Uber launches Uber Health, a B2B ride-hailing platform for healthcare

Uber’s launching a new business line called Uber Health on Thursday that will provide a ride-hailing platform available specifically to healthcare providers, letting clinics, hospitals, rehab centers and more easily assign rides for their patients and clients from a centralized dashboard – without requiring that the rider even have the Uber app, or a smartphone.… Continue reading Uber launches Uber Health, a B2B ride-hailing platform for healthcare

Waymo 360-degree video shows how autonomous vehicles work

Fresh on the heels of settling a contentious and expensive lawsuit with Uber, Alphabet’s self-driving unit Waymo is looking to get out there and educate the public on how its autonomous vehicles work. In a blog post announcing that Waymo self-driving cars have racked up 5 million miles of driving experience on public roads, the… Continue reading Waymo 360-degree video shows how autonomous vehicles work

Aurora raises $90M Series A, adds Reid Hoffman and Mike Volpi to its board

Self-driving car startup Aurora has raised $90 million in a Series A round, with participation from both Greylock Partners and Index Ventures. The new funding adds to its available cash and will make it possible for the young startup to scale more quickly, but Aurora CEO Chris Urmson told me that the most important part… Continue reading Aurora raises $90M Series A, adds Reid Hoffman and Mike Volpi to its board

BMW says in-car digital assistants have to go beyond being ‘Echo Dots in a cup holder’

BMW wants to bring personal assistants to the car, but it doesn’t want to build its own. Instead, it wants to work with Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others to bring the best features of their platforms to its cars. “We don’t want Alexa to drive our car. That’s not a good fit,” Dieter May, BMW’s… Continue reading BMW says in-car digital assistants have to go beyond being ‘Echo Dots in a cup holder’

Ford begins testing self-driving cars and business model in Miami

Ford has revealed the test market for its self-driving service it teased but kept under wraps back at CES in January: Miami. Will Smith bids you “bienvenidos,” Ford, via his canonical 1997 opus. But actually, Ford is welcomed by Miami-Dade officials, who are working with the automaker to run this pilot across both downtown Miami… Continue reading Ford begins testing self-driving cars and business model in Miami

Uber’s hosting its flying taxi-focused Elevate Summit for a second year

Uber will talk about flying taxis, autonomous aerial transport and everything in between, in an industry event designed to bring together stakeholder on the subject in one place. This is the second year in a row that Uber has hosted its ‘Elevate Summit,’ and this year it’s in LA. The event fill feature a ton… Continue reading Uber’s hosting its flying taxi-focused Elevate Summit for a second year

Pony.ai launches a self-driving ride-hailing fleet for public use in China

Autonomous driving technology startup Pony.ai has become the first company to operate an autonomous ride-hailing service on public roads for public users in China. The company, just over a year-old, recently raised $112 million in a Series A round to help it accelerate its efforts, and its fleet is running a nearly two-mile route in… Continue reading Pony.ai launches a self-driving ride-hailing fleet for public use in China

Ford cars are getting a new ‘voice-controlled co-driver’ thanks to Sygic

Ford vehicles equipped with the automaker’s SYNC 3 infotainment system will soon have access to a new voice-powered driving assistant behind the wheel – Sygic’s new aptly named “Driving Assistant.” The feature, which works with Sygic’s GPS navigation app, is described as a “voice-controlled co-driver that helps the driver identify nearby rest-stops, restaurants, hotels” and… Continue reading Ford cars are getting a new ‘voice-controlled co-driver’ thanks to Sygic

Is Uber selling its Southeast Asia business to Grab?

If you read the tech press, you might have seen reports that Uber is pursuing a sale in Southeast Asia that would see Grab, its Singapore-headquartered rival valued at $6 billion, acquire Uber’s business in the region. Rumors of such a tie-in have been rife for a while. Uber sold its China business in exactly such… Continue reading Is Uber selling its Southeast Asia business to Grab?