EV startup

Rivian and Lucid have reported their latest quarterly earnings, and coverage is framing the results as a test of whether EV startups can survive beyond Tesla. Analysts are weighing production numbers, cash burn and profitability timelines against Tesla's dominance and intensifying competition from legacy automakers and Chinese manufacturers. The reports are being read as a signal of which young EV makers can scale up and stay funded.

According to the headline, 19 Indian startups raised a combined total of more than $397 million in funding between September 21 and September 26, 2026. The rounds spanned a wide range of sectors, including electric vehicles, foodtech, cleantech, healthtech, defencetech, footwear, fintech and artificial intelligence. No further details about the individual companies, investors or deal sizes are given, so the full picture of the week's fundraising activity remains limited.

Unitree and other humanoid robot companies are publicly stating they intend to avoid the missteps of China's new energy vehicle startup boom, which saw heavy subsidies, price wars and a wave of failed entrants. The companies are signalling a more cautious approach to competition and expansion as investor interest in humanoid robotics accelerates.

The assets of a failed electric vehicle startup are being sold off, with the lot including around 20 electric trucks. The auction of the company's remaining property highlights the continued shakeout in the EV sector, where underfunded startups have struggled to survive amid slowing demand and high development costs. Interest is likely to come from buyers looking for discounted equipment and vehicles.

FedEx has placed an order worth more than $300 million with Harbinger for 2,000 electric delivery trucks. The deal marks a significant commitment to electrifying the company's fleet, and underscores growing demand for commercial electric vehicles from US startups. It is one of the larger electric truck orders in the logistics sector to date.

VoltNest India has begun documenting a 90-day journey to build a startup around a real problem in the electric vehicle space. The announcement marks day one of the challenge, with the company promising to share progress publicly as it works toward a solution. It is an early-stage publicity push aimed at building an audience around the venture from the start.

GAC's Aion UT, a compact electric hatchback priced around $30,000 in China, has been reviewed in a first drive that highlights an advantage most newer EV brands cannot match. The review points to the backing of an established automaker, with the production scale, engineering experience and supply chain that come with it, as the car's key edge over startup competitors.

LG Energy Solution and US battery startup indiGOtech have agreed to collaborate on the supply of 46-series cylindrical battery cells, according to an announcement reported by Korean industry outlet The Elec. The partnership pairs the world's second-largest EV battery maker with an American newcomer focused on large-format cylindrical cells, a form factor increasingly used in electric vehicles. Details on volumes and timing were not disclosed in the initial report.