TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly<\/span> newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here \u2014\u00a0just click TechCrunch Mobility<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.<\/p>\n Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility<\/strong> \u2014 your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Remember in the last edition of TechCrunch Mobility, when I wrote that the wheels were starting to come off the Fisker<\/strong> bus? Sheesh. Did they.<\/p>\n To catch you up: Fisker issued a warning on March 18 that it was pausing production for six weeks and had just $121 million in cash and cash equivalents, $32 million of which was restricted or not immediately accessible. The company was counting on a $150 million influx of capital via convertible notes and a potential partnership with another automaker. Those hopes incinerated as fast as a gasoline-soaked rag when negotiations between Fisker and the large automaker \u2014 reported to be Nissan \u2014 fell apart<\/a> and put that convertible note deal in jeopardy.<\/p>\n Shares plummeted 28%, trading was halted, and in a final blow, the New York Stock Exchange<\/strong> said it was taking steps to remove Fisker from the exchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those are all symptoms of a bigger problem within the company, including one particularly embarrassing one that TC reporter Sean O\u2019Kane uncovered. The tl;dr: Fisker temporarily lost track of millions of dollars<\/a> in customer payments as it scaled up deliveries, leading to an internal audit that started in December and took months to complete.<\/p>\n Alrighty, let\u2019s jump into the rest of it, including where bankrupt EV startup Arrival\u2019s<\/strong> assets ended up, a profile on startup Ionobell<\/strong> hoping to increase EV range through recycled silicon battery materials, and a $1 billion boost for Lucid<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Founders, investors, engineers, policy wonks and others tell us things. And we\u2019re here to pass along the verifiable information that those little birds<\/strong> have shared with us.<\/p>\n Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec<\/strong>\u00a0at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com<\/a> or Sean O\u2019Kane<\/strong> sean.okane@techcrunch.com<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0If you prefer to remain anonymous<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>click here to contact us<\/em><\/a>, which includes SecureDrop (<\/em>instructions here<\/em><\/a>) and various encrypted messaging apps.<\/em><\/p>\n It ain\u2019t easy being an executive at an EV startup these days. Just ask the folks at Fisker. (Sorry, too soon?)<\/p>\n Amid all of the EV startup bankruptcies and other bleak goings-on, there was a bit of positive news. Lucid<\/strong>, which has had its own struggles,\u00a0raised another $1 billion<\/a> from its biggest financial backer, Saudi Arabia.\u00a0Ayar Third Investment<\/strong>, an affiliate of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund, agreed to buy $1 billion worth of Lucid\u2019s stock, which will add to the Kingdom\u2019s current stake of around 60% ownership.<\/p>\n The $1 billion boost is a lot of money, but it doesn\u2019t last long if you\u2019re trying to design, manufacture, sell and service vehicles. This gives Lucid an important capital buffer; however, it does not end it\u2019s existential crisis. The company must successfully bring its next vehicle, the Gravity SUV, to market and drum up fresh business for its existing Air sedan if it hopes to survive and scale.<\/p>\n Other deals that got my attention \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Cyvl.ai<\/strong>, a Boston-area startup that helps municipalities and civil engineering firms track the conditions of transportation infrastructure, raised $6 million<\/a> in a round led by Companyon Ventures with participation from Argon Ventures, Aero X Ventures and Alumni Ventures. Existing investors MassVentures, Launch Capital and RiverPark Ventures also participated.<\/p>\n Ember<\/strong>, a Scottish startup building one of the U.K.\u2019s first all-electric intercity bus networks, raised $14 million<\/a> in a Series A round\u00a0led by Inven Capital. Investors 2150 and AENU also participated.<\/p>\n Ionobell<\/strong>, a seed-stage startup that says its silicon material will be cheaper than the established competition and help boost range in EV batteries,\u00a0closed an unpriced $3.9 million seed extension<\/a>, TechCrunch exclusively learned. Dynamo Ventures and Trucks VC led the round.<\/p>\n Iron Sheepdog<\/strong>, a startup that developed trucking software for brokers and contractors, raised $10 million<\/a> in a Series B round led by SJF Ventures with participation from Grand Ventures, Supply Chain Ventures, and other strategic partners in the construction industry.<\/p>\n Tesla<\/strong> is going to give every customer in the U.S. a free one-month trial of its $12,000 Full Self-Driving Beta driver-assistance system<\/a>, provided they have a car with the compatible hardware. The company is also reportedly mandating, at CEO Elon Musk\u2019s request, that prospective buyers are given a demo of the software before they purchase a new Tesla. It seems that Tesla is turning to FSD as another financial lever to pull as profits on automotive sales shrink.<\/p>\n Arrival<\/strong> sold some of its assets<\/a>, including advanced manufacturing equipment, to Canoo<\/strong>, another struggling startup trying to build and sell electric vehicles. You can\u2019t make this stuff up, folks!<\/p>\n The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency<\/strong> announced new emissions standards<\/a> for heavy-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. from 2027 to 2032, a regulation that will increasingly limit the amount of pollution emitted by new heavy trucks. The regulations technically<\/em> don\u2019t mandate that these non-polluting heavy trucks are electric and instead let manufacturers decide how to meet the standards, whether its through hydrogen-powered fuel cells, better fuel efficiency or another alternative fuel. However, many believe it will mean a boost in battery-electric heavy-duty trucks. Consider the potential effect for this rule: The heavy-trucks category applies to more than 100 vehicle types, including vocational vehicles such as delivery trucks, garbage haulers, public utility trucks, transit, shuttle and school buses, as well as tractor-trailer trucks.<\/p>\n GM<\/strong> has lost another executive who was part of the company\u2019s software and digital services effort. You might recall that former Apple executive Mike Abbott, who was executive vice president of GM\u2019s software and services, stepped down<\/a> earlier this month due to health issues. Now Edward Kummer, a former president of Nordstrom Rack\u2019s online business who joined GM in 2021 to head up its new digital business team, is gone, the Detroit News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\nA little bird<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nDeal of the week<\/h2>\n
![\"money](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/money-the-station.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNotable reads and other tidbits<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/h3>\nADAS<\/h3>\n
Electric vehicles, charging & batteries<\/h3>\n
In-car tech<\/h3>\n
This week\u2019s wheels<\/h2>\n
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