Tesla will suspend production at its U.S. factories until at least May 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting the company to cut pay for salaried employees between 10% and 30% and furlough workers, according to an internal email sent Tuesday night and viewed by TechCrunch. Pay cuts for salaried employees — which ranges from… Continue reading Tesla to cut salaries, furlough workers as COVID-19 shutdowns expected to last until May 4
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Nuro gets OK to test its driverless delivery vehicles on California public roads
Autonomous delivery startup Nuro has been granted a permit to begin driverless testing on California’s public roads, paving the way for the company to roll out commercial operations throughout the state. Nuro, which raised $940 million from SoftBank Vision Fund last year, is allowed to put two of its low-speed electric R2 delivery vehicles on… Continue reading Nuro gets OK to test its driverless delivery vehicles on California public roads
Einride demonstrates a single operator controlling multiple of its driverless cargo vehicles
[embedded content] Autonomous electric transportation startup Einride has taken a key step in its mission to deploy autonomous cargo pods on roads for commercial operations. The Swedish startup demonstrated its technology in use with one person remotely operating two pods at once, which is a fundamental part of their vision of multiple pods ultimately being… Continue reading Einride demonstrates a single operator controlling multiple of its driverless cargo vehicles
Self-driving car engineer Anthony Levandowski files motion to force Uber into arbitration
Anthony Levandowski, the star self-driving car engineer who was at the center of a trade secrets lawsuit, has filed a motion to compel Uber into arbitration in the hopes that his former employee will have to shoulder the cost of at least part of the $179 million judgment against him. The motion to compel arbitration… Continue reading Self-driving car engineer Anthony Levandowski files motion to force Uber into arbitration
Trump orders GM to start ventilator production for COVID-19 amid contract dispute
President Donald Trump signed Friday a presidential directive ordering GM to produce ventilators and to prioritize federal contracts, just hours after the automaker announced plans to manufacture the critical medical equipment needed for patients suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The order, made under the Defense Production Act, marks a sudden reversal… Continue reading Trump orders GM to start ventilator production for COVID-19 amid contract dispute
Wheels is deploying e-bikes with self-cleaning handlebars and brake levers
Wheels, which recently paused its shared bike service to limit the spread of COVID-19, is making its pedal-less e-bikes available for gig workers, restaurants, non-profits or any other people who do their own deliveries. What’s different about these bikes is they will come with self-cleaning NanoSeptic handlebars and brake levers. NanoSeptic’s technology, which is powered by… Continue reading Wheels is deploying e-bikes with self-cleaning handlebars and brake levers
Helm.ai raises $13M on its unsupervised learning approach to driverless car AI
Four years ago, mathematician Vlad Voroninski saw an opportunity to remove some of the bottlenecks in the development of autonomous vehicle technology thanks to breakthroughs in deep learning. Now, Helm.ai, the startup he co-founded in 2016 with Tudor Achim, is coming out of stealth with an announcement that it has raised $13 million in a… Continue reading Helm.ai raises $13M on its unsupervised learning approach to driverless car AI
Volvo’s Polestar begins production of the all-electric Polestar 2 in China
Polestar has started production of its all-electric Polestar 2 vehicle at a plant in China amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended the automotive industry and triggered a wave of factory closures throughout the world. The start of Polestar 2 production is a milestone for Volvo Car Group’s standalone electric performance brand — and not… Continue reading Volvo’s Polestar begins production of the all-electric Polestar 2 in China
Fiat Chrysler to start producing 1 million face masks a month
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Monday it will start manufacturing face masks in the coming weeks and donate the critical medical equipment to first responders and healthcare workers — the latest automaker to direct its manufacturing expertise toward the COVID-19 pandemic. The automaker confirmed to TechCrunch that production capacity is being installed this week at one… Continue reading Fiat Chrysler to start producing 1 million face masks a month
Cazoo, the used-car sales portal, raises another $116M
The rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic has put a freeze on many in-person sales and transactions for goods and services, so in what might be a sign of the times for funding in the startup world, today a company in the U.K. that’s been building a portal to carry out car sales in the… Continue reading Cazoo, the used-car sales portal, raises another $116M