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Before we leap into the transportation information of the week, it’s price pointing you to a few articles which are targeted on Elon Musk, the CEO and largest shareholder of Tesla and the founding father of a number of different corporations, together with SpaceX and Neuralink.
You would possibly recall an investigation the group right here at TechCrunch printed in February on the folks in Elon Musk’s DOGE universe. The article, which continues to be up to date, targeted on these working for the Department of Government Efficiency, an entity established through President Trump’s govt order. A brand new report, by one other group right here at TechCrunch, focuses on the founders and VCs working with DOGE. Check it out!
Speaking of Musk, his shut ally Trump has positioned 25% tariffs on all vehicles imported to the United States, together with these from Mexico and Canada. He’s additionally positioned a 25% tariff on sure components used to construct vehicles. As reporter Sean O’Kane notes, it’s a call that may seemingly supercharge the price of new and used vehicles, but it surely’s additionally a present to Tesla, the corporate run by Musk, his greatest monetary supporter within the presidential election.
And lastly, in different am-I-in-a-simulation information, Trevor Milton, the founding father of bankrupt hydrogen trucking startup Nikola who was convicted of fraud, has been pardoned by Trump, the White House confirmed to TechCrunch. Tidbit: We waited for hours and hours earlier than the White House would verify.
OK, onward with the remainder of the information of the week.
A bit of chicken
A bit of chicken lately advised us that Lucid is eyeing partnerships as a option to attain increased ranges of autonomy, significantly with the brand new Gravity SUV. Could we see a partnership with Mobileye or another unlikely automated driving know-how supplier?
Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal at kkorosec.07, Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com, or Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com. Or take a look at these directions to learn to contact us through encrypted messaging apps or SecureDrop.
Deals!
Welp, here’s a deal that isn’t transportation associated, however very a lot deserves some consideration.
TechCrunch was acquired by personal funding agency Regent. No monetary phrases had been disclosed, however our soon-to-be earlier proprietor Yahoo Holdings is sustaining a small share of possession. The acquisition, which has but to shut, comes only a few days after Regent purchased Foundry, the writer house to tech publications like PCWorld, Macworld, InfoWorld, and CIO.
Other offers that obtained my consideration …
BetterFleet, the Michigan-based firm that developed EV charging fleet administration software program, raised $15 million in a Series A funding spherical led by Aligned Climate Capital, Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF), and Remarkable Ventures Climate (RVC).
The Bot Company, the robotics startup based by former Cruise co-founder and CEO Kyle Vogt, has raised $150 million in a spherical led by Greenoaks, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources.
DeCharge, an EV charging infrastructure startup, raised $2.5 million in a spherical led by Lemniscap. Other traders embody Colosseum, Daedalus Angels, EV3 Labs, Echo Fundraiser Chainyoda Jedis, and Levitate Labs.
Fleetio, a car fleet software program administration firm, raised $450 million in a spherical co-led by Elephant VC and Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The funds might be used to finance the acquisition of maintenance-authorization platform Auto Integrate.
Manna, the Dublin-based drone supply firm, raised $30 million in a spherical led by Tapestry VC and Molten Ventures. Coca-Cola and Dynama Venture additionally participated.
Notable reads and different tidbits
Autonomous automobiles
Waymo will start providing robotaxi rides in Washington, D.C., through…
