expertise and know-how play. The majority of the 12-person startup’s engineering group and its IP will come over to Pronto.
Through, the transit software program startup, has filed confidentially for an preliminary public providing — once more. Historical past lesson: Through filed confidentially for an IPO in 2021 however by no means took the subsequent official and regulatory steps to enter the general public markets. Now the corporate says it’s prepared. Will 2025 be the yr?
Notable reads and different tidbits
ADAS
Lucid is rolling out hands-free freeway driving to its Air sedans through a software program replace on the finish of the month, a significant step ahead for the corporate’s superior driver-assistance system.
Autonomous autos
Uber struck a robotaxi cope with Chinese language tech big Baidu to deploy 1000’s of autonomous autos in a number of markets outdoors the U.S. and mainland China.
Electrical autos, batteries, and charging
GM is the most recent automaker to associate with Redwood Supplies on its new power storage enterprise. Talking of GM, the automaker is upgrading the Tennessee manufacturing facility it owns alongside LG Power Answer to provide cheaper LFP batteries.
Public information requests can reveal the darndest issues. As an illustration, Rivian will resume prep work on its deliberate Georgia manufacturing facility in August and continues to be seeking to break floor early subsequent yr, in line with emails TechCrunch obtained by means of a public information request.
In different Rivian information … Rivian co-founder and CEO RJ Scaringe transferred a portion of his possession stake and voting energy as a part of a newly settled divorce continuing. The submitting caught our curiosity for a couple of causes (I counsel you learn the story), notably that in contrast to so many tech founders, Scaringe by no means had an amazing quantity of voting energy post-IPO.
The corporate’s latest software program replace offers its in-car navigation a brand new feel and look. In brief: Mapbox is out, and a custom-made Rivian-meets-Google-Maps app is in.
Senior reporter Sean O’Kane and I joke that we’re the one two folks left on earth who care about what’s occurring at Faraday Future. Oh! However wait, so does the SEC, and it seems the company is on the point of take motion.
Subaru unveiled its all-electric crossover mannequin referred to as Uncharted that has greater than 300 miles of vary and can go on sale within the U.S. in early 2026. Subaru mentioned it is going to launch pricing nearer to market launch.
Tesla made its long-awaited entry into India with the opening of its first showroom — 9 years after CEO Elon Musk first teased the transfer and following years of delays and shifting timelines in one of many world’s largest automotive markets. Keep tuned for extra protection from our India-based reporter Jagmeet Singh.
Tesla Cybertruck gross sales have plummeted from their peak final yr. How far? Right here’s one level of reference: The GMC Hummer EV (which isn’t precisely a quantity vendor) outsold the polarizing steel-clad curiosity within the second quarter.
In the meantime, jury choice began for a federal civil lawsuit towards Tesla. At subject is whether or not the corporate’s driver-assistance know-how was accountable for a 2019 deadly crash in Key Largo, Florida. As you may count on, private emotions about Elon Musk loomed giant within the jury course of.
Way forward for flight
Joby Aviation has doubled the dimensions and manufacturing capability of its pilot manufacturing facility in Marina, California, because it pushes to commercialize its electrical vertical takeoff and touchdown autos by early subsequent yr.
