Trucks | FoT: Didi, AV Peak Networks, Glimpse

FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital 

Notable:

Don’t mistake ridehailing for AV ridehailing (link). I describe three ridehailing models that utilize dynamic supply. If you are a Tesla critic I think you will be disappointed to realize that the company is in the strongest possible position to create a durable ridehailing network for the new era. And it's not because of a technical edge (which, currently, it does not have vs Waymo).

Automakers receive one-month tariff delay after CEOs talk with Trump (link). Every auto company now has to act with an 'Unto Caesar' approach toward Washington, with frequent phone calls, obeisance and a curtsy.

Tariffs expose that basically every car is 'imported' (link). 'Ultimately a vehicle is considered an import when it is shipped to the United States after undergoing final assembly in another country. But because of how complex supply chains have become, it is increasingly hard to say which vehicles are American-made and which are imported.'

In a world of ubiquitous fast shipping, consumers care less about fast shipping, instead prioritize lower costs (link). '90% of consumers are willing to wait 2 or 3 days for deliveries -- especially if it lets them avoid shipping costs.'

With vehicles and apps now showing speed limits natively, a growing need for speed limit data (link). Via David Z.

The insanely fast Corvette ZR1: 233 mph, 1064 horsepower (link). Via Diego. 'Running full-throttle at redline, the ZR1 generates 37 pounds of force from the engine exhaust alone.'

Testing London's shared ebikes for safety (link). '12% of the e-bikes we rented should be removed from the streets immediately due to concerns such as missing handlebars, flat tyres, or malfunctioning brakes. Yet even after we reported the issues to Lime, the majority of them remained available to hire by other members of the public.'

Video: fastest motorcycle handlebar wheelie (link). Via Tony F. Video: review of the pre-production Telo EV pickup truck (link). Video: Tanner Boyes discusses his Porsche special, among other things (link). Via Diego. Video: LA's infamous Baxster street featuring a few illegal Ford Raptor leaps (link). Video: Waymo's Zeekr units testing in California without camoflauge (link).

For sale: Flintstones golf cart replica (link).

M&A / Deals / Changes:

Singapore EV two wheeler startup Ion Mobility acquired by Indian OEM TVS Motor (link).

Battery quality monitoring startup Glimpse raises $10M (link). Led by TDK Ventures.

Didi's AV unit reportedly raising funding at $5B valuation (link). Via David S. 'Didi’s autonomous driving unit operates a self-driving fleet of over 200 vehicles that have conducted trials in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. The Chinese ride-hailing firm unveiled its first concept robotaxi, the Didi Neuron, in April 2023.'

Hyundai partners with ex-Yandex AV unit (link).

JetZero picks RTX units Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace to lead engine integration and supply power units and nacelles (link). Related: Delta partners with JetZero (link).

Board & Executive Changes:

Vontier: Martin Gafinowitz, Andrew Miller to depart board (link).

United Parcel Service: Aptiv CEO Kevin Clark joins board (link).

Our Next Energy: founder Mujeeb Ijaz returns as CEO (link).

Lithia Motors: David Robino to depart board (link).

Lyft: Lisa Blackwood-Kapral departs as Chief Accounting Officer (link).

GM: Barak Turovsky joins as the company's first Chief AI Officer (link).

Rad Power Bikes: CEO Phil Molyneux departs (link).

Curated Jobs:

Business Manager - Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) at GM, remote (link).

Zamboni driver at Buffalo Wild Wings Arena in Troy, MI (link).

Senior AV Product Manager at Mobileye in Jerusalem, Israel (link).

Founding Engineer at Carvis in San Francisco, CA USA (link).

Hiring? Post a job (link). If you're a startup, use code 'Trucks' for free standard listings.

Hunting? View all 349 postings on the MobilityJobs job board (link).

New Stuff:

VW's partnership with Rivian shows early results with new Every1 concept, reportedly targeting a price near $20k (link).

California's new vintage car bill proposes to remove biennial smog requirements from cars 35 years or older (link). Known as 'Leno's Law' per the comedian's support for it.

Wallbox's Quasar 2 wins UL certification, will connect with Kia's bidirectional-capable EVs (link).

Waymo launches its AV service exclusively on Uber in Austin market (link).

Vehicle seat warmer UI concept powered by Rive (link). Via Soji N.

Tesla critic Aaron Greenspan banned from Twitter/X (link).

Patents & Patent Applications:

Ford's patent application shows light-up bidirectional charging cable (link).

GM's patent application shows neighboring vehicle misbehavior detection (link).

Zoox's patent application shows rotating physical fascia (link).

Statistics / Projections:

Tesla's political trade: 'The percentage of Democrats who said they would consider buying a Tesla as their next vehicle declined from 23% in August 2023 to 13% in February, the data show. Over that same period, the percentage of would-be Republican buyers grew from 15% to 26%.' (link). Via WSJ / Morning Consult.

Because 2022 was one of the lowest recent new car sales volume years coupled with lower leasing %, supply of 3-yr old used cars are lower than ever: just 2 million potential 2025 lease return vehicles vs 4 million in the late 2010s (link). Via Automotive News.

US drivers log 3.28 trillion miles in 2024, setting new record (link). Via Reuters / US DoT.

Thank you:

Thank you to Laura Gluhanich (link), Mark Rechtin (link) and Jake Vall-Llobera (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

Carvis (link), JetZero (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

You win some, lose some, and wreck some (D. Earnhardt Sr.),

Reilly Brennan