Best Auto Tech Companies in Phoenix, United States
The 45 best Auto Tech companies in Phoenix, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Nikola Motor.
Our analysis of 69 Auto Tech companies
$46.2b in tracked funding; 92% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Auto Tech companies in Phoenix
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikola Motor Developer of electric trucks 50Funding top 23%Tech top 24%Moat top 39%Market top 45% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 23% Techtop 24% Moattop 39% Markettop 45% Talentbottom 49% Newsbottom 48% Fin. healthbottom 40% Globalbottom 39% Growthbottom 37% Funding: Raised $760M across 13 rounds · 13 rounds over 9 yrs (1.4/yr) Tech: 53 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $760M | 15 mo ago | Public | Mark Russell CEO | 2015 | ApostropheCMSApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+27 | — | — |
| 2 | Carvana Online dealer of pre owned cars 89AI top 15%Customers top 16%Funding top 21%Patents top 23% All 13 signals ▾AItop 15% Customerstop 16% Fundingtop 21% Patentstop 23% Fin. healthtop 24% Markettop 27% Innovationtop 27% Techtop 28% Moattop 32% Producttop 38% Newstop 45% Growthbottom 44% Globalbottom 38% AI: Holds AI/ML patents (G06N-family CPC) Customers: Play-Store rating 4.79★ across 84,874 ratings (1 apps) · Review volume +6% in 6 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 89/100 | $460M | 30 mo ago | Public | — | 2012 | Atlassian JiraApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+22 | 100 patents Automated vehicle imaging and inspection systems for high‑quality automotive photography | 1 partnership |
| 3 | eTec Electric Car Charging | $207M | 202 mo ago | Acquired | Jonathan Read ex-CEO & President | 1996 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Autonomy App-based platform electric car subscription services 69Funding top 24%Tech top 29%Innovation top 37%Patents top 37% All 12 signals ▾Fundingtop 24% Techtop 29% Innovationtop 37% Patentstop 37% Moattop 38% Talenttop 38% Markettop 41% Growthtop 41% Producttop 45% Globalbottom 44% Customersbottom 39% Newsbottom 33% Funding: Raised $62.8M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 6 yrs (0.8/yr) Tech: 42 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Alb, Amazon Cloudfront rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 69/100 | $63M | 8 mo ago | Acquired | Georg Bauer Co-Founder and President | 1996 | Node.jsYouTubeAmazon ALB+28 | 34 patents Remote backup, restore, and distributed storage management with hybrid hash tables | — |
| 5 | Fullbay Shop management system for heavy duty workshops | $23M | 25 mo ago | Series A | David Hoover Head of Special Projects | 2013 | WordPressSentryApple iCloud Mail+42 | — | 1 partnership |
| 6 | Adveez Provider of real-time data capture, management, and analysis hardware and software | $5M | 113 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2010 | WordPressMySQLPHP+24 | — | — |
| 7 | Legacy EV Developer of electric vehicle conversion kits and components | $3M | 17 mo ago | Series A | Rob Ward CEO and Founder | 2013 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyYouTube+37 | 252 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 8 | Atlis Motor Vehicles Developer of electric pickup trucks | $2M | 45 mo ago | Public | — | 2016 | — | 39 patents Patents concentrated in electrical & electronics | — |
| 9 | Those Animals Southern California indie-alternative rock band with sweet, melancholy melodies | $1M | 125 mo ago | Seed | David Abraham CEO | 2013 | — | — | — |
| 10 | Joyride Uncommon candy with amazing taste, less sugar, and no junk | $1M | 189 mo ago | Deadpooled | Shane Ettestad Founder | 2009 | YouTubeVarnishGitHub Pages+5 | — | — |
| 11 | Ronn Motor Group Platform offering hydrogen fuel cell automaker designing sustainable mobility solutions | $350K | 109 mo ago | Seed | — | 2007 | Squarespace CommerceSquarespaceVimeo+11 | — | — |
| 12 | Buzze Mobile app for scheduling and booking EV charger | $325K | 6 mo ago | Seed | Aaron Lieberman Founder & CEO | 2022 | HubSpot CMS HubAmazon Web ServicesSplide+15 | — | — |
| 13 | Phat Rides Manufacturer of electric scooters | $150K | 53 mo ago | Seed | — | 2017 | — | — | — |
Top 12 Auto Tech companies in Phoenix
#1
Public · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2015 · 870 employees$760Mraised▾
Developer of electric trucks. The platform offers semi-trucks, pickup trucks, refuse collectors, and hydrogen fuel-cell electric sleeper semi-trucks. It develops various models of trucks like NikolaTre, Nikola Two, and Nikola Eneryu with features like dual-speed compression, an infotainment display, independent quad electric motors, a digital cockpit, and more.
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$998.4K
- Aug 2023Grant (prize money)$16.3M
- Jul 2023Grant (prize money)$41.9M
- Aug 2021Grant (prize money)$2M
#2
Acquired · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 1996 · 15156 employees$62.8Mraised▾
Autonomy is an app-based platform for electric car subscription services. Its platform enables users to find cars and can subscribe to the one they want. Its subscription plan includes title and registration, routine maintenance, roadside assistance, and more. Mobile applications are available for Android and iOS users.
- Nov 2025Conventional Debt$25M
- Jan 2022Venture Debt$50M
- Dec 2021Series A$32.8M
- Feb 2021Unattributed$30M
#3
Public · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2012 · 27400 employees$460Mraised▾
Online dealer of pre owned cars. The platform offers personalized financing services for vehicles. Buyers can browse vehicles, answer a few questions, calculate loans and get an estimated value for the vehicle. The users can browse by models, brands, body styles, and locations.
- Feb 2024Post IPO—
- Nov 2018Post IPO$400K
- Apr 2018Post IPO$15.2M
- Aug 2016Series D$160M
#4
Seed · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2022 · 3 employees$325Kraised▾
Mobile app for scheduling and booking EV charger. It allows you to set a schedule when the neighbors can use the charger and recieve notifications when neighbors book the charger.
- Jan 2026Seed$225K
- May 2023Seed$100K
#5
Series A · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2013 · 5 employees$2.7Mraised▾
Developer of electric vehicle conversion kits and components. The company develops various models of electric vehicle conversions kits for four-wheelers. Also, it offers various components for electric vehicles. It also offers a retailer platform for these kits and components. It provides a learning platform for electric vehicels.
- Mar 2025Series A$3.2M
- Feb 2022Seed$2.7M
#6
Series A · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2013 · 115 employees$23Mraised▾
Fullbay provides shop management software for heavy duty workshops. It features include customer portal, preventive maintenance, DOT compliance, parts markup, owner dashboard, etc.
- Jul 2024PE—
- May 2019Series A$23M
#7
Acquired · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 1996$207.4Mraised▾
Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ECOtality, worked on research, development and testing of advanced transportation and energy systems. Specializing in alternative-fuel, hybrid and electric vehicles and infrastructures, eTec eas committed to developing and commercially advancing clean electric technologies with clear market advantages. eTec's flagship product Minit-Charger - fast battery charging systems designed for electric vehicles, airport ground support equipment and material handling applications - allowed for faster charging with less heat generation and longer battery life than conventional chargers.
- Sep 2009Grant (prize money)$197.9M
- Aug 2009Grant (prize money)$8M
- Apr 2009Grant (prize money)$295K
- Feb 2007Grant (prize money)$1.2M
#8
Public · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2016 · 86 employees$1.9Mraised▾
Developer of electric pickup trucks. The company is involved in developing pickup trucks and electric vehicle platforms to create trucks. The company claims that the vehicle would be charged in 15 minutes
- Nov 2022Post IPO$10M
- Aug 2022Seed$481.2K
- Aug 2022Seed$536.2K
- Aug 2022Seed$332.4K
#9
Acquired · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2010 · 34 employees$4.9Mraised▾
Provider of real-time data capture, management, and analysis hardware and software. The company delivers solutions for powered and unpowered asset management, charging station telemetry, speed control, and user safety. It offers research and development alongside original equipment manufacturing solutions. The company’s products are applicable to airports, maintenance repair and overhaul, harbors, railways, and industrial sites.
- Mar 2017Series B$3.5M
- 2014Seed$1.5M
#10
Seed · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2013$1.2Mraised▾
Southern California indie-alternative rock band with sweet, melancholy melodies. This music project, started in 2020, delivers catchy hooks and evokes emotion through songwriting. Akin to surf rock, jangly guitar tones, and psychedelic power, the music is available on all streaming services. The band offers live shows and connects with fans through a mailing list. The website features music, photos, videos, bio, interviews, shows, and contact information. The site also has cart functionality and login. The band has a social impact through its music and live performances.
- Mar 2016Conventional Debt$100K
- Dec 2015Conventional Debt$750K
- Apr 2015Seed$1.2M
#11
Deadpooled · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2009 · 5 employees$1Mraised▾
Uncommon candy with amazing taste, less sugar, and no junk. This company is changing the candy landscape with its bold, tangy flavors and satisfying chewy texture. They offer a game-changing treat experience, focusing on delivering delicious candy without the unnecessary junk and with reduced sugar content. This is a B2C business model, offering a single product line of sweets. Customers can purchase their products through their website and other online marketplaces. They are committed to providing a better-for-you candy option that doesn't compromise on taste or enjoyment. They are focused on innovation in the confectionery industry, providing a unique and enjoyable experience for candy lovers seeking healthier alternatives.
- Oct 2010Seed$1M
#12
Seed · Phoenix, Arizona · founded 2017 · 19 employees$150Kraised▾
Manufacturer of electric scooters. The company offers scooters with features that includes EABS hydraulic disc brakes, securely welded handlebars, fat tires, and more.
- Mar 2022Seed—
- Sep 2020Seed$150K
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Auto Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Autonomous Vehicles is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Autonomous Vehicles — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 3,252 United States-affiliated papers.
- Carnegie Mellon University89
- Purdue University West Lafayette76
- University of California, Berkeley69
- Northeastern University64
- Stanford University55
- Computer vision12→111
- Human–computer interaction2→64
- Perception2→59
- Robustness (evolution)3→53
- Trajectory12→61
- Human–computer interaction3→65
- Transport engineering11→66
- Computer vision2→54
- Reinforcement learning3→46
- Automotive engineering5→48
- Humanities4→108
- Philosophy1→64
- Context (archaeology)1→54
- Computer security2→48
- Transport engineering4→30
Where autonomous vehicles is researched across United States
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing autonomous vehicles patents in the United States
United States autonomous vehicles patent filing is accelerating — 19,294 filings from 4,355 assignees (2016–2025), led by Waymo, Baidu USA, GM Cruise Holdings; annual filings 885→1348.
- Waymo1688
- Baidu USA1034
- GM Cruise Holdings767
- FORD Global TECH589
- Qualcomm565
- Tusimple547
- UBER Technologies527
- UATC507
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.