Elon Musk is lobbying lawmakers on driverless vehicle rules
Musk and others in his orbit have been calling members of Congress directly, according to Bloomberg.
TechCrunch Mobility: A ride-sharing pioneer comes for Uber, Tesla loses more ground, and dog-like delivery robots land in Texas
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.
How a decade-old patent dispute could upend Uber’s business
A little-known patent infringement lawsuit could have big implications for Uber — and potentially dozens of other companies. Carma Technology, a company formed in 2007 by serial entrepreneur and SOSV founder Sean O’Sullivan, filed a…
Stellantis pivots to Google’s Android as in-car partnership with Amazon ends
Three years ago, Stellantis announced it was pairing up with Amazon to create in-car software that would bring a slew of connected products and services to vehicles by 2024 as part of the automaker’s broader…
SpaceX’s ninth test flight of Starship launches into space, ends in a spin
SpaceX’s Starship successfully separated from its Super Heavy rocket booster and reached orbit Tuesday evening, but later began spinning and made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Indian Ocean. SpaceX had cleared the surrounding airspace where…
Tesla loses more ground in Europe, while BYD makes gains
In April, Tesla sold 7,261 vehicles in the European Union, European Free Trade Association, and U.K., a 49% year-over-year decline.
TechCrunch Mobility: Uber Freight’s AI bet, Tesla’s robotaxi caveat, and Nikola’s trucks hit the auction block
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! For those U.S.-based readers out there, enjoy…
Luminar secures up to $200M following CEO departure and layoffs
Lidar company Luminar reached a deal with Yorkville Advisors Global and another unnamed investor that could bring another $200 million into its coffers through the sale of convertible preferred stock over an 18-month period. The…
Luminar kicks off another round of layoffs amid CEO’s sudden resignation
Luminar, the lidar company founded by recently replaced CEO Austin Russell, is going through another restructuring, according to a recent regulatory filing. This new round of layoffs, which the company did not provide figures for,…
Waymo gets OK to expand robotaxi service into more of Silicon Valley
The company is also aiming to unlock access to the San Francisco International Airport, although those plans are on a much longer timeline.