TechCrunch Mobility: RIP, Tesla Autopilot and the NTSB investigate Waymo | TechCrunch

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Just a quick recap of the latest news that reached us just as we were about to send out this newsletter. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into Waymo after its robotaxis passed over illegally stopped school buses several times in at least two states. Read the full story here.

Now on to our regular programming…

Tesla has taken a number of steps this week – and just before quarterly numbers drop – to demonstrate its progress and even dominance in automated driving technology. But wait, there’s more to it than just optics.

The week started with Tesla offering passengers robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver in the front seat. You’ll recall that Tesla launched limited service in Austin last year with a fleet of customized Tesla Model Y vehicles running a more advanced version of the company’s driving software known as Full Self-Driving Supervised (this version is “unattended”). Since the rollout, human safety operators have been riding in the front passenger seat as a precaution.

Not all of Tesla’s fleet in Austin will be fully self-driving, and there is apparently a chase vehicle behind those that are. Still, it’s notable and suggests Tesla is headed for a broader rise.

Meanwhile, Tesla has discontinued Autopilot, the advanced driver assistance system introduced in its vehicles in 2014. Autopilot has undergone several software and hardware iterations over the years with new capabilities.

Autopilot was immediately popular and controversial, partly because the name suggested the system was more capable than it actually was. (Drivers are responsible and must keep their hands on the wheel when Autopilot is engaged.)

Tesla eventually made a basic Autopilot system standard in all its vehicles, while launching and charging a more robust system now known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The base version, which is now dead, included traffic-aware cruise control, where the car maintains a fixed distance from the vehicles in front, and Autosteer, a function that centers and steers the car in the lane.

The decision to end standard ADAS comes a week after Tesla said it would stop charging a one-time $8,000 fee for the FSD software and move all customers to a monthly subscription.

These decisions together offer a simple enough explanation: Tesla wants to recognize more FSD revenue as it positions itself as an AI and robotics company.

But there is another possible reason. The company is facing a suspension of its manufacturing and dealer licenses in California for 30 days after a judge ruled in December that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing by overestimating the capabilities of Autopilot and FSD.

The ruling has been stayed for 60 days to allow Tesla to comply. Dropping the Autopilot name while cashing in on FSD is a pretty bold move. But perhaps Tesla believes this is enough to saturate the DMV.

Offers!

Zip linethe autonomous drone delivery and logistics startup, has been around for more than a decade, starting in Rwanda with blood deliveries. Progress has been slow and steady, with victories in other African countries and expansion into the United States. That trajectory accelerated after it launched a new drone platform in 2025 called P2, which focuses on home delivery of food and other goods.

Now, fueled by $600 million in new financing, expansion ambitions have grown. The company, now valued at $7.6 billion, is bringing its services to Houston and Phoenix and plans to expand to at least four additional U.S. states by 2026.

Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners and Tiger Global participated in the financing round.

Other deals that caught my attention…

ABZ Innovationa European-based maker of heavy agricultural and industrial drones, Raised $8.2 million in a financing round led by Vsquared Ventures, with participation from Assembly Ventures and Day One Capital.

Ethernoviaa San Jose, California-based startup that makes Ethernet-based systems for autonomous vehicles has raised $90 million in a Series B funding round led by Maverick Silicon – an AI-focused fund founded in 2024 by hedge fund Maverick Capital.

Serve roboticsacquired the sidewalk delivery robot company backed by Nvidia and Uber Diligent robotics in a deal that values ​​the common stock at $29 million. Diligent builds robots called Moxi that are designed to help hospitals by delivering lab samples, supplies and other tasks. Note: Look for more autonomous vehicle technology-robotics crossovers in the coming year.

Terralayra German grid-scale battery storage company, has raised €192 million in a round led by Eurazeo. RIVE Private Investment, Creandum, Earlybird, Norrsken VC and Picus Capital also participated.

Real car founder Scott Painter re-acquired the company within a year A $227 million deal through his firm Fair Holdings and partners AutoNation, PenFed Credit Union, Zurich North America and others. TrueCar will no longer be publicly traded and Painter has returned to the CEO spot.

Notable reading and other tidbits

Austin Russelthe founder and former CEO of bankrupt lidar company Luminar, agreed to accept an electronic subpoena for information on his phone about the company. The summons is related to Luminar’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Chinese car manufacturer Geely Holding Group has been released five-year blueprintand one of the many goals is a section on robotaxis. The company said this will be the case by 2030 Collective Labor Agreement Mobility ride-hailing unit will operate a fleet of 100,000 robotaxis covering major cities in China. Plans to expand outside of China “in the future” were also hinted at.

General engines is moving production of two gas-powered vehicles away from China and Mexico to a U.S. factory in Kansas. That change also means the end of the rebooted Chevrolet Bolt EV, the only vehicle currently built at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas. Read more to see when production of the Chevy Bolt EV ends.

Tesla wants to restart work on Dojo3, the company’s previously abandoned third-generation AI chip. Dojo3 will not be focused on training self-driving models. Instead, CEO Elon Musk says it will dedicate itself to “space-based AI computing.”

Waymo has opened its robotaxi service in Miami. Riders are admitted on a rolling basis to the nearly 10,000 local residents on the waiting list.

One more thing…

Alex Roywho co-hosts the Autonocast with me and Ed Niedermeyer, just traveled from Los Angeles to New York in a Tesla Model S, with the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving Supervised software installed took care of all the driving. This “Cannonball Run” route is one Roy is familiar with; he set the transcontinental driving record in 2007 when he completed the route in 31 hours and 4 minutes. He went on to set other Cannonball Run records in electric vehicles. Others have followed and broken these records since.

According to Roy, who captured the entire journey on video, the FSD (version 14.2.2.3) completed 100% of the 5,081 kilometer journey. That included pulling off the highway and parking at EV chargers. The time was 58 hours and 22 minutes.