Micromobility Also, which was created inside Rivian and launched last year, will partner with DoorDash to develop autonomous delivery vehicles, the companies announced Tuesday.
As part of the deal, DoorDash participated in Also’s $200 million Series C funding round, which was led by previous investor Greenoaks Capital. DoorDash is also taking a seat on Also’s board of directors.
The raise brings Also’s total funding to $505 million and raises its valuation above $1 billion. The startup was launched with a $105 million investment from Eclipse, which also backs Mind Robotics – an external industrial AI company created by Rivian late last year.
It also started as a skunkworks project at Rivian in 2022. The electric vehicle maker originally set out to build an electric bike and even partnered with Jony Ive’s design firm LoveFrom, as TechCrunch first reported last year. Also, its first product is a funky-looking high-end e-bike, but it has also shown designs for small pedal-assist delivery vehicles.
Amazon – which is a major investor and partner with Rivian – ordered thousands of these delivery vehicles late last year. He’s also said they can carry more than 400kg of packages while still being small enough to fit in a bike lane.
The DoorDash deal is the first indication that Also will develop autonomous versions of its small electric vehicles. Rivian founder RJ Scaringe and co-CEO Chris Yu told TechCrunch last year that almost any form factor was on the table — within practical limits.
Rivian and Also have said the micromobility startup will leverage automotive technology in its products, as well as its retail presence and economies of scale. It’s unclear whether Also will leverage the autonomy technology Rivian is working on.
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Rivian currently plans to use a mix of cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar and eventually lidar to give its vehicles autonomy. And late last year, Rivian revealed that it has developed its own custom silicon and autonomy computer in an effort to make its own vehicles increasingly capable of autonomous driving. Scaringe has already hinted that Mind Robotics would use this chip, so it’s possible that Also could. TechCrunch has reached out to both Rivian and Also and will update this story if they respond.
It’s possible that DoorDash will handle autonomous technology.
The company has its own autonomy division and has spent several years developing a robot vehicle called Dot that is equipped with lidar, radar and camera sensors and can drive autonomously on roads, bike paths and pavements. The brightly colored vehicle with cartoon-like eyes can travel up to 20 miles per hour and delivers in the Metro Phoenix area.
