Trucks | FoT: Simr, Aerodrome, Huawei

FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital 

Notable:

China's Huawei launches alliance for ultrafast EV charging (link). 'The consortium includes BYD and 10 other EV manufacturers...Huawei Digital Power's offerings include ultrafast chargers with an output of 360 kilowatts and 480 kW, compared with the more standard 60 to 200 kW models. The company has even developed 600 kW chargers.' China's EV market is becoming intertwined with consumer electronics and phones in a way that the rest of the world isn't.

US Senators: carmakers will give your location to police without a warrant (link). 'Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Nissan, Kia, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen have told Congress they would hand over drivers' data if faced with a subpoena.'

A look at Google's moonshot factory, which birthed Waymo, as it changes strategy (link).

Hyundai reportedly preparing high-performance hydrogen coupe (link).

Are these US-based drones too Chinese to pass muster? (link). 'U.S.-based Anzu Robotics is selling drones using technology from DJI, a Chinese firm that is the target of efforts by lawmakers to limit Chinese technology in America.'

Proxy firm Glass Lewis makes public statement against upcoming Tesla shareholder vote on Musk's pay package (link). 'For the pay package to be approved, a majority of shares voted must support it, excluding Musk’s roughly 13% stake and a much smaller stake owned by his brother.'

A few potential sneak peeks at Tesla's Cybercab robotaxi (link). Via Jaan Juurikas.

Stellantis CEO: tariffs on Chinese EVs are a trap (link). Related: Musk opposes them too (link).

Understanding the impacts of Minnesota's new ride-hailing laws (link). 'The bill, which Governor Tim Walz has supported publicly and is expected to sign, stipulates that starting January 1, 2025, drivers will be entitled to earn at least $1.28 per mile and $0.31 per minute.'

Outlaw NYC street racer Squeeze Benz arrested (link). 'One of the most prolific street racers in NYC can no longer treat the Big Apple like the Indy 500.'

Video: Clip of Waymo avoiding head-on collision (link). Video: behind the scenes at Waymo depots (link). Video: skating over a dumpster in SF (link). Video: the process for making zero-emission cement (link). Via Weans. Video: Understanding the importance of Manhattan's Broadway (link). Audio: my interview with Ty Findley on the Heavy Hitters podcast (link). Video: model trains running at scale speed (link). Via Yoji G. Video: Hongsnow's cozy bicycle seat (link). Video: Ferrari-swapped Subaru at Oregon rally (link). Via Ed A. Video: rolling burnout on this 1500-hp Australian Ford Falcon (link).

For $6,000, Bark Air offers a luxury cross-country flight for your dog (link). 'In the air, each dog gets lots of belly rubs, a warm facial towel, a grooming, a waterless shampoo and body cleanse, and some nose and paw butter.'

M&A / Deals / Changes:

Auto subscription startup Loopit raises $4M (link). Led by Upswell, Common Sense Ventures and Luxem.

California auto simulation startup Simr raises $20M (link). Led by Uncorrelated Ventures.

On the influx of funding to hydrogen startups (link).

EV trucking startup Harbinger raises $13M (link). Led by Coca-Cola System Sustainability Fund.

Drone-as-first-responder startup Aerodrome raises $21M (link). Led by CRV.

San Diego battery startup South 8 raises strategic round from Lockheed Martin and Porsche (link).

Board & Executive Changes:

TrueCar: Diego Rodriguez joins board (link).

Lockheed Martin: Heather Wilson joins board (link).

Featured Jobs:

Senior/Staff Research Engineer, Localization & Mapping (SLAM) at Gatik in Mountain View, CA, USA (link).

Powertrain Development Senior Engineer at River in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (link).

MobilityJobs is the No.1 job board for auto & transportation companies (link). If you are a startup you can use the job board for free standard listings — just enter 'Trucks' at checkout.

New Stuff:

Volvo teams up with Aurora to reveal an autonomous semi truck concept (link).

Review of latest research on robotized disassembly of battery packs (link).

PamPam is a new way to make your own maps and guides (link).

Pony AI looks to expand in Korean market (link).

Indiana police unit reports $80k annual fuel savings by moving to Tesla fleet (link).

FAA issues final airworthiness criteria for Archer Midnight aircraft (link).

Senate inquiry finds BMW imported cars tied to forced labor in China (link).

Yoshi Mobility unveils mobile charging service with Brightdrop vans (link).

Cybertruck costumes at Bay to Breakers race (link).

Scenes from the 2024 Kei-Truck Gardening Contest (link). Via JY.

Spotify turns off its 'Car Thing' hardware device, no refunds (link).

Patents & Patent Applications:

Ford's patent application shows secondary hand-gesture based vehicle authentication (link).

Statistics / Projections:

In overall brand reputation rankings, Tesla falls from 8th to 63rd in three years (link). Via Axios Harris poll. 'Honda (7th), Toyota (12th), Subaru (15th), General Motors (40th) and Ford (55th) now all rank higher than Tesla (63rd).'

Average age of vehicles in the US continues to rise: 12.6 years in 2024 (link). Via S&P Global Mobility.

Younger Americans most open to Chinese-brand vehicles (link). Via EIN / Autopacific. '76% of respondents under 40 said they would consider buying a vehicle from a Chinese brand. Consideration then declines significantly by age group with only about 26% of those 60 and older willing to consider one.'

25% of EVs sold in Europe in 2024 will be made in China (link). Via Automotive News / European Federation for Transport and Environment.

64% of Americans live within 2 miles of a public charging station, and those who live closest to chargers view EVs more positively (link). Via Pew Research.

Last week, US airports screened a record 2.95 million airline passengers in single day (link). Via Yahoo / Reuters / TSA.

Thank you:

Thank you to David Hanngren (link), Robin Hutcheson (link), Romina Jorge, Blair Schlecter (link) and Ishika Sinha (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

Gatik (link), River (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

See you next week,

Reilly Brennan