Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility \u2014 your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free \u2014 just click TechCrunch Mobility<\/a>!<\/p>\n Senior reporter Sean O\u2019Kane<\/strong> popped over to Palo Alto to check out Rivian\u2019s Autonomy & AI Day<\/strong>, which some insiders told us would be the company\u2019s most important event. I\u2019m not sure I would categorize it as such, but how about I let the journalist on the ground give his assessment?\u00a0<\/p>\n Via Sean (and a few of my thoughts sprinkled in) after the event \u2026<\/p>\n It was easy to get lost in the buzz words at times during Rivian\u2019s \u201cAutonomy & AI Day\u201d this week. But there was a clear underlying message being shared: Rivian is trying to build a company that is about more than just selling cars.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not going as far as Tesla. For instance, there were no humanoid robots wandering around the company\u2019s Palo Alto campus.<\/p>\n But it is clearly building out other revenue-generating products \u2014 and advanced driver assistance is at the starting gates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rivian\u2019s hands-free version of its driver-assistance software \u2014 which today can be used on about 135,000 miles of road \u2014 will expand to 3.5 million miles and include surface streets. This expanded capability, which will launch in early 2026 and eventually include point-to-point hands-free (but eyes on) automated driving comes with a cost of $2,500 or $49.99 per month.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> Then there is its future hands-off, eyes-off system. Rivian revealed it has developed its own custom 5nm processor, which it says will be built in collaboration with both Arm and TSMC. That chip will power Rivian\u2019s \u201cautonomy computer\u201d \u2014 the backbone of an upgraded automated-driving system \u2014that will debut in the R2 SUV in late 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n That will probably be an upcharge, although Rivian didn\u2019t say if it would be more than the $2,500 fee.\u00a0<\/p>\n But there\u2019s another scenario we should also consider: licensing its tech to others.\u00a0<\/p>\n After all, Rivian already has a joint venture with Volkswagen Group to share its electrical architecture and base-level software. And Rivian spun out two startups this year with Also (mobility) and Mind Robotics (industrial AI and robotics).\u00a0<\/p>\n Barclays\u2019 Dan Levy wrote Friday that \u201csubsequent discussions reiterated hopes\/potential\u201d for Rivian to license its whole AV platform, or just components like the customs processor. And when I asked CEO RJ Scaringe<\/strong> if Rivian will sell the processor to Mind Robotics, he responded wryly: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t take a lot of imagination.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n At the most abstracted level, bolting new revenue lines to the existing car business (especially if those new projects play nice with the cars) makes sense. Who doesn\u2019t love more money?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s our coverage of the event:<\/strong><\/p>\n Rivian is building its own AI assistant<\/a> (deeper dive into the tech). And it is coming to its EVs in early 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rivian goes big on autonomy with custom silicon, lidar, and a hint at robotaxis<\/a><\/p>\n Nothing this week \u2014 or should I say, thanks for the tips, everyone, but there is nothing I can share yet.<\/p>\n In the meantime, here\u2019s a tiny tidbit to hold you over. As you read above, senior reporter Sean O\u2019Kane was at Rivian<\/strong>\u2019s AI & Autonomy Day<\/strong> and one of the whispers he heard was about the company\u2019s public demo of its AI assistant and concerns it might not work. Apparently, the testing the morning of the event was a bit touch and go.<\/p>\n Alas, the public demo went just fine after one tense moment at the start. The risks are high for public demos, which is why many companies avoid them. Kudos to Rivian for going for it.<\/p>\n Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at\u00a0<\/em>kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O\u2019Kane at\u00a0<\/em>sean.okane@techcrunch.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n At the start of 2025, I didn\u2019t think TechCrunch would publish an aviation-startup-meets-data-center story. But here we are.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aircraft startup Boom Supersonic<\/strong> kicked off 2025 by breaking the sound barrier with its XB-1 demonstrator civil aircraft. And it\u2019s ending the year with a plan to sell a version of its turbine engine as a stationary power plant<\/a>. Its first customer will be data center startup Crusoe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Under the deal, Crusoe will buy 29 of Boom\u2019s 42-megawatt turbines for $1.25 billion to generate 1.21 gigawatts for its data centers.<\/p>\n Boom has raised $300 million to help commercialize this new business. The round was led by Darsana Capital Partners with participation from Altimeter Capital, Ark Invest, Bessemer Venture Partners, Robinhood Ventures, and Y Combinator.\u00a0<\/p>\n The plan is to use money from its Superpower stationary turbine business to fund the development of its supersonic aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other deals that got my attention \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Self-driving trucks company Aurora Innovation<\/strong> made a commercial agreement<\/a> with Detmar Logistics to autonomously transport frac sand in the Permian Basin.<\/p>\n Some deals don\u2019t always work out, or they change. Take SK On<\/strong> and Ford<\/strong>, for instance.<\/p>\n Four years ago, <\/strong>Ford and South Korean battery maker SK On struck a deal to form a joint venture and spend $11.4 billion to build factories in Tennessee and Kentucky that would produce batteries for the next generation of electric F-Series trucks. Now the joint venture is ending<\/a> and the two companies will divide the assets: Ford will take ownership and operation of the twin battery plants in Kentucky, while SK On will operate the factory at the massive BlueOval SK campus in Tennessee.<\/p>\n Vatn Systems<\/strong>, a Rhode Island-based startup developing autonomous underwater vehicles, raised $60 million<\/a> in a Series A funding round led by BVVC.<\/p>\n 700Credit<\/strong>, a company that runs credit checks and identity verification services for auto dealerships across the United States, said a data breach<\/a> affected at least 5.6 million people who had their names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers stolen.<\/p>\n The former CEO of bankrupt EV startup Canoo<\/strong> had pledged to provide support to NASA<\/strong> and the United States Postal Service<\/strong> so it could continue to use the vans. Apparently, that wasn\u2019t a convincing argument; NASA and USPS have stopped using them<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ford<\/strong> and Renault<\/strong> agreed to work together to bring two affordable Ford-branded vehicles<\/a> to the European market in 2028. Ford will lead the design and Renault will assemble the vehicles at its factory in northern France.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucid<\/strong> is being sued <\/a>by its former chief engineer Eric Bach, who alleges wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation. Bach, who is of German heritage, also claims one of the automaker\u2019s top HR executives referred to him as a \u201cGerman Nazi.\u201d<\/p>\n Subaru<\/strong> <\/strong>unveiled its Uncharted EV<\/a> and the specs might attract buyers. The Uncharted Premium trim EV will have a 300-mile range and be priced a skosh above $36,000. Potential deal killer among Subie diehards? The Premium version is front-wheel drive only.\u00a0<\/p>\n A pregnant woman in San Francisco gave birth inside a <\/strong>Waymo<\/strong> robotaxi en route to UCSF Medical Center. And nope, this is not the first baby born in a Waymo. Read on to learn more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile on the Waymo news front, a leaked letter from Tiger Global Management<\/strong> to its investors disclosed that Waymo is now providing 450,000 robotaxi rides per week<\/a> \u2014 nearly double the amount it disclosed this spring. Waymo declined to comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zevo<\/strong> wants to add robotaxis to its car-share fleet, starting with newcomer Tensor. Senior reporter Sean O\u2019Kane digs in<\/a>.<\/p>\n I asked and you answered. Thanks to all the readers who participated in the last poll. As a reminder, I asked: The pace of autonomous vehicle development has quickened, prompting more scrutiny and questions around safety and accountability. Should companies stay the course, scale faster, or tap the brakes?<\/strong><\/p>\n About 48% of you picked \u201cstay the course.\u201d Nearly 23% chose scale faster, while 29.4% of readers want companies to tap the brakes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA little bird<\/h2>\n
![\"blinky](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/blinky-cat-bird-green.gif?w=680\")
Deals!<\/h2>\n
![\"money](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/money-the-station.png?w=680\")
Notable reads and other tidbits<\/h2>\n
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One more thing \u2026<\/h2>\n