Shared micromobility company Bird’s board of directors has appointed Shane Torchiana as president of the company, replacing the company’s CEO and founder Travis VanderZanden. The new roles will begin effective June 29, per a regulatory filing. VanderZanden, who previously served as the chief operating officer (COO) at ride-hailing company Lyft, will stay on as CEO… Continue reading Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden steps down as president
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Hyundai reveals the IONIQ 6 EV sedan, the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to its IONIQ 5
Hyundai previewed the IONIQ 6 sedan Wednesday, the heavily-anticipated followup to the brand’s popular first battery-electric model, the IONIQ 5 SUV. The automaker won’t announce details such as the IONIQ 6’s price range, and production run size until the vehicle’s world premiere in July. The South Korea automaker that staked its reputation over the past… Continue reading Hyundai reveals the IONIQ 6 EV sedan, the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to its IONIQ 5
Tesla lays off nearly 200 Autopilot workers, shutters San Mateo office
Tesla has gutted the data annotation team working on Autopilot, laying off nearly 200 employees and shutting down the San Mateo, California office where they worked. The layoffs, first reported by Bloomberg, have been confirmed by sources who talked to TechCrunch on condition of anonymity. The cuts come amid a broader reduction of jobs at… Continue reading Tesla lays off nearly 200 Autopilot workers, shutters San Mateo office
Volkswagen, Siemens invest $450M into Electrify America in EV charging push
Volkswagen Group subsidiary Electrify America said Tuesday it raised $450 million in a deal that includes its first external investor as it aims to accelerate its rollout of ultra-fast charging stations in the U.S. and Canada. The deal, which values North America’s largest ultra-fast EV charging network at $2.45 billion, includes more than $100 million… Continue reading Volkswagen, Siemens invest $450M into Electrify America in EV charging push
BMW taps Valeo for driving assistance systems in its next-gen EVs
BMW Group has tapped Valeo to provide the advanced driver assistance system for the automaker’s new electric vehicle platform due to launch in 2025. The deal, a significant win for Valeo, also holds importance for BMW. The automaker is aiming to capture a 50% market share of global EV sales by the end of the… Continue reading BMW taps Valeo for driving assistance systems in its next-gen EVs
JD Power: EVs and and plug-in hybrids have more problems than combustion engine cars
Battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have more problems than the average car, according to the annual J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) released Wednesday. The 2022 survey found that EV owners cited 39% more problems with their new vehicles than did owners of new combustion-engine vehicles. Industry wide, problems per 100 vehicles rose 11%… Continue reading JD Power: EVs and and plug-in hybrids have more problems than combustion engine cars
Tesla veterans’ Industrial Next picks up $12M to automate EV production
Elon Musk is unabashed about his obsession with manufacturing. Over the years, Tesla has gradually gained recognition in the manufacturing world through improving its production quality. Now two Tesla veterans want to share their smart factory know-how to other automakers through a nascent startup. Industrial Next, founded by Allen Pan, who was Tesla’s autonomous factory… Continue reading Tesla veterans’ Industrial Next picks up $12M to automate EV production
Waymo, UPS, others pressure Gov. Newsom to allow autonomous trucking in California
Waymo, Aurora, UPS and Luminar are among a group of 34 autonomous vehicle developers, California business organizations, and automotive and logistics companies that have signed an open letter to Governor Gavin Newsom asking him to revisit the California Department of Motor Vehicles’s 2015 prohibition on the operation of autonomous trucks in the state. California began… Continue reading Waymo, UPS, others pressure Gov. Newsom to allow autonomous trucking in California
These four iconic European founders plan to kick the asses of VCs who never started a company
Until recently, Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of Wise, and Sten Tamkivi, co-founder of Teleport, had banded together as a sort of “mini Angel brand” known as “Taavet+Sten.” Tamkivi has done around 50 angel deals, Hinrikus has, reportedly, done as many as 150. But they were effectively pooling their personal capital as angel investors. However, evidently this… Continue reading These four iconic European founders plan to kick the asses of VCs who never started a company
Rivian is turning on the first EV fast chargers in its adventure network
Rivian will open this week three EV fast charging sites in California and Colorado as part of the automaker’s bid to build out an “adventure” network along interstates as well as locations near recreational activities aligned with its customer base. The first Level 3 DC fast charging site, which opened Monday in Salida, Colorado, has… Continue reading Rivian is turning on the first EV fast chargers in its adventure network