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Hey hey, it’s the new year! I have missed you for the past two weeks. But I’m back and I’m in Las Vegas CES 2025. As usual, announcements from the show came fast and furious – some more material than others.
My big takeaway: Autonomous vehicles are back, and the bummer days are in the rearview. At least, that was the opinion of most of the people I spoke to while walking around the Las Vegas Convention Center. Meanwhile, US automakers were absent this year except Scout MotorsVW Group spinoff.
Waymo CES featured its largest exhibition ever on the convention floor Zeekr demonstrated RT. There were many other autonomous car startups (or AV-adjacent companies) with exhibits. Applied Intuition, May MobilityJapanese company Level IV, Polymath Roboticsand Zoox. John Deere it even got into automated driving. Executives at numerous other AV startups as well as companies related to automated driving, including Aurora, Serve roboticsand Warranty.
The mood was up — excited, even — but without the same uncontrollable irritation I had experienced six or seven years ago.
However, extreme problems remain in the capital and on the operational front. Even Waymo, arguably the dominant force, is struggling, including a the customer is stuck in one of the robot taxis.
A little bird
We love being at CES because it gives us a chance to talk to lots of little birds in person for a change. This week, that includes some of the best brass Volkswagen Groupvery confident in the company’s new branch startup Scout Motors.
The Scout is still several years away from production and is in the early stages of building its own factory in Columbia, South Carolina. But the Volkswagen Group expects big things from the Scout. That could even include using Scout’s factory to make other cars as the startup ramps up production — potentially even from a new VW joint venture partner, executives said. Rivianis currently expanding its factory in Illinois and has delayed plans for a new plant in Georgia.
Volkswagen sees it this way: Its factories are built around making platforms versus custom cars. If there’s enough common ground between different cars or SUVs in the larger portfolio – something that will happen as the Rivian-VW software and electrical architecture begins to power more VW Group vehicles – then it makes sense in the company’s eyes to allow them. share production space and resources.
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Deals!
NXPDutch semiconductor giant, plans to buy TTTech AutoAustrian company specializing in safety software for autonomous vehicles. The all-cash transaction is valued at $625 million.
NXP specializes in semiconductors for automation across industries, and it provides chips for sensors and cameras critical to key automated driving functions. The acquisition comes as chip companies, including Nvidia and Qualcomm, double down on providing automotive-grade supercomputers and toolkits that can help automakers offer autonomous vehicle technology.
Other deals that caught my eye…
Amazon AWS entered a A 10-year, $1 billion partnership with Here it isIt specializes in mapping and spatial technology. As part of the deal, Here can use AWS’s cloud infrastructure to help automakers get the resources they need to develop and deploy automated driving features.
Serve robotics collected 80 million dollars through a direct offering from unnamed institutional investors. The increase comes a day after Serve announced it raised $87 million through a combination of ATMs and guarantees during December. Together, these funds will help Serve extend its runway beyond 2026 and build its fleet to 2,000 pavement robots by the end of 2025.
Notable readings and other information
Generalization of CES
Before we move on to other news, here are a few more CES highlights you may have missed:
BMW does updates the in-car user interfacestarting with the Neue Klasse sedan later this year, including a widget-based system that allows users to customize the layout by projecting visuals onto the windshield.
Delta Airlines announced a series of updates to its app, including an AI-powered assistant improved inflight entertainment systemcomplete with free YouTube Premium and Music on board. The airline also announced an exclusive deal Uber that SkyMiles members will see Earn miles with Uber rides and delivery.
Honda unveiled the latest mid-size electric SUV prototype of the futuristic 0 series. 0 SUV. Honda promises to debut the production version of the 0 SUV in the first half of 2026.
Segway came to play this year two sick new e-bikes. The first is the Xyber, a not-yet-road-legal dirt bike, and the second is the more classic, customizable pedal bike, the Xafari. Both are packed with technology and come in under $3,000.
Scout MotorsVW spinoff, Distinguished at CES for a more classic approach to two vehicles, the Traveler SUV and the Terra pickup. They have normal door handles, an extra gas range, and miraculously, buttons! Instead of all touch screens! This is not to say that the cars are technically light; A nice feature they will have built-in satellite connection.
Uber also merged with Nvidia This year, the chipmaker announced it will use Cosmos, a new generative world model simulation tool, and DGX Cloud, a cloud-based AI supercomputing platform, to support the development of AVs.
Get a loana Berlin-based startup that uses teleoperation technology to let people drive empty vehicles to rental customers, Expanding operations in Las Vegasplans to increase the size of its fleet to 100 cars.
Xpeng Aero HT announced “modular flying car” it’s essentially a giant electric van with a tiny, foldable eVTOL that can roll and take to the skies. And it looks like Xpeng is gearing up for mass production this year.
ADAS
Tesla“Current Smart Summons” feature that allows Tesla owners to use their apps to autonomously summon their cars under federal investigation after several accidents.
Autonomous vehicles
Aurora Innovation there is Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has lost After stepping down last week as one of its board members, citing his desire to focus on his responsibilities at the ride-hailing and delivery company.
A Serve delivery robot and a Waymo robots Crashed at an intersection in Los Angeles. No robots were harmed, but this is an interesting example of what happens when our streets are filled with AVs of various kinds.
Electric cars, charging and batteries
It is obvious production and delivery a record number of cars In 2024, the EV startup reached its production target of 9,029 EVs and delivered 10,241 vehicles.
Rivian delivered 51,579 electric SUVstrucks and vans increased 3 times in 2024 compared to 2023. The company also produced 49,476 EVs last year, 8,000 fewer than Rivia’s July guidance.
Tesla i saw less delivery last year marked the automaker’s first year-over-year decline compared to 2023. Even the Cybertruck, Tesla’s first true new model since 2020, didn’t boost Tesla’s growth. (Bonus: Check it out All the promises made by Elon Musk for Tesla in 2024.)
Teaching two people got into some serious mess after renting and using an EV from a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform. commit acts of violence. First there was the guy who drove a Ford F-150 Lightning into people, then he drove a Tesla Cybertruck into the Trump hotel in Las Vegas and allegedly blew it up. Both men had clean records, what could they do Turo did it to prevent this?
Various
Tesla directors will have to pay by now 919 million dollars It returned to the company after a Delaware judge approved the settlement, resolving allegations that they overcharged themselves.
This week’s tires
A few hours after landing in Las Vegas, I was on my way Zoox‘s operations center located off the Strip. My mission: Take a ride in the Zoox robot taxi. Mission accomplished. And twice for that. Stay tuned for my full post and video the next day. But until then, here are a few thoughts.
During my two separate Zoox trips, both at night, the robotaxi handled numerous complex situations, including construction zones, a two-car accident (we weren’t involved), double-parked vehicles, and turning right at a red light. Although I understand logically that this is not normal, this experience was normal. At least not yet.
Zoox still has some work to do. There were a few times when the robotaxi hit the brakes a little too hard while operating safely following all traffic rules. The suspension could also use some work to make it a more comfortable ride.
What is “Tires of the Week”? It’s a chance to learn about the different transportation products we’re testing, whether it’s an electric or hybrid car, an e-bike, or even a ride in an autonomous vehicle.
