In autonomous and self-driving vehicle news are Arbe Robotics, Faraday Future, TIER IV, RideFlux, KGM, Hyundai Mobis, Stellantis, Wayve & California>
Arbe Robotics Raises $15 Million to Scale Radar Production
Arbe Robotics closed a registered direct offering worth about $15 million in gross proceeds, selling 833,334 ordinary shares at $0.60 each alongside pre-funded warrants for up to 24,166,666 more shares. The warrants carry a nominal $0.0001 exercise price, are exercisable immediately, and never expire. Canaccord Genuity acted as sole bookrunner, and AWM Investment Company led the institutional participation.
The 4D imaging radar maker says the money will go toward working capital and scaling operations to meet commercial contracts. Much of it is earmarked for a newly secured production program on a major global automaker’s Level 3 passenger vehicle platform. Arbe also plans to push its radar architectures into defense and counter-drone markets and to keep open the option of acquisitions.
Faraday Future Pivots to Robotaxis and Physical AI
Faraday Future Intelligent Electric is reinventing itself as a robotaxi operator, an intelligent cabin technology supplier, and a holding company for physical AI ventures, moving away from building electric vehicles. As part of the shift, it signed a non-binding term sheet to fold its robotics assets into AIxCrypto Holdings in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $200 million. AIxCrypto would drop its cryptocurrency business, rebrand as FF EAI Robotics Ecosystem, and trade under the ticker FFR starting September 30, 2026, with Faraday as its largest controlling stockholder.
On the automotive side, Faraday plans an asset-light model that includes running its own robotaxi fleet, possibly joining third-party ride-hailing networks such as the Cybercab platform, and licensing its smart cabin system to other carmakers. The robotics unit has delivered 552 devices across three form factors and holds 24 FCC-certified products, generating $1.52 million in cumulative revenue through August 2026. Management projects standalone FFR revenue of $7.1 million in 2026 and $45.17 million in 2027, with positive operating cash flow expected by the third quarter of 2028.
TIER IV Adds Wide-Angle Cameras for Close-Range Sensing
TIER IV has added two models, the C1-120MP and C2-120MP, to its automotive-grade MP camera line. Their 120-degree optics are meant to cover blind spots around a vehicle’s perimeter in Level 4 autonomous systems, and they are built to work with the open-source Autoware platform. The company is aiming them at public transit, logistics, construction, and agriculture.
Paired with long-range narrow-angle cameras, the new units let system designers reach full 360-degree awareness with fewer sensors. That, TIER IV says, lowers compute load, network bandwidth, and power draw without giving up redundant perimeter monitoring. The cameras go on sale September 30, 2026, through distributors AISAN Technology and Digiflec.
RideFlux, KGM, and Hyundai Mobis Team Up on Software-Defined Vehicles
South Korean autonomous driving startup RideFlux has struck a collaboration with automaker KG Mobility and supplier Hyundai Mobis to put its AI driving stack into upcoming KGM production vehicles. KGM will use Hyundai Mobis’s software-defined vehicle hardware and middleware, with RideFlux’s software layered on top. Hyundai Mobis will provide the compute platforms and integration support, while RideFlux tailors its perception, planning, and control algorithms to passenger cars. The deal marks the startup’s entry into the traditional automaker supply chain.
The effort sits under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s M.AX Alliance, which gives the partners access to state-backed funding and five government-linked testing facilities. For RideFlux, the agreement supports its goal of becoming the first Level 4 technology provider listed on KOSDAQ. It also moves the company beyond low-speed shuttles, robotrucks, and transit toward Level 2+ and Level 4 technology in mass-produced passenger cars.
Stellantis Brings Wayve’s AI Driver to Fiat and Maserati
Stellantis is extending its work with Wayve to prototypes of the Fiat 500e and Maserati Grecale, with live hands-free demonstration routes planned at the Wave by Vento event in Turin. The effort builds on the Jeep Grand Cherokee prototype shown at the company’s May Investor Day. In each car, Wayve’s mapless AI Driver runs on the Stellantis STLA AutoDrive compute stack, delivering supervised, door-to-door Level 2++ driving on city streets and highways.
The point of the exercise is portability: one end-to-end AI model running across very different vehicles, powertrains, and chassis without a custom codebase for each. Stellantis says that approach should cut per-model validation costs, and it plans the first commercial Wayve-powered system in North America in 2028. CEO Antonio Filosa and Wayve co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall will discuss production roadmaps in a joint panel on October 9 in Turin.
California’s SB 1246 Puts Robotaxi Operators on the Hook
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 1246, authored by Senator Dave Cortese, which lets local authorities penalize autonomous vehicle companies when a disabled or malfunctioning vehicle blocks police or firefighters for more than 30 minutes during an active emergency. The law follows pressure from cities and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over repeated incidents in which stalled driverless vehicles clogged emergency routes and delayed first responders.
Effective July 2028, the law requires operators to provide on-the-ground technicians who can help emergency crews move or clear vehicles, and to feed real-time telemetry and location data to local dispatchers during widespread outages. Remote drivers who directly control steering and throttle must be based in the United States and hold valid U.S. licenses. The state Department of Motor Vehicles will set the administrative rules and technician response-time requirements before enforcement begins.