We kicked off this year’s TC Sessions: Mobility with a talk featuring three leading players in the field of autonomous delivery. Gatik co-founder and chief engineer Apeksha Kumavat, Nuro head of operations Amy Jones Satrom, and Starship Technologies co-founder and CTO Ahti Heinla joined us to discuss their companies’ unique approaches to the category. The… Continue reading How autonomous delivery startups are navigating policy, partnerships and post-pandemic operations
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Waabi’s Raquel Urtasun explains why it was the right time to launch an AV technology startup
‘This is a combination of my 20-year career in AI as well as more than 10 years in self-driving’ Rebecca Bellan 9 hours Raquel Urtasun, the former chief scientist at Uber ATG, is the founder and CEO of Waabi, an autonomous vehicle startup that came out of stealth mode last week. The Toronto-based company, which… Continue reading Waabi’s Raquel Urtasun explains why it was the right time to launch an AV technology startup
Lordstown Motors CEO and CFO resign amidst production woes
Beleaguered electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors’ stock shares have taken another hit after the company said Monday that CEO Steve Burns and CFO Julio Rodriguez have resigned, just a few weeks after Burns was reassuring investors of the company’s bright future. Lordstown Motors’ Lead Independent Director Angela Strand was appointed executive chairwoman to oversee the… Continue reading Lordstown Motors CEO and CFO resign amidst production woes
The air taxi market prepares to take flight
Twelve years ago, Joby Aviation consisted of a team of seven engineers working out of founder JoeBen Bevirt’s ranch in the Santa Cruz mountains. Today, the startup has swelled to 800 people and a $6.6 billion valuation, ranking itself as the highest-valued electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company in the industry. As in any… Continue reading The air taxi market prepares to take flight
The rise of robotaxis in China
AutoX, Momenta and WeRide took the stage at TC Sessions: Mobility 2021 to discuss the state of robotaxi startups in China and their relationships with local governments in the country. They also talked about overseas expansion — a common trajectory for China’s top autonomous vehicle startups — and shed light on the challenges and opportunities… Continue reading The rise of robotaxis in China
Why Mate Rimac is working on electric robotaxis
Mate Rimac, the founder and CEO of Croatian electric hypercar and components developer Rimac Automobili, started a separate company nearly three years ago to work on electric robotaxis. Little is known about the company, which still operates in stealth. Rimac told TechCrunch this week at TC Sessions: Mobility 2021 he hopes to keep this separate… Continue reading Why Mate Rimac is working on electric robotaxis
Despite flat growth, ride-hailing colossus Didi’s US IPO could reach $70B
Didi filed to go public in the United States last night, providing a look into the Chinese ride-hailing company’s business. This morning, we’re extending our earlier reporting on the company to dive into its numerical performance, economic health and possible valuation. Recall that Didi has raised tens of billions worth of private capital from venture capitalists,… Continue reading Despite flat growth, ride-hailing colossus Didi’s US IPO could reach $70B
Volkswagen says a vendor’s security lapse exposed 3.3 million drivers’ details
Volkswagen says more than 3.3 million customers had their information exposed after one of its vendors left a cache of customer data unsecured on the internet. The car maker said in a letter that the vendor, used by Volkswagen, its subsidiary Audi and authorized dealers in the U.S. and Canada, left the customer data spanning… Continue reading Volkswagen says a vendor’s security lapse exposed 3.3 million drivers’ details
Elon Musk reveals the Tesla Model S Plaid
Tesla finally held the long-awaited, and once rescheduled, “delivery event” for its ultra-fast Model S Plaid at its factory in Fremont, California. The electric vehicle company will begin with 25 deliveries on Friday evening, expanding to several hundred cars per week and a thousand cars per week in the next quarter, CEO Elon Musk said… Continue reading Elon Musk reveals the Tesla Model S Plaid
Archer Aviation reveals 2-seater demonstration aircraft, a “stepping stone” toward commercial operations
Archer Aviation unveiled its autonomous electric two-seater aircraft dubbed “Maker” on Thursday, which it will use for testing as it works towards certification of a larger piloted five-seater announced in March 2020. The aircraft unveiled on Thursday is not what would take to the skies should the company reach commercial operation in 2024. However, Archer’s… Continue reading Archer Aviation reveals 2-seater demonstration aircraft, a “stepping stone” toward commercial operations