Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your central hub for news and insight on the future of transportation. To receive this content in your inbox, sign up for free here. Just click on TechCrunch Mobility!
As we were about to send out this newsletter, a shocking piece of breaking news broke out. that National Transportation Safety Board I started investigating waymo This comes after robotaxis were found on multiple occasions illegally passing stopped school buses in at least two states. Read the full story here..
Now let’s start regular programming…
tesla This week and just before its quarterly earnings dropped, it took several steps to demonstrate its progress and even dominance in the self-driving technology space. But wait a minute. There’s more to it than just optics.
The week began with Tesla offering its passengers robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver in the front seat. If you remember, Tesla launched limited service in Austin last year with modified Tesla Model Y vehicles running an advanced version of the company’s driving software known as Full Self-Driving Supervised (‘unsupervised’). A human safety worker has been in the passenger seat as a precaution since launch.
Not all of Tesla’s vehicles in Austin will be fully driverless, and there will definitely be a chase vehicle behind them. Still, it’s notable and suggests Tesla is moving toward broader growth.
Meanwhile, Tesla has shut down Autopilot, its advanced driver assistance system that was first introduced in its vehicles in 2014. Autopilot has gone through several software and hardware iterations over the years with new features.
Tech Crunch Event
san francisco
|
October 13-15, 2026
Autopilot was instantly popular and controversial. One reason for this is that the name implied that the system had more capabilities than it actually did. (Driver is responsible and must remain behind the wheel when Autopilot engages.)
Tesla eventually made its basic Autopilot system standard in all of its vehicles, and is now rolling out and charging a more powerful system known as Fully Autonomous Driving (Supervised). The now-defunct basic version included traffic-aware cruise control, which kept the car at a set distance from the car in front, and Autosteer, a feature that centered the car in its lane and steered.
The decision to scrap standard ADAS comes a week after Tesla said it would stop charging a one-time $8,000 fee for FSD software and move all customers to a monthly subscription.
Taken together, these decisions provide a simple enough explanation. Tesla wants to recognize more revenue from FSD as it positions itself as an AI and robotics company.
But there is another possible reason. Tesla faces a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and dealer licenses in California after a judge ruled in December that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing by exaggerating the capabilities of Autopilot and FSD.
The ruling was stayed for 60 days to allow Tesla to comply. Dropping the Autopilot name while cashing in on FSD is a bit of a bold move. But perhaps Tesla believes this is enough to satisfy the DMV.
Special price!
zip linean autonomous drone delivery and logistics startup, has been around for over a decade, starting with delivering blood in Rwanda. The progress has been slow and steady, with great success in other African countries and expansion into the United States. This trajectory has accelerated since the launch of a new drone platform called P2, which will focus on home delivery of food and other goods in 2025.
Now, with $600 million in new funding, its expansion ambitions have grown. The company, currently valued at $7.6 billion, serves Houston and Phoenix and plans to expand to at least four other U.S. states by 2026.
Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners and Tiger Global participated in the funding round.
Other deals that caught my attention…
ABZ Innovationa large European-based manufacturer of agricultural and industrial drones, has raised $8.2 million in a funding round led by Vsquared Ventures with participation from Assembly Ventures and Day One Capital.
Ethenoviaa San Jose, California-based startup that creates Ethernet-based systems for self-driving cars, has raised $90 million in a Series B funding round led by Maverick Silicon, an AI-focused fund founded in 2024 by hedge fund Maverick Capital.
Robotics providedAcquires , an Indian delivery robot company backed by Nvidia and Uber. diligent robotics In a transaction that values its common stock at $29 million. Diligent builds a robot called Moxi that is designed to assist hospitals by providing laboratory samples, supplies, and other tasks. Note: Watch for more autonomous vehicle technology-robotics crossover in the coming year.
TerraLayerGerman grid-scale battery storage company has raised €192 million in a round led by Eurazeo. RIVE Private Investment, Creandum, Earlybird, Norrsken VC, and Picus Capital also participated.
True Car Founder Scott Painter reacquired the company through his company Fair Holdings and partners AutoNation, PenFed Credit Union, Zurich North America and others in a $227 million deal. TrueCar is no longer publicly traded and Painter has returned to the CEO position.
Notable Reads and Other Useful Information
Austin Russellthe founder and former CEO of bankrupt LiDAR company Luminar, has agreed to accept electronic subpoenas for his cellphone information related to the company. The subpoena is related to Luminar’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.
chinese car manufacturers Geely Holding Group It has released a five-year blueprint, and one of its many goals is the robotaxi section. The company will Kaokao Mobility The ride-hailing division will operate a fleet of 100,000 robotaxis covering major cities in China. It also hinted at plans to expand beyond China “in the future.”
general motors is shifting production of two gas-powered vehicles from China and Mexico to its U.S. plant in Kansas. The change also marks the end of the rebooted Chevrolet Bolt EV, the only vehicle currently produced at the Fairfax, Kansas assembly plant. Learn more about when production of the Chevy Bolt EV will end.
tesla The company aims to restart work on its previously abandoned third-generation AI chip, Dojo3. Dojo3 does not aim to train self-driving models. Instead, CEO Elon Musk said he would focus on “space-based AI computing.”
waymo Robotic taxi service opened in Miami. Riders will be accepted sequentially from approximately 10,000 local residents on a waiting list.
One more thing…
alex roywho co-hosts Autonocast with me and Ed Niedermeyer, just traveled from Los Angeles to New York in a Tesla Model S. The vehicle’s fully autonomous driving supervision software handled all driving. This “Cannonball Run” route is a familiar one to Roy. He set the record for a transcontinental drive in 2007 in 31 hours and 4 minutes. He went on to set another record for Cannonball Run in the EV category. Others followed suit and have since broken the record.
According to Roy, who captured the entire drive on video, the FSD (version 14.2.2.3) covered 100% of the 3,081-mile journey. This included getting off the highway and parking at an EV charger. The time was 58 hours and 22 minutes.
