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!
Robotaxi is here! But they don’t.
The contradiction is captured neatly. Waymo’s Current reality. Anyone walking around San Francisco could reasonably declare that the robotaxi has arrived. But larger scale does not guarantee permanence of arrival. This is a persistent threat hanging over every company trying to commercialize self-driving cars.
Waymo has paused operations in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio because its robotaxis are struggling to deal with heavy rain and flooded roads, especially knowing when not to enter. As we were getting ready to send out this newsletter, we learned that the company had expanded it to Austin and Nashville as well. This has been an ongoing problem for Waymo, which led the company to issue a recall last week.
That same week, Waymo suspended robotaxi operations on highways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami to improve performance in construction zones.
Currently, the launch of robotaxi is conditional. That doesn’t mean this conditional status will last forever, but it does serve as a reminder that launching commercially isn’t mission accomplished. Waymo, the leader in commercial robotaxi usage and fleet size, is well on its way. Every time you enter a new city or unlock a feature, a new edge case is discovered.
Maxxing a situation or a company?
This week we’re ditching the ‘little birds’ section and going into detail. SpaceXIPO and Situation Elon Musk business world.
I generally don’t allocate too much space in these newsletters. he. But this week, the SpaceX IPO application was canceled, and the person responsible for it also has deep ties to: tesla. So, we’re talking about space here, and more specifically, how Elon Musk uses the resources of one company to provide services to another.
The interconnected nature of Tesla and SpaceX is no secret. Tesla is a publicly traded company and discloses financial transactions with other Musk affiliates. This new IPO filing is identical and goes into a bit more detail. And now Musk’s company xAI If it merges with SpaceX, the IPO puts all of these transactions in the hands of one company.
For example, SpaceX purchased Tesla’s commercial energy storage product, called Megapack, for $506 million in 2025. This is almost three times more than the previous year. SpaceX also purchased a $131 million Cybertruck last year. SpaceX paid Musk’s infrastructure company The Boring Company $1 million to build a tunnel in Bastrop, Texas. Musk’s social media company
Then there’s Tesla’s investment in xAI. After SpaceX acquired xAI, that investment was converted into equity in SpaceX.
These costs will likely be offset by two upcoming SpaceX-Tesla projects: building Terafab, a chip manufacturing facility, and Macrohard, an AI platform the two companies are developing that uses autonomous agents to augment human tasks.
All of this leads to my question for you. Will SpaceX and Tesla merge?
To take the survey, sign up here to get TechCrunch Mobility straight to your inbox!
For other SpaceX coverage, check out these stories:
Everything about SpaceX IPO documents
Analysis of how Elon Musk consolidated his power
Who will benefit the most?
xAI lost $6.4 billion last year.
xAI continues to transition to gas turbines to power its data centers.
Special price!
aboarda Southern California-based startup developing long-range electric travel trailers, raised $13 million in a pre-Series A round led by Ondine Capital and Llama Ventures. Fun fact: The company hired Richard Kim, an automotive designer known for his work on the BMW i3 and i8 and co-founder of defunct EV startup Canoo, as a consultant.
quartermasteran Arlington, Virginia-based startup developing distributed sensing networks for ships, raised $43 million in a Series A funding round co-led by First Round Capital and Quiet Capital.
May MobilityWe signed a strategic agreement with self-driving car technology startup Co., Ltd. EcarxIt is an automotive technology company backed by Geely founder Li Shufu. Under the agreement, Ecarx will supply thousands of purpose-built robotaxi vehicles to May Mobility. The two companies plan to work with third parties to deploy AVs for the first time next year and expand commercial availability by 2028. The total value of the project is estimated at approximately $750 million over its lifetime.
ScarpiaIndian travel booking startup has raised $63 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst, with participation from existing investors Peak XV Partners and Z47.
Uber Bloomberg reports that it has increased its stake and now owns a 19.5% stake in German food delivery company Delivery Hero.
Notable Reads and Other Useful Information
Brian Reimera research scientist at MIT, shared a recent presentation on AI and how its future depends on human behavior, governance, and trust.
The global electric vehicle economy is K-shaped, and this country is lagging behind.
lift We published a blog explaining the company’s position on self-driving cars. From that perspective – and similar to its competitors uber — Ride-hailing services require human and robot drivers. This makes political sense. Lyft doesn’t want to upset its human gig workers. This also reflects the reality of robotaxi in terms of scale. Conclusion: Robotaxis is not a part of everyday life for most people in America.
Autonomous driving technology startup only Hired Michael Mancini as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Mancini was previously CFO at Energy Recovery, Astranis Space Technologies, and Aerion Supersonic.
majorThe automobile manufacturer that created the Jeep and Ram brands has joined an autonomous driving startup. wave The goal is to introduce hands-free driving in vehicles by 2028. Meanwhile, Stellantis has unveiled a $70 billion transformation plan that includes 11 new models for North America and some Chrysler!
Tesla’s Fully autonomous (supervised) driver assistance software is now available in Lithuania. This is the second European country to approve its use. NOTE: Making FSD available in Europe is critical to Tesla and CEO Elon Musk’s ambitions. It’s also important financially for Musk, whose $1 trillion pay package is tied to hitting various product goals, including achieving “10 million active FSD subscriptions” by 2035.
San Francisco doctor files suit waymo That’s because the company dropped the lawsuit after resolving the issue because its identity verification system had incorrectly identified him as a terrorist.
One more thing…
Last time I nissan leaf It was two years ago when I test drove the 2024 Nissan Leaf SV Plus. The price was $37,815 (including destination charge). And at the time I described the experience as a mixed bag. I recently came back and this time 2026 Nissan Leaf Platinum+Including the destination charge and some special add-ons like the two-tone paint and floor mat package, the price is $42,635.
This model, the third generation of the Leaf, has an improved EPA-estimated range of 259 miles (some versions exceed 300 miles). But that wasn’t the first upgrade I noticed. This new Leaf has a lighter, more modern, and dare I say luxurious, interior cabin. I wouldn’t call it “seamless,” but it was a pleasant and notable upgrade. (See the nice lighting at night in the photo above?) My version of note was the top trim, which came with a wireless phone charging pad, a dimming panoramic roof, a head-up display, and a long, curved 14.3-inch center screen.
Last time I complained about the lack of technology in vehicles costing over $30,000, like high-resolution backup cameras. There are several notable improvements that come standard and correct previous criticisms, including a 360-degree camera, wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and adaptive cruise control. I was excited to get behind the wheel of a Nissan Leaf again, this time.
Do you have any tips? Email Kirsten Korosec. kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com Or send my Signal to kkorosec.07 or email Sean O’Kane. sean.okane@techcrunch.com.
If you purchase through links in our articles, we may receive a small commission. This does not affect our editorial independence.
