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CES 2025, the annual consumer tech conference held in Las Vegas, is upon us — and this is where you…
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Welcome back toTechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and perceptivity on the hereafter of transfer . Sign up here for liberal — just clickTechCrunch Mobility !
Hey hey , it ’s a novel class ! I ’ve missed you these past two weeks . But I ’m back , and in Las Vegas forCES 2025 . As always , proclamation from the show came degraded and furious — some more textile than others .
My big takeout : self-directed vehicle are back , and the bowl of disillusionment days are in the rearview . At least , that was the sentiment from most of the folks I verbalize to while walk around the Las Vegas Convention Center . Meanwhile , U.S. automaker were absent this yearwith the elision ofScout Motors , the VW Group spinoff .
Waymohad its largest exhibit yet on the CES convention floor , where itshowed off the Zeekr RT.There were lot of other independent vehicle startups ( or Ab side by side companies ) with display , includingApplied Intuition , May Mobility , Japanese companyTier IV , Polymath Robotics , andZoox . John Deereeven got in on the automatise driving action . Numerous other AV startups , as well as companies come to to automated drive , had executive director mill about , include sept fromAurora , Serve Robotics , andWaabi .
The humour was uplifted — excited , even — but without the same uncurbed hypey - ness I have six or seven years ago .
Still , utmost challenge remain on the chapiter and operational front . Even Waymo , which arguably is the dominant force , has struggles , let in an incident where acustomer got stay in one of its robotaxis .
A little bird
We love being at CES because it gives us a chance to talk to a lot of little birds in somebody for a change . This workweek , that included some of the top brass atVolkswagen Group , who had a mint of confidence in the ship’s company ’s new offshoot startupScout Motors .
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Scout is still a few years away from yield and is still ahead of time in the process of building its mill in Columbia , South Carolina . But Volkswagen Group expects big thing from Scout . Executives said that could even include using Scout ’s manufactory to build other vehicle as the startup ramp up production — potentially even from new VW joint speculation partnerRivian , which is currently expanding its own factory in Illinois and has delayed plan for a Modern plant in Georgia .
Volkswagen appear at it this way : Its factory are built around producing platforms versus specific vehicle . If there are enough commonalities between various cars or SUVs in the larger portfolio — something that is bound to happen as Rivian - VW software and electric architecture get to great power more VW Group vehicles — then , in the company ’s oculus , it makes sense to let them share fabrication infinite and resources .
stimulate a pourboire for us ? Email Kirsten Korosec atkirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com , Sean O’Kane atsean.okane@techcrunch.com , or Rebecca Bellan atrebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com . Or control outthese instructionsto teach how to contact us via inscribe messaging apps or SecureDrop .
Deals!
NXP , a Dutch semiconductor giant , plans to acquireTTTech Auto , an Austrian troupe that specialise in safety software system for sovereign vehicles . The all - cash dealings is valued at $ 625 million .
NXP specializes in semiconductor machine for automation across industries , and it provides chip for sensors and camera that are vital to core automated drive functions . The acquisition comes as chip companies — include Nvidia and Qualcomm — double down on providing self-propelled - grade supercomputers and toolkits that can help automakers extend self-reliant fomite engineering .
Other deals that get my attention …
Amazon AWSentered into a10 - twelvemonth , $ 1 billion partnershipwithHere , which specializes in mapping and positioning technical school . As part of the slew , Here can use AWS ’s cloud base to help automobile maker get the resources they need to develop and deploy automated driving feature .
Serve Roboticsraised $ 80 millionfrom nameless institutional investor via a unmediated offer . This raise came the daytime after Serve announced that it had raise $ 87 million throughout the month of December through a combination of an ATM and exercise of warrants . Together , these funds will help oneself Serve broaden its rail past 2026 and build its fleet to 2,000 pavement robots by the end of 2025 .
Notable reads and other tidbits
CES roundup
Before we jump into the other news , here are some more Ce highlights that you might have miss :
BMWisrevamping its in - car user interface , starting with the Neue Klasse sedan later this year , including a gizmo - based organisation that lets exploiter customize the layout in a mode that projects visuals onto the windshield .
Delta Air Linesannounced a slew of update , including an AI - powered assistant in its app andupgraded in - flight of stairs amusement system , complete with free onboard YouTube Premium and Music . The airline also announced an exclusive deal withUberthat will see SkyMiles membersearn miles through Uber ridesand rescue .
Hondaunveiled the latest in its futuristic 0 Series , a midsized electric SUV epitome call the0 SUV . Honda promises to debut a yield translation of the 0 SUV in the first half of 2026 .
Segwaycame to act this year withtwo sick new e - bikes . The first is Xyber , a dirt bicycle that ’s not even road - legal yet , and the second is Xafari , a more classic , customizable step - through bike . Both are packed with technical school and make out in under $ 3,000 .
Scout Motors , the VW spinoff , stood out at CESfor cause a more Graeco-Roman approach to its two vehicle , the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup . They ’ve got normal door handle , optional gas - power range extenders , and , miraculously , buttons ! Instead of all touchscreen ! That does n’t intend the railcar are light on tech , though ; one cool feature they ’ll have isbuilt - in satellite connection .
Uberalsoteamed up withNvidiathis year , announcing it would use the chipmaker ’s Modern reproductive creation model simulation tool , Cosmos , and cloud - based AI supercomputing platform , DGX Cloud , to endure the development of Av .
Vay , the Berlin - based inauguration that use teleoperations applied science to have humans fly empty vehicles to rental customers , isexpanding operations in Las Vegas , with plans to increase its fleet size of it to 100 fomite .
Xpeng Aero HTunveiled its“modular flying car”that ’s basically a huge electric van with a small , foldable eVTOL that can roll up out and found into the skies . And , apparently , Xpeng is getting quick to peck - produce this class .
ADAS
Tesla ’s “ Actual Smart Summon ” feature , which let Tesla proprietor utilise their app to summon their car to them autonomously , isunder Union investigationfollowing several collapse .
Autonomous vehicles
Aurora Innovationhaslost Uber chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahias one of its add-in members after he release last week , bring up a desire to focus on his duty at his ride - hail and delivery company .
AServedelivery robot and aWaymorobotaxicollided at a Los Angeles crossway . No robots were pain , but it ’s an interesting case cogitation of what happen as our street become fill up with different types of AVs .
Electric vehicles, charging, & batteries
Lucidproduced and delivered arecord number of vehiclesin 2024 . The EV startup fulfill its production target with 9,029 EVs and deliver 10,241 vehicle .
Riviandelivered51,579 electric SUVs , trucks , and vans in 2024 , up 3x from 2023 . The society also build 49,476 electron volt last year , which is 8,000 few than Rivian ’s July guidance .
Teslasawfewer deliverieslast year compared to 2023 , grade the automaker ’s first ever year - to - year drop . Not even the Cybertruck , Tesla ’s first true new model since 2020 , further Tesla ’s growth . ( Bonus : hold outall the promises Elon Musk madefor Tesla in 2024 . )
Turowas involve in some seriously mussy business after two individuals rented EVs from the peer - to - match auto - share weapons platform and used them toperform act of violence . First there was the guy wire who drove a Ford F-150 Lightning into a gang of people , then the bozo who drove a Tesla Cybertruck to the Trump hotel in Las Vegas and allegedly blew it up . Both individuals had clean-living record , so what couldTuro have done to prevent this ?
Miscellaneous
Tesladirectors will now have to yield up to$919 millionback to the company after a Delaware judge approve a settlement , resolving allegations that they overpay themselves .
This week’s wheels
Within hours of landing place in Las Vegas , I manoeuver toZoox ’s operations nub , which is located off the Strip . My mission : take a ride in a Zoox robotaxi . Mission reach . And doubly , for that matter . stay put tuned for my full writeup and video in the next day . But until then , here are a few thought .
During my two disjoined Zoox trips , both of which were at night , the robotaxi handled numerous complex situations , include twist zones , two car crashes ( we were not involved ) , double - parked vehicles , and turning right on a red visible radiation . This experience feel normal , even though logically I understood this was not normal . At least not yet .
Zoox still has a morsel of work to do , though . While the robotaxi obey all traffic rules and operated safely , there were a few time when it strike the brakes a scrap hard . The suspension could also use some work to make it a more well-heeled ride .
What is “ This calendar week ’s wheels ” ? It ’s a chance to get a line about the dissimilar transportation product we ’re testing , whether it ’s an electrical or hybrid cable car , an e - bike , or even a ride in an autonomous vehicle .
From the Storyline:Live Updates CES 2025: The final reveals and analysis as the event nears its end
CES 2025 , the one-year consumer tech conference declare in Las Vegas , is upon us — and this is where you …
