Ride-hailing giant Lyft said it has agreed to acquire FREENOW, a German multi-mobility app with ride-hail at its core, from BMW and Mercedes-Benz Mobility for about $197 million in cash. The acquisition opens up the European market to Lyft for the first time. The company has only operated in the U.S. and Canada since it… Continue reading Lyft to buy taxi app FREENOW for $197M to enter Europe
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
India’s BluSmart swept up in Gensol investigation alleging misuse of EV loans
India’s market regulator launched a probe Tuesday into Gensol Engineering after finding alleged misuse of electric vehicle loans. BluSmart, a ride-hailing startup connected to Gensol that was once seen as an emerging Uber rival in the South Asian market, has also been swept up into the investigation. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)… Continue reading India’s BluSmart swept up in Gensol investigation alleging misuse of EV loans
Lucid Gravity First Drive: An electric SUV that doesn’t make compromises
Lucid has spent years working on its second EV — a plush van-like SUV designed to be the category killer that could take market share from the likes of other luxury EV and internal combustion people haulers like the Rivian R1S, Cadillac Escalade IQ, BMW X7, and Audi Q8. The Saudi-backed company’s aim was to… Continue reading Lucid Gravity First Drive: An electric SUV that doesn’t make compromises
Waymo and Uber prepare to launch robotaxi service in Atlanta this summer
Uber is inviting customers in Atlanta to join a list if they’re interested in hailing a Waymo robotaxi as the companies prepare to launch a commercial service in the city. Uber and Waymo last September announced plans to offer a robotaxi service in Austin and Atlanta in early 2025 as part of an expanded partnership.… Continue reading Waymo and Uber prepare to launch robotaxi service in Atlanta this summer
Lime’s scooter and ebike batteries will be recycled by Redwood Materials
Shared micromobility company Lime has reached an agreement to send batteries used in its scooters and e-bikes to Redwood Materials, which will extract and recycle critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. The agreement announced Monday makes Redwood Materials the exclusive battery recycling partner for Lime’s shared scooters and e-bikes located in cities… Continue reading Lime’s scooter and ebike batteries will be recycled by Redwood Materials
Hertz says customers’ personal data and driver’s licenses stolen in data breach
Car rental giant Hertz has begun notifying its customers of a data breach that included their personal information and driver’s licenses. The rental company, which also owns the Dollar and Thrifty brands, said in notices on its website that the breach relates to a cyberattack on one of its vendors between October 2024 and December… Continue reading Hertz says customers’ personal data and driver’s licenses stolen in data breach
Autonomous trucking startup Kodiak Robotics to go public via SPAC
Self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics plans to go public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Ares Acquisition Corporation II. The transaction values Kodiak, which has raised around $243 million to date, at about $2.5 billion pre-money. New and existing Kodiak institutional investors, like Soros Fund Management, ARK Investments, and Ares, have funded or… Continue reading Autonomous trucking startup Kodiak Robotics to go public via SPAC
Conifer locks down $20M seed round for its ‘drop-in’ electric hub motor
A handful of engineers who worked at Lucid Motors and on Apple’s electric car project have launched a new startup that puts a fresh spin on electric hub motors. The new startup, called Conifer, has developed its motor to be free of rare earth elements by using more abundant ferrite magnets, which the company says… Continue reading Conifer locks down $20M seed round for its ‘drop-in’ electric hub motor
Week in Review: Jeff Bezos’ secret EV startup
Welcome back to Week in Review! We’ve got tons of cool stuff for your reading pleasure this week: Jeff Bezos backs EV startup Slate; a Meta whistleblower accuses the company of collusion; Waymo may use interior camera data; and much more. Let’s get to it! I want this: Slate, an EV startup, has the ambitious… Continue reading Week in Review: Jeff Bezos’ secret EV startup
TechCrunch Mobility: Jeff Bezos backs a secretive EV startup and Lucid snaps up Nikola’s assets
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. If there is one certainty in this uncertain moment, it’s this: U.S. tariff policy is likely to change again. As of Friday morning, there… Continue reading TechCrunch Mobility: Jeff Bezos backs a secretive EV startup and Lucid snaps up Nikola’s assets