Waymo is expanding its robotaxi service in downtown Phoenix to include pickups and drop-offs at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This is the first time a U.S. robotaxi operator has launched paid trips to and from an airport, which will be an essential use case for autonomous vehicle companies looking to scale. Airport rides make up… Continue reading Waymo launches autonomous rides to Phoenix airport
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Evolito, with an axial-flux motor lighter than Tesla’s, starts ramping up its team
Last year YASA, a British electric motor startup with a revolutionary “axial-flux” motor, was acquired by Mercedes-Benz to develop ultra-high-performance electric motors for Mercedes’s AMG.EA electric-only platform. YASA’s axial-flux electric motors had previously garnered a reputation for efficiency, high power density, small size, and low weight. However, the team behind YASA did something quite clever.… Continue reading Evolito, with an axial-flux motor lighter than Tesla’s, starts ramping up its team
XPeng to begin autonomous driving public road tests in Guangzhou
XPeng received a permit Monday to begin testing its G9 electric SUV as an autonomous vehicle on public roads in Guangzhou. The company will begin testing a small fleet as soon as possible with a human safety operator in the driver’s seat. This is a milestone for XPeng as it aims to use its vehicles… Continue reading XPeng to begin autonomous driving public road tests in Guangzhou
Uber tests push notifications, a feature literally no one wants
Uber recently launched its new advertising division and in-app ads. Apparently, those ads aren’t staying within the app. Instead, ads from other companies are being sent out as push notifications, much to the chagrin of some Uber users. Over the weekend, people turned to Twitter to complain about the notifications, sharing screenshots of ads, including… Continue reading Uber tests push notifications, a feature literally no one wants
TuSimple CEO and co-founder fired by board over ties to Chinese startup Hydron
TuSimple co-founder Xiaodi Hou was fired from his CEO, president and CTO posts by the autonomous trucking company’s board, according to a securities filing Monday. Hou, who co-founded TuSimple in 2015 with Mo Chen, was also removed from his position as chairman of the board and member of the board’s government security committee. The firing came… Continue reading TuSimple CEO and co-founder fired by board over ties to Chinese startup Hydron
Mobileye cruises into the public market and inside the Argo AI collapse
The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click The Station — to receive the full edition of the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. This is a shorter version of The Station newsletter that is emailed to subscribers. Want all the deals, news roundups and commentary? Subscribe… Continue reading Mobileye cruises into the public market and inside the Argo AI collapse
Invygo raises $10M to make long-term car subscription a breeze
Invygo, a startup operating in UAE and Saudi Arabia, has raised $10 million in its Series A funding led by MEVP as it works to scale its car rental service in the region. The Middle East-based startup, founded by Eslam Ahmed Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo in 2019, has raised $14.3 million to date. Al Rajhi… Continue reading Invygo raises $10M to make long-term car subscription a breeze
GM pauses paid advertising on Twitter as Chief Twit Elon Musk takes ownership
General Motors has temporarily paused paid advertising on Twitter, one day after billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk finalized a $44 billion acquisition of the social media platform. CNBC was the first to report GM’s decision. TechCrunch confirmed the U.S. automaker’s decision. “We are engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under… Continue reading GM pauses paid advertising on Twitter as Chief Twit Elon Musk takes ownership
Cruise opens robotaxi waitlist in Austin and Phoenix
Cruise, General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary, is now inviting potential passengers in Phoenix and Austin to join the waitlist to be among the first Cruise robotaxi passengers. The company has been operating a fully driverless commercial robotaxi service in San Francisco since June, with fully driverless meaning there’s no human safety operator behind the wheel.… Continue reading Cruise opens robotaxi waitlist in Austin and Phoenix
Uber to freeze fake rider account names, pilot front-facing video recording
Uber is releasing a suite of new safety features geared toward the driver, including freezing fake rider account names and piloting a front-facing video recording tool to replace a driver’s dashcam. The safety features follow a feedback period from drivers that Uber began this summer. It looks like drivers have been having a hard time… Continue reading Uber to freeze fake rider account names, pilot front-facing video recording