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Okay, okay — remember last week when I suggested this Tesla it was a little Furthermore in her attempt to convince shareholders to vote in favor of relocating the company to Texas and to approve the CEO by Elon Musk $56 billion fee deal?
I was wrong, everything. Or rather, I was premature in my statement. Because this week Tesla took it to a whole new level by giving away a chance to win a factory tour with Elon and the chief designer Franz von Holzhausen. That’s right, we have a vote draw scheme going on. Shareholders who vote could win a tour of Tesla’s Austin factory and an invitation to the June 13 annual meeting.
What will they offer next? Dinner with Elon? A Cybertruck? The stakes are high and the June 13 annual shareholder meeting is looming — two ingredients that promise to make for some fun developments.
Before we get to the news, just a warning that I’m going to hand over the wheel to the reporter Rebecca Belan next week as I leave for some downtime.
Tomorrow is your last day to save up to $800 in drop passes. Reserve your early bird pass today!
A little bird
So many little birds came to us — and posted on social media — about a new round of layoffs at a struggling EV startup Fisher. Based on our accounting data, hundreds of employees were laid off.
Fischer has been in turmoil for months and has gone through several rounds of layoffs. This last cut cuts to the bone. The company had approximately 1,135 employees as of April 19. Sources tell us that after the layoffs at the end of April and this new, deeper cut, only about 150 people remain at the company.
Do you have a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.comSean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com or Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com. Or see these instructions to learn how to contact us through encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop.
Agreements!
Just a good old-fashioned collection of deals this week. This is where the money is headed.
Orca AIa London-based startup that claims to have powered the world’s first autonomous commercial ship voyage in congested waters has raised $23 million in a round led by OCV Partners and MizMaa Ventures.
Redwood materials signed an agreement to recycle EV battery production scrap for Ultium Cells, the battery manufacturing joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution.
Re-electrificationan Australian startup developing an inverter-less battery, raised $17 million in a round led by One Ventures. Toyota Ventures, Australian Clean Energy Finance Corp., Energy Innovation Capital, GS Futures, Creative Ventures and NOAB Ventures also participated.
Zypp Electric, the Indian electric vehicle fleet startup, has raised $15 million as part of a Series C round that will ultimately value its founders between $35 million and $40 million when it closes this summer. Japanese oil and energy group Eneos led the investment.
Notable reads and other items
Autonomous vehicles
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has added nine more incidents to its investigation into Waymo’s autonomous vehicle software.
Electric vehicles, charging & batteries
Cylib has an exciting offering for automakers that its founders say will give the Germany-based battery recycling startup an edge over its bigger rivals.
Lucid Motors announced that it is laying off about 400 employees, or about 6% of its workforce, as part of a restructuring ahead of the launch of its first electric SUV later this year. The layoffs come just over a year since it cut 1,300 jobs.
A reader reached out over a month ago and asked: What happened Onyx Motorcycles? TC reporter Rebecca Belan spent weeks unraveling the story of what happens when a company’s owner and CEO dies suddenly without a succession plan.
Archer Aviation continues to acquire partners in its quest to commercialize electric flight. This time, Archer and a ride-hailing and parking company Kakao Mobility have agreed to work together to bring electric air taxi flights to South Korea from 2026.
Automotive technology and applications
apple and the transport authority of the Paris region, known as Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), has launched support for transit cards in Apple Wallet, which will allow users to use their iPhone or Apple Watch as a Navigo pass to ride the subway, train, tram or bus. That’s notable on two fronts: Apple’s integration is the result of years of negotiations between the tech giant and IDFM, and it comes online just two months before millions of people are expected to descend on Paris this summer for the Olympics. And yes, Android users have been able to use their phone as a Navigo pass for a while.
Chinese EV manufacturers they haven’t made any significant inroads into the US yet, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t worried. US Rep. Elissa Slotkin will introduce a bill to Congress that would restrict or ban the importation of connected vehicles made by Chinese companies if they are found to pose a threat to national security.
I remember of Spotify big traffic in the hardware with the Car Thing device? It was short lived. Spotify stopped making the device in July 2022, but said it will support existing owners of the $100 device. Well, those days are over. Spotify told customers that Car Thing will stop working after December 9, 2024.
This week’s wheels
What are “This Week’s Wheels”? It’s an opportunity to learn about the different transportation products we’re testing, whether it’s an electric or hybrid car, an e-bike, or even a ride in an autonomous vehicle.
This week, TC partner Emma Hall shared her views—and first impressions—of it 2025 Cadillac Optiq EV. This is the fourth EV Cadillac has revealed since 2022, though it should be noted that only one — the Lyriq — is currently on sale.
Hall goes in depth here, so check it out. For those who want the tl;dr: Cadillac clearly wants to attract new, younger buyers in an effort to breathe new life into the luxury brand. Optiq seems to be his answer — at least for now. As Hall notes, the vehicle is “cool” and is the cheapest EV in the Cadillac lineup. In other words, Cadillac designed a thirst trap to hook young buyers. But will it work? With so many midsize crossovers on the market today, it’s hard to stand out and attract buyers.
