A teaser image of headlights plus a few details about the upcoming electric Strike motorcycle from Lightning Motorcycles was apparently too much for some to bear. The company, prompted by an unexpectedly high number of customer requests, has now opened reservations for U.S. customers. Customers will still have to wait until March to see what the Strike… Continue reading Lightning Motorcycles is taking reservations for its $12,998 electric motorcycle
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Apple cuts 200 staff from its Project Titan autonomous car division
Apple’s secretive efforts to develop a self-driving car — its so-called ‘Project Titan’ — have taken a hard turn in 2019 after it emerged that the iPhone-maker has reassigned 200 employees previously involved in its development. That’s according to CNBC which, citing sources, reported that a portion of the 200 staff were moved to other… Continue reading Apple cuts 200 staff from its Project Titan autonomous car division
Sequoia-backed NEXT gets $97M as investment in logistics heats up
Despite its “unsexy” reputation, the logistics industry is attracting massive investment from venture capitalists. With a fresh $97 million in Series C funding, NEXT joins a fleet of heavily funded logistics platforms, including Flexport, Huochebang and Convoy. The company, which connects shippers and carriers through an online marketplace, raised the capital from Brookfield Ventures, with participation… Continue reading Sequoia-backed NEXT gets $97M as investment in logistics heats up
China’s Mobike will rename to Meituan Bike as its parent takes the wheel
One of China’s top bike-rental apps is entering a new phase. Mobike, which neighborhood services giant Meituan-Dianping gobbled up last April, is changing its name to Meituan Bike as part of an ongoing integration with its parent, according to an internal letter from Meituan senior vice president Wang Huiwen to staff. There’s no timeline for when the new… Continue reading China’s Mobike will rename to Meituan Bike as its parent takes the wheel
Wag founders ditch dogs for bikes with $37 million in funding
Wag founders Jonathan and Joshua Viner are leaving dogs behind for bikes. Wheels, the Viner brothers’ new electric bike-share startup, is announcing $37 million in funding from Tenaya Capital, Bullpen Capital, Naval Ravikant and others. The Viner brothers departed dog-walking startup Wag last year to start a fund focused on consumer startups. The departures came… Continue reading Wag founders ditch dogs for bikes with $37 million in funding
DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss
One way to gain ground on a competitor is to poach their best executives. We’ve seen it time and time again, from high-level Tesla employees fleeing for Lyft or Apple stealing Google’s AI talent. DoorDash, a well-funded food delivery unicorn, is familiar with this method of staffing. The company announced this morning that it has poached… Continue reading DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss
Elon Musk says Tesla vehicles will soon get a ‘Sentry Mode’
Tesla owners may soon have a way to see (and record) damage that happens to their vehicles when they’re unattended. Tesla will roll out “Tesla Sentry Mode” for all cars with Enhanced Autopilot, CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet Tuesday. Musk didn’t provide any more information about when this feature might be available and… Continue reading Elon Musk says Tesla vehicles will soon get a ‘Sentry Mode’
Waymo plans to open a self-driving car factory in Michigan
Waymo and Magna plan to build thousands of self-driving cars at a factory in southeast Michigan, including autonomous versions of the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan. Waymo, the former Google self-driving project that spun out to become a business under Alphabet, announced Tuesday that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation voted to approve… Continue reading Waymo plans to open a self-driving car factory in Michigan
Starbucks expands its delivery service to 6 more U.S. cities, starting with San Francisco
Starbucks on Monday announced an expansion of its delivery service in partnership with Uber Eats, which is now headed to six other major U.S. cities, starting with San Francisco this week. It will then roll out to Boston, Chicago, L.A., New York and Washington D.C., and is on track to reach one-quarter of U.S. company-operated… Continue reading Starbucks expands its delivery service to 6 more U.S. cities, starting with San Francisco
The Tesla Model 3 is finally approved for European roads
Tesla can now deliver Model 3 vehicles to European customers. The automakers midsize sedan was recently granted approval from RDW, the Dutch regulator and European authority tasked by Tesla to approve the vehicle for European roads. The approval comes just ahead of the vehicle’s European introduction next month. Right now, it’s been reported that a… Continue reading The Tesla Model 3 is finally approved for European roads