Pitch Deck Teardown: Uber’s $200K pre-seed deck from 2008

There’s a pretty decent chance you’ve heard of a little company called Uber. It was a Crunchies finalist back in 2011 (for Best Location Application, alongside Runkeeper, Foursquare, Airbnb and Grindr), and it’s been doing rather well ever since. As I am writing this, Uber has a $69 billion market cap (nice) and it’s a global superstar… Continue reading Pitch Deck Teardown: Uber’s $200K pre-seed deck from 2008

Motional opens Las Vegas robotaxi service to nighttime hours

Autonomous vehicle technology company Motional is moving one step closer to its goal of removing the safety driver from robotaxi operations by expanding its service in Las Vegas to nighttime rides. Passengers in Vegas have been able to access Motional’s robotaxi service through ride-hail companies Lyft and Uber since August and December, respectively. The rides… Continue reading Motional opens Las Vegas robotaxi service to nighttime hours

Tesla to build engineering HQ in California

Tesla is making California the home of its global engineering headquarters. CEO Elon Musk and California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that Tesla’s new engineering HQ will be at the former offices of Hewlett-Packard. The sudden rekindling of Tesla’s relationship with California may be surprising after the EV-maker up and moved its corporate headquarters from… Continue reading Tesla to build engineering HQ in California

TikTok is coming to cars, starting with Mercedes-Benz

TikTok, the social media app, is everywhere it seems. It’s even making its way into vehicles, starting with the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class that’s coming to market in fall 2023. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class will come with an updated version of the MBUX infotainment system — a precursor to the automaker’s custom-built operating system called MB.OS. Mercedes… Continue reading TikTok is coming to cars, starting with Mercedes-Benz

Lucid shares drop as EV maker misses 2023 delivery expectations

Luxury electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors missed Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 revenue, as well as 2023 production and delivery goals, causing the company’s stock price to tumble almost 10% in after-hours trading. That’s a particularly rough outcome for a company that’s been battling supply chain issues and has had to slash… Continue reading Lucid shares drop as EV maker misses 2023 delivery expectations

Mercedes partners with Google to bring Maps and YouTube into its vehicles

Mercedes-Benz and Google have struck a long-term partnership designed to give the German automaker control over its IP and marketplace while offering drivers navigation, maps and YouTube provided by the tech giant. It’s an unusual deal that attempts to strike a Goldilocks-type balance between offering the Google services consumers want without ceding control over the… Continue reading Mercedes partners with Google to bring Maps and YouTube into its vehicles

Mercedes adding Luminar lidar to more vehicles in multibillion-dollar deal

Mercedes-Benz has agreed to a “multibillion-dollar” deal with Luminar to integrate lidar technology and software into the German automaker’s next-generation of vehicles set to go into production by the middle of the decade. The deal announced Wednesday during an event at the Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America facility in Sunnyvale, California is an expansion… Continue reading Mercedes adding Luminar lidar to more vehicles in multibillion-dollar deal

Uber redesigns app for simpler, more personalized experience

Uber is releasing an updated version of its app that aims to simplify and personalize the experience for customers. The new app has a more straightforward homescreen that removes the friction of a few extra taps when booking a ride or ordering a delivery. It also allows customers to more easily access saved locations, and… Continue reading Uber redesigns app for simpler, more personalized experience

What to expect from Tesla’s long-awaited FSD version 11

Tesla has started rolling out version 11 of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software to employees and testers after several months of delays. The EV-maker hasn’t officially shared release notes on FSD Beta V11.3, but leaked notes and videos from beta testers have surfaced online, giving us a better idea of what’s to come. FSD… Continue reading What to expect from Tesla’s long-awaited FSD version 11

Arcimoto promises new 3-wheeled EVs will steer better as it ramps up 2023 deliveries

Arcimoto, maker of doorless three-wheelers, says it is about ready to bang out some new electric vehicles. That’s quite a turnaround from January, when the EV startup halted production and warned it needed new funding, or else it might seek bankruptcy protection. Ultimately, the company raised $12 million by selling additional stock at a discounted… Continue reading Arcimoto promises new 3-wheeled EVs will steer better as it ramps up 2023 deliveries