Trucks | FoT: Joby, Enel X, EVgo

FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital 

Notable:

Waymo partners with Hyundai Motor Group to put Ioniq 5 crossover into its fleet (link). The Ioniq 5 isn't a Chinese brand built in China (in fact, these will be built in Ellabell, Georgia), giving Waymo more optionality they don't have for US-market rides with a Chinese-made Zeekr. That Waymo doesn't have a hardware deal with GM, Ford or Stellantis yet is one of the great missed opportunities for the Detroit 3. A Stellantis FoT reader: 'the next BEV Pacifica could be a great opportunity for us with the AV fleet companies, all I can say for right now.'

Enel X's JuiceBox EV chargers abruptly go dark in US market, despite wide adoption (link). Via Carl M. I asked Eric Owski of Treehouse about this; his response: 'This is an eye opening moment for fleet operators, auto retailers, and multi-family and commercial property owners deploying large numbers of charging assets. This will likely mark the beginning of a shift toward stakeholders choosing EVSE hardware providers with deeper balance sheets and clear long-term viability.' My friend Ryan’s hometown just worked to install a bunch of JuiceBox chargers, too (link).

After keyless entry blunder, Mazda gets its first taste of subscription blowback; consumers hate the switcheroo (link). 'Now, Mazda only offers the second kind, where one starts the car via phone through its connected services for a $10 monthly subscription.' If you force consumers into a subscription for something you previously gave them anyway, they will hate you and you will devalue your brand.

Should Uber and Lyft drivers use higher levels of automation during a ride? (link). It's only happened to me twice when riding in an Uber; I always tell them to turn it off.

TurnSignl is 'legal tech's version of OnStar' (link).

There is no technology fix for 'car bloat' (link). The paradox of ADAS and AV systems is that we continue to overspecify vehicles. Related: Congestion pricing is not just about alleviating traffic; it’s about recognizing that a future designed around the automobile is one of economic stagnation (link).

A look at China's growing heavy duty truck market (link). 'However, the market is not expected to fully recover to 2020 levels, marked by nearly 1.6 million truck sales, in the near future.5 Instead, growth will likely stabilize at around 800,000 trucks, excluding exports.'

Video: the citibikeboyz hit the trails (link). Via Diego. Video: the secret economics of Google Street View (link). Video: road rage in the 1890s (link). Video: Waymo AVs vandalized in SF (link). Video: Waymo CEO Tekedra Mawakana at the All-In Summit (link). Via Nick P. Video: Quadrupedal robot climbing stairs (link). Video: JR Hildebrand helmet cam running his vintage Petty Pontiac through the field at Sonoma (link). Video: Designer Freeman Thomas on the Smoking Tire podcast (link). Via Diego.

China's first $100k car: the Maextro (link). Via Anil M. The wheelbase of a Mercedes-Benz S-class, the opulence of an Intercontinental.

M&A / Deals / Changes:

VTOL startup Joby Aviation raises $500M from Toyota (link). 'Toyota’s total investment in Joby, which includes a $394M capital injection back in 2020, is now $894M.'

Auto retail AI startup Numa raises $32M (link). Led by Touring Capital and Mitsui.

Detroit EV startup Grounded raises $3M (link). Led by Also Capital and 81 Collection.

Charging network EVgo wins $1.05B US DoE loan (link).

Tier becomes Dott following the merger of the two micromobility companies (link).

Uber partners with the former Yandex AV team (now known as Avride) for multi-year deal (link). 'Starting this week, Uber customers in Austin will see an option to receive Uber Eats deliveries from Avride’s six-wheeled sidewalk robots. That deal will expand to Dallas and Jersey City, New Jersey, later this year. And in 2025, Avride’s autonomous vehicles will be available to some Uber customers for rides in Dallas. The company also operates delivery robots in South Korea.'

Board & Executive Changes:

BlackBerry: Lisa Bahash joins board (link).

Featured Jobs:

Sr. Design Engineer (Mechanical/Electro-mechanical) at Joby Aviation in San Carlos, CA USA (link).

Graphic Designer at Gatik in Mountain View, CA USA (link).

More jobs here (link).

New Stuff:

Skyryse receives FAA certificate to take next step toward production of Skyryse One (link).

Teleo announces expansion of its AV technology into areas beyond construction (link).

Ford cuts the price of its Blue Cruise ADAS: $49/mo or $495 annually, down from $75/mo or $800 annually (link).

Zuckerberg's new custom 'minivan' Porsche (link).

How YouTubers made an affordable ($1,000) wheelchair (link).

South Korea late-night AV service launches in its Gangnam district (link).

Visualizing satellites overhead right now (link).

Open source overhead detection project WALDO (Whereabouts Ascertainment for Low-lying Detectable Objects) can detect different types of vehicles accurately (link). Via Miguel S. 'Capable of detecting these classes of items in overhead images ranging in altitude from about 30 feet to satellite imagery with a resolution of 50cm per pixel or better.'

GM discusses plans for its L3 ADAS system (link).

Ionna flips old gas station into an EV charger station (link).

A look inside Little Car Co, which makes miniature versions of classic cars (link). The photo in this story will at first make you think Ben Hedley is a very large man.

Patents & Patent Applications:

GM's patent for on-vehicle camera calibration (link).

Lucid's patent shows windshield-reflected IR imaging of vehicle occupant (link).

Statistics / Projections:

Car software updates make up 20% of all US recalls now (link). Via Ars Technica / National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The United States has a shortage of more than 80,000 drivers; that number is expected to double by 2030 (link). Via McKinsey. 'The median age of a truck driver in the United States is 46, compared with 42 for the workforce overall.'

Bloomberg's report on zero-emission commercial vehicles (link to PDF). 'Zero-emission truck sales were close to 38,000 units globally in the first half of 2024 and are set to be just over 1.5% of total sales in 2024.'

Thank you:

Thank you to Paula Bejarano (link), Robi Mitra (link), Alex Roy (link), Anthony Sehnaoui (link) and Anshul Tyagi (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

Joby Aviation (link), Gatik (link), Skyryse (link), Teleo (link), Treehouse (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

Run on the top of the disheveled tide,

Reilly Brennan