TechCrunch Mobility: Bankruptcy eliminates two

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The year in transportation began with the bankruptcy of two companies – Kanoo and Nikola – and is now ending with the bankruptcy of two more. Rad Power Bikes It’s coming to an end – or at least bankruptcy. The electric bicycle company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, weeks after warning employees that it might close without new financing. A TechCrunch spokesperson said the company will continue to operate while the bankruptcy case is ongoing, and is looking to sell the company within 45-60 days.

Then there’s the troubled lidar maker Luminarwhich also filed for bankruptcy this week. Luminar’s bankruptcy doesn’t seem like a “let’s help him live another day” type of situation.

Luminar’s filing, which occurred after months of layoffs, executive departures, and a legal battle with its largest customer, Volvo, suggests the company is planning to sell the company. It has already reached a deal to sell its semiconductor business. While the company will continue to operate during the bankruptcy process to “minimize disruption” to its suppliers and customers, Luminar will eventually cease to exist once it is complete, the chief correspondent said. Sean O’Kane I mentioned. Want to know more? I recommend reading O’Kane’s article that looks at how the doomed Luminar deal helped push the company into bankruptcy.

Although the year has seen some failures, that doesn’t mean that 2025 wasn’t full of innovation and growth. The emerging robotics industry has already done that appeared. With this I have seen new types of companies emerging adjacent to autonomous vehicles, and I expect this to become a trend in 2026.

This was largely driven by the size of robotics Waymo Fast-paced growth, though Zoox and Tesla I also started a store. Next year may be the time when we see these companies truly competing in the same markets; It will also be the year in which companies will face greater scrutiny over safety and the suitability of robots in everyday life.

Meanwhile, electric cars have had their difficulties this year, and automakers have had a hard time adapting.

For example, Ford Pivoting is done again. The company said this week that it will end production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning as part of a company-wide shakeup that will focus more on hybrids and gas-powered vehicles. As part of its transformation, Ford is turning to an increasingly popular “extended range electric vehicle” version of the truck, which adds a gas generator that can recharge the battery to power engines for more than 700 miles. It’s also getting into energy storage — it has to do something with all those batteries — and says it remains committed to producing a midsize electric truck that will go on sale in 2027.

But hey, the electric car isn’t dead. The promise of smaller, more affordable companies looms just around the corner with the imminent launch Rivian R2 and Slate Automotive Electric truck.

Housekeeping note: This is the last bulletin for this year. The next time you hear from me, I’ll be in Las Vegas attending the annual technology trade show known as… CES. Going? Contact us.

To everyone, thank you for reading, participating in polls, and sending me emails (yes, even the critical ones). Your voice matters and I love hearing from you. See you in 2026!

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It seems like India-based reporter Jagmeet Singh is always tweeting in his ear about startup deals. The latest is barbed,Indian online marketplace for used cars.

Spinny is raising about $160 million, money that will be used to acquire auto services startup GoMechanic. The Series G round includes a mix of primary and secondary transactions and will value the 10-year-old startup at about $1.8 billion after the money, TechCrunch has learned.

Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosek at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com Or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.

Offers!

Boat sponsors and GetMyBoatTwo companies that operate Airbnb-style boating business models have agreed to merge.

Cowboys He’s back – sort of. ReBirth Group Holding, a company that owns Gitane, Peugeot and Solex, has acquired the Brussels-based e-bike startup. The e-bike startup had its tumultuous moments but eventually ran into problems, including a frame recall. Terms were not disclosed, but appear to include €15 million ($17.6 million) from existing shareholders.

Nirvana insurancea trucking-focused insurtech startup, has raised $100 million in a Series D funding round led by Valor Equity Partners. Lightspeed and General Catalyst also joined. Former TC reporter Mary Ann Azevedo got the scoop on the new valuation, which now stands at $1.5 billion.

Notable Readings and Other Stories

redwood It has launched a newly patented “Battery Collection Bin” designed to encourage consumers to recycle batteries. The system, which will be launched in San Francisco, safely stores, packages and monitors hundreds of batteries and devices containing the batteries.

Rivian It added its “universal hands-free” branding via a software update to the second-gen R1 EV (I’m not sure I’m a fan of that “universal hands-free” term btw). This upgrade will allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel on 3.5 million miles of roads in the United States and Canada (as long as there are visible painted lines). Also in case you missed it over the weekend, chief correspondent Sean O’Kane took us inside Rivian’s bet on AI-powered self-driving.

Securing the energy of America’s future He has a new CEO. Avery Ashsenior vice president of government affairs and special initiatives at SAFE, will become the organization’s next CEO.

Slate AutoThe Jeff Bezos-backed electric truck startup said it has collected more than 150,000 redeemable reservations for its low-cost electric vehicle scheduled for delivery at the end of 2026.

Sterling Anderson He was on the job at GM For six months and there are already talks about him taking over as CEO once Mary Barra He retires. My take: Anderson has a big job ahead of him, so let’s all think before we assume he’ll get this high-profile job. President of General Motors Mark Royce He is also in the wings.

Tesla It pulled human safety monitors from robotaxis in Austin. The robotaxi service is limited by a fleet size of dozens. However, it represents a milestone. And for those wondering, the California Department of Motor Vehicles told me this week that Tesla has not applied for a driverless test permit. The company only has permission to test autonomous vehicle technology with a human safety operator behind the wheel.

Meanwhile, Tesla is facing a difficult situation in California. Here’s the gist of the matter: An administrative law judge agreed to the case brought by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and ruled that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing that gave customers a false impression of its Autopilot’s driver assistance software and full self-driving capabilities. The DMV wanted to suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses in the state for 30 days as punishment for its action, and the judge agreed.

Oh, but wait. The DMV stayed on the order and gave Tesla 60 days to comply. This gives Tesla two options if it wants to keep those licenses: drop the Autopilot name or ship software to its cars that makes them autonomous.

Another thing…

Some of you may not know that I also co-host justiceTechCrunch’s podcast about the business of startups. I generally co-host our Friday show, which provides commentary and analysis of the week’s news.

Every now and then I interview a founder or VC on the Wednesday show. My latest is an interview with Jiten Biehl, partner at Eclipse Ventures and former chief growth officer at Rivian, who believes we are entering an era of great remanufacturing in the US — one in which factories are powered by AI-powered robots, not cheap labor overseas. Check out the episode here.