The San Francisco Giants mentioned goodbye this week to a uniform patch that marketed Cruise and its robotaxis — the most recent fallout for the GM self-driving subsidiary and its controversial presence within the metropolis.

The advertising partnership, which was introduced in August 2023, will proceed, however with one other GM model. For the 2024 baseball season, SF Giants uniforms will present the Chevrolet emblem with the “EV” in bolded orange. Chevrolet’s all-electric automobile portfolio together with the Chevy Blazer EV, the upcoming Equinox and the Chevy Silverado EV. The automaker not too long ago stopped making the Chevy Bolt and Chevy Bolt EUV and paused gross sales of the Chevy Blazer EV over a software program downside that impacts the infotainment system.

The uniform patch change comes a number of months after San Francisco-based Cruise misplaced its business allow to function robotaxis within the metropolis following an October incident that left a pedestrian caught beneath, after which dragged, by one in every of its self-driving vehicles. Within the months since, Cruise co-founder and CEO Kyle Vogt resigned, 24% of its employees had been laid off, the Division of Justice and Securities and Alternate Fee have opened up investigations and GM has scrambled to place the corporate again on observe with new management.

“Because the 2024 baseball season approaches, Cruise is transitioning our Giants advertising partnership, together with rights because the official uniform patch associate, to Chevrolet – conserving it within the GM household,” an emailed assertion from a Cruise spokesperson reads. “Consistent with our mission to offer secure, dependable, accessible transportation, Cruise stays invested in its shared dedication with the Giants to develop a whole bunch of electrical automobile chargers in ballpark parking amenities for event-goers and the general public.”

A spokesperson with the San Francisco Giants mentioned it was a “pure transition to make and was determined by all events.” When requested if Cruise would return to the uniform patch in 2025, the spokesperson mentioned “we have no idea presently.”

“It’s additionally a great alternative for Chevrolet, as they’ve a longstanding historical past of supporting MLB because the official auto sponsor of the MLB and sponsor of 14 groups within the final 20 years,” the San Francisco Giants spokesperson mentioned. “In the meantime, Cruise stays invested in its shared funding with the Giants to develop a whole bunch of electrical automobile chargers in ballpark parking amenities for event-goers and the general public.”

As a part of the unique deal, Cruise had agreed to put in greater than 100 electrical automobile chargers in Oracle Park parking amenities.

As TechCrunch famous again final June, promoting advert area on the uniforms worn by skilled athletes is widespread observe in some sports activities. Nevertheless it’s a more recent phenomenon in Main League Baseball. The start of the 2023 season noticed seven of the league’s 30 groups promoting sponsorships, together with the San Francisco Giants.