TechCrunch Mobility: Slate’s ‘transformer’ EV truck breaks cover and Tesla’s dueling realities

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Busy week, so let’s get to it. Starting with federal regulations! Woohoo. Exciting stuff.

I’m talking about the U.S. Department of Transportation ’s new Automated Vehicle Framework, which includes a standing general order (SGO) on crash reporting for vehicles equipped with certain advanced driver-assistance systems and automated driving systems. There were also some changes to the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program (AVEP).

Briefly, the AVEP handles language and processes of domestic and imported vehicles receiving exemptions. I want to spend a bit more time on the SGO , which has more significant changes. The Trump administration says it streamlines the process; others, like Consumer Reports, disagree.

The SGO ends a 24-hour reporting requirement and instead allows companies five days to submit a report if a vehicle with a Level 2 system is involved in a crash. As Consumer Reports notes, the new order also changes reporting requirements for when a vehicle with Level 2 driving automation has been towed away after a crash.

In the past, any vehicle with a Level 2 or above advanced driver-assistance system involved in a crash that DID NOT involve a fatality or hitting a vulnerable road user like a pedestrian or cyclist still had to report it within five days. Now the rule will only apply to vehicles with ADS (automated driving systems), which cuts out the bulk of vehicles on the road today.

That means if a Tesla that has Autopilot engaged (or a GM vehicle with Super Cruise or Ford with its BlueCruise system on) crashes and must be towed, it doesn’t need to report that to the feds as long as the incident did not involve a fatality, an individual being transported to a hospital for medical treatment, a pedestrian or other vulnerable road user being struck, or an air bag deployment.

Reporting is still required for any vehicle with Level 2 ADAS (like Tesla Autopilot) or ADS that is in a crash in which there is a fatality, an air bag is deployed, a person is transported to the hospital, or a vulnerable road user is hit.

During an interview at a Semafor event, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy seems to give a nod to those rules (although he says “autonomous” and not “ADAS”) when he said, “What we want to do is be able to get good data, but if there’s a scraping of paint off of an autonomous vehicle, the reporting requirements became very laborious and challenging, and it slowed the process down.”

Think I got this wrong? Reach out.

OK, on to the rest.

A little bird

Slate , the Bezos-backed EV startup, broke cover at an event In Long Beach, California, many of the specifics initially uncovered by senior reporter Sean O'Kane in his groundbreaking report were eventually shared with the public.

Previously this week, we shared additional inside information courtesy of our feathered informants, which reveals how the leadership has characterized things within internal discussions. Slate EV as a "game-changer" — similar to the animated "more than meets the eye" series. It turns out that this is precisely what the company is offering to its customers.

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Deals!

Ather Energy the Indian startup producing electric two-wheelers, reduce the scale of its first-time share sale by 18% to 26.26 billion Indian rupees ($308.3 million).

DoorDash wants to buy Deliveroo for $3.6 billion , Axios reported .

Electra , the hybrid electric aircraft startup, raised $115 million in a Series B round led by Prysm Capital. Jay Park, co-founder and managing partner at Prysm, has joined Electra’s board of directors.

Fora , a travel agent startup based in New York, raised $60 million across Series B and C rounds. Josh Kushner’s Thrive co-led the $40 million Series C round.

The venture arm of United Airlines has invested an undisclosed amount in JetZero , a startup working on a blended wing-body configuration.

Must-read selections and additional snippets

Autonomous vehicles

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai gained some notice due to comments made during the firm’s earnings call regarding its autonomous driving division Waymo In reply to a query, he stated during an extended explanation, "Personal ownership also has potential for future possibilities."

Waymo has previously mentioned potentially licensing its technology (likely to car manufacturers), so this statement shouldn't be overinterpreted. However, it's significant that Pichai brought up this point during an earnings call.

Tesla has begun testing its self-driving car ride-sharing service with employees In Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area before the firm’s scheduled robotaxi rollout this summer.

Volkswagen of America and Uber plan to start a for-profit robotic taxi service — utilizing self-driving Volkswagen ID. BUZZ electric vans — across several U.S. cities within the coming ten years.

The firms anticipate rolling out a commercial service in Los Angeles by the end of 2026; however, this initial phase will involve having human safety operators onboard. This reminded me of the period from 2017 to 2018 when there were numerous partnership declarations that often failed to come into fruition. Before VW can initiate commercial operations, they have considerable ground to cover, starting with securing even the fundamental permits for testing.

Electric cars, battery charging, and power cells

Aidan Gomez the co-founder and CEO of the generative AI company Cohere, joined Rivian’s board I don't intend to overanalyze this appointment, but it does indicate Rivian's desire to incorporate AI into their initiatives. This move also showcases their ambition to establish themselves as a key player in software within the automotive sector, potentially even becoming a supplier of such technology.

Faraday Future somehow continues to exist, and its board has appointed founder Jia Yueting As the joint CEO of the company, he returned after three years when he had been pushed aside due to an internal inquiry into accusations of deceit. It should be noted that a continuing investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission is still underway.

Tesla The earnings backed a theory I've been contemplating for some time. The firm operates within conflicting realms. On one side, Tesla exists as Profits have decreased by 71% compared to last year. , automotive revenues continue to fall, and its energy business is exposed to the U.S.-China trade war. In the other, Tesla is really an AI company that finally has the attention of its CEO Elon Musk and is on the cusp of launching an autonomous vehicle ride-hailing service and a cheaper EV — although it has yet to do either.

Investors grabbed on to the Tesla-is-an-innovator reality with both hands and they really don’t want to let go — even if the reality is that anti-Musk sentiment is affecting the brand and is even an official risk in its regulatory filing. Musk’s comments about assigning additional time for Tesla And fewer Dogecoin holdings assisted in driving them to this point. If you wish to get caught up on every detail from the earnings report and conference call, browse through our summary. Tesla earnings wrap-up .

Ride-hailing

The Federal Trade Commission has sued Uber , claiming the firm imposed charges for its Uber One subscription service without obtaining customer approval.

What is Lyft ’s loss is Uber Delta SkyMiles members based in the United States can now begin accumulating points as well. they ride with Uber Or opt for deliveries via Uber Eats under a newly unveiled exclusive collaboration between both firms. (Lyft previously partnered with Delta.)