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I used to be in Los Angeles earlier this week the place I interviewed Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana on stage at our StrictlyVC LA occasion. You possibly can watch the entire interview right here, which covers her views on the Apple Automobile venture, the corporate’s “group tour” in Los Angeles, whether or not Waymo realized something (or modified) within the wake of the Cruise debacle and if it’s dedicated to staying in San Francisco even when vandalism of its robotaxis continues.
The next morning (and by complete coincidence), the California Public Utilities Fee permitted Waymo’s utility to function a industrial robotaxi service in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula and on San Francisco freeways. The approval removes the final barrier for the Alphabet firm to cost for rides in these expanded areas. Importantly, it opens up new territory for Waymo in one of many nation’s largest cities and unlocks a path to San Francisco Worldwide Airport, which is positioned south of town.
This week’s information additionally contains Ford giving its EV house owners entry to Tesla Superchargers, the Securities and Trade Fee charging Lordstown Motors with deceptive buyers, Toyota virtually paying folks to purchase its hydrogen gasoline cell-powered Mirai and extra!
Let’s go!
Somewhat hen
EV upstart Fisker has been coping with loads these days — underperforming its personal gross sales objectives, coping with high quality and customer support issues and pivoting from a direct gross sales mannequin to attempting to enroll vendor companions.
This previous week the corporate introduced it’s going to chop 15% of its employees as a part of that transition and wishes extra cash to outlive. Reuters reported Friday that it’s in talks with Nissan to collaborate on an electrical pickup truck, in a transfer that might save the startup.
A few little birds advised us that these talks have been occurring for greater than a yr, and that it wasn’t the one Japanese automaker that has spoken to Fisker a few potential collaboration — Fisker additionally held talks with Mazda. However Nissan is the final one standing, and its continued curiosity comes at an important second for the troubled startup.
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Deal of the week
Polestar has a bit extra respiratory room now that the Swedish EV firm — that’s owned by China’s Geely Holdings — secured a $950 million mortgage from a dozen banks.
Why does it matter? These are crucial funds wanted to maintain Polestar’s EV plans shifting ahead following Volvo’s choice to tug again its monetary assist of the electrical automaker. The corporate had about $770 million in money on the finish of 2023, in response to regulatory filings.
Nonetheless, the funding doesn’t clear up all of Polestar’s monetary woes. Even with this new injection of capital, the corporate stated it can proceed to chop prices and search for effectivity, together with layoffs. Polestar, which has reduce 10% of jobs since mid-2023, stated it plans to make one other 15% reduce this yr. The corporate beforehand disclosed that 15% job reduce, which can have an effect on about 450 folks.
Different offers that acquired my consideration …
Vary Power, the startup creating electrical powered trailers for industrial trucking, raised $23.5 million in a funding spherical led by Trousdale Ventures, with participation from UP.Companions, R7 and Yamaha Motor Ventures. Vary has raised $31.5 million up to now.
Notable reads and different tidbits
Autonomous automobiles
Goodbye Apple Automobile; we by no means knew ya. Yup, that’s proper the Apple ended plans to construct and promote an autonomous electrical automobile. Don’t fear, months from now we’ll certainly be handled to rumors that it’s again in any case. ;D
Reporter Sean O’Kane realized that Apple is probably going reducing lots of of workers from the crew and all work on the venture has stopped. Some will shift to Apple’s generative AI initiatives, in response to Bloomberg, which first reported the venture’s cancellation. Others can have 90 days to discover a reassignment to different roles inside the corporate, or they are going to be let go. The automobile venture nonetheless had round 1,400 workers engaged on it, in response to one worker who was granted anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to discuss their work. Aspect observe: right here’s a timeline of the decade-long venture.
GM is squirreling away its custom-built Cruise Origin robotaxis in a defunct Michigan plant.
Motional advised workers it can reduce about 5% of its workforce (fewer than 70 folks), Gadget Guru Weblog has realized. The cuts principally have an effect on administrative roles and a few workers working in Boston, one in every of a number of cities the place it exams autonomous automobiles. The opposite essential element from sources is that the corporate must safe extra funding. That can imply both Hyundai footing the whole invoice for the three way partnership firm it as soon as shared with Aptiv or discovering one other companion.
Electrical automobiles, batteries & charging
Xiaomi confirmed off its first electrical automobile, the SU7, at Cellular World Congress.
In-car tech
Amazon stopped promoting the Ring Automobile Cam.
This week’s wheels
This week I wasn’t driving; I used to be using in a driverless Waymo robotaxi. I’ve taken quite a few rides in Waymo robotaxis, however by no means one in Los Angeles. This journey offered an fascinating take a look at piece for the way these robotaxis deal with surprising blockades.
Moments after entering into the Waymo, the car was approaching a cease signal when it encountered a minor crash between two human pushed automobiles. Humorous sufficient, one other driverless Waymo was proper in entrance of me. A postal employee, who was additionally caught, ended up backing right into a turning lane and making a U-turn.
My driverless automobile stayed put and I started to marvel if it could ever transfer. A message quickly appeared on the touchscreen informing me that “our crew is working to get you shifting.” A second later the car reversed a number of ft and made the identical maneuver that the postal employee did. This was doubtless an incident when distant steerage was offered. About two minutes had been added to my experience as a result of visitors jam.
We’ll be posting a video of the experience quickly!