Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things \u201cfuture of transportation.\u201d\u00a0To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free \u2014 just click TechCrunch Mobility<\/a>!<\/p>\n I was out for a few days last week and we have a bit of catching up to do! I won\u2019t rehash too much, but expect a few of the bigger news items \u2014 ahem, Wayve\u2019s $1.2 billion raise<\/a> \u2014 to make it in here.\u00a0<\/p>\n One more housekeeping note: I will be in Austin next week for SXSW<\/strong>, the annual tech, music, film, and culture event that always attracts an interesting collection of tech founders, creators, politicians, and other industry folks. I plan to attend the Rivian event, where the company is expected to reveal full details of its upcoming R2 line. I will also be moderating a panel called Innovation & Impact: Female Leaders Transforming Legacy Industries<\/a>, alongside Rivian<\/strong> CFO Claire McDonough, Madison Reed<\/strong> CEO and founder Amy Errett, and Spotify<\/strong> chief public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins. If you\u2019re there, please reach out!<\/p>\n Speaking of Rivian, the company is planning one of the fastest launches of a new all-electric car in the U.S. with its forthcoming R2 SUV. And the stakes couldn\u2019t be any higher.<\/p>\n Senior reporter Sean O\u2019Kane looked at historical sales data as well as Rivian\u2019s own projections for 2026. Rivian said it expects to sell between 20,000 and 25,000 R2s this year, the first of which will head to customers in June once production begins.<\/p>\n That means it has six months to reach that goal. Even if Rivian hits the low end of that target, its sales rate will outpace every other comparable electric vehicle at or under $60,000 aside from the Tesla Model Y, O\u2019Kane writes. Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n My question is what tactical move is Rivian planning to use to reach that goal? It won\u2019t be enough to merely state, \u201cPent-up demand, stupid.\u201d This is no small feat. I expect Rivian to try a variety of tactics to spread the word and turn interest in its EVs into actual sales. What do you think the company will do? Email me!<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco, CA<\/span> No little birds this week \u2014 or at least ones we can share. Remember, if you have a tip for us, you can either email me at\u00a0kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com<\/a>\u00a0or reach me through Signal at kkorosec.07. Sean O\u2019Kane\u2019s email is\u00a0sean.okane@techcrunch.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n This is from last week, but it\u2019s worth commenting on. I\u2019m talking about Wayve <\/strong>and its $1.2 billion raise<\/a> (up to $1.5 billion if it can unlock a $300 million milestone-based investment from Uber). As I mentioned in my article, everyone seems to want a piece of this U.K. startup, which is now valued at $8.6 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wayve is taking a different approach to automated driving. It doesn\u2019t want to be the operator. Instead it wants to license its software \u2014 both a fully automated driving product and a less capable one meant for advanced driver-assistance systems \u2014 to automakers and robotaxi operators. Wayve has taken a self-learning approach to its software. The company developed a software layer using an end-to-end neural network that doesn\u2019t require high-definition maps and only uses data to teach the vehicle how to drive. It\u2019s hardware agnostic, which could be appealing to Wayve backers Mercedes-Benz<\/strong>, Nissan<\/strong>, and Stellantis<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other deals that got my attention \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Denso<\/strong>, the Toyota Motor-affiliated auto-parts supplier, made a takeover proposal for Kyoto-based chip maker Rohm, the WSJ reported<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Einride<\/strong>, the Swedish startup known for building both electric trucks and autonomous pods that are designed to carry freight, secured an oversubscribed $113 million PIPE<\/a> (private investment in public equity) ahead of its public debut, which is expected for the first half of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harbinger<\/strong> acquired<\/a> autonomous-driving software company Phantom AI. Terms were not disclosed.<\/p>\n Holyvolt<\/strong>, the Swedish battery tech company backed by Volvo, acquired battery materials company Wildcat Discovery Technologies in a deal valued at $73 million<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Momenta<\/strong>, the Chinese autonomous vehicle developer backed by GM and Tencent Holdings, has filed confidentially for an initial public offering in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported<\/a>. The company may seek to raise at least $1 billion in its IPO.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nominal<\/strong>, a software startup that helps defense, space, energy, and automotive companies test their manufacturing processes, raised $80 million<\/a> in a Series B extension round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Founders Fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n Toyota<\/strong> upped its offer price<\/a> for supplier Toyota Industries to $30 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zeno<\/strong>, an African startup, raised $25 million<\/a> in a Series A round to expand its app-controlled battery-swap network and produce more of its Emara motorcycles. About $20.5 million of that was an equity fundraise led by Congruent Ventures with participation from Active Impact and Lowercarbon Capital. The remaining $4.5 million is a debt facility from Camber Road and Trifecta Capital.<\/p>\n Chinese automaker BYD<\/strong> unveiled a new battery pack<\/a> that it says is capable of charging from 10% to 70% in five minutes. This is certainly a game changer, but there is an important caveat to this claim: It needs a specific EV charger.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hyundai<\/strong>, Toyota<\/strong>, and Chinese automakers like Chery <\/strong>potentially face the most impact from the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, as the Middle East accounts for a significant percentage of their deliveries, according to an analysis from Bernstein, CNBC reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Volkswagen Group<\/strong> surpassed an EV milestone this week. The company said it has delivered 4 million all-electric vehicles<\/a> since it launched its first model in 2013. Half of those came from the Volkswagen brand. The remaining sales came from \u0160koda, SEAT\/CUPRA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Porsche.\u00a0<\/p>\n A video<\/a> shows a Waymo<\/strong> robotaxi blocking an ambulance as it responded to the scene of a mass shooting in Austin over the weekend. A spokesperson for Austin-Travis-County EMS told Axios<\/a> that an officer followed established protocol to address the situation and was able to quickly move the vehicle. Waymo didn\u2019t provide a statement to outlets at the time. The incident is the latest in which a first responder was used to move a Waymo and raises questions about the readiness of the technology.<\/p>\n The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration<\/strong> has scheduled a forum on autonomous vehicle safety for Tuesday. A who\u2019s who of AV leaders are expected to attend, including Aurora<\/strong> co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson, Waymo<\/strong> co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, and Zoox<\/strong> CEO Aicha Evans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/p9KOB-months-to-20-000-evs-sold-.png?w=680\")
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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
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-station-ride-hailing1.png?w=680\")
One more thing \u2026<\/h2>\n