After admitting it had to modify some of its Jump electric bikes to fix braking issues — the same problem that had halted Lyft’s e-bike business — Uber is getting back on its bike, so to speak. Almost one year after nearly getting driven off London’s streets completely by losing its taxi operating license, Uber… Continue reading Uber launches a Jump e-bike pilot in London, one year on from winning taxi license appeal
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Lime’s founding CEO steps down as his co-founder takes control
In an all-hands meeting this afternoon, the scooter and bike-sharing phenom Lime announced co-founder and chief executive officer Toby Sun would transition out of the C-suite to focus on company culture and R&D. Brad Bao, a Lime co-founder and long-time Tencent executive, will assume chief responsibilities, Lime confirmed to TechCrunch. “Lime has experienced unprecedented growth… Continue reading Lime’s founding CEO steps down as his co-founder takes control
Nigeria’s Gokada raises $5.3M round for its motorcycle ride-hail biz
In many large cities across Africa, motorcycle taxies are as common as yellow-cabs in New York. That includes Lagos, Nigeria, where ride-hail startup Gokada has raised a $5.3 million Series A round to grow its two-wheel transit business. Gokada has trained and on-boarded over 1000 motorcycles and their pilots on its app that connects commuters… Continue reading Nigeria’s Gokada raises $5.3M round for its motorcycle ride-hail biz
Automakers have a choice: Become data companies or become irrelevant
Jeff Peters Contributor Jeff Peters, PhD is a principal at Autotech Ventures, investing in transportation startups. He has published academic and media articles on transportation, optimization, autonomous driving and AI. More posts by this contributor Will self-driving cars kill parking? The AI in your non-autonomous car While Bezos amassed billions, Apple took over our culture,… Continue reading Automakers have a choice: Become data companies or become irrelevant
Fresh off a $530M round, Aurora acquires lidar startup Blackmore
Aurora, the self-driving car startup backed by Sequoia Capital and Amazon, is in an acquiring mood. The company, founded in early 2017 by Chris Urmson, Sterling Anderson and Drew Bagnell, announced Thursday that it acquired lidar company Blackmore. The Blackmore purchase follows another smaller, and previously unknown, acquisition of 7D Labs that occurred earlier this… Continue reading Fresh off a $530M round, Aurora acquires lidar startup Blackmore
Cruise says its AV successfully completed 1,400 unprotected left-hand turns
Unprotected left-hand turns are tough for robots and humans alike. The compounding variables of crossing in front of oncoming traffic make it one of the toughest maneuvers in driving. It’s one of the toughest challenges for self-driving platforms — even more so as drivers often look for non-verbal cues from other drivers to when it’s… Continue reading Cruise says its AV successfully completed 1,400 unprotected left-hand turns
DoorDash, now valued at $12.6B, shoots for the moon
More than five years ago, Sequoia partner Alfred Lin called Tony Xu, the founder of a small on-demand delivery startup called DoorDash, to say he was passing on the company’s seed round. This was, of course, before venture capital funding in food delivery startups had taken off. DoorDash, launched out of Xu’s Stanford graduate school… Continue reading DoorDash, now valued at $12.6B, shoots for the moon
London’s Tube network to switch on Wi-Fi tracking by default in July
Transport for London will roll out default wi-fi device tracking on the London Underground this summer, following a trial back in 2016. In a press release announcing the move, TfL writes that “secure, privacy-protected data collection will begin on July 8” — while touting additional services, such as improved alerts about delays and congestion, which… Continue reading London’s Tube network to switch on Wi-Fi tracking by default in July
In Ford’s future, two-legged robots and self-driving cars could team up on deliveries
Autonomous vehicles might someday be able to navigate bustling city streets to deliver groceries, pizzas, and other packages without a human behind the wheel. But that doesn’t solve what Ford Motor CTO Ken Washington describes as the last 50-foot problem. Ford and startup Agility Robotics are partnering in a research project that will test how… Continue reading In Ford’s future, two-legged robots and self-driving cars could team up on deliveries
India’s Ola switches gears on its food delivery business Foodpanda
India’s Ola, which has expanded to select international markets and set ambitious goals for its electric vehicles business, is struggling with selling food. So it is making major changes to its food business. The ride-hailing giant is pivoting Foodpanda, the Indian business of the food delivery startup it acquired in late 2017, to focus on… Continue reading India’s Ola switches gears on its food delivery business Foodpanda