Techcrunch Mobility: Tesla Enters Its Grok Era, And Teens Come For Robotaxis

1 week ago

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Before we jump into nan remainder of nan news, a connection astir Grok, nan AI exemplary created by xAI, an Elon Musk company that precocious acquired his societal media work X. Yes, this is related to transportation.

Grok, which tin analyse images and respond to questions, is meant to beryllium a competitor to models for illustration OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Grok has go a centerpiece of X, wherever users interact pinch nan AI chatbot. It’s besides go progressively combative and gone connected respective antisemitic tirades, praised Hitler, and moreover made rape threats. (Those posts person been taken down.)

And conscionable yesterday, AI newsman Max Zeff discovered that xAI’s newest model, Grok 4, seems to consult societal media posts from Musk’s X relationship erstwhile answering questions astir nan Israel and Palestine conflict, abortion, migration laws, and different arguable issues.

How is immoderate of this related to transportation? Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles arsenic soon arsenic adjacent week, according to Musk.

A well-known achromatic chapeau hacker who uses nan grip “Green nan Only” dug into Tesla’s firmware and made a fewer discoveries. For example, drivers will beryllium capable to take definite Grok “personalities,” including ones that are NSFW (not safe for work), argumentative, kids story, sexy, therapist, unhinged, and more. He besides recovered that “Grok presently requires premium connectivity and pairs into your existing account.”

A small bird

Got a extremity for us? Email Kirsten Korosec astatine kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com aliases my Signal astatine kkorosec.07, Sean O’Kane astatine sean.okane@techcrunch.com, aliases Rebecca Bellan astatine rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com. Or cheque retired these instructions to study really to interaction america via encrypted messaging apps aliases SecureDrop.

Deals!

In different section of “Is it 2016?” Rivian micromobility spinout Also raised another $200 million pinch a post-money valuation of $1 billion. Yes, that’s right, a micromobility institution that has yet to uncover its first product.

As we’ve reported before, location is simply a batch of hype and anticipation astir Also — and Jony Ive’s LoveFrom connection to nan marque surely helps raise its profile.

Other deals that sewage my attraction this week …

Speaking of buzzy EVs that person raised eye-popping rounds, elder newsman Sean O’Kane interviewed nan founders of Slauson & Co., a Los Angeles task patient that launched 5 years agone and was an early investor successful nan Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto. Want to drawback up connected Slate Auto news? We created a useful Slate Auto timeline that covers each our scoops and news. We will update this regularly.

Finnish e-motor startup Donut Lab raised €25 million ($29.2 million) successful a seed backing information led by Risto Siilasmaa, nan laminitis of cybersecurity institution WithSecure (formerly F-Secure). Risto has besides joined Donut Lab’s board.

INSHUR, an security products work focused connected nan on-demand economy, raised $35 million from Trinity Capital. The caller backing will support INSHUR’s continued description crossed nan United States.

Notable sounds and different tidbits

Autonomous vehicles

President Trump has nominated Jonathan Morrison to caput nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Morrison has a history of tussling pinch Tesla.

Meanwhile, it looks for illustration Tesla is trying to dispersed its robotaxi wings. The institution applied to trial and run autonomous vehicles successful Arizona successful a bid to bring its fledgling robotaxi work to nan Metro Phoenix area. Our communicative has a fewer absorbing tidbits and explains nan AV permitting process successful Phoenix. One captious point: The institution will besides request a TNC licence to supply ride-hailing services.

Musk besides commented that robotaxis will travel to nan Bay Area erstwhile they person regulatory support successful “a period aliases two.” There’s conscionable 1 rumor pinch that: The California DMV, which regulates AVs, says Tesla hasn’t moreover applied for a driverless testing aliases deployment licence yet. As of today, Tesla only has an autonomous conveyance testing licence for nationalist roadworthy testing pinch a information driver, which it’s held since 2014.

Waymo continues to expand, and not conscionable geographically. The institution is opening up its robotaxi work successful Phoenix to teenagers. There are caveats here, namely that nan teens tin only motion up done a verified parent’s account. And they person to beryllium ages 14 to 17, truthful nary 13-year-olds. That suggests Waymo wants to steer clear of mediate schoolers and only supply work to those successful precocious school.

Meanwhile, Waymo is sniffing astir New York City (a famously restrictive spot for AVs) and Philadelphia. The institution kicked disconnected “road trips” in nan 2 Northeastern cities. Road trips tin beryllium viewed arsenic early testing, though successful New York City nan vehicles will each beryllium manually driven and utilized to representation and cod data.

Electric vehicles, batteries, & charging

Several caller EVs collapsed screen this past week: Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius took nan upcoming all-electric GLC for a trial ride; Subaru said it will uncover its caller all-electric compact crossover SUV astatine 7:30 p.m. ET connected July 17; and Volvo shared accusation astir nan c footprint of nan all-electric ES90, which starts accumulation later this summer.

Meanwhile, I spent a fewer days successful nan 2026 Rivian quad-motor R1S and R1T. This is nan 2nd procreation of nan flagship EV and nan EV maker’s astir costly trim, which costs between $115,990 and $125,990, depending connected nan version.

Check retired nan afloat article astir my trial drive, which digs into nan tech down nan second-generation flagship EV.