Trucks | Future of Transportation for 2026.04.06
FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital

Notable

America now has a new 'EV rust belt' (link). 'GM’s supplier contracts were struck with the expectation that GM would be building 1M EVs a year. By December, the company was selling around 8,000 a month.'

How much do AV firms rely on remote operators? It's one of the least understood part of AVs (link). Tesla says rarely but it does occur when the vehicles are driving under 10 mph (link). Much like the (intentionally) ambiguous 'Level 3' definition in ADAS, remote is going through its own reckoning. The viable path forward for ADAS and AV ultimately means clear definitions and rules for these terms.

Japan's new 'blue ticket' bike rules will fine for: one hand on wheel, in-ear headphones, misuse of bell (link). 'Riding without a helmet, however, is not among the list of infractions.'

Stellantis-backed Chinese OEM Leapmotor delivers more than 100,000 EVs for fourth-straight quarter as BYD sales fall (link). Stellantis owns roughly 20% of Leapmotor and 51% of Leapmotor's ex-China business unit. An analyst friend calls the conglomerate 'Jeepmotor' to indicate that the two most valuable parts of the company in the future might be Jeep and Leapmotor. I might add Ram to that mix but the name isn't as clever.

100-unit network shutdown of Baidu AVs in China (link). 'One passenger told Chinese media that their robotaxi stopped after turning a corner. An instruction on a screen read: “Driving system malfunction. Staff are expected to arrive in 5 minutes.” After no one showed up, the passenger pushed an SOS button and was told that staff were on their way. The car door could be opened, so the passenger got out on their own.' Networked vehicles have networked failures.

Mapping Uber's AV advancements (link). 'Uber’s robotaxi plans have unfolded in three phases, culminating in a recent shift to a hybrid asset model highlighted by major collaborations between Uber and Rivian and Lucid in the US and other partners in global markets.'

Video: slot machine rear lights at the GT Show (link). Via TO. Video: A look at George Powell's Ventura CA skateboard factory (link).

Inside the home of Margaret Calvert, who designed the signs, systems and typefaces for the UK’s motorways and roads (link). This woman has huge traffic signs inside of her house which is obviously a dream setup.

M&A / Deals / Changes:

Irish drone startup Manna raises $50M (link). Led by ARK Invest, ISIF and Schooner Capital.

Singapore's Grab starts AV service in partnership with Chinese AV firm Weride (link).

Digital rail infrastructure startup Clever Devices acquired by Hitachi (link). 'Clever Devices, which is headquartered in Woodbury, New York, has offices in the United States, Europe, and South America and employs more than 600 people. The company forecasts a turnover of more than $US 200m this year.'

Humanoid robotics startup Unitree set to go public (link). 'Unitree sold 5,500 humanoid robots in 2025, but these account for only a part of its total revenue. The company also sells quadrupeds — four-legged, dog-like robots. Between 2022 and September 2025, it shipped more than 30,000 quadruped robots.'

New commercial truck entity Archion, which integrates Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso from Toyota and Daimler Truck, lists in Japan (link).

Board & Executive Changes:

Woven Capital: Michiko Kato named Chief Investment Officer of Woven Capital and CEO of Toyota Invention Partners; Mia Panzer becomes COO of Woven Capital (link).

Blue Bird: Steve Girardin joins board (link).

Firefly Aerospace: Marc Weiser resigns from board (link).

Prologis: Trisha Burns promoted to Chief Accounting Officer (link).

Curated Jobs:

Manager, Manufacturing Engineering at May Mobility in Ann Arbor, MI USA (link).

Hiring? Post a job (link). If you're a startup, use code 'Trucks' for free standard listings.

Hunting? View all 245 postings on the MobilityJobs job board (link).

New Stuff:

Automakers called for scrapping ​the U.S. government's 18.4-cent per gallon tax on gasoline and replacing it ‌with a vehicle fee to pay for road repairs (link).

New US federal ebike standards appear to be shaping up (link).

Hyundai's new body-on-frame platform takes the shape of a Ford Bronco homage (link).

Thai state-owned fuel retailer expands EV charging network as prices jump (link). 'The retail arm of Thai state oil company PTT plans to more than double its network of electric vehicle charging points to 7,000 by 2030, as rising fuel prices accelerate consumers' shift to battery-powered cars.'

Patents & Patent Applications:

Ford's patent application shows drop-top mode for handling phone conversations in convertibles, include lip reading, gestures and facial recognition (link).

Statistics / Projections:

Toyota's 'Made in Japan' plan might need foreign laborers to make 1 of 4 cars (link). Via Nikkei.

San Francisco becomes first US city where diesel prices top $8 a gallon (link). Via Fox Business.

Tesla reclaims global EV sales crown from BYD after Q1 numbers up 6.5% (link). Via Autoblog.

Thank you:

Thank you to Harry Campbell (link), Neha Khera (link) and Robi Mitra (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

May Mobility (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

Everything counts in large amounts (Martin Gore),

Reilly Brennan