Welcome again to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for information and insights on the way forward for transportation. Enroll right here without spending a dime — simply click on TechCrunch Mobility!
Monterey Automotive Week is a wrap. And whereas it’s nonetheless steeped in custom, the gathering of events, auctions and automobile reveals that have been held all through the Monterey Peninsula is pushing deeper into EVs and tech. And it’s getting youthful. As TechCrunch contributor Abigail Bassett famous, a heavy dose of Silicon Valley’s software program builders and founders added to the surroundings this yr. Try her article on essentially the most fascinating EVs at Monterey Automotive Week.
Through the occasion, Rimac unveiled its Nevera R, an upgraded model of its Nevera hypercar that someway has extra energy than its predecessor. TechCrunch additionally spent a while with new Porsche North America CEO Timo Resch, who spoke in regards to the upcoming all-electric Macan EV and the way the German automaker will survive the turbulent market. Then there was Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, who shared his issues in regards to the topsy-turvy political atmosphere, the Polestar 3 and how the corporate will turn out to be self-sustaining — and fewer capital reliant on its largest shareholders Geely Holding Group and Volvo.
There was much more than the Monterey Automotive Week, although — so let’s go!
A bit of fowl
A bit of birdie instructed us late final week that Canoo introduced in an all-hands assembly plans to shut its Los Angeles workplace — the corporate’s unique headquarters courting again to its founding in late 2017. The corporate’s new headquarters will probably be in Justin, Texas, the place it has maintained a company workplace since across the time chairman and CEO Tony Aquila took over a number of years in the past.
This all comes a number of years after Canoo introduced — however ultimately deserted — plans to maneuver its headquarters to Bentonville, Arkansas, because it was courting Walmart.
Canoo quietly tucked into its quarterly SEC submitting final week that it’s providing “relocation to approximately 137 employees out of the 194 employees located at the Torrance Facility.” The relocations will both be in Texas or Oklahoma — the latter is the place Canoo has been making an attempt for years to face up a producing facility. The remaining employees will probably be laid off.
No matter what number of settle for the relocation, all of these California jobs are completed. The LA workplace will shut October 15. Canoo reported 651 staff on the finish of 2023, down from a peak of almost 1,000 in late 2022.
Canoo staff have lengthy anticipated Aquila to shut the LA workplace — particularly after co-founder and chief design officer Richard Kim left the corporate in April 2023. The corporate has struggled to make progress attending to significant manufacturing volumes and has pivoted its enterprise mannequin a number of instances below Aquila’s watch.
Obtained a tip for us? E mail Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com, Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com or Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com. Or take a look at these directions to discover ways to contact us through encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop.
Offers!
Only a few offers this week …
AutoScout24, a Germany-based on-line automobile market, has acquired Canadian rival Dealer Corp. from personal fairness agency Thoma Bravo.
BeyondMath, a startup making use of AI to bodily simulation, raised $8.5 million in a seed spherical led by UP.Companions, with Perception Companions and InMotion Ventures collaborating. TC editor Devin Coldewey wrote about how BeyondMath’s “digital wind tunnel” put a physics-based AI simulation to work on F1 automobiles.
Re:Construct Manufacturing, a Massachusetts startup targeted on industrial manufacturing within the U.S., raised $120 million in a spherical led by Normal Catalyst.
Notable reads and different tidbits
Autonomous autos
Waymo stated it’s now giving greater than 100,000 paid robotaxi rides each week throughout its three most important industrial markets in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. Context: That’s double the determine it shared publicly a number of months in the past. One different merchandise value noting in my story: Waymo has 778 robotaxis below its deployment allow within the state, in keeping with a Freedom of Info Act request from the California Division of Income. It’s unclear if a few of these autos are working in Phoenix.
In different Waymo information … Bear in mind the honking downside that software program engineer Sophia Tung captured through a livestream of the parking zone the place Waymo robotaxis come and go? Properly, it was mounted after which it popped once more. However now, Waymo says, it has been mounted for good. Waymo Director of Product and Operations Vishay Nihalani got here onto Tung’s livestream and answered questions in regards to the robotaxis and the honking, amongst different issues. I’ll share some tidbits in subsequent week’s difficulty of TechCrunch Mobility.
Electrical autos, charging & batteries
Gogoro, the Taiwanese electrical two-wheeler maker, deferred its extremely formidable plans for India. Within the meantime, the corporate has began a bike-taxi pilot with aggregator Rapido to check its autos earlier than their industrial launch.
Rivian launched a smaller $1,400 camp kitchen. Historical past lesson: Rivian confirmed the primary prototype — a far bigger, dearer kitchen — greater than 5 years in the past. This time, prospects can truly purchase it!
Uber has employed Rebecca Tinucci, who led Tesla’s Supercharger staff, as its new international Head of Sustainability.
Volkswagen continues to creep slowly towards promoting its electrical minivan in the USA. We now know that the 2025 ID. Buzz will set patrons again $59,995 for the Professional S trim, which incorporates seven seats, rear-wheel drive and a 91 kWh battery that gives an EPA-estimated 234 miles of vary.
Way forward for flight
Skyryse, a startup creating a common working system for flight, opened a brand new facility on the Hawthorne Airport in California.
In-car tech
Normal Motors lower round 1,000 software program staff globally. I occur to be in Detroit this week visiting GM to study extra in regards to the Sierra EV and its software program efforts. Speak about timing! These cuts needs to be considered as a restructuring — and an important one if GM hopes to keep away from issues prefer it had final yr with the Chevrolet Blazer EV. Keep tuned for extra on this.
This week’s wheels
What’s “This week’s wheels”? It’s an opportunity to study in regards to the completely different transportation merchandise we’re testing, whether or not it’s an electrical or hybrid automobile, an e-bike or perhaps a experience in an autonomous automobile. Future autos embrace the Nissan Leaf, some e-bikes and the GMC Sierra EV.
