GM said Friday that it is working with Ventec Life Systems to help increase production of respiratory care products such as ventilators that are needed by a growing number of hospitals as the COVID-19 pandemics spreads throughout the U.S. The partnership is part of StopTheSpread.org, a coordinated effort of private companies to respond to COVId-19,… Continue reading GM and Ventec Life Systems partner to ramp up production of ventilators
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Tesla partner Panasonic is shutting down its operations at Nevada gigafactory
Panasonic is pulling its 3,500 employees from the massive Nevada factory it operates with partner Tesla over concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The company said Friday it will ramp down operations early next week and then close for 14 days. The move only affects Panasonic employees. Tesla also employs thousands of workers at the… Continue reading Tesla partner Panasonic is shutting down its operations at Nevada gigafactory
Rivian shuts down all facilities over COVID-19 pandemic concerns
Rivian, the buzzy electric vehicle startup that is backed by Amazon and Ford, is shutting down all of its facilities due to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Rivian employs more than 2,000 workers across several locations, including its headquarters in Plymouth, Mich., a factory in Normal, Ill. as well as operations… Continue reading Rivian shuts down all facilities over COVID-19 pandemic concerns
SpaceX and Tesla are ‘working on’ ventilators, Elon Musk says
Elon Musk tweeted Friday that Tesla and SpaceX employees are “working on ventilators” even though he doesn’t believe they will be needed. His confirmation on Twitter that both of the companies he leads are working on ventilators comes a day after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made a direct plea to Musk to help… Continue reading SpaceX and Tesla are ‘working on’ ventilators, Elon Musk says
Uber Eats UK waives fees during the coronavirus crisis
Uber Eats is waiving delivery and activations fees in the UK to support restaurants hit by decreasing demand during the coronavirus crisis. The measure will apply until March 31 when it says it will review it. On Monday the on-demand food delivery giant announced a similar waiver of delivery fees in the US. The announcement… Continue reading Uber Eats UK waives fees during the coronavirus crisis
Ola suspends shared ride option in India
Ride-hailing giant Ola said on Friday evening that it is temporarily suspending pool rides on its platform, called Ola Share, in India in a bid to slow the coronavirus pandemic by encouraging social distancing. The Indian firm, which operates in several countries including Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, offers Ola Share only in India.… Continue reading Ola suspends shared ride option in India
Waymo suspends all self-driving services in light of coronavirus pandemic
Waymo has extended the partial suspension of its autonomous vehicle service pilots to include fully driverless vehicle testing, the company confirmed on Friday. While Alphabet-owned Waymo had already stopped operation of the autonomous driving vehicles in its fleet that have safety drivers on board, in the interest of minimizing the potential spread of coronavirus, it… Continue reading Waymo suspends all self-driving services in light of coronavirus pandemic
Anthony Levandowski pleads guilty to one count of trade secrets theft under plea deal
Anthony Levandowski, the former Google engineer and serial entrepreneur who was at the center of a lawsuit between Uber and Waymo, has pleaded guilty to one count of stealing trade secrets while working at Google under a plea agreement reached with the U.S. District Attorney. While Levandowski still faces a possible prison sentence of between… Continue reading Anthony Levandowski pleads guilty to one count of trade secrets theft under plea deal
Wheels pauses shared bikes service to try to limit spread of COVID-19
In light of growing concerns around COVID-19, Wheels has decided to pause its pedal-less e-bike operations until the end of March, the company announced today. “After weighing the pros and cons, we’ve decided that the best course of action is to temporarily stop deploying bikes until the end of March and to revisit this then,”… Continue reading Wheels pauses shared bikes service to try to limit spread of COVID-19
Tesla to temporarily shut down Fremont factory
Tesla will suspend production at its Fremont, Calif., factory beginning March 23, days after a shelter in-place order went into effect in Alameda County due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sparked a public tussle between the automaker and local officials over what was consider an “essential” business. Some basic operations that would support Tesla’s charging… Continue reading Tesla to temporarily shut down Fremont factory