Motional, the autonomous vehicle company born out of a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, told employees Wednesday it will cut about 5% of its workforce, TechCrunch has learned. The cuts, which translate to fewer than 70 people, mostly affect administrative roles and some employees working in Boston, one of several cities where… Continue reading Hyundai-backed autonomous company Motional cuts 5% of workforce
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Apple cancels its autonomous electric car project and is laying off some workers
Apple is scuttling its secretive, long-running effort to build an autonomous electric car, executives announced in a short meeting with the team Tuesday morning. The company is likely cutting hundreds of employees from the team and all work on the project has stopped, TechCrunch has learned. Some remaining employees will be shifted to Apple’s generative… Continue reading Apple cancels its autonomous electric car project and is laying off some workers
Stellantis CEO dishes on Waymo, Rivian cuts staff and the great EV softening continues
TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free. Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares and I covered… Continue reading Stellantis CEO dishes on Waymo, Rivian cuts staff and the great EV softening continues
Rabbit’s Jesse Lyu hops into StrictlyVC LA on February 29
We’re announcing an exciting addition to our speaker lineup for StrictlyVC Los Angeles on February 29. Jesse Lyu, founder and CEO of rabbit Inc., will be joining us and showcasing rabbit r1, the pocket-sized AI hardware assistant that took CES — and the broader news cycle — by storm last month. Lyu is an entrepreneur… Continue reading Rabbit’s Jesse Lyu hops into StrictlyVC LA on February 29
Backed by Chinese carmaker Great Wall, Haomo raises $14M for autonomous driving tech
After a few years of funding frenzy, autonomous driving companies in China are experiencing a slowdown in investment. Some companies are still hauling in capital, though the era of bankrolling several hundred million dollars in a single round has mostly passed. Haomo.ai, an autonomous driving startup backed by Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor, has raised… Continue reading Backed by Chinese carmaker Great Wall, Haomo raises $14M for autonomous driving tech
Uber says firm to explore integration with India’s ONDC
Uber has signed a memorandum of understanding with an Indian government-backed firm that aims to make mobility and commerce more accessible across the South Asian nation. The ride-hailing giant said Thursday that it will explore an integration with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to explore integrations with the network and expand range of its… Continue reading Uber says firm to explore integration with India’s ONDC
Waymo’s application to expand California robotaxi operations paused by regulators
Waymo’s application to expand its robotaxi service in Los Angeles and San Mateo counties has been suspended for 120 days by the California Public Utilities Commission’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division (CPED). The decision doesn’t change Waymo’s ability to commercially operate driverless vehicles in San Francisco. However, it does put an abrupt halt to the… Continue reading Waymo’s application to expand California robotaxi operations paused by regulators
Uber Eats is launching a delivery service with Cartken’s sidewalk robots in Japan
Uber, along with partners Mitsubishi Electric and autonomous robotics startup Cartken, are launching a service in Japan that will use self-driving sidewalk robots to deliver food to customers. The companies announced that the service offered through the Uber Eats app will launch in a select part of Tokyo by the end of March. An Uber… Continue reading Uber Eats is launching a delivery service with Cartken’s sidewalk robots in Japan
Uber testing prepaid-item pickup from local stores in India
Uber has quietly started testing a feature that lets gig workers pick up prepaid items from local stores and deliver them to customers in India. Called “Store Pickup,” the feature debuted in select U.S. cities in December and is now expanded to Delhi-NCR, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. Customers can order pickups and deliveries and track… Continue reading Uber testing prepaid-item pickup from local stores in India
Waymo recalls and updates robotaxi software after two cars crashed into the same towed truck
Waymo is voluntarily recalling the software that powers its robotaxi fleet after two vehicles crashed into the same towed pickup truck in Phoenix, Arizona, in December. It’s the company’s first recall. Waymo chief safety officer Mauricio Peña described the crashes as “minor” in a blog post, and said neither vehicle was carrying passengers at the… Continue reading Waymo recalls and updates robotaxi software after two cars crashed into the same towed truck