Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility<\/strong> \u2014 your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free \u2014 just click TechCrunch Mobility!<\/a><\/p>\n Your usual host Kirsten has passed the reins to me, Rebecca Bellan, for the day, and I want to talk about Aurora Innovation and its last-minute save.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aurora had been promising to launch the U.S.\u2019 first fully autonomous commercial trucking service in April this year, after pushing back its original 2024 debut. With just (proverbial) minutes to spare, Aurora pulled off the win<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aurora says it has run over 1,200 miles of freight this week between Dallas and Houston with launch customers Hirschbach Motor Lines and Uber Freight. That\u2019s with a single truck, for now. Aurora plans to build up to \u201ctens of self-driving trucks\u201d and expand to El Paso and Phoenix by the end of 2025 as it continues to run more freight for customers with its fleet of supervised autonomous trucks.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s a huge step for Aurora, and for the industry. But as Trump\u2019s tariffs grind many shipments to a halt, is Aurora well positioned to seize the moment, or could prolonged delays threaten its survival?<\/p>\n Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at <\/em>kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com<\/em><\/a> or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O\u2019Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com<\/a>, or Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com<\/a>.<\/em> Or check out <\/em>these instructions<\/em><\/a> to learn how to contact us via encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop.<\/em><\/p>\n AeroVironment<\/strong>, a drone maker, has completed its acquisition<\/a> of space and defense engineering company BlueHalo. The $4.1 billion all-stock deal will see the merged companies become a new kind of defense tech called AV that can build tech across all warfighting domains: air, land, sea, space, and cyber.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBerkeley, CA<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t True Anomaly<\/strong>, a defense-focused aerospace startup building spacecraft and software for U.S. national security missions, raised $260 million<\/a> in a Series C round led by VC firm Accel.\u00a0<\/p>\n May Mobility <\/strong>is the latest to join Uber<\/strong>\u2019s roster of autonomous vehicle collaborators. The two announced this week plans to deploy May\u2019s autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform <\/a>by the end of 2025, starting in Arlington, Texas, as part of a multi-year partnership.\u00a0<\/p>\n Momenta<\/strong>, <\/strong>the Chinese AV startup, is also working with Uber<\/strong>. The two plan to launch Momenta robotaxis on the Uber<\/a> platform starting in Europe in 2026.<\/p>\n Waymo<\/strong> and Toyota<\/strong> are exploring a deal<\/a> that could one day lead to a new self-driving vehicle designed for ride-hailing and possibly even personal autonomous vehicles. It\u2019s still early days, so think of it as more of a soft-launch of their budding relationship.<\/p>\n Canoo<\/strong>\u2019s bankruptcy proceedings are still going on, and now a mysterious London investor has asked the judge to stop the sale<\/a> of the EV startup\u2019s assets to its CEO, calling it a \u201cflawed process.\u201d He\u2019s throwing down an offer of $20 million for the assets, which trumps Canoo CEO Anthony Aquila\u2019s $4 million bid.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rivian <\/strong>is sitting pretty on a stockpile of batteries<\/a> for its trucks, SUVs, and commercial vans that it built up before and after Donald Trump\u2019s election. That\u2019ll soften the blow of the president\u2019s tariffs, which are hitting the auto industry hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n Slate Auto<\/strong>, <\/strong>the buzzy new Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup that broke out of stealth last week, is eyeing a printing plant located in Warsaw, Indiana<\/a>, as the future place where it\u2019ll produce its cheap electric truck.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tesla<\/strong>\u2019s board reportedly began shopping for a successor<\/a> to CEO Elon Musk as the chief\u2019s cavorting in Washington has devalued the brand, and its margins, hard. Tesla chair Robyn Denholm denied the reporting from The Wall Street Journal.\u00a0<\/p>\n While we\u2019re on the subject of Tesla\u2019s board, let\u2019s turn our attention to board member Joe Gebbia (who is also connected to DOGE<\/a>). Gebbia acquired about 4,000 shares<\/a> of Tesla stock at a $1 million value, which is notable because it\u2019s so rare to see board members straight up buy stock.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ford <\/strong>has shut down its FNV4 software architecture initiative<\/a>, a project it had once thought of as critical to compete with EV leaders like Tesla. Closing the initiative means an end to years of development that would vertically integrate vehicle software across Ford\u2019s gas and electric lineups.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joby Aviation <\/strong>transitioned<\/a> its eVTOL from horizontal to vertical flight for the first time with a pilot on board. It\u2019s a necessary step as the company works toward FAA certification.\u00a0<\/p>\n DoorDash<\/strong> wants a California judge to dismiss a lawsuit<\/a> filed by Uber <\/strong>that accuses the delivery company of stifling competition by intimidating restaurant owners into exclusive deals. DoorDash said the lawsuit was nothing but a scare tactic from Uber to avoid \u201creal competition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nA little bird<\/h2>\n
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Deals!<\/h2>\n
![\"money](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/money-the-station.png?w=680\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJune 5<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tBOOK NOW<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNotable reads and other tidbits<\/h2>\n
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Autonomous vehicles<\/h3>\n
Electric vehicles, charging, & batteries<\/h3>\n
Miscellaneous\u00a0<\/h3>\n
Ride-hailing and delivery<\/h3>\n