Welcome again to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the way forward for transportation and now, greater than ever, how AI is enjoying a component. To get this in your inbox, enroll right here without cost — simply click on TechCrunch Mobility!
A number of weeks in the past, I wrote about how Uber appeared to be everywhere, all at once within the rising autonomous automobile know-how sector. The Monetary Occasions has now put a quantity on it. The FT calculated that Uber has dedicated more than $10 billion to purchasing autonomous automobiles and taking fairness stakes within the corporations growing the tech, in line with public data and discussions with of us behind the scenes. About $2.5 billion of that’s in direct investments, with the remaining $7.5 billion to be spent on shopping for robotaxis over the subsequent few years, the outlet reported.
We’ve reported on Uber’s quite a few investments and offers with autonomous automobile corporations throughout drones, robotaxis, and freight. A few of its investments embody WeRide, Lucid and Nuro, Rivianand Wayve.
This relatively giant quantity (and significantly that $7.5 billion) bought me fascinated with one other transformative period in Uber’s historical past and the way it has visited these asset-heavy shores earlier than. Uber may need began with a plan to be asset mild, however for a short interval it did fairly the alternative.
Uber went on a moonshot spree between 2015 and 2018. It launched electrical air taxi developer Uber Elevate and the in-house autonomous automobile unit Uber ATG, which might be boosted by its acquisition of Otto in 2016. It additionally snapped up micromobility startup Jump in 2018.
After which in 2020, Uber pulled the asset-heavy rip twine, ostensibly leaving all of these moonshots behind. Uber sold Uber ATG to Aurora, Jump to Limeand Elevate to Joby Aviation. But it surely didn’t utterly divest; it saved fairness stakes in all of them.
Uber is now coming into into a brand new and totally different asset-heavy period. It’s not plunking down tens of millions, and even billions, to develop the know-how in-house, though I’m positive of us there can be fast to pipe up that there’s at all times R&D taking place over at Uber. As a substitute, it seems to be centered on proudly owning (or maybe leasing) the bodily belongings.
Techcrunch occasion
San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026
That might imply attention-grabbing line gadgets on Uber’s stability sheet sooner or later.
Proudly owning fleets of robotaxis constructed by different corporations may not have been the unique imaginative and prescient of Uber, or its former CEO Travis Kalanick, who has mentioned the corporate made a mistake when it deserted its AV improvement program. However this new method may nonetheless get it to the identical finish level.
Somewhat hen
Earlier this month, I interviewed Eclipse associate Jiten Behl concerning the enterprise agency’s new $1.3 billion fund and the place that cash could be headed. The agency, as I wrote, intends to incubate extra startups (e.g., it was behind the Rivian spinout Also). Behl wouldn’t give me particulars, solely stating, “We’re undoubtedly engaged on a few actually cool concepts.” He additionally mentioned Eclipse is especially enthusiastic about startups that work throughout enterprises.
Thanks to at least one little hen and a few doc diving by senior reporter Sean O’Kane, it appears to be like like a seed spherical announcement is imminent for a San Francisco-based startup engaged on an autonomous hauler that I’ve been instructed doesn’t have a driver cab. This sounds much like what Einride has constructed, however since we haven’t seen it, we’ll have to attend.
The corporate’s roster isn’t massive, however it’s chock-full of Silicon Valley tech elite, together with a founder who was at Uber ATG, Pronto, and Waabi. Keep tuned for extra.
Acquired a tip for us? E mail Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Sign at kkorosec.07, or e-mail Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.
Offers!
Slate is again with extra capital because it prepares to place its first reasonably priced pickup vans into manufacturing by the tip of 2026.
The electrical automobile startup, which bought its begin with backing from Jeff Bezos, raised one other $650 million in a Sequence C funding spherical led by TWG International. Preserve your eye on TWG. That is the agency run by Guggenheim Companions chief govt (and Los Angeles Dodgers proprietor) Mark Walter and investor Thomas Tull.
Slate has raised about $1.4 billion so far, and its earlier traders embody Basic Catalyst, Jeff Bezos’ household workplace, VC agency Slauson & Co., and former Amazon govt Diego Piacentini, as TechCrunch first reported last year.
Different offers that bought my consideration …
Glydwaysa San Francisco-based startup growing private autonomous pods designed to function on devoted 2-meter-wide lanes in cities, raised $170 million in a Sequence C funding spherical co-led by Suzuki Motor Company, ACS Group, and Khosla Ventures. Present traders Mitsui Chemical substances and Gates Frontier and new investor Obayashi Company additionally participated. However wait, there’s more.
GM and Ford are reportedly speaking to the Pentagon about whether or not the auto business will help the army revamp its procurement program and discover cheaper, quicker methods to purchase automobiles, munitions, or different {hardware}, the New York Times reportedciting nameless sources.
Loopa San Francisco-based startup, raised $95 million in a Sequence C funding spherical led by Valor Fairness Companions and the Valor Atreides AI Fund, and consists of investments from 8VC, Founders Fund, Index Ventures, and J.P. Morgan’s late-stage fund, Progress Fairness Companions.
Monarch Tractorthe startup growing electrical, autonomous tractors, has moved on to (ahem) a unique pasture. The startup’s belongings have been acquired by Caterpillar after struggling to pivot to a software program companies enterprise.
Uber is growing its stake in Supply Hero by 4.5%, the Financial Times reported. Uber agreed to purchase about 270 million euros in shares from Prosus, the Dutch funding group and Supply Hero’s largest shareholder.
Notable reads and different tidbits
Doug Disciplinethe high-profile govt who formed Ford’s electrical automobile and know-how methods over the previous 5 years, is leaving. Notably, Ford is shaking up the group as properly, making a “product creation and industrialization” staff to be led by COO Kumar Galhotra. Any guesses the place Discipline is headed subsequent? Maybe he’ll return to Silicon Valley.
Lightshipthe all-electric RV startup, is expanding its Colorado-based manufacturing unit by one other 44,000 sq. ft, which is able to enable it to quadruple its manufacturing capability.
Rivian and battery recycling and supplies startup Redwood Supplies partnered years in the past. We’re now seeing the fruits of that relationship. Redwood is putting in battery power storage at Rivian’s manufacturing unit in Illinois. The catch? Redwood is utilizing 100 second-life Rivian battery packswhich is able to present 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) of dispatchable power to cut back price and grid load throughout peak demand durations.
Tesla created a brand new self-driving app that makes it simpler for house owners to subscribe to its Full Self-Driving software program and see statistics on how — and the way typically — they use it. This might not be enormous information, however it did catch my eye due to the gamified qualities of those new stats.
Waymoas per ordinary, has just a few information gadgets this week. The Alphabet-owned firm began testing its autonomous automobiles on public roads in London. It additionally eliminated its waitlist in Miami and Orlando to scale its robotaxi companies within the two cities.
Yet another factor …
This article isn’t my solely undertaking that’s leaning extra closely into robotics. My podcast, the Autonocastis simply too, because the worlds of autonomous automobiles, AI, and robotics mash collectively. Check out this interview with Foxglove founder Adrian MacNeilwho beforehand labored at Cruise.
Source link
