Trucks | Future of Transportation for 2026.07.06
FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital

Notable

EV batteries last longer than expected (link). 'After five years on the road, the average EV will still be able to drive up to 95% of its original range, according to Recurrent, a data-science company that provides a battery-monitoring tool for EVs, better than many in the auto industry expected.'

Ferrari's new 12 Cilindri Manuale revives the gated manual shifter, kind of (link). Via Nick G. 'While the 12Cilindri lets the driver row their own gears, there is no physical connection to the powertrain, so the experience is actually a simulation.' Matt Haig: 'As civilization advances, so does indifference. It is a disease. Immunize yourself with art. And love.'

Carmakers and suppliers opting for aluminum wiring over copper (link). 'Substitution of aluminum for copper has come in waves over two decades, but record copper prices in late January, peaking close to $15,000 per metric ton, ​added weight to the case for switching to aluminum. Forecasts for global supply fall short of those for demand for more than the next decade. The move saves up to 20% of the total wiring weight, said Ferrari communications executive Dario Esposito. The metal is, in fact, much cheaper — currently about $3,100 a ton, or about a quarter the price of copper.'

Rivian races class action lawsuit over AV capability claims for early vehicles (link). 'According to the class action complaint brought by Rivian customers, the first-generation models of these vehicles are not capable of the offering the self-driving potential that the company had promised.'

The US Dept of War now has a new all-encompassing autonomy czar (link). 'The new role covers all ground vehicles, all small air vehicles and almost all sea vehicles, and reports directly to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg.'

Complex traffic scenarios demand a new type of ADAS driver monitoring (link). Monitoring systems need to account for subjective cognitive load, not just objective scene complexity, to correctly gauge when to prompt handovers or interventions.

Video: a kei truck at speed feels scarier than a horror movie (link). Via Diego. Video: 'who put the McLaren in the dishwasher?' (link). Video: license plates featuring state websites are trending down (link). Video: Tesla's VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy on the Brighter with Herbert (link). Video: Teledyne FLIR's micro drone system (link). Video: delicious slo-mos from Australia at Mount Panorama (link). Video: China's AV delivery density is much higher than we see in the US (link). Via Tony.

'My midlife crisis Corolla is fast, furious, and fully modded' (link).

M&A / Deals / Changes:

Bosch and Volkswagen end their 'Automated Driving Alliance.' which had been active since 2022 (link). 'It also stated that Volkswagen has invested around €1.5bn ($1.71bn) in the project, but internal assessments found the technology had not reached the expected stage of development.'

Nauto and Nexar announce merger (link). Zach Greenberger, Nexar's CEO, will be CEO of the combined company. Stefan Heck, Nauto's founder and CEO, will chair the combined board.

France shipping giant CMA GGM acquires FedEx's Supply Chain business for $1.4B (link).

Volkswagen sells 51% stake in marine engine maker Everllence for $8.4B (link). 'Everllence is a hidden giant in the global supply chain, claiming to power over half of all seagoing trade.'

Lime enters the public markets, raising $167M (link).

Quarterhill acquires Conduent's road tolling business for $70M (link).

Rocket Lab acquires Iridium Communications for $8B (link).

Volkswagen is now Rivian's largest shareholder, displacing Amazon (link). 'According to the latest SEC documents filed by Rivian earlier this week, Volkswagen Group now owns 209.7 million shares of Rivian stock, which amounts to 15.9%.'

Shell's quick lube franchise brand Jiffy Lube acquired by Monomoy Capital for $1.3B (link).

Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation launch initial phase of a strategic manufacturing alliance (link).

Board & Executive Changes:

Copart: Jayson Adair promoted to (and returns as) CEO; continues as Executive Chairman; succeeds Jeffrey Liaw who resigns as CEO and from board (link).

Autoliv: Kevin Fox resigns as President, Autoliv Americas (link).

Cerence: Marcy Klevorn resigns from board (link).

Lucid: Alexander De Bock named CFO; succeeds Taoufiq Boussaid (link).

Prologis: Alfred Kelly joins board (link).

Mobility Global spins out of S&P Global, begins trading with new board composition: Joe Hinrichs, Eric Aboaf, William Eager, Heather Lavallee, Monique Leroux, Mark Peek, Shilpa Ranganathan, Alexander Taussig (link).

Curated Jobs:

View over new 1300 active job listings from companies, including over 220 at Joby Aviation (link).

Senior Structural Analysis Engineer at JetZero in Greensboro, NC USA (link).

Senior Engineer - Embedded Hardware at River in Bangalore, India (link).

New Stuff:

Ferrari's Luce might have received a cold welcome by the internet, but all 88 vehicles allocated to the China market sold out in minutes (link).

The 'Step Ranger' is an all-terrain micro truck (hauls 1/2 ton), perhaps more accurately described as a powered cart with a place for your feet (link). Via Joel J.

Tesla to roll out robotaxi service in Miami (link).

'Organic Maps' is a privacy-focused offline maps & GPS app for hiking, cycling, biking, and driving (link). Via John H. 'Absolutely free. No ads. No tracking.'

Patents & Patent Applications:

Waymo's patent application shows how the AV system detects abnormal truck trailer activity (link). Submitted in Feb 2026 and published last week; Is Waymo trucking back?

Ford's patent application shows new two-part canopy roof in its upcoming UEV pickup truck (link).

Statistics / Projections:

For the first time ever, Chinese carmakers overtake Japanese rivals in European market (link). Via China Daily / European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. May period specified. 'Five major Chinese automakers — BYD, SAIC Motor, Geely, Chery and Leapmotor — sold a combined 138,410 vehicles across 31 European countries in May, up 65% year-on-year. By comparison, six major Japanese automakers — Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors — sold 130,424 vehicles, down 3% from a year earlier.'

Tesla delivered more than 480,000 vehicles globally in the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 25% year-over-year (link). Via Bloomberg.

US car payments hit record $777/month, with nearly 1/4 of all car buyers taking out loans 7 years or greater (link). Via Bloomberg.

China's EV sales share rose from about 1% in 2015 to roughly 45% in 2024; every yuan of 2024 EV subsidy delivered about 3.38 yuan of private surplus (link). Via Arxiv.

Thank you:

Thank you to Lando Juarez (link) and Jade Vuong (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

JetZero (link), Joby Aviation (link), Nauto (link), River (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

'If you want to hate America, watch the news. If you want to love America, drive through it.' - Freddy, German soccer fan traveling through the US this summer.

Reilly Brennan