FoT is the intelligence arm of Trucks Venture Capital.

Notable:

The CPUC vote on robotaxis in California was pushed back to an Aug 10 hearing, the second time the vote has been pushed since this Spring (link). There is now a feeling that CPUC is headed toward a no-expansion decision. Related: Cruise and Waymo say human drivers are bad (link). Brad Templeton's nuanced argument for both sides to come together (link). I was speaking with a banker last week and she said 'this is the summer of AV regs' which seems appropriate, but on the other hand I don't think we've ever not been in a period of AV regulatory change. Related: California senators advance bill restricting driverless trucks (link).

The Tesla achievement few discuss: product simplicity (link). 'I will argue that no OEM serving the middle- or upper- end of the market4 has simultaneously enforced simplicity across all three dimensions of models, options, and time, all at once.'

The end of the connected vehicle data market dream (link). 'Ultimately, the total addressable market for connected vehicle data was much smaller than expected, and both firms struggled to monetize data streams beyond ad hoc deals. Meanwhile, consumers are not adopting connected car services at the rates industry players had hoped for. According to our survey, the majority (60%) of respondents today do not have a car enabled with connected car services. Of those that do, just less than half (46%) pay monthly for these services.'

TuSimple dismantles its US operations (link) in the same week that it receives full driverless test license from Shanghai (link). Automated vehicles have become regionalized and nationalized faster than I expected.

Tire manufacturers try to build more sensing into their products (link).

The leaders of Chicago's transit authority hardly ever use transit (link).

Ford's BlueCruise leader, recently hired from Motional, discusses moving from quarterly to weekly software releases (link).

NHTSA's new plan for AVs, AV STEP, includes a new path for vehicle exemption requests (link).

Utah prepares a road usage charge that is the first of its kind (link). 'Right now, drivers pay for their roads through the pump, the tollbooth, and the roadside camera — and it never seems to be enough...Utah announced that it will pilot a new GPS-equipped dongle that will not just monitor how much motorists drive, but exactly where they do it, down the specific lane on the highway they choose.'

VW boss looks for $11B in cost savings (link).

Manhattan Institute on EVs: there’s no such thing as a carbon-free lunch (link).

Video: Rivian battery pack tear down (link). Audio: EV RV startup founders from Lightship on the Autonocast (link). Video: McLaren Solus GT wins 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed shootout (link).

A new white paint developed by scientists at Purdue is 98% reflective (link). 'It can make surfaces as much as 8 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than ambient air temperatures at midday, and up to 19 degrees cooler at night, reducing temperatures inside buildings and decreasing air-conditioning needs by as much as 40%.'

M&A / Deals / Changes:

German automotive software firm ASAP acquired by India's HCLTech for $280M (link).

Dutch ebike startup VanMoof files for suspension of payment protection as it looks to avoid bankruptcy (link). Via Weans. My colleague Puneeth on what's going on at VanMoof (link). Related: because of VanMoof's software stack, a risk for current customers that their bikes will be locked without access (link).

Chinese battery startup Hithium raises $622M (link). Led by Bank of China’s BOC Asset Management, Goldstone Investment, Dinghui BaifuCMG SDIC Capital, CICC Capital and the China-US Green Fund.

Italian quantum battery startup Planckian raises $3M (link). Led by Eureka Venture.

Germany EV charging startup ChargeX raises $12.9M (link). Led by UVC Partners.

Dutch EV charging startup Rocsys raises $36M (link). Led by SEB Greentech Venture Capital.

Indian battery swapping startup Battery Smart raises $33M (link). Led by Tiger Global and Blume Ventures.

California EV payment startup Bluedot raises $5M (link). Led by YCombinator and Leap Forward.

Estonian cargo bike startup Vok Bikes raises $4.3M (link). Led by Smartcap.

UK logistics startup Raft raises $30M (link). Led by Eight Roads.

Volkswagen and Stellantis reportedly invest in ACG SPAC to bring nickel and copper mine project online (link).

Surf Air plans NYSE listing, acquires Southern Airways (link).

Board Changes:

Cummins: Thomas Linebarger leaves board, Jennifer Rumsey promoted to chairperson (link).

DoorDash: Ashley Still joins board (link).

Hyzon Motors: Matthew Foulston joins board (link)

New Stuff:

Possible images of Boring Co's purpose-built vehicles in Las Vegas (link).

Designer Sabine Marcelis reimagines Renault Twingo as 'inside-out car' with translucent steering wheel (link).

Tamiya Wild One Max is an RC car come to life (link).

Polaris creates EV charging station for off-roaders in Michigan (link).

Airports adapt automated wheelchairs into accessibility plans (link).

Frederick Manfred Simon's train-focused photography (link).

Patents & Patent Applications:

Ford's patent application for a charging trailer (link).

Featured Jobs:

Battery Engineer at Cling Systems in Stockholm, Sweden (link).

Satellite Navigation Solution Project Manager at Xona Space in Burlingame, CA, USA (link).

Python Developer at Aurora Labs in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District, Israel (link).

MobilityJobs is the No.1 job board for auto & transportation companies (link).

Statistics / Projections:

16.7 million recalled vehicles and equipment in the first six months of 2023 were 11% fewer than those recalled in the same period last year (link). Of all automakers, Ford Motor Co. had the most recalls of any automaker in the first half of 2023. Via NHTSA / Auto News.

The number of charge points in the US is poised to grow from about 4M today to an estimated 35M in 2030 (link). Via PWC.

London data shows out of 2.5 million trips taken by rental e-scooter between June 2021 and November 2022, 93.5% would have otherwise been taken by walking, cycling or public transport (link). Via Cities Today / TfL.

EVs enter their 'crossing the chasm' phase as inventories pile up; Porsche Taycan EV sales are down 35% in Q2 from the same period last year (link). Via the Drive.

Road surveys show that raising speed limits does little to decrease travel times but increases crash frequencies (link). Via AAA.

Commercial EV chargers are in short supply in California (link). 'A state analysis in 2021 estimated California would have 180,000 medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles by 2030 that would need 157,000 chargers, many of those at depots operated by the fleet owners. The California Trucking Association estimates there are fewer than 700 chargers at depots now.' Via WSJ.

Thank you:

Thank you to Avery Ash (link), Alexia Ayala-Ramseur (link), Regina Savage (link), Ally Warson (link) and Rasheq Zarif (link) for offers of introductions to new founders, investors and friends over the last week. Also last week I forgot to mention that Sam Rosenthal (link) sent me an interesting link and I wanted to take the opportunity to recognize him for his good deed.

Trucks portfolio companies mentioned in this issue:

Aurora Labs (link), Cling Systems (link), Xona Space Systems (link). View the full portfolio of Trucks companies (link).

See you next week,

Reilly Brennan