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CEO of Tesla Elon Musk It is in what a suboptimal position could be described. He was strongly pushed to get shareholders to see Tesla as AI and a robotic company, not a manufacturer of EVs. And yet, the company’s most visible products that generate most of their revenue are its electric cars.
Yes, Tesla EVs progress, especially when it comes to its underlying vehicle architecture and software. And its driver-aid system known as full self-driving controlled, which can be used on roads and city streets and requires hands on the wheel and the driver to be ready to take over, is considered among the most capable today. But to Musk, the ultimate illustration of AI and a robotic company are self-driving cars and humanoid robots. And today, none of them exist on any scale.
Tesla’s first notable step to that goal was in June, when it launched a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. Those robotaxi-marked vehicles that have invited customers can hail with an app, have a Tesla employee sitting in the former passenger seat. But it is still away from Musk’s original vision of a “general solution”, which would allow the owner of Tesla to make money by renting his vehicle as a robotaxi service.
The clock is ticking and Musk needs to show more progress – or at least very dismissing the next launches to keep opposite shareholders. What is perhaps why Tesla undertakes this riding hair gambit in California.
Earlier this month, Musk noted that Tesla will launch a robotaxi service in the Bay area “In a month or two” -Regulation approvals being the main hanging.
The problem? Tesla didn’t even ask for the permissions that would allow it to operate a robotaxi service. I checked Friday morning with the California DMV, which regulates driver’s tests, and Tesla has not yet requested the necessary permissions. (A spokesman told me that the DMV met with Tesla to discuss the company’s plans to test autonomous vehicles in the state.)
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So, instead Tesla launched a drive service in the Bay area. And yes, users continue to call these robotaxis.
To be clear, while people – including Musk’s brother and Tesla board member Kimmbal Musk – can relate to these like robotaxisThey do not travel autonomously. (And if they are, it would be a violation of current regulations.) Again, Tesla currently does not have the permissions to do anything beyond paying their own employees to use their fleet of EVs to drive people around the Bay area. No autonomous driving in any way, form or form. You can read a Recent clarifier here This will take you through all the various permissions Tesla needs.
This ride-headed launch has a lot of people wondering what gives? My answer: optics.
A small bird
Recent talk between some birds suggests that the National Auto Trader Association focuses on their efforts to VW group spray Scout and EV’s plans for direct sales. The Trader Company has opposed the direct sales model before. But unlike direct-sales adopters Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, Scout is linked to a legacy car with a long-established merchant network.
Do you have advice for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my signal at kkorosec.07, sean o’kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com or Rebecca Bellan at Rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com.
Offers!
Think back to the fall of 2023. Logistics company Flexport caught the attention of Silicon Valley, partly because of the fall of founder Ryan Petersen with expelled CEO Dave Clark and because of its Acquisition of a convoyThe former freight technical unicorn who has just closed.
Here’s an update. Flexport has now sold the convoy platform to Dat Freight & Analytics. The terms were unknown, although the company said it delivered “a massive return to investment for Flexport.” Reporting Dan Primack of Axios suggests that yes, actually a “massive return” is a proper description.
Flexport never revealed exactly what it paid for the Techniko of convoy, although reporting at the time put the figure at $ 16 million – a fraction of the previous $ 3.8 billion unicorn estimate. Primack reported this week that Flexport sold the convoy platform for $ 250 million.
Other deals that have received my attention this week …
AirIsrael-based starting developing Evtols, earned $ 23 million In Series A -Financial Circle led by Entrée Capital, with the participation of existing supporter Dr. Shmuel Harlap, an early investor in Mobileye.
Lg innotekThe components and materials Sublio of LG Group of South Korea, are Investing up to $ 50 million In AirObtaining equity participation of about 6% in the US LIDAR company. The investment is part of a wider manufacturing partnership between the two companies and marks AEVA’s push into consumer electronics, robotics and industrial automation.
Notable readings and other edits
Elon Musk Tunnel pit company The boring company plans Build a 10-mile “loop” This will connect the city center of Nashville and its convention center and airport. Important side notes: This will be funded by the boring company and its private partners, which are not called. And this is the beginning of a public process to evaluate routes, which means that work will not start immediately.
Ford plans to reveal further information about its next cheap electric vehicles at an event in Kentucky on August 11 and, as senior reporter Sean O’Kane notes, the company is Speaking a very big game.
Joby Aviation signed an agreement with a defense entrepreneur L3harris -Technologies “Explore Opportunities” to Develop a new aircraft class -Specifically, gas-turbine hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that can fly autonomously-for defense applications. The gas-turbine hybrid VTOL will be based on Joby’s current S4 aircraft platform. This is not a contract by itself. But it marks progress in Joby’s offer to go to market in the defensive and consumer sectors.
While Uber continues to partner with each autonomous vehicle company under the sun, Lyft trying to make their own offers. Lyft said it would Add autonomous shuttles made by an Austrian manufacturer Group benteler to its network at the end of 2026. The shuttles will be deployed in partnership with US cities and airports.
Waymo plans Launch robotaxi -service next year in Dallas, and this time it is partnering Avis Budget Group manage its fleet of autonomous vehicles. On the other hand, two of its robotaxis crashed to each other at one of the company’s staging lots in Phoenix this week, proving that the company’s fast expansion into new cities does not mean that it went all the kinks. Waymo says it explores the cause.
A company of company Wride Received autonomous drive permission from Saudi -Aarabia. The company has similar permissions in China, UAE, Singapore, France and the United States.
One last thing
Waymo Co-general director Tekedra will join the To interrupt a stage For a comprehensive conversation about the current state of AVS and where the industry goes from here. Techcrunch interrupt 2025 There will be October 27–29 at Moscone West in San Francisco.
