Your monthly dose of 
autonomy: 
October 2025

During its Q3 earnings call, Tesla’s Elon Musk shifted focus to robotaxis, stating he is confident enough to remove safety monitors in Austin by year-end and plans to roll out the service to as many as 10 other metro areas.

Automaker Stellantis and Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai have signed a nonbinding agreement to build robotaxis for deployment in Europe. The collaboration will integrate Pony’s self-driving software into Stellantis’ electric medium-size van platform, which is built with advanced sensors to support autonomous vehicles.

General Motors has announced plans for an “eyes-free” version of Super Cruise by 2028. This would advance its capabilities beyond current hands-off, eyes-on systems as it competes in the ADAS space.

Grubhub is expanding its partnership with autonomous developer Avride to launch a robot delivery pilot in Jersey City, NJ. This marks the first time Grubhub has used autonomous robots in its marketplace outside of a college campus.

The Norwegian Army has selected the Six Robotics Valkyrie autonomous drone swarm for a pilot program focused on concept and technology development, to be run across multiple Army units. This contract represents a significant milestone in the Army’s modernization efforts, ensuring robust situational awareness and operational resilience in complex and contested environment.

The U.S. Coast Guard will invest nearly $350 million to expand robotics and autonomous systems, strengthening mission execution and operational capabilities. The funding includes $11 million in fiscal year 2025 for immediate upgrades to critical autonomous systems.

Kubota unveiled a concept model of its autonomous fuel cell tractor at the Hydrogen Energy Park event during the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai in late September. The company released a video of the tractor in action.

CATL and EACON Mining Technology partnered to develop electric, autonomous systems for mining haulage. This collaboration aims to reduce environmental impact, improve safety, and boost efficiency, with a goal to scale globally.

Einride announced that it has raised another $100 million in funding to accelerate its global rollout of autonomous and electric freight vehicles. The funding news followed closely on the heels of a demonstration of the first-ever border crossing by a fully autonomous truck.

Seattle agriculture-tech startup Carbon Robotics raised $20 million in new funding to support the creation of another piece of AI-powered machinery for farms.

Energy Robotics, the leading AI software platform for autonomous inspection with robots and drones, announced the successful close of $13.5m of Series A funding.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. The probe, covering approximately 2,000 vehicles, was triggered by reports of a robotaxi failing to follow traffic laws by maneuvering around a stopped school bus while students were disembarking.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has opened an investigation into nearly 2.9 million Tesla vehicles after reports of traffic safety violations linked to the electric car maker’s Full Self-Driving system.