Welcome again to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for information and insights on the way forward for transportation. Sign up right here without spending a dime — simply click on TechCrunch Mobility!
Over the 13 years reporting on Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, I’ve watched the rise, fall, close to misses, and rise once more of the corporate and its billionaire chief. Musk, identified for his willingness to take dangers, has admitted how shut the corporate got here to submitting for chapter earlier than turning it throughout.
It was that “us versus them” storyline that helped flip Musk into an emblem of innovation.
His political alignment with President Trump, and extra importantly, his actions because the unofficial chief of the Department of Government Efficiency, has modified public notion of Musk. But it’s Tesla that’s taking the largest hit, together with a drop in Q1 gross sales, international Tesla Takedown protests, and a falling inventory value. And automakers, which have lengthy trailed Tesla in EV gross sales, are making the most of this opening by providing candy trade-in offers and different incentives.
Senior reporter Rebecca Bellan has documented the moments over the previous a number of months which have affected Tesla. Her article shall be periodically up to date, so remember to verify again.
Can Tesla rebound? The latest tariffs introduced by Trump might assist Tesla since its automobiles — and lots of of its parts — are made right here within the United States. It nonetheless won’t be sufficient safety to cease the bleeding. And tariffs will seemingly damage Tesla’s energy-storage enterprise.
The chaos surrounding the tariffs carried out by Trump will linger. We’re simply beginning to see how automakers are reacting and adjusting. Some, like Ford, try to get forward and supply reductions to spice up gross sales within the quick time period. And Volkswagen has advised dealerships it plans so as to add an import charge to the value of imported vehicles bought within the United States, per The New York Times.
Just a little chook
Just a little chook advised us that whereas Tesla positively seems poised to launch a robotaxi service in Austin this summer time, the automaker’s outreach to the town has been slim. Others like Waymo and Cruise (again when Cruise was a factor) have tried to get off on the appropriate foot by connecting with as many metropolis stakeholders as potential earlier than launching.
Some authorities officers additionally shared security considerations round Tesla’s model of autonomy. They fear Tesla’s vehicles might need a extra restricted consciousness of environment since they solely depend on cameras, quite than lidar and radar, for notion.
Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com, or Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com. Or take a look at these directions to learn to contact us through encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop.
Deals!
All quiet on the deal entrance this week. Still, there have been a number of price noting.
EVident Battery, a Massachusetts-based superior battery inspection tech startup, raised $3.2 million in a seed funding spherical led by Ibex Investors. Nationwide Ventures, Automotive Ventures, and Avesta Fund additionally joined.
Fourier, the hydrogen startup, raised $18.5 million in a Series A spherical led by General Catalyst and Paramark Ventures. Other collaborating buyers embrace Airbus Ventures, Borusan Ventures, GSBackers, MCJ Collective, and Positive Ventures.
Windrose Technology, an EV maker based mostly in Belgium and with Chinese roots, plans to file for an Initial Public Offering within the U.S. to $400 million, The New York Times reported.
Notable reads and different tidbits
Autonomous automobiles
TechCrunch reporter Maxwell Zeff interviewed San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie, and autonomous automobiles do come up. Check out the video right here.
Uber has partnered with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority in a deal that paves the best way for the corporate to function AVs within the United Arab Emirates metropolis. Uber doesn’t have its personal AVs, so it’s going to depend on partnerships. Its first in Dubai shall be with Chinese firm WeTrip.
Speaking of WeTrip, the AV firm has obtained a driverless public street testing and working allow in France.
Electric automobiles, charging, & batteries
Harbinger, a medium-duty EV producer, formally began manufacturing and has manufactured its first 100 salable items, the corporate advised TechCrunch. It’s a notable milestone for the California-based startup, which was based in 2021. Those automobiles shall be headed to a number of clients, together with RV large Thor Industries.
Meanwhile, Harbinger has additionally inserted itself into the chapter proceedings of EV startup Canoo. Harbinger filed an objection to the sale of Canoo’s belongings to its CEO, probably throwing a wrench into the 2-month-old chapter case.
Rivian delivered simply 8,640 automobiles within the first three months of 2025, the corporate’s worst quarterly mark because the finish of 2022. The firm says it nonetheless expects to ship between 46,000 and 51,000 EVs by the tip of 2025.
Redwood Materials, the battery supplies and recycling startup based by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, opened a analysis and improvement middle in San Francisco. The 15,000-square-foot facility situated within the metropolis’s Design District is provided with lab house to assist engineers who will ultimately work on each level of the battery ecosystem, from chemical engineering and cathode science to software program and electrical engineering.
