JS Mobility: All eyes on Tesla FSD

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A quick note to our readers: There will be no publication next week due to the July 4th holiday. We’ll reconnect the following week. 

This week’s stories bring attention to the increasing scrutiny on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system. A fatal incident in Texas, where a Tesla crashed into a home, killing a 76-year-old woman, has drawn national interest. The driver claimed Autopilot, Tesla’s now-discontinued basic driver-assistance system, was active during the crash. 

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI software, offered a different perspective on X, stating the driver manually overrode the “self-driving” by fully pressing the accelerator in the residential area.

Elluswamy’s remarks imply the vehicle had FSD (Supervised) instead of Autopilot, though this remains unverified pending an independent investigation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have initiated investigations into the crash.

In related news, Tesla has settled a lawsuit concerning a fatal 2023 accident involving a vehicle using FSD (Supervised). This incident is part of another NHTSA probe into Tesla’s FSD, examining the system’s ability to handle reduced visibility conditions like sun glare, fog, or dust.

Tesla’s focus on AI and robotics is underscored by the attention on FSD (Supervised), which is a key revenue-generating product for the company.

A little bird

A reader who has previously shared tips with us pointed out a research report on Waymo and its expanding fleet of Ojai robotaxis. To recap, Waymo secured a supplier agreement with Zeekr, a brand under China’s Geely Holding Group, to provide electric vehicles designed for robotaxi use.

These robotaxis, designed in Sweden and manufactured in China, lack vehicle communication modules due to U.S. policies against Chinese-connected vehicle technology. Once in the U.S., Waymo installs its self-driving system. The Ojai uses Waymo’s sixth-generation system, which includes 13 cameras, four lidar sensors, six radar units, and multiple audio receivers.

New York-based research firm MoffettNathanson investigated the seriousness of Waymo’s Ojai program. By examining Bill of Lading documents, which are detailed shipping receipts filed with the U.S. government, the firm identified Zeekr vehicle labels CM1e or CME for Waymo-bound vehicles.

MoffettNathanson’s report, shared with JS, estimates that Waymo is on track to import 3,156 vehicles into the U.S. this year, equating to about 300 per month.

Have a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com, contact via Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.

Deals!

Aseon Labs, a Silicon Valley startup, has secured $10 million in seed funding led by Crane Venture Partners. The company is creating autonomous mobile pods for inspecting, cleaning, and charging robotaxis. Other investors include Y Combinator, Expa, Robin Hood Ventures, and Founders Capital.

CaoCao and May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle technology firm, have teamed up to develop and expand robotaxi services internationally, starting in Europe.

Elroy Air, a startup focused on autonomous heavy-cargo drones, intends to go public through a merger with Columbus Circle Capital Corp II, a blank-check company. The deal values Elroy Air at approximately $1 billion.

Partly, which develops AI tools for the automotive repair supply chain, has raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by DST Global Partners.

Spiro, an electric vehicle and clean energy infrastructure platform in Africa, has secured a $55 million investment from NewTrails Capital, a Chinese growth-stage fund. 

Terawatt Infrastructure, a provider of EV charging solutions for fleets, including Waymo, has arranged a five-year senior secured credit facility that could enable borrowing up to $300 million. The funds will be used for acquiring and developing charging depots. 

Notable reads and other tidbits

Companies like Tesla and Zoox may benefit from proposed changes by the U.S. Department of Transportation to federal vehicle regulations, which would permit the omission of brake pedals in vehicles solely driven by automated systems. 

Lucid Motors is reducing its workforce by 18%, equating to about 1,500 jobs, and is cutting the second shift at its EV production facility in Casa Grande, Arizona. This comes four months after a previous 12% workforce reduction. CEO Silvio Napoli stated the cuts aim to streamline operations, improve execution, and enhance competitiveness. What sacrifices will Lucid make in this streamlining effort? 

Lyft CEO David Risher posted a blog outlining the company’s multi-sensor safety standard for autonomous rides. The key takeaway: vehicles using only one type of sensor are not allowed on the Lyft network. This implies that Tesla Cybercab and Tesla robotaxis with FSD (Unsupervised), which rely solely on cameras, are ineligible. These rules do not affect advanced driver-assistance systems, so Tesla drivers on the Lyft app remain unaffected.

OpenAI has recruited Uber India president Prabhjeet Singh as its first managing director.

Polestar, a Swedish electric vehicle maker owned by Geely, is barred from selling new cars in the U.S. due to a government law prohibiting Chinese-connected car technology. 

Samsara, a fleet management company, is introducing small sticky tracking labels to address cargo theft. 

Slate Auto offers a simple electric truck starting at $24,950. Would you consider purchasing a $25K two-seater truck with a 205-mile range, manual windows, no infotainment system, and a gray composite finish (with optional wraps)? Reporter Tim De Chant explains why Slate switched the battery in this affordable EV truck. 

Uber faces a shareholder lawsuit alleging the board prioritized profits over compliance and safety, exposing the company and its shareholders to risk.

Waymo has established a presence in Germany, reportedly preparing for a robotaxi service launch, as noted by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Insiders suggest a launch isn’t imminent. Meanwhile, Waymo has opened its service to the public in Nashville by removing its waitlist.

Zoox has upgraded its custom-built robotaxis as it prepares for commercial operations and increased production at its Hayward, California plant.