U.K.-based autonomous vehicle startup Wayve started life as a software platform loaded into a tiny electric “car” called Renault Twizy. Festooned with cameras, the company’s co-founders and PhD graduates, Alex Kendall and Amar Shah, tuned the deep-learning algorithms powering the car’s autonomous systems until they’d got it to drive around the medieval city unaided. No… Continue reading Exclusive: Wayve co-founder Alex Kendall on the autonomous future for cars and robots
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Luminar cuts 20% of staff and outsources lidar production
Lidar company Luminar is slashing its workforce by 20% and will lean harder on its contract manufacturing partner as part of a restructuring that will shift the company to a more “asset-light” business model, as it aims to scale production. The cuts will affect around 140 employees, and are starting immediately. Luminar is also cutting… Continue reading Luminar cuts 20% of staff and outsources lidar production
A wrestling match over who should control robotaxis is playing out in California
Cities around the country have long been crying out for more control over how autonomous vehicles are deployed on their streets. In California, they might finally get their wish. A handful of AV-related bills, which made progress this month in their long journey through the state legislature, could put more restrictions on companies like Cruise,… Continue reading A wrestling match over who should control robotaxis is playing out in California
Seven Waymo robotaxis block traffic to San Francisco freeway on-ramp
Seven Waymo robotaxis blocked traffic moving onto the Potrero Avenue 101 on-ramp in San Francisco on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., according to video of the incident posted to Reddit and confirmation from Waymo. While routing back to Waymo’s city depot that evening, the first robotaxi in the lineup came across a road closure with traffic… Continue reading Seven Waymo robotaxis block traffic to San Francisco freeway on-ramp
Overture Maps Foundation releases the first beta of its open map dataset
The Overture Maps Foundation today launched the first beta of its global open map dataset. With this, the foundation, which is backed by the likes of Amazon, Esri, Meta, Microsoft and TomTom, is getting one step closer to launching a production-ready open dataset for developers who need geospatial data to power their applications. “This Beta… Continue reading Overture Maps Foundation releases the first beta of its open map dataset
Cyvl.ai is bringing data-driven solutions to transportation infrastructure
In the summer after his freshman year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, an engineering school in Worcester, Massachusetts, Cyvl.ai co-founder and CEO Daniel Pelaez needed a job. He went home and worked at his local public works department, where he noted that there was very little software for tracking road repairs. He was told to go… Continue reading Cyvl.ai is bringing data-driven solutions to transportation infrastructure
TechCrunch Mobility: The wheels are starting to come off the Fisker EV bus
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. Before we jump into the startup and… Continue reading TechCrunch Mobility: The wheels are starting to come off the Fisker EV bus
Uber leads $100M investment in African mobility fintech Moove as valuation hits $750M
Moove, an African mobility fintech that offers vehicle financing to ride-hailing and delivery app drivers, has raised $100 million in a funding round as it plots expansion into new markets. Moove did not say who is leading the round, but sources close to the deal confirmed to TechCrunch that Uber led the Series B round,… Continue reading Uber leads $100M investment in African mobility fintech Moove as valuation hits $750M
Waymo to launch commercial robotaxi service in Austin by end of the year
Waymo will begin offering a robotaxi service to the public in Los Angeles this week and in Austin by the end of the year, the company’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakan said Wednesday at SXSW. The Alphabet company has been testing and validating its driverless vehicles across about 43 square miles around downtown, Barton Hills, Riverside, East… Continue reading Waymo to launch commercial robotaxi service in Austin by end of the year
Uber CEO outlines plans for increasing driver EV access, reducing emissions at SXSW
Uber’s future will be greener, more affordable, and able to challenge Amazon at its own rapid delivery game, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi predicted while onstage this week at SXSW. His vision, which he charted out during an interview with city of Austin mayor Kirk Watson, isn’t entirely new. The company made a commitment in 2020 that… Continue reading Uber CEO outlines plans for increasing driver EV access, reducing emissions at SXSW