TechCrunch Mobility: RIP, Tesla Autopilot, and NTSB investigate Waymo

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The latest news that came to us as we were about to send this letter. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation That’s it after his robotaxis were spotted driving illegally he stopped school buses several times in at least two states. Read the full article here.

Now to our regular program…

Tesla made several moves this week – and before its quarterly profit – designed to show its progress, and dominance, in self-driving technology. But, hold on, there’s more to it than simple optics.

The week started with Tesla offering robotaxi riders in Austin without a public safety officer in the front seat. If you remember, Tesla launched a limited operation in Austin last year with a group of modified Tesla Model Y cars equipped with the company’s most advanced self-driving program known as Full Self-Driving Supervised (this is “unsupervised”). Public safety drivers have been riding in the front seat as security ever since they were released.

Not all of Tesla’s fleet in Austin will be self-driving, and it appears that there are some supercars that are. However, it is obvious and shows that Tesla is going in a wider direction.

Meanwhile, Tesla has killed Autopilotan advanced driver-assistance system that was introduced to its vehicles in 2014. Autopilot has gone through several software and hardware iterations over the years with new capabilities.

Autopilot was immediately popular and controversial, in part because the name implied that the system was more capable than it actually was. (Drivers are responsible and must keep their hands on the wheel when Autopilot is active.)

Tesla eventually rolled out a basic Autopilot system for all of its cars, while launching and charging for a more robust system known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The original version, which is now dead, included a management system.

His decision to kill the ADAS feature comes a week after Tesla said it would waive the $8,000 fee for the FSD program and move all customers to monthly subscriptions.

Taken together, these decisions provide a simple enough explanation: Tesla wants to realize more revenue from FSD as it positions itself as an AI and robotics company.

But there is another reason. The company faces a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and sales licenses in California after a judge ruled in December that Tesla was involved. fraudulent sales by adding Autopilot and FSD capabilities.

The ruling was stayed for 60 days for Tesla to comply. Leaving the name Autopilot and entering the FSD is a bold move. But maybe Tesla believes this is enough to satisfy the DMV.

Sales!

Ziplinean independent drone delivery and logistics service, has been around for over a decade, starting in Rwanda by donating blood. Its progress has been slow and steady, showing success in some African countries and expanding to the United States. This strategy grew after the launch of a new drone platform in 2025 called P2 which focuses on bringing food and other goods home.

Now, inspired by $600 million in new fundinghis desires have grown. The company, now valued at $7.6 billion, is bringing its operations to Houston and Phoenix and plans to expand to four more US states by 2026.

Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners, and Tiger Global participated in the financing.

Some products that impressed me…

ABZ Innovationa European manufacturer of heavy-duty drones for agriculture and industry, earned $8.2 million in a funding round led by Vsquared Ventures, with participation from Assembly Ventures and Day One Capital.

EthernoviaA San Jose, California-based startup that develops Ethernet systems for autonomous vehicles, earned $90 million in Series B funding round led by Maverick Silicon – a fund focused on AI created in 2024 by hedge fund Maverick Capital.

Serving Roboticsa side-scrolling robotics company backed by Nvidia and Uber, found Diligent Robots in a deal valued at $29 million. Khama makes robots called Moxi that are designed to help hospitals by delivering lab samples, supplies, and other services. Note: Look for more autonomous crossovers in the coming year.

Terralayerthe German company for battery storage in the grid, raised €192 million in a round led by Eurazeo. RIVE Private Investment, Creandum, Earlybird, Norrsken VC, and Picus Capital also participated.

TrueCar founder Scott Painter also found the company in a $227 million through its subsidiary Fair Holdings, and partners AutoNation, PenFed Credit Union, Zurich North America, and others. TrueCar will no longer be publicly traded, and Painter has returned to the CEO position.

Popular reading and more

Austin Russellthe founder and former CEO of the bankrupt company Lidar Luminar, agreed to accept a call from the computer to get more information on his phone about the company. The document is in line with Luminar’s ongoing financial recovery.

Chinese automaker Geely Holding Group he was released five-year planand among its many goals is the field of robotaxis. The company said that by 2030 Cao Cao Mobility The traffic group will use a fleet of 100,000 robotaxis covering major cities in China. It also mentioned plans to expand beyond China “in the future.”

General Motors is moving production of two natural gas trucks from China and Mexico to a US factory in Kansas. The change will also mean the end of the relaunched Chevrolet Bolt EV, the only vehicle built at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas. Read more to find out when production of the Chevy Bolt EV will end.

Tesla goals to restarting work on Dojo3company already abandoned third generation AI chip. Dojo3 is not intended to be a self-directed training course. Instead, CEO Elon Musk says it will be dedicated to “AI computing centers.”

That’s it has opened its own robotaxi service in Miami. Riders will be accepted on a rolling basis, with approximately 10,000 residents on its waiting list.

One thing…

Alex RoyAutonocast contributor Ed Niedermeyer and I just drove from Los Angeles to New York in a Tesla Model S, in which the car operates the Full Self-Driving Supervised program. he drove everything. This “Cannonball Run” technique is one that Roy is familiar with; he set a record for driving in 2007 when he traveled the route in 31 hours and four minutes. He has gone on to make other Cannonball Run entries in EVs. Others have followed suit and have since beaten the record.

According to Roy, who did all the work on video, FSD (version 14.2.2.3) ran 100% of the 3,081-mile trip. This included exiting the highway and parking on EV chargers. The time was 58 hours, 22 minutes.