Backed by Chinese carmaker Great Wall, Haomo raises $14M for autonomous driving tech

After a few years of funding frenzy, autonomous driving companies in China are experiencing a slowdown in investment. Some companies are still hauling in capital, though the era of bankrolling several hundred million dollars in a single round has mostly passed. Haomo.ai, an autonomous driving startup backed by Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor, has raised… Continue reading Backed by Chinese carmaker Great Wall, Haomo raises $14M for autonomous driving tech

Uber says firm to explore integration with India’s ONDC

Uber has signed a memorandum of understanding with an Indian government-backed firm that aims to make mobility and commerce more accessible across the South Asian nation. The ride-hailing giant said Thursday that it will explore an integration with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to explore integrations with the network and expand range of its… Continue reading Uber says firm to explore integration with India’s ONDC

Waymo’s application to expand California robotaxi operations paused by regulators

Waymo’s application to expand its robotaxi service in Los Angeles and San Mateo counties has been suspended for 120 days by the California Public Utilities Commission’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division (CPED). The decision doesn’t change Waymo’s ability to commercially operate driverless vehicles in San Francisco. However, it does put an abrupt halt to the… Continue reading Waymo’s application to expand California robotaxi operations paused by regulators

Uber Eats is launching a delivery service with Cartken’s sidewalk robots in Japan

Uber, along with partners Mitsubishi Electric and autonomous robotics startup Cartken, are launching a service in Japan that will use self-driving sidewalk robots to deliver food to customers. The companies announced that the service offered through the Uber Eats app will launch in a select part of Tokyo by the end of March. An Uber… Continue reading Uber Eats is launching a delivery service with Cartken’s sidewalk robots in Japan

Uber testing prepaid-item pickup from local stores in India

Uber has quietly started testing a feature that lets gig workers pick up prepaid items from local stores and deliver them to customers in India. Called “Store Pickup,” the feature debuted in select U.S. cities in December and is now expanded to Delhi-NCR, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. Customers can order pickups and deliveries and track… Continue reading Uber testing prepaid-item pickup from local stores in India

Waymo recalls and updates robotaxi software after two cars crashed into the same towed truck

Waymo is voluntarily recalling the software that powers its robotaxi fleet after two vehicles crashed into the same towed pickup truck in Phoenix, Arizona, in December. It’s the company’s first recall. Waymo chief safety officer Mauricio Peña described the crashes as “minor” in a blog post, and said neither vehicle was carrying passengers at the… Continue reading Waymo recalls and updates robotaxi software after two cars crashed into the same towed truck

A Waymo robotaxi was vandalized and burned in San Francisco

A Waymo robotaxi was vandalized and then set on fire by a crowd of people Saturday evening in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood. The incident is the latest encounter between driverless vehicles and the public in San Francisco, a city where autonomous vehicle companies have spent years testing the technology on public streets.  The Saturday night… Continue reading A Waymo robotaxi was vandalized and burned in San Francisco

California regulator looking into Waymo’s collision with a cyclist

California’s auto regulator, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), is investigating an incident that occurred on Tuesday, where a driverless Waymo car collided with a cyclist, according to a report by Reuters. San Francisco cops said that the cyclist suffered non-fatal injuries, as per a report by SFGate. Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company… Continue reading California regulator looking into Waymo’s collision with a cyclist

Autonomous vehicle company Motional is about to lose a key backer

Autonomous vehicle company Motional is losing capital support from one of its primary backers as it aims to commercialize a robotaxi service in 2024. Automotive supplier Aptiv — the other half of a $4 billion joint venture with Hyundai that created Motional — said Wednesday it will no longer allocate capital toward the endeavor. “While… Continue reading Autonomous vehicle company Motional is about to lose a key backer

Cruise reveals DOJ, SEC probes as it releases internal report on pedestrian crash

Cruise, the GM self-driving subsidiary, said Thursday that federal prosecutors and securities regulators have opened investigations into the October 2 incident that left a pedestrian stuck under and then dragged by one of its robotaxis. The probes by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which were revealed as part of an… Continue reading Cruise reveals DOJ, SEC probes as it releases internal report on pedestrian crash