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Wow, not everything is bullish when it comes to selling EVs in the US if the federal tax credit expires. For those wondering what I’m referring to, I’ve included the vote in the final edition of TechCrunch Mobility. Yes, only email subscribers will take part in the poll.
The question was, “What are your forecasts for EV sales in the next two quarters, when the EV tax credit has expired?” And about 60% of you predicted a sudden decline.
I totally disagree, but I think some automakers will try to pass on a $7,500 federal tax credit through at least a quarter of other price cuts. Automakers with fresh EV models scheduled for late 2025 and 2026 could potentially outperform their competitors. However, tariffs also reduce the margin.
Meanwhile, as automakers move to Tesla’s North American charging standards, another speed bump is appearing in the US EV industry.
Yes, I’m talking about dongles, aka EV charging adapters.
Tim de Chant, a senior climate reporter who is the longtime EV owner himself, explains how some people have a load of charge adapter trunks or franks right away.
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Take GM. The automaker began selling adapters almost a year ago, allowing existing electric vehicles to use standard North American charging plugs with Tesla Supercharger Stoles. EV owners were delighted with new freedoms.
Currently, GM is unveiling three more adapters. Additional adapters that help GM customers access EV chargers at different charging rates and standards are a win for flexibility, but at the expense of simplicity. There is a complete possibility that two EV households can own four different adapters. Please take a look at this entire article.
Important Housekeeping Note: TechCrunch Mobility will not land in your inbox next week. I know, I know. You miss me. same here. But I’ll be back the following week.
Little bird
It’s your lucky day – we have two little birds to share.
It’s been six months since Peter Rawlinson suddenly resigned from the CEO, CTO and Lucid Motors board of directors. His departure was also at an important time. This is because the company was finally about to launch its long-awaited gravity SUV. Since then, the role of CEO of Rawlinson has been tentatively fulfilled by Marc Winterhoff, a longtime consultant for Roland Berger, who appeared as Lucid’s CFO in 2023. It’s unclear if Lucid is close to making a decision, but Kotori said the search net has been cast so widely recently, and the company has even called out some candidates. In the meantime, Winterhoff is said to be turning his own eye.
Meanwhile, at Tesla.
When Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla was disbanding the team working on Dojo, reporters here were predictably interested in what would happen at the factory in Buffalo, New York, where the automaker is supposed to build AI training supercomputers.
We’ve heard from a few birds, but the big point is that Tesla is still committed to spending $500 million on a supercomputer over there.
The company had already invested around $314 million of those funds last year, according to sources who said Tesla reported the figures to the state’s economic development department. Can Buffalo get branded to cortex, another supercomputing cluster from Tesla? Buffalo also wants to maintain its ties with Tesla, considering the car manufacturer’s facilities are one of the city’s top private employers.
Any tips for us? Email kirsten korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my signal on kkorosec.07, Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com
Great deal!
There are not many deals this week. I denounce the final weeks of the summer. Here are some items for you…
Blue Water Autonomy, a startup that develops U.S. Navy unmanned ships, has raised $50 million in the Series A round led by GV. Eclipse Ventures, Riot and the impatient venture also took part.
Joby Aviation has completed the acquisition of Blade.
Amsterdam-based startup Vox AI has developed a drive-thru conversational voice AI platform at its quick service restaurant, raising 7.5 million euros of seed funding.
Notable readings and other information
Aurora Innovation said it will integrate the autonomous trucking platform into McLeod Software’s Transportation Management System. Results: Mutual customers can manage autonomous shipments with McLeod’s TMS software, helping to drive adoption.
The boring company is finally testing a fully automated driving (supervisor), an advanced driver assistance system created by Tesla, in a tunnel connecting a Las Vegas convention center to several nearby hotels.
The last traces of Fisker Inc., which went bankrupt, are gone. Henrik Fisker, founder of the failed EV Startup Fisker Inc., and his wife Geeta, quietly defeated the private charity foundation.
Kodiak Robotics hired Surajit Datta as Chief Financial Officer. Datta was previously Vice President of Finance at Sentinelone. Don’t forget that Kodiak will soon become a public company. This is accomplished by merging with a special purpose acquisition company.
Tesla was able to avoid its $242.5 million autopilot verdict, filing shows. Speaking of that trial, the Washington Post reports that hackers helped retrieve the important crash data they had missing.
Speaking of data, security researchers have discovered over 1,000 public hobby servers run by Tesla vehicle owners who spill sensitive data about the vehicle, including granular location history. Stay safe, people!
A few days before Labor Day, California lawmakers reached an agreement with app-based companies Lyft and Uber that give drivers a path to unionization.
Biomaterial startup Uncaged Innovations is working with Hyundai’s Cradle Division to refine plant-based artificial leather materials for automobiles. It even smells like leather – or can be made with other signature scents.
Waymo co-ceo dmitri dolgov posted a video on x of one of the companies Robotaxis, navigating the giant dust storm of Phoenix (known as Haboob). The company also told me that Waymo currently has over 2,000 Robotaxis in its commercial fleet. The San Francisco Bay Area has more than 800 people, 500 people in Los Angeles, 400 people in Phoenix, 100 people in Austin and “dozens” in Atlanta.
One more…
AutoNocast, a podcast co-hosted with Alex Roy and Ed Niedermeyer, has announced a new episode. It’s worth listening, especially if you’re interested in boating, autonomy, or plane intersections. In the episode, Roy and I will interview Billy Talheimer, co-founder and CEO of Regent.
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