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We hope our readers in the United States have a safe, drama-free holiday with family and friends, eating good food and taking long walks. Good luck to all who travel. Dear international readers, I haven’t forgotten about you. But we all need a little break. I’ll be back next week.
There has been a flurry of news about robotaxis over the past week, largely due to Waymo’s spate of expansion announcements.
Waymo, which operates commercial robotaxi services in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco, has added more cities to its list. It plans to begin manual operation (a precursor to driverless testing and deployment) in Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa next year. Other cities the Alphabet-owned self-driving company plans to deploy in 2026 include Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami (which just eliminated safety drivers), Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. It is also being tested in New York City and plans to offer commercial vehicles internationally, starting with London and Tokyo.
Waymo isn’t the only company making AV news. Tesla received a ride-hailing permit in Arizona, which was the last regulatory hurdle to launch a robotaxi service there. And Zoox is opening its custom-built robotaxis to the public in San Francisco through its Early Rider Program.
This led me to the following questions: When will robotaxis reach a tipping point that fundamentally changes the way people think about getting from point A to point B? And, perhaps even more unclear, how will it impact society and industry (old and new)? I can’t answer the second question, but I have some ideas about the first question.
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In short (in my opinion), we are not there yet.
It’s not just the volume of one player. Waymo’s rapid rollout will no doubt introduce its ideas and experience to a wider audience. But that’s not enough.
From my perspective, what that requires is geography, competition, and ecological ramifications. At least when that tipping point is reached, certain cities will play a more socially important role than others. San Francisco’s saturation makes sense, but it’s also a region that is literally a technology incubator. To me, the saturation of robotaxis in the densely populated cities of the Southeast and East Coast, as well as mid-tier cities in the Midwest, will be an indicator of a tipping point.
I also look at startup ripple effects, where robotaxis launch and support startup and business ecosystems. Service-related businesses are obvious. But even startups like Point One Navigation, which develops precise location technology and is featured in our deals section, would fit my definition.
And finally, there’s competition. There are several reasons for this, including the possibility of lowering prices for users and introducing different business models.
So what do you think? Sign up for our Mobility Newsletter and vote in this week’s poll. The following questions are asked: When do you think robotaxis will reach a tipping point of mass adoption impacting the way people get from point A to point B?
small bird
A lot of birds were chirping in senior reporter Sean O’Kane’s ear last week about electric self-driving startup Monarch Tractor. Several of them shared internal memos that indicated the startup was perilously close to shutting down.
In a memo, executives warned staff that they may have to lay off more than 100 employees or possibly “shut down.” Reminder: Monarch has raised at least $220 million since its founding seven years ago. The company will undergo organizational restructuring in the second half of 2024 with the aim of cutting costs and expanding into new fields such as licensing autonomous driving technology. Its turnaround plan is underway, but the Monarchs could run out of money before they can make any serious headway.
The company also faces legal issues. An Idaho dealership is suing Monarch for breach of contract and warranty because the California-based startup’s tractors “cannot drive autonomously.”
Have a tip? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.Korosec@techcrunch.com, email my Signal at korosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.
Great deal!
Autonomy, the EV subscription company founded by Scott Painter, has secured $25 million in funding to acquire about 1,250 vehicles to further expand its previously Tesla-only fleet, the company told TechCrunch in an email. Autonomy’s fleet will include Volvo and Polestar, as well as additional options from Tesla.
Germany-based EV charging technology startup Pionix has raised €8 million in seed funding led by Ascend Capital Partners. Startups BW Seed Fonds, Pale Blue Dot, Vireo Ventures and Axeleo Ventures also participated.
Point One Navigation, a San Francisco-based startup that has developed technology that provides accurate location information within one to three centimeters, has raised $35 million in a Series C round led by Khosla Ventures. The company is now valued at $230 million after assets are invested, according to one of the people familiar with the deal.
Japanese self-driving technology startup Turing has raised approximately 15.3 billion yen ($97.7 million) in equity and debt. The company raised 9.77 billion yen ($62 million) in a round co-led by government-backed fund JIC Venture Growth Investments and venture capital firm Global Brain Corporation. Additional investors include GMO Internet Group, Denso and other unnamed companies. Turing also secured a 5.5 billion yen syndicated loan arranged by Mizuho Bank.
Sortera, a startup that has developed a system to separate grades of aluminum with greater than 95% accuracy, has raised $20 million in equity and $25 million in debt in a round led by accounts advised by VXI Capital and T. Rowe Price, with participation from Overlay Capital and Yamaha Motor Ventures.
Notable reads and other trivia
Ford joins Amazon Auto, allowing customers to shop, finance and purchase certified pre-owned vehicles on the site. Meanwhile, another fire at the Novelis Aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, left Ford facing a possible setback. The plant supplies sheet metal for Ford trucks, including the all-electric F-150 Lightning.
Google continues to push Gemini to as many devices as possible, including cars. Gemini replaces Google Assistant in Android Auto, the smartphone projection technology integrated into millions of cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Another legal battle has begun in the emerging electric aviation industry. Joby Aviation is suing Archer Aviation, alleging that the rival company used trade secrets stolen from a former employee to interfere in its operations. Read more about the lawsuit and Archer’s response here.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff has sold part of his stake in the team to CrowdStrike founder and CEO George Kurtz.
Pony.ai announced a lineup of 4th generation self-driving trucks jointly developed with Sany Truck and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor. The company plans to deploy the trucks in 2026.
Stellantis’ long-delayed Jeep Recon will go into production next year. My article goes beyond (and includes) the specs and delves into why its launch is so surprising.
Tesla is getting better and better at reporting FSD data, The Verge reported.
Toyota is increasing its investment in hybrid vehicles in the United States, with plans to invest $912 million in five factories to expand production.
Uber Eats will begin delivering food in the UK later this year in partnership with sidewalk delivery robot company Starship Technologies.
Volvo has terminated its five-year contract with Luminar, the latest escalation in a bitter battle between the LIDAR sensor company and its biggest customer.
The Washington Post’s article on America’s most dangerous roads includes an interactive feature that pinpoints hotspots in cities across America.
One more thing…
A bit of information for those familiar with autonomous driving terminology.
Autonocast, a podcast co-hosted by Alex Roy, Ed Niedermayer, and I, recently recorded an interview with Bryant Walker Smith. So we talked about how the SAE levels came to be, how he hopes to improve them, and his latest paper “Autonomous Driving” means self-driving (which I shared a few weeks ago). Check out the episode here.
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