Robotaxis Are Here, but Arrival Doesn't Guarantee Permanence
Waymo's robotaxi operations are on hold in several cities due to rain and flooded roads, highlighting the challenges of commercializing autonomous vehicles.
Waymo paused operations in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio because its robotaxis are struggling to deal with heavy rain and flooded roads — and specifically knowing when not to enter them. As I prepared to send this newsletter, we learned the company extended that to Austin and Nashville as well. It's been a persistent problem for Waymo, which prompted the company to issue a recall last week.
In the same week, Waymo halted robotaxi operations on freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami as it works to improve performance in construction zones.
For now, the arrival of robotaxis is conditional. That doesn't mean this conditional status will last forever, but it's a reminder that launching commercially is not mission accomplished. Waymo — arguably the leader in commercial robotaxi ridership and fleet size — is in the thick of that process. For every new city it enters or capability it unlocks, a new edge case is discovered.
SpaceX IPO Filing Reveals Resource Sharing with Tesla
The interconnected nature of Tesla and SpaceX isn't a secret; Tesla is a publicly traded company and does disclose financial transactions with other Musk-affiliated entities. This new IPO filing does the same and with a bit more detail. And now that Musk's company xAI has merged with SpaceX, the IPO puts all of these transactions under one company.
For example, SpaceX purchased $506 million of Tesla's commercial energy storage products, called Megapack, in 2025 — nearly a threefold increase from the previous year. SpaceX also bought $131 million of Cybertrucks last year. SpaceX paid Musk's infrastructure firm, The Boring Company, $1 million to construct tunnels in Bastrop, Texas. Musk's social media company X, which was acquired by xAI last year and has since merged with SpaceX, also spent $1 million leasing space from The Boring Company.
Then there is Tesla's investment in xAI. Following SpaceX's acquisition of xAI, that investment was converted into an equity interest in SpaceX.
These costs will likely be eclipsed by two future SpaceX-Tesla projects: building Terafab, a chip-manufacturing facility, and Macrohard, an AI platform the two companies are developing that will use autonomous agents to augment the work of humans.
Other Mobility News
- Aboard, a Southern California-based startup developing extended-range electric travel trailers, raised $13 million in a pre-Series A round led by Ondine Capital and Llama Ventures.
- Quartermaster, an Arlington, Virginia-based startup developing a distributed sensing network for ships, raised $43 million in a Series A funding round co-led by First Round Capital and Quiet Capital.
- May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle technology startup, formed a strategic agreement with Ecarx, an automotive tech company backed by Geely founder Li Shufu.
- Scapia, an Indian travel booking startup, raised $63 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst, with existing investors Peak XV Partners and Z47 also participating.
- Uber increased its stake and now owns 19.5% of German food delivery company Delivery Hero, Bloomberg reported.
More Mobility Insights
- Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at MIT, shared his recent presentation on AI and how its future depends on human behavior, governance, and trust.
- The global EV economy is K-shaped, and this is the country that is being left behind.
- Lyft published a blog that lays out the company's position on autonomous vehicles. In its view — and one that is similar to rival Uber — a ride-hailing service requires human drivers and robot ones.
Other Notable Developments
- Self-driving tech startup Nuro hired Michael Mancini as its chief financial officer. Mancini was previously CFO at Energy Recovery, Astranis Space Technologies, and Aerion Supersonic.
- Stellantis, the automaker behind the Jeep and Ram brands, has tapped self-driving startup Wayve to bring hands-free driving to its vehicles in 2028.
- Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) driver-assistance software is now available in Lithuania.
A Closer Look at the Nissan Leaf
I recently had the chance to test drive the 2026 Nissan Leaf Platinum+, priced at $42,635, including destination charges and some special add-ons like two-tone paint and the floor mat package. This model had an improved EPA estimated range of 259 miles (and some versions go above 300 miles). But that wasn't the first upgrade I noticed. This new Leaf had a lighter, more modern, dare I say upscale, interior cabin. I won't quite say "sleek," but it was enjoyable and a notable upgrade.
Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O'Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.