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
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Porsche pumps first synthetic fuel as Chilean plant finally starts producing
After years of promises and millions in investments, Porsche today pumped the first gallons of its fully synthetic fuel into a car. That car? A 911, of course. Porsche has been talking about eFuels since 2020, when it made a 20 million euro investment into a project with Siemens Energy to create a pilot plant… Continue reading Porsche pumps first synthetic fuel as Chilean plant finally starts producing
Layoffs are coming for self-driving truck company TuSimple
Autonomous trucking technology company TuSimple plans to cut a chunk of its workforce, potentially as early as this week, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited “people familiar with the matter.” While the Journal reported layoffs could affect at least half of TuSimple’s workforce, TechCrunch’s own source familiar with the matter said that number… Continue reading Layoffs are coming for self-driving truck company TuSimple
Tesla accused of illegally firing employees critical of Musk
Tesla is being accused of firing two California-based employees for being part of a group that was discussing and drafting letters that were critical of CEO Elon Musk’s strict return-to-office policy and Musk’s tweets, according to complaints filed by their attorneys and a Bloomberg report. One draft letter asked Tesla executives to reconsider making all… Continue reading Tesla accused of illegally firing employees critical of Musk
Toyota president keeps pushing idea that people hate EVs, despite epic waitlists
Toyota president Akio Toyoda has made it no secret that he really, really dislikes electric vehicles. This weekend, he offered this latest installment: “People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority,” Toyoda told reporters in Thailand, according to The Wall Street Journal. “That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK… Continue reading Toyota president keeps pushing idea that people hate EVs, despite epic waitlists
Helm.ai snags $31M to scale its ‘unsupervised’ autonomous driving software
A few bright spots remain in the autonomous vehicle industry even amid macroeconomic headwinds that have nearly shut off the spigot of venture capital and led to further consolidation. Helm.ai, a startup developing software designed for advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous driving and robotics, is one of them. The Menlo Park, Calif-based startup recently raised… Continue reading Helm.ai snags $31M to scale its ‘unsupervised’ autonomous driving software
Zeekr files for an IPO, Elon sells more Tesla shares and a message to readers
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 Zeekr files for an IPO, Elon sells more Tesla shares and a message to readers
Cruise’s autonomous driving tech comes under scrutiny from safety regulators
U.S. safety regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into the robotaxis developed and operated by GM self-driving subsidiary Cruise. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration said it opened the investigation after learning of incidents when these robotaxis “may have engaged in inappropriately hard braking or became immobilized while operating on public roads.” The preliminary investigation… Continue reading Cruise’s autonomous driving tech comes under scrutiny from safety regulators
Waymo opens Phoenix airport rides to the public, doubles downtown service area
Members of the general public will be able to take a Waymo robotaxi, with no human safety operator behind the wheel, between downtown Phoenix and Sky Harbor International Airport starting Friday. Waymo will also be doubling its service area in downtown Phoenix following an initial launch of driverless rides in the area to the public… Continue reading Waymo opens Phoenix airport rides to the public, doubles downtown service area
Tesla Powerwall customers in Texas can now sell their electricity back to the grid
Elon Musk’s plan to “operate as a giant distributed utility” is creeping toward reality. Tesla first piloted a “virtual power plant” in California, inviting Powerwall home battery owners to sell electricity back to the grid at peak times to mitigate brownouts. Soon after, the automaker expanded the effort into Australia and Japan, and next it’s… Continue reading Tesla Powerwall customers in Texas can now sell their electricity back to the grid