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TechCrunch Mobility: A new, bigger AV boom is here

Key takeaways
A new, larger AV boom is underway in 2026, driven by AI advancements and lower startup barriers.
- Trucks VC saw 81 AV startups pitch in 2026, up 66% from last year.
- AI foundation models are enabling cheaper and faster AV development.
- Startups can now deploy with less than $1 million raised and in a few months.
Summarised automatically by AI from the original article by TechCrunch. AI can make mistakes, so check the original for details.
Story details
- Published
- By
- Kirsten Korosec
- Section
- Transportation
- Length
- 1,112 words · about 5 min read
- Format
- Article
- Original
- techcrunch.com ↗





