TechCrunch Mobility: The Cybertruck experiment is over

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Almost seven years ago, while clutching a laptop, my phone, and a notebook in a sea of Tesla fans, I watched head designer Franz von Holzhausen throw a metal, baseball-sized ball at the driver’s-side window of the Cybertruck. The result was cracked glass — actually, two by the end of the presentation — and some awkward jokes and chuckling by CEO Elon Musk.

I have witnessed a number of stunning, odd, and fantastical moments at Tesla events. But the Cybertruck reveal was the most interesting — and not because of the postapocalyptic design. It was the crowd.

When the truck rolled out onto the stage, I watched attendees gasp, some in revulsion. There was mumbling (“This certainly can’t be the Cybertruck?” I heard Tesla superfans whisper). And yes, there were cheers. The momentary shock of Musk’s biggest fans was quickly replaced by support, acceptance, and finally, endorsement.

It moved like a wave over the crowd. By the time attendees were waiting in line for Cybertruck rides, the mood had shifted. Everyone was a fan.

That fandom carried over to Cybertruck reservations, which skyrocketed to 1 million, Musk said during a third-quarter earnings call in 2023. But it never made the leap to actual sales. Industry experts estimate about 71,000 Cybertrucks have been sold since the first deliveries began in November 2023.

And now the Cybertruck is headed to the scrap pile. Tesla will stop making the Cybertruck next year, Musk said Friday.

Was the vehicle too edgy? Maybe, but this was always going to be a niche market. I believe more practical reasons dampened sales. Musk promised the Cybertruck would have a 500-mile range and a price tag under $40,000. It achieved neither, senior reporter Sean O’Kane noted in his report.

Deals!

Zipline has had quite the week. Strike that — quite the year. The autonomous drone delivery startup, which was founded in 2014, has steadily scaled over the past few years. But 2026 has taken the company to new heights.

In early 2026, Zipline raised $600 million and quickly added another $200 million to that Series H round. The company planned to use these funds to accelerate its expansion to at least four U.S. cities in 2026.

Now it has even more money to grow even faster. Zipline announced this week it raised $1.5 billion and ramped up its partnership with Walmart to add 300 drone delivery sites across the United States. Zipline is now valued at $21.5 billion.

Other deals that got my attention …

Electric truck startup Harbinger raised a $240 million Series D funding round as it expands its portfolio of products, including battery storage and defense applications. No word on the company’s valuation.

Humble Robotics raised $51 million in a Series A round, bringing total funding to $75 million less than a year after founding. The round was led by Obvious Ventures with participation from insiders Eclipse, Energy Impact Partners, and others.

Static Media acquired automotive news site CarScoops, adding to its existing portfolio that includes 34 brands such as Engadget, Jalopnik, and SlashGear.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Also, the micromobility startup spun out of Rivian in 2025, quietly started and then walked away from an electric two-wheeler pilot project in Kenya earlier this year, as it sought to focus its resources on its consumer e-bike and autonomous vehicle ambitions.

Amazon has made Uber Eats its official restaurant delivery partner for Prime members in the United States, effectively ending the e-commerce giant’s existing deal with Grubhub.

The Luce, Ferrari’s first electric car and one of its most polarizing models, is “fully allocated” for 2027.

Ford unveiled what it’s calling a “privacy promise” — an “explicit commitment” to keep customers’ vehicle data safe and give them control over what they share. Ford also launched a website designed to educate customers about how, where, and why the automaker uses their data, and to show them how to change those settings.

May Mobility and Forterra advanced to phase three of the Department of Defense’s Robotic Operations for Autonomous Delivery and Sustainment (ROADS) prize challenge, an initiative to test and adopt commercial self-driving vehicles in the military.

Serve Robotics announced plans to launch a new business line called Physical AI Services. The company will still operate and expand its autonomous delivery operations and become a technology supplier to other companies building robots.

The predictions of AI agents booking restaurants, trips, and even rides for the masses hasn’t quite materialized yet. Uber reported during its third-quarter earnings call that only four rides were ordered through an AI agent during its busiest week in October: the week of Halloween.

Waymo is shaking up its Uber relationship, confirming months of speculation. The company will end its exclusivity with Uber in the Austin and Atlanta markets starting in January 2028.

One more thing …

Over the past three years, this newsletter often highlighted an investigation, scoop, or interview from senior reporter Sean O’Kane. Some of my favorites were the articles we collaborated on, including his scoop that Jeff Bezos was backing Slate Auto, our story about how Jony Ive’s LoveFrom had worked on the design of the Also e-bike, his investigation into Fisker, and his coverage of how Waymo was relying on first responders to help move its robotaxis.

We have co-bylined dozens of articles on company earnings and breaking news and co-hosted Equity, TechCrunch’s flagship podcast about the business of startups. And so it’s bittersweet to see him head off on a new adventure at the Wall Street Journal to cover Tesla.

Congrats on the gig, Sean! We hate to see you go!

I will, of course, continue to deliver readers insider details, scoops, and analysis about the future of transportation, from autonomous vehicle technology and EVs to automotive tech and the future of flight.