TechCrunch Mobility: RIP, Tesla Autopilot and NTSB investigating Waymo

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A little bit of breaking news that came in just as we were about to send out this newsletter. the National Transportation Safety Board An investigation has been opened Waymo After its robotaxi was spotted illegally passing parked school buses multiple times in at least two states. Read the full story here.

Now onto our regular programmes…

Tesla It made some moves this week — and just before its quarterly earnings fell — aimed at demonstrating its progress, and even dominance, in automated driving technology. But, wait, there’s more to it than just optics.

The week began with Tesla offering riders robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver in the front seat. If you recall, Tesla launched limited service in Austin last year with a fleet of modified Tesla Model Ys running a more advanced version of the company’s driving software known as Full Self-Driving Supervised (this version is “unsupervised”). Human safety personnel have been riding in the front passenger seat as a precaution since commissioning.

Not all of Austin’s Tesla fleet will be completely driverless, and there appears to be a pursuit vehicle behind those vehicles. However, it is notable and indicates that Tesla is heading towards a broader increase.

Meanwhile, Tesla has discontinued Autopilot, the advanced driver-assistance system initially introduced to its vehicles in 2014. Autopilot has undergone several software and hardware iterations over the years with new capabilities.

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

Tesla eventually made Autopilot standard in all of its cars, while launching and shipping a more powerful system now known as Full Self-Driving (supervised). The base version, now discontinued, includes traffic-aware cruise control, in which the car maintains a set distance to cars in front of it, and Autosteer, a feature that centers the car in the lane and steers it.

Its decision to eliminate standard ADAS comes one week after Tesla announced it would stop charging a one-time $8,000 fee for the FSD software and move all customers to a monthly subscription.

When taken together, these decisions offer a simple enough explanation: Tesla wants to get more revenue from FSD as it positions itself as an AI and robotics company.

But there is another possible reason. The company faces a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and dealer licenses in California after a judge ruled in December that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing by exaggerating its Autopilot and FSD capabilities.

The ruling was suspended for 60 days to allow Tesla to comply. Dropping the Autopilot name while taking advantage of FSD is a rather bold move. But maybe Tesla thinks that’s enough to saturate the DMV.

Offers!

Ziplinean autonomous drone delivery and logistics startup, has been around for over a decade, and started out in Rwanda to deliver blood. Its progress was slow and steady, achieving victories in other African countries and expanding into the United States. This trajectory accelerated after it launched a new drone platform in 2025 called P2 that focuses on home delivery of food and other goods.

Now, after securing $600 million in new funding, its expansion ambitions have increased. The company, now valued at $7.6 billion, serves Houston and Phoenix and plans to expand to at least four more US states in 2026.

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

Other deals that caught my attention…

ABZ innovationa European-based manufacturer of agricultural and heavy industrial drones, has raised $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 makes Ethernet-based systems for self-driving vehicles, has raised $90 million in a Series B funding round led by Maverick Silicon — an AI-focused fund created in 2024 by hedge fund Maverick Capital.

Robot serviceThe curbside delivery robotics company backed by Nvidia and Uber has acquired the company Diligent robots In a deal, the common stock is valued at $29 million. Diligent builds robots called Moxi that are designed to help in hospitals by delivering lab samples, supplies and other tasks. Note: Stay tuned for more crossovers between robotics technology and autonomous vehicles in the coming year.

Terralayera German grid-scale battery storage company, raised €192 million in a round led by Eurazeo. RIVE Private Investment, Creandum, Earlybird, Norsken VC and Picus Capital also participated.

TrueCar Founder Scott Painter reacquired the company in a $227 million deal through his company 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 role.

Notable Readings and Other Stories

Austin Russellfounder and former CEO of bankrupt lidar company Luminar, agreed to accept an electronic subpoena for information on his phone related to the company. The subpoena is related to Luminar’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Chinese car maker Geely Holding Group It has released its five-year plan, and among its many goals is a section on robotics. The company said that by 2030 Navigation Cao Cao The passenger transportation unit will operate a fleet of 100,000 robotaxis covering major cities in China. It also hinted at plans to expand outside China “in the future.”

GM The company is moving production of two gas-powered vehicles away from China and Mexico and to a U.S. plant in Kansas. This change will also mean the end of the rebooted Chevrolet Bolt EV, the only vehicle currently built at the Fairfax, Kansas, assembly plant. Read more to find out when production of the Chevy Bolt EV will end.

Tesla It aims to resume work on Dojo3, the third-generation AI chip that the company previously abandoned. Dojo3 will not aim to train self-driving models. Instead, CEO Elon Musk says it will be dedicated to “space-based AI computing.”

Waymo A robotaxi service opened in Miami. Passengers will be accepted on a rolling basis for the approximately 10,000 local residents on its waiting list.

Another thing…

Alex Roywho co-hosts the Autonocast with me and Ed Niedermeyer, just traveled from Los Angeles to New York in a Tesla Model S, with the vehicle’s supervised full self-driving software handling all the driving. This “Cannonball Run” route is one Roy knows; He set the transcontinental driving record in 2007 when he traveled the route in 31 hours and 4 minutes. He has gone on to set other Cannonball Run records in EVs. Others followed suit and have since beaten those records.

According to Roy, who recorded the entire trip on video, the FSD (version 14.2.2.3) drove 100% of the 3,081-mile trip. This included exiting the highway and stopping at electric vehicle chargers. The time was 58 hours and 22 minutes.