The auto segment is rife with trailblazing next-gen solutions poised to revamp road safety, support driver protection, refortify asset security. Rev up your engines as we take you on another quarterly review of investment trends buoying the automotive industry. There is so much to be excited for.
Most Funded Autotech Segments and Companies
In Q3 2021, the checkbooks of auto investors sanctioned the financial enablement of pickup trucks, self-driving trucks, and driver monitoring technologies.
Pickup trucks: imbued with a staggering $2.5 billion in equity support, pickup truck companies are redefining the culture of family adventure with electrified cars guaranteed to preserve earth's greenery for years to come.
Self-driving trucks: attracting the sum of $271 million, the automated trucks niche is getting the nod for widespread commercial use. Companies are constantly developing avant-garde autonomous driving software to embolden their quest to create a resilient network of efficient line-haulage trucks across the country.
Driver monitoring technologies: distracted driving behaviors such as texting, eating, and talking impairs the driver’s ability to respond swiftly to potential mishaps. For this, financiers have infused $150 million to improve driver attention through automation. With driver monitoring tech, tasks such as acceleration, steering, and braking become assisted, allowing the driver to focus more on the driving area and less on whole vehicle operation.
Lithium Ion: the Li-ion race is in full swing and everyone wants a piece of the silvery pie. Lithium is the essential ingredient powering the batteries of the green revolution, the same way it powers laptops and phones. $100 million in fresh funding has been injected this quarter to help retire those bulky lead-acid batteries and replace them with cleaner, smarter and longer-lasting Li-ion EV batteries.
Self driving delivery vehicles: who would have thought that a driverless truck full of groceries would be a thing in 2021? Well, futuristic package delivery is here to stay, with retail stores embracing “autonomous box trucks,” capable of delivering dark store products to neighborhood markets without safety drivers. As of now, this feature has recorded success in middle-mile deliveries, but $85 million more has been added by investors this quarter in a bid to attempt pickup locations up to 20 miles away.
Notable Companies in the Most Funded Autotech Segments in Q3 2021
Rivian (Pickup trucks): this is a vast technology company that is building EV SUVs on a “skateboard platform” that can accommodate future vehicles. The company is big on sustainability values, having signed a climate pledge that will see it achieve a net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 - 10 years before the Paris Agreement’s aim.
Inceptio Technology and Autobon AI (Self driving trucks): founded in 2018, Inceptio is a leader when it comes to manufacturing autonomous trucks. It also provides transportation services for other organizations using their autonomous technologies. Currently, their development efforts are geared towards enabling inner city trucking on public roads.
Autobon AI is incorporating AI-components into tractor-trailers to make fleets that are fully self-aware.
Netradyne (Driver monitoring): a company producing dashcams to revolutionize fleet safety in commercial vehicles.Drivers are inundated with complex data when driving. Netradyne’s solution condenses complex on-road data into actionable insights.
SES (Lithium Ion): Let’s face it, the world doesn’t need another Li-ion battery company. It only needs someone to make it smarter. SES is creating a super intelligence system EV battery life cycle.
Gatik (Self driving delivery vehicles): this company integrates its driverless technology with Walmart trucks to fulfil the retailer’s short-haul logistics.
Funding of Key Autotech Segments
Electric Vehicle Funding Q3 2021: find out how 2021 compares with 2020 in the EV sub-segment for Rivian and others. Since 2019, the Californian automaker has received $10.5 billion dollars in investor financing.
Autonomous Vehicle Funding Q3 2021: which companies are orchestrating the future of driverless trucks? Discover how Inceptio and 8 others have performed so far.
Connected Vehicle Funding Q3 2021: glance through the leaderboard of the big hitters in smart vehicle technology in the US.
That’s it folks. If you want to see more automotive sector trends in the US, stay tuned for our updates. We deliver a regular treasure trove of investment opportunities in the dynamic world of auto investments to keep you at the forefront of this ever-evolving industry.
