As equities continue to trade down from recent peaks, investors are searching for higher returns. Some have turned to the crypto-based decentralized finance (DeFi) realm, where yields from lending and staking cryptocurrency can range from 1% to as high as 15% for riskier projects. Others are looking at high-yield savings accounts like the one from… Continue reading Y Combinator-backed fintech Pebble uses stablecoins to offer 5% yield on cash
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Ex-Uber executive reveals how driver earnings were slashed in Kenya
New details have emerged showing that Uber was planning to further reduce commuter charges in Kenya, months after the 35% cut of 2016, which is the subject-matter of a civil suit filed by drivers against Uber BV and its local subsidiary. Alissa Orlando, a former Uber executive in Kenya, said that she left the ride-hailing… Continue reading Ex-Uber executive reveals how driver earnings were slashed in Kenya
Sylndr, an online used-car retailer, raises $12.6M pre-seed to disrupt Egypt’s automotive market
Egypt is home to one of Africa’s largest vehicle fleets, with over 6 million cars (80% are passenger cars) on its roads. According to this finding, most are used cars; their ratio to new vehicles is 3:1. But the used cars market isn’t only enormous in Egypt; it is in almost every country with a… Continue reading Sylndr, an online used-car retailer, raises $12.6M pre-seed to disrupt Egypt’s automotive market
Waymo is expanding its driverless program in Phoenix
Waymo is pulling the human safety driver out of its recently expanded robotaxi operations in downtown Phoenix, Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo, announced on the TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility stage on Wednesday. “We will be starting fully autonomous, rider-only operations in the downtown Phoenix area that will…be on the fifth generation of our system on the… Continue reading Waymo is expanding its driverless program in Phoenix
Luminar’s Austin Russell: ‘We probably shouldn’t have existed’ but lidar will drive next-gen safety anyway
At TC Sessions: Mobility, Luminar founder and CEO Austin Russell admitted that his now successful company was founded in hubris, but that a skeptical eye during peak lidar hype helped them focus on real markets. “It’s no longer about some theoretical promise — you actually have to show real results, real deliveries, real technology and… Continue reading Luminar’s Austin Russell: ‘We probably shouldn’t have existed’ but lidar will drive next-gen safety anyway
Hyundai to open $6.5B EV factory in Georgia
Hyundai is the latest automaker to announce plans to open an EV factory in Georgia, the same state where Rivian is preparing to break ground on its controversial plant. Hyundai’s $6.5 billion EV and battery manufacturing facility outside of Savannah will further the state’s goal of becoming a major regional hub for the EV industry.… Continue reading Hyundai to open $6.5B EV factory in Georgia
Arrival unveils prototype of dedicated ride-hail vehicle at TC Sessions: Mobility
Arrival, the U.K.-based commercial electric vehicle company, unveiled the first prototype of its purpose-built electric vehicle for ride-hailing on the TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility stage on Thursday. The company, which is perhaps best known for its potentially revolutionary goal of building multiple automated microfactories to produce vehicles regionally and locally rather than one big production line,… Continue reading Arrival unveils prototype of dedicated ride-hail vehicle at TC Sessions: Mobility
NHTSA probes Tesla Autopilot crash that killed three people
A U.S. federal agency is investigating a crash involving a 2022 Tesla Model S that may have been operating in Autopilot during a crash that killed three people. Autopilot is Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) that performs automated functions such as steering, accelerating and automatic braking. Bloomberg first reported on the news. The accident, which… Continue reading NHTSA probes Tesla Autopilot crash that killed three people
Aurora expands autonomous freight pilot with FedEx in Texas
Aurora Innovation, an autonomous vehicle technology company, has expanded its self-driving freight pilot with FedEx to include a new lane from Fort Worth to El Paso, Texas. The startup has been hauling freight for FedEx between Dallas and Houston since September 2021, which has involved making the 240-mile trip every night. The new lane challenges… Continue reading Aurora expands autonomous freight pilot with FedEx in Texas
Lithium-silicon batteries get vote of confidence with Sila’s Mercedes deal
For years, scientists and engineers predicted that lithium-ion batteries would get a boost if they could just add more silicon. In the lab, the prediction held, but only for a short period of time. The material had a downside — it became brittle after repeated charging. Sila seems to think it’s solved the problem. The… Continue reading Lithium-silicon batteries get vote of confidence with Sila’s Mercedes deal