TechCrunch Mobility: A new, bigger AV boom is here
Trucks VC received pitches from 81 new autonomous vehicle startups in 2026, more than two-thirds above last year and exceeding the levels seen during the 2016–17 boom. The firm says advances in AI foundation models are driving a larger wave of interest by making it easier and cheaper to build autonomous systems.
The startups cover sectors including construction, warehousing, agriculture and mining, but more are also proposing robotaxi services that could compete with Waymo in specific regions or on particular routes. Trucks VC partner Puneeth Meruva said some companies are deploying within months with less than $1 million raised, helped by open-source models such as Nvidia’s Alpamayo and Qwen’s vision-language-action models. Separately, manufacturing accelerator Re:Build raised $2.1 billion, while autonomous vehicle technology startup Bedrock Robotics raised $600 million at a $4.1 billion valuation.
In short
- Trucks VC received pitches from 81 new AV startups this year.
- AI models are lowering the cost and time needed to launch.
- More startups are targeting robotaxis and regional competition with Waymo.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The surge in pitches and investment could signal that AI advances have lowered the cost and technical barriers to building autonomous systems, opening practical uses in fields such as warehousing, farming and mining. More competition, including region-specific robotaxi services, could speed up innovation and give customers more choices, while new funding may help promising systems reach deployment sooner.
The case against
A larger number of startups and striking fundraising totals do not establish that autonomous vehicles are safe, reliable or commercially viable at scale. Easier access to models may encourage rapid deployment before companies have proved their systems in varied real-world conditions, and a crowded field could lead to costly failures or leave investors and customers bearing the consequences.
Explained simply
Autonomous vehicles use sensors and software to move with limited or no human control. They are being developed for settings such as roads, farms, mines, warehouses and construction sites, where vehicles may carry passengers or goods, or perform routine work.
Trucks VC is an investment firm that backs transport and technology companies; its partner Puneeth Meruva tracks new businesses in the sector. Re:Build supports manufacturing companies, while Bedrock Robotics is developing autonomous vehicle technology. Nvidia and Qwen are among the providers of AI models that some startups say can help build these systems.
The field has attracted investment before, including a surge of interest in 2016–17. New AI tools may make it cheaper for startups to develop autonomous systems, potentially widening competition across industries and in local robotaxi services such as those operated by Waymo.