Swedish automaker Volvo has canceled a five-year-old contract with Luminar, the latest escalation in an increasingly ugly brawl between the lidar sensor company and its biggest customer. The fight is happening during an existential moment for Luminar. The company recently defaulted on several of its loans. While it’s working with those lenders on a resolution,… Continue reading Luminar is fighting with its biggest customer as bankruptcy threat looms
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Beloved SF cat’s death fuels Waymo criticism
The death of a neighborhood bodega cat named Kit Kat has shaken San Francisco’s Mission District, according to The New York Times. After Kit Kat was run over by a Waymo robotaxi on the evening of October 27, locals created a shrine to memorialize him. The area has also been decorated with competing signs, some… Continue reading Beloved SF cat’s death fuels Waymo criticism
TechCrunch Mobility: The robotaxi expansion that really matters
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! It seems like a day doesn’t go by without Waymo making some kind of expansion announcement. Detroit, Las Vegas, Nashville, San… Continue reading TechCrunch Mobility: The robotaxi expansion that really matters
Tesla releases detailed safety report after Waymo co-CEO called for more data
Tesla has published the most detailed look at the performance and relative safety of its advanced driver assistance software, just a few weeks after Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana at TechCrunch Disrupt called on companies to release more data. On a new section of its website, Tesla claims that in North America, owners using the company’s… Continue reading Tesla releases detailed safety report after Waymo co-CEO called for more data
Uber quietly pilots in-app video recording for drivers in India
Uber has quietly begun piloting in-app video recording for its drivers in India, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed with the company. The tool is meant to deter misconduct in a market where most drivers do not use dashcams, according to Uber. Half a dozen Uber drivers in the Delhi–NCR region told TechCrunch they sometimes face… Continue reading Uber quietly pilots in-app video recording for drivers in India
Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, San Francisco, and Phoenix
Sixteen years ago, engineers working on the Google self-driving project conducted their first autonomous vehicle tests on the freeway that connects Silicon Valley to San Francisco. The company would eventually become Waymo, autonomous vehicle testing would expand — fanning out to other cities. Eventually, the company launched commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, and… Continue reading Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, San Francisco, and Phoenix
Teradar raises $150M for a sensor it says beats lidar and radar
Matt Carey, the co-founder and CEO of Boston-based startup Teradar loves when people tell him: “I don’t believe you.” That’s “right where we want folks,” he recently told TechCrunch. Carey has spent the last few years quietly building a solid-state sensor that sees the world using the terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which sits… Continue reading Teradar raises $150M for a sensor it says beats lidar and radar
Remote driving startup Vay could grab up to $410M from Singapore’s Grab
Autonomous vehicles are having a moment, and it’s making it a lot easier for smaller companies to raise money. Vay, a German startup offering remote-controlled rental cars, will get $60 million in cash from Singaporean tech heavyweight Grab, the company announced on Monday. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval and expected to close… Continue reading Remote driving startup Vay could grab up to $410M from Singapore’s Grab
TechCrunch Mobility: Elon Musk’s threats worked
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “future of transportation.” To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Did you hear? Elon Musk got his $1 trillion pay package. Of course you did, because coverage of that highly anticipated vote is everywhere, including here at… Continue reading TechCrunch Mobility: Elon Musk’s threats worked
Rivian gives RJ Scaringe a new pay package worth up to $5B
Rivian has given its founder and CEO RJ Scaringe a new performance-based stock award that could ultimately be worth around $5 billion if all the underlying goals are met, according to a new filing. Scaringe’s salary is also being doubled to $2 million per year, and he was given a 10% stake in Rivian’s newest… Continue reading Rivian gives RJ Scaringe a new pay package worth up to $5B