K2 to launch its first high-powered satellite for space compute
K2’s Gravitas is an ambitious project that aims to demonstrate the tech needed to build data centers in space.
Transportation
Arc expands into electric commercial and defense boats with $50M raise
The Los Angeles startup raised $50 million from Eclipse, a16z, Menlo Ventures, and others as it seeks to expand beyond sport boats.
Feds intensify investigation into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has upgraded its probe after finding more instances of Tesla’s driving software struggling in low-visibility conditions.
Uber taps Rivian to build robotaxis in deal worth up to $1.25B
Uber is kicking off the partnership with an initial $300 million investment, while Rivian will provide as many as 50,000 autonomous R2 SUVs.
Pardoned Nikola founder Trevor Milton is trying to raise $1B for AI-powered planes
He told the Wall Street Journal he thinks autonomous planes will be “10 times harder than Nikola ever was.”
TechCrunch Mobility: Travis Kalanick’s return proves it really is 2016 again
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.
Rivian’s RJ Scaringe thinks we’re doing robots all wrong
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe shares his thoughts and plans for his newest startup, Mind Robotics.
Honda is killing its EVs — and any chance of competing in the future
Honda’s decision to kill its three EVs for the U.S. market will reverberate far beyond North America.
Travis Kalanick launches a new company called Atoms focused on robotics
Kalanick’s existing ghost kitchen company CloudKitchens will be rolled into Atoms, which also wants to get into mining and transport.
Motional robotaxis join the Uber app in Vegas two years after major reset
The launch comes just two years after a major reboot at Hyundai-owned Motional. The service will start with a safety monitor, which Motional hopes to remove by year’s end.