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Today, I, Rebecca Bellan, am taking over for Kirsten and would like to discuss Aurora Innovation’s recent achievement.

Aurora had been working towards launching the U.S.’ first fully autonomous commercial trucking service in April, after initially planning for a 2024 debut. With the deadline looming, Aurora successfully launched its service, narrowly meeting its target.

Aurora reports that it has hauled over 1,200 miles of freight this week between Dallas and Houston with its launch customers Hirschbach Motor Lines and Uber Freight, using a single truck. The company plans to expand its fleet to “tens of self-driving trucks” and extend its service to El Paso and Phoenix by the end of 2025, while continuing to transport more freight for customers using its supervised autonomous trucks.

This milestone marks a significant step for Aurora and the industry as a whole. However, with the ongoing impact of Trump’s tariffs on shipments, it remains to be seen whether Aurora can capitalize on this opportunity or if prolonged delays might threaten its survival.

A little bird

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Deals!

AeroVironment, a drone manufacturer, has completed its acquisition of BlueHalo, a space and defense engineering company, in an all-stock deal worth $4.1 billion. The combined entity aims to develop cutting-edge defense technology across various domains, including air, land, sea, space, and cyber.

True Anomaly, a defense-focused aerospace startup, has secured $260 million in a Series C funding round led by Accel, a venture capital firm.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Autonomous vehicles

May Mobility has partnered with Uber to deploy its autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform by the end of 2025, starting in Arlington, Texas, as part of a multi-year agreement.

Momenta, a Chinese AV startup, is also collaborating with Uber to launch Momenta robotaxis on the Uber platform in Europe, starting in 2026.

Waymo and Toyota are exploring a potential partnership that could lead to the development of a new self-driving vehicle designed for ride-hailing and possibly personal autonomous vehicles, although it’s still in the early stages.

Electric vehicles, charging, & batteries

Canoo‘s bankruptcy proceedings have taken a new turn, with a mysterious London investor requesting that the judge halt the sale of the EV startup’s assets to its CEO, citing a “flawed process.” The investor has offered $20 million for the assets, surpassing the CEO’s bid of $4 million.

Rivian has stockpiled batteries for its trucks, SUVs, and commercial vans, which will help mitigate the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the auto industry.

Slate Auto, a new EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, is eyeing a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana, as a potential site for producing its affordable electric truck.

Tesla‘s board has reportedly been searching for a successor to CEO Elon Musk, as his recent actions in Washington have devalued the brand and affected its margins. However, Tesla chair Robyn Denholm has denied these reports.

Tesla board member Joe Gebbia, who is also connected to DOGE, has acquired approximately 4,000 shares of Tesla stock, valued at $1 million, in a rare move for a board member to directly purchase stock.

Miscellaneous

Ford has shut down its FNV4 software architecture initiative, a project aimed at competing with EV leaders like Tesla through the vertical integration of vehicle software across its gas and electric lineups.

Joby Aviation has successfully transitioned its eVTOL from horizontal to vertical flight with a pilot on board, marking a crucial step towards FAA certification.

Ride-hailing and delivery

DoorDash is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Uber, which accuses DoorDash of stifling competition by intimidating restaurant owners into exclusive deals. DoorDash claims the lawsuit is a scare tactic to avoid genuine competition.