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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced at the end of this week that it is planning to streamline the 555 exemption process to make it faster for car manufacturers who want to use self-driving vehicles that are built without human control elements such as a steering wheel or pedals.
The letter sent to “stakeholders” (which means that those companies that work on AVs) is still fairly opaque. And manufacturers will still have to prove that vehicles offer an equivalent safety level without traditional steering wheels, driver brakes or rear -view mirrors as conformed vehicles and that the exemption is in the public interest.
The most important core here is that the NHTSA argues that the current exemption process of part 555 is not well suited for automated vehicles with system system and that it is a long -term and complex process. In short: the desk wants to speed up things.
In other federal agency -related news, Trump Published some executive orders with regard to drones and fast supersonic journeys.
Comment: I see that my predictions (of the last edition) that the Trump-Elon Musk Fall-out would change one of those on-again, off-again relationships, was correct.
Let’s enter the rest of the news.
A small bird
Last week I shared our scoop Jony Ive‘s Lovefrom Firm works together with Rivian Designers and a skukworks team that would ultimately work out AlsoA startup of micromobility.
Well, a few small birds have surfaced to share more and to clarify the relationship. I learned that the project was a code name. Rivian actually applied for one trademark of the name iner But let it leave later. Sources also stated that although the LoveFrom team brought the expertise in the field of industrial design to the effort – and apparently a cool motor design – it was not involved in an onion/ux.
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Deals!
JetzeroNulemissions Jet Aircraft Company, based in Long Beach, California, that works on mixed wing aircraft, is planning to build a factory in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company, which has a support from a variety of risk capital (such as Trucks VC) and of strategic investors such as United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, said it will invest $ 4.7 billion in the following decade The Wall Street Journal reported on the project. The construction of the facility is expected to start in the first half of 2026, with first customer deliveries in the early 2030s, the company said.
There is an important detail in this deal: it includes more than $ 1.1 billion in state performance that would be paid in almost 40 years and are dependent on Jetzero who creates more than 14,000 jobs between 2027 and 2036, Reuters reported.
Other deals that are worth noting …
Mitra ChemA startup of the battery material, raised $ 15.6 million of a planned financing round of $ 50 million.
Remarkable reading and other facts
Autonomous vehicles
Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft And people still pay, according to OBI, an app that collects real-time prices and pickup times in multiple Ride-Hailing services. The company published what it calls the “first in -depth research of the Waymo price strategy.” The fluorescent; DR: Waymo’s self-driving car journeys are consistently more expensive than comparative offers from Uber and Lyft and It doesn’t seem to matter.
Waymo Robotaxis became a symbol of the LA protests after images that showed different vehicles without a driver-with anti-ice graffiti and cut tire-in fire. Waymo removed his remaining vehicles from the city center and is planning to follow a criminal prosecution and to collect compensation from those who destroyed the robotaxis. The incident increases some Important security questions About how the many cameras and sensors on Waymo vehicles are used and whether it offers camera images to the authorities to identify protesters. Waymo has not answered our questions about this.
June 22 is the big Tesla Robotaxi Launch Day in Austin, Texas, at least according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Way And Uber announced plans to launch a fully directorless robotaxi service in London. However, this does not happen immediately and the timing is remarkable here: the British government has recently announced an accelerated framework for self -driving commercial pilots to roll out in the spring of 2026, by the end of 2027.
Electric vehicles, batteries and charging
Infinite machineThe New York -based Micromobility Startup supported by A16ZUnveiled a sitting scooter called Olto that costs $ 3,495 when it starts to send later this year. The Olto will have 40 miles of the range, drawn from an easily interchangeable 48V lithium-ion battery.
Tech in the car
During the day AppleThe WWDC 2025 event, a few car-related items were unveiled, including the company adding widgets and message tapbacks to CarPlay with iOS 26.
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