Fisker scores a win, an AV startup reboots in Texas, and why Elon pushed the Tesla robotaxi reveal

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Another week, another batch of transportation news. And as always, senior reporter Sean O’Kane is deep in the Fisker beat. 

Fisker has a little something to celebrate this week as it winds its way through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Despite one major objector, a judge has approved the sale of more than 3,000 Fisker Ocean SUVs to a vehicle leasing company, a deal that will net the defunct EV startup a maximum of $46.25 million. The proceedings still have a ways to go and a few remaining hurdles, which O’Kane lays out in detail in this story. 

Of course, there was so much more that happened this week. Let’s get to it. 

A little bird

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Deals!

This deal should be described as the great unwinding.

I’m talking about Yandex NV — the Netherlands-based company that recently sold off its Russian business and has been renamed Nebius Group. You might recall that Yandex NV, which owned the Russian search engine giant, came under scrutiny and sanctions after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The company reached an agreement earlier this year to sell its Russian business for about $5.2 billion to a consortium of Russian buyers. The deal officially wrapped up this week. 

Why do we care about this over here at TechCrunch Mobility? Nebius is using the proceeds of the sale to develop four projects, which include Avride, an autonomous vehicle technology company. Yandex has worked on autonomous driving technology for years; I even tested out their tech at CES several years ago. And some of you may have encountered its delivery robots, which use the same underlying technology, on college campuses. 

I spent some time talking to the folks at Avride, including Artem Fokin, who heads up business development there. Keep an eye out for my longer article on this company. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few teasers. 

Avride has picked Austin, Texas, for its headquarters, where the bulk of its 270 employees will eventually be located. The startup does have global operations, however, with offices in Tel Aviv, Belgrade and Seoul. Avride is currently testing its technology in Austin and Seoul. 

Other deals that got my attention …

Hayden AI Technologies, a startup that uses AI-powered camera systems to help cities detect and enforce parking and moving violations, raised $90 million in a Series C round led by The Rise Fund. Existing investors such as the Drawdown Fund and Autotech Ventures also participated. 

Huture, a Chinese hydrogen energy company, will go public in the U.S. via a merger with blank-check firm Aquaron Acquisition Corp. The combined company would be valued at $1 billion.

Moving Tech, the Bengaluru-based parent firm of Indian open source ride-sharing app Namma Yatri, raised $11 million in a pre-Series A funding round co-led by Blume Ventures and Antler. Google also participated in the round.

Northbound, a German startup that has developed software for global shipping logistics, raised €1.3 million ($1.42 million) in a pre-seed round led by Apex Black. Investors id4 ventures, IBB Ventures, Schenker Ventures and MVP Factory also participated.

Tekion Corp., a California-based startup founded in 2016 that developed software for automotive retailers and manufacturers, raised $200 million from Dragoneer Investment Group that pushes its valuation above $4 billion.

UP.Partners, the Santa Monica-based VC firm that focuses on mobility startups, is aiming to raise $230 million for its second fund, per an SEC filing and reporting by Axios. 

Notable reads and other tidbits

Autonomous vehicles

Aurora co-founder Sterling Anderson recently sat down with George Gianarikas, the sustainable and autonomous driving analyst at Canaccord Genuity, for a discussion on different approaches to driverless vehicles. It’s worth listening to Anderson’s thoughts on end-to-end AI — the approach that Tesla purports to use — and whether it can be safely applied to autonomous vehicles. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed earlier reports the company is delaying its robotaxi reveal, explaining it was because he requested an “important design change to the front.” We’re still wanting for more details, including exactly when this robotaxi event will be held. 

Remember those Waymo robotaxis that were vandalized? A Castro Valley resident was charged for allegedly slashing the tires of 17 Waymo robotaxis in San Francisco. Exterior cameras on the robotaxi caught the footage and helped police identify the suspect. 

In other Waymo news, Automotive News dug into how the Alphabet-owned company uses AI to enhance self-driving vehicle skills.

Electric vehicles, charging & batteries

TechCrunch contributor Tim Stevens found an interesting EV startup called Helixx at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Check out this interview with Helixx co-founder and CEO Steve Pegg to learn about the startup’s “factory-in-a-box” strategy and its 3D-printed prototype delivery van. As Stevens notes, Helixx’s pitch is less about an endearingly boxy little van designed to cost just $6,000 and more about rebooting everything we know about building cars.

VanMoof, the e-bike startup that declared bankruptcy last year, is back with new owners and a pitch to the 5,000 customers who had pre-ordered e-bikes and were left in the lurch. Can VanMoof woo them back? Senior reporter Rebecca Bellan gives us the skinny. 

Future of flight

Archer Aviation and Southwest Airlines announced a partnership that will focus on figuring out what it will take to build out a network of electric air taxis at California airports. As senior reporter Rebecca Bellan discovered, Southwest’s customer data is at the heart of it. 

This week’s wheels

I wasn’t super impressed last year when I got into the Nissan Ariya, largely because I had elevated expectations and felt that the price point was too high. After all, Nissan brought us the Leaf; the Ariya should have been a slam dunk that incorporated all of the lessons Nissan had learned from the Leaf and its customers. 

I recently spent more time in the all-electric SUV; this time it was the 2024 Nissan Ariya Empower+, a front-wheel-drive trim with two-tone Boulder Gray and Super Black paint that gets about 289 miles of range and has a base price of $47,690. (The base price doesn’t include destination fees or taxes.) Not much has changed between 2023 and 2024 model years. However, Nissan has lowered the price of the Nissan Ariya and its numerous trim levels, which solves one of my primary complaints.  

The Ariya interior, including the dashboard, has a modern and clean look that is a clear upgrade from its Leaf predecessor. It feels spacious in the front thanks to the flat floor and moving center console. And the seats are nice to look at and, importantly, comfortable to sit in.

I appreciate that the HVAC controls have their own separate area below the 12.3-inch touchscreen. However, haptic feedback controls weren’t as engaging as I would like; oftentimes, I would end up hitting a button multiple times before getting the action I wanted. I’m also not a huge fan of the gear selector, but I did adapt after a few outings. 

The Nissan Ariya Empower+ — the top trim in front-wheel drive — comes with an 87 kWh battery and a single motor. The powertrain delivers 238 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. On the road, that translates to a vehicle that offers a low-key, comfortable and balanced ride. And that’s fine for customers who aren’t looking for off-the-line punchiness and performance-like handling (to be clear, the upper all-wheel-drive trims are faster).

Nissan didn’t make any notable changes to the software in the 2024 Ariya. I had hoped for more improvements on that front, including the ability to set the state of charge via the central screen. Right now, customers must turn to the My Nissan app to set the state of charge.