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A quick update to readers: I won’t be posting an issue next week due to the July 4th holiday. I’ll see you all next week.
A series of stories this week highlight the ongoing — and apparently growing — scrutiny of Tesla automated driving system known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised). A fatal crash involving a Tesla that crashed into a Texas home and killed a 76-year-old woman gained national attention after the driver told police that Autopilot — the company’s key driver assistance system, which has since been discontinued — was on at the time of the crash.
Ashok Elluswamyvice president of artificial intelligence software at Tesla, shared a different account of the crash, claiming to X that the driver manually distracted the self-driving car by “pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the gas pedal in this residential area.”
His comments suggest the vehicle was equipped with FSD (Supervised) rather than Autopilot, but without independent research we don’t know for sure. But it can, after all.
THE National Road Safety Agency (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have now launched investigations into the crash.
Meanwhile, Tesla settled a lawsuit related to a 2023 fatal accident involving a vehicle using FSD (Supervised). That crash is part of a separate NHTSA investigation into the Tesla FSD that focused on whether the system could “detect and respond appropriately to reduced road visibility conditions,” such as “bright light, fog, or airborne dust.”
All this attention comes as Tesla is positioning itself as an artificial intelligence and robotics company. FSD (Supervised) is currently the most visible monetizing product associated with this brand.
A little bird
A reader who shared tips with us before alerted me to a research report on Waymo and Ojai’s growing fleet of robotaxi. To renew, Waymo entered into an agreement with the supplier Zeekrthe brand owned by China Geely Holding Groupto provide him with an electric vehicle designed to function as a robotaxi.
The minivan-like robotaxi was designed in Sweden and manufactured in China. (These vehicles do not contain vehicle communication units. Current US policy prohibits China-linked vehicle technology.) Once in the US, Waymo takes over and adds the self-driving system. The Ojai is equipped with Waymo’s sixth-generation system — which includes 13 cameras, four lidar sensors, six radar units and an array of external audio receivers.
The New York-based research firm Moffett Nathanson did some digging to see how serious Waymo’s Ojai program is. The company reviewed bill of lading documents, which are detailed receipts of shipments of goods filed with the U.S. government. The company measured the Zeekr CM1e or CME vehicle tags, the company’s tag for Waymo-bound vehicles.
MoffettNathanson, who shared her report with TechCrunch, found that Waymo is preparing to bring 3,156 vehicles into the US this year, roughly 300 vehicles per month.
Do you have a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal at kkorosec.07 or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.
Offers!
Aseon Laboratoriesa Silicon Valley startup developing mobile pods that can autonomously inspect, clean and charge robotaxis has raised $10 million in a seed round led by Crane Venture Partners. Other participants included Y Combinator, Uber co-founder Garrett Camp’s venture capital firm Expa, Robin Hood Ventures and Founders Capital.
CaoCao and May mobilityan autonomous vehicle technology startup, collaborating to jointly explore the commercialization of robotaxi services in international markets, starting with Europe.
Elroy Airthe autonomous heavy-lift drone startup, plans to go public through a merger with blank check firm ​Columbus Circle Capital Corp II. The deal is worth about $1 billion.
Partlya company building artificial intelligence tools for the auto repair supply chain; raised $50 million in a Series B round led by DST Global Partners.
Spyroan African electric vehicle and clean energy infrastructure platform, finalized a $55 million investment from NewTrails Capital, a Chinese growth stage fund.
Terawatt infrastructurea company that provides EV charging for fleets, including the Waymo fleet and other autonomous and electric fleets, has created a five-year secured credit facility that could allow it to borrow as much as 300 million dollars from banks. The proceeds will support the acquisition and development of charging depots, the company said.
Notable reads and other items
Companies like Tesla and Zoox could get a boost from it US Department of Transportationwhich proposed changes to federal vehicle regulations that would allow companies to omit the inclusion of brake pedals in “vehicles designed to be driven solely by automated driving systems.”
Lucid Motors is laying off 18% of its workforce, or about 1,500 employees, and cutting the second shift of EV production at its Casa Grande, Arizona plant. Reminder: The layoffs come just four months after the electric vehicle maker cut 12 percent of its workforce. CEO Silvio Napoli said the cuts are part of an effort “to simplify the company, strengthen execution and position Lucid to become more competitive over time.” In this quest to simplify, what will Lucid give up?
Lyft CEO David Risher published a blog that caught my attention. In it, he presented the company’s multi-sensor safety standard for autonomous driving. The result: Self-driving vehicles that use one type of sensor can’t get on the Lyft network. I contacted the company and they confirmed what it seemed to mean – vehicles like the Tesla Cybercab and Tesla robotaxis that use FSD (Unsupervised) will not qualify as they only use cameras. Incidentally, the rules do not apply to advanced driver assistance systems. So all those people driving Tesla vehicles on the Lyft app are not affected.
OpenAI hired away Uber India Chairman Prabhjeet Singh to become its first CEO.
Polestarthe Swedish electric vehicle maker owned by Chinese auto giant Geely can no longer sell its new cars in the US market. Imported vehicles are restricted by a US government law that bans Chinese connected car technology.
Samsarafleet management company, launches business card-sized tracking stickers to solve cargo theft.
Slate AutoIts radically simple electric truck starts at $24,950. Would you pay $25,000 for a two-seat pickup truck with 205 miles of range, crank windows, no infotainment system, and a gray composite finish (owners can order custom wraps for the vehicle)? And climate tech journalist and battery expert Tim De Chant explains why Slate changed the battery in its cheap EV truck.
Uber is facing a lawsuit from shareholders who accuse the board and management of putting profits ahead of compliance and safety, decisions that have put the company and its shareholders at risk.
Waymo has created an entity in Germany, which German news media Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported for the first time. The company registration filing makes it quite clear that it is preparing to launch a robotaxi service in the country. However, that doesn’t mean it’s imminent, insiders tell me. Meanwhile, Waymo has put up its waiting list Nashvillea move that opens its services to the public.
Zoox has given its custom robotics a makeover as it prepares for commercial services and larger-scale production at its Hayward, California facility.
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