Welcome back t<\/span>o\u00a0TechCrunch Mobility<\/strong> \u2014 your central hub for news and insights on the future of 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 Automakers reported auto sales for Q1 and, welp, turns out that pricing sure does matter if you want to sell EVs. Who would have thought? A recent survey<\/a> by Edmunds<\/strong> comes to a similar conclusion (at least for American buyers), finding a big gap between what consumers want and what is actually available on the market.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the crux. According to the Edmunds survey, 47% say they are seeking an EV purchase below $40,000, and 22% are interested in EVs priced below the $30,000 threshold. Today, there are no new EVs priced below $30,000 and only four below the $40,000 mark. The average price of an EV in 2023 was $61,702, while all other vehicles stood at $47,450.<\/p>\n This mismatch of realities is squeezing automakers as they try to move inventory by slashing prices. This downward pressure has forced automakers like Ford<\/strong> to delay future EV launches<\/a> and put more resources toward hybrids. Even Tesla<\/strong>, a bellwether in the EV world, fell well below analysts\u2019 expectations with deliveries down 20%<\/a> from Q4 2023. Meanwhile, EV upstart Rivian<\/strong> posted tepid results<\/a>.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the answer? Well, over at Tesla, it seems the solution is twofold: slash prices again<\/a> and try to capture revenue through sales of its Full Self-Driving software that costs $12,000 and is currently being offered in a free one-month trial to all customers.<\/p>\n OK, folks, let\u2019s jump into the rest of the news!<\/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 This week, a little bird tipped us on the closure<\/a> of Ghost Autonomy<\/strong>, which had raised upward of $220 million and recently partnered with OpenAI. A couple of calls, emails and a fresh posting on the company\u2019s website confirmed the tip. About 100 people were affected.<\/p>\n As I noted in my article, Ghost has pivoted a few times since it was founded in 2017. When I asked founder and CEO John Hayes what happened, he said the company had completed a highway driving product and was moving in urban environments through what he described as \u201clast-mile delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, the years required to bring the product to market could not be financed,\u201d he wrote to me in an email.<\/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 Startup founders, listen up \u2014 a new fund just closed. Get your slide decks ready.<\/p>\n Maniv<\/strong>, the Israel and now NYC-based VC firm, raised a $140 million fund<\/a> with plans to stick to its early-stage investment strategy of backing startups at the intersection between mobility, transportation and energy.<\/p>\n As I noted in my longer feature, the firm\u2019s approach has evolved a bit by expanding geographically and diversifying its investor base. The firm has also largely stopped using the once trendy umbrella term \u201cmobility\u201d (often leaving it out of its original name Maniv Mobility) and has opted instead to talk about deep tech, decarbonization and digitization of the transportation sector.<\/p>\n Investors in the fund are no longer dominated by automakers and Tier 1 suppliers. Instead, Maniv has opened up to a broader swath of strategic and institutional financial investors, including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and the venture arms of Shell and Enterprise Mobility.<\/p>\n The Maniv III fund also includes return investors Valeo and Jaguar Land Rover venture arm InMotion Ventures. Toyota Motor Corp.\u2019s Woven Capital, vehicle leasing company Arval, transportation infrastructure giant Ferrovial, the industrial manufacturing firm ITT Inc., fleet payments business WEX and an unnamed European insurance company also participated in the fund.<\/p>\n Other deals that got my attention \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Alsym Energy<\/strong>, a Massachusetts-based startup developing nonflammable battery chemistry, raised $78 million<\/a> in a Series C round led by General Catalyst and Tata, the Indian conglomerate, with participation from Drads Capital, Thomvest and Thrive Capital.<\/p>\n BlaBlaCar<\/strong>, the French carpooling and bus ticketing company, secured a \u20ac100 million revolving credit facility<\/a> ($108 million at today\u2019s exchange rate).<\/p>\n Waymo<\/strong> and Uber<\/strong> expanded on an ongoing partnership<\/a> that will affect Uber Eats\u2019 customers in the metro Phoenix area. Now when folks order a burrito or a pizza or some other treat through Uber Eats, they may have their meals delivered by a Waymo vehicle. The tie-up will begin with select merchants in Chandler, Tempe and Mesa, including restaurants like Princess Pita, Filiberto\u2019s and BoSa Donuts.<\/p>\n Apple<\/strong> is laying off 614 employees in California after abandoning its electric car project<\/a>. According to the WARN notice posted by the California EDD, most of the affected employees were working at buildings related to its canceled car project, while others were working at a facility for its next-generation screen development, Bloomberg reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Canoo<\/strong> finally reported its Q4 and full-year earnings. Tucked inside the regulatory filing is a nugget regarding the use of CEO Tony Aquila\u2019s private jet \u2014 just one of many expenses that illustrates the gap between spending and revenue at the EV startup. Tl;dr: Canoo spent double its annual revenue on the CEO\u2019s private jet<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n Faraday Future<\/strong> narrowly avoided an eviction<\/a> from its Los Angeles headquarters. The company reached an agreement with the owner of the building, Rexford Industrial, to stay at the facility as long as it meets a few conditions. If Faraday violates any of the terms, Rexford has the right to trigger a 48-hour demand for payment and can boot the startup if it doesn\u2019t pay up. If Faraday Future makes its payments, it can stay in the building until September 2025 when the lease expires.<\/p>\n The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration<\/strong> opened a third investigation<\/a> into Fisker\u2019s<\/strong> Ocean SUV, this time centered on problems getting the doors to open.<\/p>\n Tesla<\/strong> is reportedly abandoning its plan to build a lower-cost EV<\/a> thought to cost around $25,000, according to Reuters<\/a>, despite that vehicle\u2019s status as a pivotal product for the company\u2019s overall growth. Apparently, Tesla will instead focus on a planned robotaxi that is being built on the same small EV platform that was also supposed to power the lower-cost vehicle. This is where it gets a bit silly. Just hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk<\/strong> said Reuters was lying, he posted on X that the Tesla robotaxi would be revealed<\/a> August 8. Go figure.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s wheels is taking a one-week hiatus while I enjoy a bit of vacation time. But don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s back next week and I have a few vehicles lined up, including the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 4Matic\u00a0<\/strong>sedan, a Lexus LC500<\/strong> hybrid and a Mercedes eSprinter<\/strong>. Plus, some e-bikes will soon be in the mix.<\/p>\n What vehicles \u2014 including the two-wheeled variety \u2014 are you interested in reading about? I\u2019ll put them on my list.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\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
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-station-ride-hailing1.png\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nAutonomous vehicles<\/h3>\n
Electric vehicles, charging & batteries<\/h3>\n
This week\u2019s wheels<\/h2>\n