Presentation of Tesla's Robotaxi, Palantir's involvement with Faraday Future, and the new Strava app for electric vehicles.

TechCrunch Mobility is back with news and analysis on the future of transportation. Although its usual host, Kirsten, is on vacation, she left a summary of the week's highlights. Rebecca Bellan will guide readers through the most relevant updates in mobility.

One of the key dates was Tesla's Robotaxi event set for Thursday. Bellan will be reporting live from the presentation, scheduled for 7 p.m. PT, although it is expected to start late. The main expectation is whether Tesla will reveal a complete marketing plan for its Robotaxi (or Cybercab), given the significant interest it has generated over the years. Investors are eager to see a vehicle in real-world conditions and to learn about the mass production capabilities that Tesla plans to implement, especially since Elon Musk previously stated that mass production of robotaxis would begin in 2024.

Another point of interest is whether the vehicle ultimately adopted for the Robotaxi will forgo steering wheels and pedals, which could complicate its manufacturing due to safety regulations requiring a manual intervention method.

In terms of funding, Lithios successfully raised $10 million in a seed investment round to extract lithium from underground sources, at a time of increasing demand for batteries for electric vehicles. The round was led by Clean Energy Ventures, with participation from GS Futures and Lowercarbon Capital.

Reports indicate that General Motors is developing an automatic driving system that will allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and even look away from the road, potentially placing the brand in a leading position compared to other advanced driver assistance technologies.

Baidu plans to expand its on-demand transportation service, Apollo Go, outside of China to Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Middle East. It was also revealed that Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, has been working on the Robotaxi design for over a decade.

Regarding electric vehicles, Honda continues its plan to launch seven models in its series 0 by 2030, each with a range of 300 miles. Lucid Motors reported an increase in sales, reaching a record of 2,781 units sold in the third quarter, indicating significant growth ahead of the impending launch of its Gravity SUV.

In Fisker's realm, they are facing issues with American Lease, which may suspend the purchase of the electric SUV fleet due to difficulties in transferring data associated with the vehicles. Additionally, the SEC has begun an investigation into the company, with multiple subpoenas issued.

In other mobility news, Odysee, a startup focused on aviation, uses AI-driven software to optimize commercial flight schedules. Ola Electric is dealing with customer complaints about its scooters, impacting its stock value.

The Boring Company has reported incidents of intruders in its underground Loop in Las Vegas, while SpotHero is integrating with Google Maps to facilitate parking reservations. Finally, there are changes at Waymo, which has appointed a new program director from Tesla, just ahead of this latter's Robotaxi event.