Baidu, the Chinese internet giant that became known for its search engines, is making some big strides in autonomous driving. Starting this week, the public can ride its robotaxis in Wuhan between 7 am and 11 pm without safety drivers behind the wheel. Previously, its unmanned vehicles could only operate from 9 am to 5… Continue reading Baidu starts offering nighttime driverless taxis in China
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Tesla’s $7,500 discount feels desperate, and it’s giving investors the ick
Tesla started out the month of December by offering Model 3 and Model Y buyers in the U.S. a $3,750 credit if they have their vehicle delivered in December 2022. Now with a week left in the month, the electric vehicle maker has upped that discount to $7,500, according to the company’s website. After the… Continue reading Tesla’s $7,500 discount feels desperate, and it’s giving investors the ick
Automotus raises $9M to scale automated curb management tech
The new mobility landscape has made curb space in cities a hot commodity. No longer are curbs just for buses, taxis, deliveries and parking. Now those traditional use cases have to contend with bike lanes, ride-hail, same-day deliveries, dockless vehicles and more. As a result, cities and investors are starting to prioritize software that helps… Continue reading Automotus raises $9M to scale automated curb management tech
Vianova builds the location data platform for shared mobility companies and cities
Meet Vianova, a French startup that is building a data platform for shared mobility companies as well as local governments. The company acts as both a data repository and a data visualization dashboard. It has raised a $6.4 million (€6 million) Series A funding round led by Baloise VC with XAnge as well as existing… Continue reading Vianova builds the location data platform for shared mobility companies and cities
Self-driving truck company TuSimple to lay off 25% of workforce
Well, we knew it was coming. Self-driving trucking technology company TuSimple confirmed Wednesday it plans to lay off 25% of its total workforce as part of a broader restructuring plan designed to keep the company running. The layoffs come a couple of weeks after TuSimple and Navistar ended their deal to co-develop purpose-built autonomous semi… Continue reading Self-driving truck company TuSimple to lay off 25% of workforce
Tesla said to be conducting a fresh round of layoffs next quarter
Tesla is battening down the hatches against the possibility of a worsening economy, according to a new report from Electrek. The automaker will conduct a new round of layoffs in the first quarter of 2023, per the blog’s source, and will also freeze hiring across the board — after having just resumed hiring during the… Continue reading Tesla said to be conducting a fresh round of layoffs next quarter
Solid Power and BMW’s R&D deal offers a sneak peek into the battery industry’s future
Solid Power, one of the leaders in the race to commercialize all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries, has been stumbling of late. But a new deal with BMW might give it the boost it needs. After going public via SPAC in late 2021, Solid Power’s share price followed the all-too-familiar SPAC bump then bust, trading for much of… Continue reading Solid Power and BMW’s R&D deal offers a sneak peek into the battery industry’s future
Tesla stock plunges as investors fear Twitter dramas, loss of China sales
Tesla shares fell 8.12% Tuesday after Wall Street downgraded price targets on the electric vehicle maker’s stock. Analysts fear that CEO Elon Musk is distracted by his hostile takeover and micromanagement of Twitter, and that China sales will be affected by the Chinese government allowing COVID-19 to spread after ending its stance on harsh restrictions. Tesla’s… Continue reading Tesla stock plunges as investors fear Twitter dramas, loss of China sales
Cruise soft-launches robotaxi rides in Phoenix and Austin
Cruise has soft-launched its fully driverless robotaxi service in Austin. Texas and near Phoenix, Arizona, making its own deadline to enter two new markets before the end of 2022. The GM-backed company has until now only operated its ridehail service in San Francisco, where it launched a fully driverless commercial service over the summer. “In… Continue reading Cruise soft-launches robotaxi rides in Phoenix and Austin
Bird tanks on word that a Canadian company is saving its bacon
Scooter company Bird is certainly down, but it’s not yet out. The five-year-old firm says that it and Bird Canada — a separate, private company that licenses Bird’s software and name — will merge “as soon as possible,” with an “estimated total of $32 million in new financing” from Bird Canada’s investors, “$4 million of… Continue reading Bird tanks on word that a Canadian company is saving its bacon