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A few weeks back, I discussed how Uber appeared to be a dominant force in the developing autonomous vehicle technology arena. The Financial Times has since quantified this. According to public records and conversations with insiders, the FT estimated that Uber has allocated over $10 billion towards acquiring autonomous vehicles and investing in the firms advancing this technology. Direct investments account for around $2.5 billion of that total, while the remaining $7.5 billion is intended for acquiring robotaxis in the upcoming years, the report indicated.

We’ve covered various investments and partnerships by Uber with autonomous vehicle firms spanning drones, robotaxis, and freight. Notable investments include WeRide, Lucid, Nuro, Rivian, and Wayve. 

This significant figure (especially that $7.5 billion) led me to reflect on another pivotal period in Uber’s journey when it engaged with asset-heavy ventures in the past. Although Uber began with a strategy to minimize assets, it temporarily shifted gears.

From 2015 to 2018, Uber embarked on an ambitious expansion. It introduced electric air taxi firm Uber Elevate and its internal autonomous vehicle division, Uber ATG, which was strengthened by the acquisition of Otto in 2016. The company also acquired micromobility startup Jump in 2018. 

Then in 2020, Uber seemingly hit the brakes on its asset-heavy ambitions, moving away from its moonshot pursuits. Uber divested Uber ATG to Aurora, Jump to Lime, and Elevate to Joby Aviation. However, it retained ownership stakes in all acquired entities.

Uber is now stepping into a new, distinct phase characterized by asset acquisition. Instead of investing millions, or even billions, to develop technology internally—though I’m sure the team would assert that some R&D is ongoing at Uber—it seems to be prioritizing the ownership (or possibly leasing) of physical assets. 

This could result in fascinating entries on Uber’s balance sheet in the future. 

Owning fleets of robotaxis manufactured by other entities might not have been part of Uber’s initial vision, nor that of its former CEO Travis Kalanick, who indicated that abandoning its AV development initiative was a misstep. Yet, this new strategy may still lead to the desired destination.

A little bird

Earlier this month, I spoke with Eclipse partner Jiten Behl regarding the venture firm’s new $1.3 billion fund and the potential directions for that funding. The firm, as I mentioned, aims to foster more startups (for example, it played a role in the Rivian spinout Also). Behl kept specifics under wraps, merely stating, “We’re definitely working on a couple of really exciting ideas.” He noted that Eclipse is particularly keen on startups spanning multiple enterprises.

Thanks to an informant and some investigative work by senior reporter Sean O’Kane, it seems a seed round announcement is forthcoming for a San Francisco-based startup developing an autonomous hauler that I hear lacks a driver cab. This resembles what Einride has created, but since it remains unseen, we will need to wait. 

The startup’s team may be small, but it boasts a wealth of Silicon Valley tech industry talent, including a founder with experience at Uber ATG, Pronto, and Waabi. Stay tuned for updates. 

Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at [email protected] or reach out via Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at [email protected].

Deals!

Slate is back with additional funding as it gears up to start manufacturing its first affordable pickup trucks by the end of 2026.

The electric vehicle startup, which originated with support from Jeff Bezos, has secured another $650 million in a Series C funding round led by TWG Global. Keep an eye on TWG, as it is managed by Guggenheim Partners CEO (and Los Angeles Dodgers owner) Mark Walter along with investor Thomas Tull. 

Slate has accumulated approximately $1.4 billion to date, with previous backers including General Catalyst, Jeff Bezos’ family office, VC firm Slauson & Co., and former Amazon executive Diego Piacentini, as initially reported by TechCrunch last year.

Other notable deals …

Glydways, a San Francisco-based startup focused on personal autonomous pods designed for dedicated 2-meter-wide lanes in urban areas, raised $170 million in a Series C funding round co-led by Suzuki Motor Corporation, ACS Group, and Khosla Ventures. Existing investors Mitsui Chemicals and Gates Frontier alongside new participant Obayashi Corporation also took part. But wait, there’s more. 

GM and Ford are reportedly discussing with the Pentagon about how the auto sector can assist military procurement efforts to find more cost-effective and quicker ways to acquire vehicles, munitions, or other equipment, according to the New York Times, citing unnamed sources.

Loop, a San Francisco startup, secured $95 million in its Series C funding round led by Valor Equity Partners and the Valor Atreides AI Fund, with contributions from 8VC, Founders Fund, Index Ventures, and J.P. Morgan’s late-stage fund, Growth Equity Partners.

Monarch Tractor, the company developing electric autonomous tractors, has transitioned to (ahem) a different venture. The company’s assets were purchased by Caterpillar after failing to pivot to a software services model.

Uber is increasing its investment in Delivery Hero by 4.5%, according to the Financial Times. Uber has agreed to purchase about 270 million euros worth of shares from Prosus, the Dutch investment conglomerate and Delivery Hero’s largest stakeholder.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Doug Field, the prominent executive who influenced Ford’s electric vehicle and technological strategies over the last five years, is departing. In conjunction with this, Ford is restructuring, forming a “product creation and industrialization” team to be overseen by COO Kumar Galhotra. Any speculation on where Field may go next? Perhaps a return to Silicon Valley. 

Lightship, the all-electric RV maker, is expanding its Colorado factory by an additional 44,000 square feet, enabling it to increase its manufacturing capacity fourfold.

Rivian and battery recycling and materials startup Redwood Materials have collaborated for years. We are now witnessing the results of that partnership. Redwood is setting up battery energy storage at Rivian’s facility in Illinois. The twist? Redwood is utilizing 100 second-life Rivian battery packs, which will generate 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) of available energy to cut costs and ease grid load during peak demand times.

Tesla has created a new self-driving application that simplifies the process for owners to subscribe to its Full Self-Driving software and track statistics on usage frequency and manner. While this might not be groundbreaking news, it caught my attention due to the engaging aspects of these new metrics. 

Waymo, as usual, has several updates this week. The Alphabet-owned company began its trials of autonomous vehicles on public streets in London. Additionally, it has removed its waitlist in Miami and Orlando to expand its robotaxi services in those areas. 

One more thing …

This newsletter is not my sole endeavor increasingly integrated with robotics. My podcast, the Autonocast, is as well, given the convergence of autonomous vehicles, AI, and robotics. Check out this interview with Foxglove founder Adrian MacNeil, who has a history at Cruise.