Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your go-to source for the latest in transportation news. Today’s discussion, led by Rebecca Bellan in place of Kirsten Korosec, centres on Aurora Innovation and its impressive achievement in autonomous trucking.
Aurora has recently announced the commencement of the United States’ first fully autonomous commercial trucking service just ahead of its April launch deadline, having previously postponed its original date of 2024. This week, Aurora successfully completed over 1,200 miles of freight transportation between Dallas and Houston using its pilot customers, Hirschbach Motor Lines and Uber Freight, utilising a single truck. The company aims to scale its operations, planning to deploy numerous self-driving trucks and extend its coverage to El Paso and Phoenix by the end of 2025, while it continues to operate its fleet of supervised autonomous vehicles.
This milestone represents significant progress for Aurora and the broader industry, although challenges such as tariff-induced shipment delays threaten its competitive landscape and stability.
In recent financial news, AeroVironment has finalised the acquisition of BlueHalo, a space and defence engineering company, in a $4.1 billion all-stock deal aimed at enhancing its defence technology portfolio. Meanwhile, aerospace startup True Anomaly has secured $260 million in Series C funding, led by Accel, to further its mission in national security.
In the realm of autonomous vehicles, May Mobility plans to deploy its autonomous vehicles within Uber’s platform by late 2025, starting in Arlington, Texas. Similarly, Chinese startup Momenta is collaborating with Uber to launch robotaxis in Europe in 2026.
Waymo and Toyota are also reportedly exploring a collaboration, potentially leading to a new model aimed at the ride-hailing sector and personal autonomous vehicles.
Switching gears to electric vehicles, Canoo is currently embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings, with a London investor contesting the sale of its assets to the company’s CEO, proposing a substantially higher bid. On the other hand, Rivian is managing a substantial battery stockpile, mitigating the impacts of tariffs on the automotive industry. Slate Auto, a new EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has its sights set on establishing a printing plant in Indiana for manufacturing affordable electric trucks.
Lastly, Tesla is rumored to be in search of a new CEO amid decreasing brand value, although the chairperson denies these reports. Ford has discontinued plans for its FNV4 software architecture, aiming to unify its vehicle software development, while Joby Aviation has made strides in eVTOL testing, transitioning to vertical flight.
In the delivery sector, DoorDash is contesting a lawsuit filed by Uber, which alleges anti-competitive behaviour by intimidating restaurant owners into exclusivity.
These developments illustrate the rapid evolution of technology in transportation, signalling a dynamic future filled with both opportunities and challenges.
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