Rising EV star gets $100M and Tesla win-lose federal funding

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Before we get into this week’s news, we have some more advanced self-driving technology that will be on display at CES 2025. As I mentioned last week, the technology for autonomous vehicles itself was everywhere. But there were other topics as well. See here.

Now, the future and future of transportation technology news.

A little bird

No little bird this week, but I thought this was a great place to say goodbye The Hindenburg surveya short-selling firm that sought tips from prosecutors and used its research to solve fraud in the stock market. Hindenburg researcher Nate Anderson he wrote a letter Wednesday that the company is closing.

In the world of transportation and weather technology, the Hindenburg is a well-known exhibit Nikola Motors, Lordstown Carsand billionaire Gautam Adani of The Adani Group, who was is accused of the alleged conspiracy to pay more than $250 million in bribes to Indian officials in exchange for contracts for a 12-gigawatt power solar project.

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Sales!

Lots of sales this week! This is what was revealed.

Caramela startup that helps car dealers and buyers complete the final steps of the transaction, and found in eBay. Terms were not disclosed.

EV price changes Harbinger earned $100 million in the Series B round led by the original investor Tesla Capricorn Investment Group and Leitmotif, a new US fund founded by the former head of M&A of Volkswagen. Other entrants were Tiger Global and Mobility Maniv, both former incumbents.

Sarla Aviation he earned $10 million in the new funding round led by Accel and includes angel investors like Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, and Swiggy co-founder Sriharsha Majety.

Tesla he was a winner and a loser in the most recent electric car financing venture. Department of Transportation replied Tesla on his request for $97 million to support toll repairs from California to Texas. But Tesla, along with three other industry partners, ended up being offered a different option $100 million in support building an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Illinois.

Shippeoa startup that created a real-time tracking app for all modes of transportation, raised $30 million in a round of funding led by Toyota Woven Capital’s growth fund. Battery Ventures, Partech, NGP Capital, Bpifrance Digital Venture, LFX Venture Partners, Shift4Good, and Yamaha Motor Ventures also participated.

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Self-propelled vehicles

Aurora Innovation and taking federal security officials to court in a way that looks at the common practice of placing three warning signs around slow-moving vehicles parked on highways. TL; DR: This could have huge implications for self-driving companies operating in control environments designed around people.

The US Department of Commerce announced a final order that would ban the sale or import of connected cars from China and Russia due to national security concerns. The law will also prevent Chinese ride-hailing companies, such as WeRide and Pony AI, from leaving testing self-driving cars on US roads.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed his investigation to A cruise and whether the company’s robotaxis took reasonable care when going around pedestrians. The agency noted that Cruise had recalled its program and that GM’s self-driving car company had canceled its operations.

Electric vehicles, charging, & batteries

Arc Boats arrived at CES 2025, with a senior reporter Sean O’Kane took his Arc Sport boat for a fun ride on Lake Mead. Here we are what he thought of the newest offering to start.

Tesla disclosure a the new Model Y look it was designed for the Chinese and Asia Pacific markets, marking the first evolution of the SUV since its launch in 2020.

Sean DuffyPresident Donald Trump’s pick to lead the US Department of Transportation, he thinks electric car owners should to pay for the use of roads. As a journalist Rebecca Bellan he explains, achieving that goal is not easy.

Wheels this week

Before the holiday season, I had the opportunity to enter the creative arts of 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Pro S Plus. I plan to spend more time driving the production model soon, but for now there are a few thoughts on this all-electric minivan priced at $69,595.

I have been waiting for this electric minibus since 2017 when it was presented by Volkswagen as a concept. These reimagined microbuses had an impossible mission. It was immediately recognizable as a nod to its past and charting a new path for the future with EVs. And in many ways, ID. Buzz does that. It is eye-catching; people stopped me all the time. It’s nice to be helpful. And while it’s more expensive than other minivans on the market, it’s not terrible.

The model I tested was all-wheel drive, with Metro Silver Metallic paint and a “brass” interior with leather seats. There is a lot of space – very beautiful – and a lot of good stuff all over, which gives it a lot of attention. It was easy to navigate in tight city streets, despite being 195.4 cm long. Which yes, is long!

It met most of my expectations. But I wonder about his future. This car would be great as a kid and to carry groceries around the city. I could see it also being used in commercial vehicles in urban areas. But with a 91 kilowatt-hour battery that gets about 234 miles of range, I wonder if it will have a long life as a roadtrippin’ machine?

Side note: In the last post, I gave a few tips for my Zoox robotaxi. Here is mine complete writing on mine Zoox events in Las Vegas.

What are the “wheels of the week”? It’s an opportunity to learn about the different modes of transportation we’re testing, whether it’s an electric or hybrid car, an electric bike, or even a ride in an autonomous car.