Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your go-to source for transportation future news and insights. Sign up here for free to receive it in your inbox — simply click TechCrunch Mobility!
Before we dive in, a quick note. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the transportation newsletter won’t be published next Friday.
For U.S. readers, I wish you a safe and peaceful holiday with family and friends, delicious food, and leisurely walks. Safe travels to those on the road. I haven’t forgotten my international readers. However, we all deserve a short break. I’ll be back the following week.
Robotaxi news has been plentiful this past week, largely due to Waymo’s rapid expansion announcements.
Waymo, which operates a commercial robotaxi service in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco, has expanded its city list. Next year, it will begin manual driving (a step before driverless testing and deployment) in Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa. Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami (where it recently removed safety drivers), Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. are among the other cities where the Alphabet-owned self-driving company intends to deploy in 2026. It is also testing in New York City and intends to launch commercial rides abroad, beginning with London and Tokyo.
Waymo wasn’t the only AV company making news. Tesla obtained a ride-hailing permit in Arizona, the final regulatory obstacle to launching a robotaxi service there. And Zoox is beginning to offer its custom-built robotaxis to the public in San Francisco via its early rider program.
All of this has me considering the following question: When will robotaxis reach a point where they fundamentally alter how people perceive travel from Point A to Point B? And, perhaps more importantly, how will this affect society and industries (both old and new)? While I can’t answer the second question, I have some developed thoughts on the first.
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In short (and in my opinion), we aren’t there yet.
It is not solely about the volume of a single player. Waymo’s quick deployment will undoubtedly expose more people to the idea and experience. However, it is insufficient.
From my perspective, the following factors are required: geography, competition, and an ecosystem spillover effect. When it comes to reaching that tipping point, some cities will have more societal influence than others. Saturation in San Francisco is significant, but the region is also a technological incubator. In my opinion, robotaxi saturation in densely populated cities in the Southeast and East Coast, as well as mid-tier cities in the Midwest, will serve as the tipping point indicator.
I’m also looking for that startup spillover effect, in which a robotaxi ecosystem supports the launch and growth of startups and businesses. Service-related businesses are a clear example. Startups like Point One Navigation, which created precise location technology and is featured in our Deals section, would also qualify under my definition.
Finally, there’s competition. This is important for a number of reasons, including the potential to lower prices for consumers and introduce new business models.
So, what are your thoughts? Sign up for the Mobility newsletter to participate in this week’s poll, where we ask: When do you anticipate robotaxis will reach a tipping point of widespread adoption, altering how people travel from Point A to Point B?
A little bird
Monarch Tractor, an electric autonomous startup, has been the subject of numerous rumors in senior reporter Sean O’Kane’s ear this past week. Some of them shared a confidential company memo indicating that the startup is on the verge of collapsing.
According to the memo, executives warned employees that the company may need to lay off over 100 people or potentially “shut down.” Reminder: Since its founding seven years ago, Monarch has raised at least $220 million. It underwent a restructuring in late 2024 to save costs and expand into new areas, such as licensing its autonomous technology. While that turnaround plan is underway, Monarch may run out of funds before it can gain real traction.
The company is also dealing with legal challenges. A dealership in Idaho sued Monarch for breach of contract and alleged warranty violations, claiming the California-based startup’s tractors were “unable to operate autonomously.”
Do you have a tip for us? Contact Kirsten Korosec at [email protected] or via Signal at kkorosec.07, or contact Sean O’Kane at [email protected].
Deals!
Autonomy, the EV subscription company founded by Scott Painter, received $25 million in funding to acquire approximately 1,250 vehicles in order to grow beyond its previous all-Tesla fleet, the company informed TechCrunch in an email. Autonomy’s fleet will now include Volvo and Polestar vehicles, as well as more Tesla options.
Pionix, a German EV charging technology startup, secured €8 million in seed funding led by Ascend Capital Partners. Startup BW Seed Fonds, Pale Blue Dot, Vireo Ventures, and Axeleo Ventures also participated.
Point One Navigation, a San Francisco-based startup that created technology for precise location within 1 to 3 centimeters, raised $35 million in a Series C round led by Khosla Ventures. According to one insider familiar with the deal, the company’s post-money valuation is currently $230 million.
Turing, a Japanese self-driving tech startup, raised around ¥15.3 billion ($97.7 million) in equity and debt. It raised ¥9.77 billion ($62 million) in a round co-led by JIC Venture Growth Investments, a government-backed fund, and VC firm Global Brain Corporation. GMO Internet Group, Denso, and other unnamed firms were among the additional investors. Turing also received ¥5.5 billion in syndicated loans arranged by Mizuho Bank.
Sortera, a startup that created a system for separating aluminum grades with over 95% accuracy, raised $20 million in equity and $25 million in debt in a round led by VXI Capital and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price, with participation from Overlay Capital and Yamaha Motor Ventures.
Notable reads and other tidbits
Ford has joined Amazon Autos, which will enable customers to browse, finance, and buy certified pre-owned cars on the site. Meanwhile, Ford suffered a possible setback after another fire erupted at the Novelis aluminum plant in Oswego, New York. The factory provides sheet metal for Ford’s trucks, including the all-electric F-150 Lightning.
Google is still trying to get Gemini onto as many devices as possible, including automobiles. Gemini will replace Google Assistant in Android Auto, the smartphone projection technology built into millions of cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Another legal battle has erupted in the nascent electric aviation sector. Joby Aviation is suing Archer Aviation, alleging that its competitor utilized stolen trade secrets obtained from a former employee to interfere with its business. Read the lawsuit’s details and Archer’s response here.
Toto Wolff, CEO and team principal of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, sold a portion of his ownership in the team to CrowdStrike founder and CEO George Kurtz.
Pony.ai unveiled a fourth-generation autonomous truck lineup developed in collaboration with Sany Truck and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor. The trucks are scheduled to be deployed in 2026.
Stellantis’ long-awaited Jeep Recon will begin production next year. My piece goes beyond the specs (though those are also included) and examines why its debut is so unexpected.
Tesla is improving its FSD data reporting, according to The Verge.
Toyota has increased its investment in hybrid vehicles in the United States, with plans to spend $912 million on five factories to expand production.
Uber Eats has teamed with sidewalk delivery robot business Starship Technologies to deliver food in the United Kingdom starting later this year.
Volvo has canceled a five-year contract with Luminar, the latest development in a heated dispute between the lidar sensor company and its largest customer.
The Washington Post‘s article on America’s deadliest roads includes an interactive tool that allows you to identify hotspots in cities across the United States.
One more thing …
I have a little something for all the automated driving terminology nerds out there.
The Autonocast, a podcast I co-host with Alex Roy and Ed Niedermeyer, recently interviewed Bryant Walker Smith, in which we discussed the origins of the SAE levels, how he hopes to improve them, and his latest paper, “Self-Driving” Means Self-Driving (which I shared a few weeks ago). The episode can be found here.
