Trucks | FoT: Xona, Pony/Kalanick, OpenAI Auto

FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital 

Notable:

Uber is reportedly in talks with former CEO Travis Kalanick to purchase US division of Chinese AV firm Pony AI (link). All ridehailing firms and OEMs who were previously in AV, then got out, will get back in. Many will begin with partnerships but ultimately we will see a boomerang back to these entities bringing (or buying) AV in house again. The threat (and the opportunity) is too large for them not to do so.

With a new generation of CarPlay seeking deeper integrations, some automakers give pause (link). Via Matthew D. Ultra is not a requirment, and carmakers can still use 'classic' CarPlay.

OpenAI boss hints there could be a more direct path to using its software in automated vehicles (link). I have heard about OpenAI doing zero-cost data integrations for large OEMs over the past few months, but I did not expect to hear them saying they could have a direct path to vehicle controls like this.

FBI says a hacking crew named Scattered Spider is targeting airlines and the transportation sector (link). Via Wen H.

Blind spots in vehicle are getting worse, according to new findings from DoT's Volpe Center (link). Via Stephen Z. 'Researchers measured the blind zones of six top-selling light-duty vehicle models (one pickup truck, three SUVs, and two passenger cars) across multiple redesign cycles (1997-2023) to determine whether the blind zones were getting larger. The SUV models showed up to a 58% reduction in visibility within a 10-meter radius.'

Tesla's robotaxi launch has as much to do with media and narrative as its does technology (link).

Video: Ford CEO Jim Farley at the Aspen Ideas Festival discussing 'the essential economy' with Walter Isaacson; this is an interesting video because of some comments made re EV approach (ie a focus on low-cost and commercial). (link). Video: tire gift wrapping machine (link). Video: Kei truck with Kawasaki 12R swap (link). Via Clay D. Video: Fiat Panda, Narrow Edition (link). Via TO.

The new F1 movie, developed by Apple, has successful initial weekend launch (link). Via Carly T. Related: the popcorn-filled helmet you can buy in theaters, for $28 (link).

M&A / Deals / Changes:

Space-based navigation startup Xona Space Systems raises $92M, sends Pulsar-0 into orbit (link). Led by Craft Ventures.

EQT's Pioneer Corporation sold to CarUX for $1.1B (link).

Indian drone startup Raphe mPhibr raises $100M (link). Led by General Catalyst.

LFP battery startup Nascent Materials raises $2.2M (link). Led by SOSV.

Florida mobility platform startup Beep raises $52.7M (link). Led by Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital.

Rail AV startup Railspire raises $4.6M (link).

UK based school and employee mobility benefit startup Zeelo raises $23M (link). Led by Blue Earth Capital.

Israeli V2X startup Autotalks acquired by Qualcomm (link).

AV trucking startup Kodiak announces that it is using remote driving capability from supplier Vay (link).

Chinese ride-hail app CaoCao, a division of OEM Geely, raises $236M in Hong Kong debut listing (link).

Intel to shutter its automotive business, lay off department employees (link). "Approximately 50 million vehicles currently use Intel processors and 18 automotive equipment manufacturers partner with the chipmaker for its technology, according to the company’s website."

Board & Executive Changes:

Tesla: VP of Manufacturing Omead Afshar to depart (link).

Curated Jobs:

Staff Software Engineer at Veecle in Berlin, Germany (link).

Test Engineer (Actuators/Mechanical Systems) at Joby Aviation in Santa Cruz, CA, USA (link).

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

Hunting? View all 413 postings on the MobilityJobs job board (link).

New Stuff:

Octopus and BYD launch a first 'vehicle-to-grid' bundle (link). 'Bundle includes a leased electric car, a bi-directional charger and smart tariff.'

Tesla ships a vehicle from the factory to a customer completely driverlessly (link).

France insists Tesla must change its erroneous 'Full Self Driving' marketing or face fines (link).

Amazon expands same-day shipping to over 4,000 rural towns in massive delivery push (link). 'We’re investing over $4 billion to triple the size of our delivery network by 2026, with a focus on small towns and rural communities across the country.'

Patents & Patent Applications:

Ford's patent application for a vehicle fragrance device (link).

Statistics / Projections:

Waymo is now doing over 250,000 paid rides per week, traversing over 2 million miles (link). Via Time.

US bicycle sales expected to stagnate for next four years, especially in light of tariffs (link). Via FT / PeopleForBikes. 'Some 12.5M bikes are sold in the US each year. About 90 per cent of them are imported, mostly from Asia.'

Thank you:

Thank you to Reed McManigle (link), Trevor Pawl (link) and Tolga Yildiz (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), Veecle (link), Xona Space Systems (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

Without obsession, life is nothing (John Waters),

Reilly Brennan