Trucks | Future of Transportation for 2026.05.25
FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital

Notable

Stellantis reveals new turnaround plan: 60 new products, more partnerships, more gas engines (link). The revenue targets here are big, but the one that stood out to me the most: get vehicle development cycles down to 24 months (from 44 months currently).

Car influencers love Chinese cars -- and China loves them back (link). One underlying thread in this story is that car influencers (might be) getting paid for this coverage, but there is no conclusive evidence of that fact. It's more likely that everyone is utterly fascinated by the quality and price of modern Chinese cars (including Ford's own CEO who has talked about this multiple times in public interviews). Perhaps the odious influencers are curious like the rest of us.

As the Tesla Semi heads into volume production, early reviews are trending very positive (link). From a banker friend on the research side: 'The Semi is only the second vehicle Tesla's made that actually looks like something a lot of people already buy (Model 3 being the other), which means it might do very well.'

Even if the most advanced AVs require some human fallback, the total system should be judged, not just the driving task (link). 'Autonomous suggests a machine that governs itself. But the systems now being deployed on public roads, especially robotaxis, rely on human support, operational oversight, maintenance, and institutional coordination that the label obscures. Calling these vehicles autonomous does not just flatter the technology. It narrows accountability.'

Bingo shows off its modular EV for African ridehailing, with one primary battery and four swappable batteries (link). Owners can buy vehicles and deploy them through vetted local operators, while keeping visibility into revenue and vehicle status.

Video: my Uber driver fell asleep; 'I’ve driven with FSD and trust how well it works so I wasn’t worried' (link). Well I would be worried. Video: Detroit's airport is quietly becoming America's best (link). Video: China's classic car workshop (link). Video: Chris Harris drives the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail (link). Video: Boston unveils new 'remote airport terminal' (link). Via HF. Video: Ethan McKanna crated this robotaxi tracker while still in school (link). Video: Richard Wilson's 1987 engine oil installation (link). Via SV.

From Ford's trade secrets to a billion-dollar glass empire (link).

M&A / Deals / Changes:

ECARX and May Mobility form agreement valued at $750M (link). 'ECARX and May Mobility are jointly aiming to reduce the all-in cost of May Mobility’s autonomous vehicles, targeting at least 50% cost reduction by 2028.'

European micromobility startup Dance acquired by Swapfiets (link).

American off-road EV motorcycle startup Dust Moto acquired by Harley-Davidson's Livewire group (link).

EREV trailer startup Aboard raises $13M (link). Led by Ondine Ventures and Llama Ventures.

Maritime data startup Quartermaster raises $43M (link). Led by First Round Capital and Quiet Capital.

Mister Car Wash taken private by Leonard Green for $3.1B (link). 'Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Mister Car Wash operates approximately 550 locations and has the largest car wash subscription program in North America.'

German food delivery service Delivery Hero receives takeover bid from Uber for $11B, initially declines offer (link). Uber reportedly considering re-approaching with a higher bid (link).

EV shuttle startup Circuit raises $17M (link). Led by MKB.

Board & Executive Changes:

Ford: CMO Lisa Materazzo to depart (link).

EVgo: Amber Scott named Chief Accounting Officer (link).

This Week in Jobs:

View over new 1130 active job listings from companies like Zoox (link), Verne (link) and Pickle Robot (link) on MobilityJobs. Post your own jobs for free.

Founding AI Engineer at Carvis in San Francisco, CA USA (link).

Software Engineer, Fullstack at Treehouse in San Mateo, CA USA (link).

New Stuff:

Waymo suspends freeway rides (link). The rides had been available in four markets: San Francisco, Los ‌Angeles, ⁠Phoenix and Miami.

BYU's 2145 mile-per-gallon car (link).

'Sensor2Sensor' converts sensor data between different hardware configurations (link). This allows dashcam footage be translated into the same format as AV fleet sensor data, expanding usable training sets.

Tesla opens second European FSD country as Lithuania gets approval (link).

AV startup Bliq AI wins approval for driverless road operations in Estonia (link).

Patents & Patent Applications:

GM's patent application shows LIDAR used not just for sensing but signaling and controls; gate access by laser beam (link).

Statistics / Projections:

40% of US pickup buyers won't consider a brand without a V-8 engine (link). Via The Drive / Stellantis.

All 50 US states have gasoline prices over $4.00 / gallon now (link). Via Axios / AAA.

GLP-1 drug use could save airlines 1.5% in fuel savings, plus a 4% boost to earnings per share (link). Via CBS / Jefferies.

The longest running TV commercial of all time is Discount Tire's 'Thank you' which celebrates its 51st year (link, link to video). Via Weans.

Thank you:

Thank you to Scott Simony (link) and Ed Wieberger (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

Bingo (link), Carvis (link), May Mobility (link), Treehouse (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

The only true aristocracy is that of consciousness (DH Lawrence),

Reilly Brennan