Ford CEO Jim Hackett on the future of computing, cities, and self-driving cars

In May 2017, Ford announced that it had replaced its CEO, Mark Fields, who had been with the company since 1989, with Jim Hackett. Despite being on Ford’s board since 2013, Hackett was probably best known for leading Steelcase, the large office-furniture company, for decades and turning around its fortunes, as well as for working… Continue reading Ford CEO Jim Hackett on the future of computing, cities, and self-driving cars

Sidewalk Labs spinoff Coord aims to connect navigation apps, public transit and ride-sharing services

A loading zone in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. (Flickr Photo / SDOT) Over the past year, analysts from a Sidewalk Labs spinout called Coord have been playing a game of “would you rather?” with Seattle drivers. Would you rather shoot for rockstar parking downtown, knowing you may have to circle the block a few times, or… Continue reading Sidewalk Labs spinoff Coord aims to connect navigation apps, public transit and ride-sharing services

Uber Rival Lyft Opens First European Office

Uber Rival Lyft Opens First European Office  BloombergLyft opens its first European hub to develop autonomous car tech  VentureBeatOne way to protect the CTA from Uber, Lyft: Use tech  Crain’s Chicago BusinessTurns Out Uber and Lyft Might Not Be Ruining the American City  WIREDFull coverage

VW Customers Don’t Give a Monkeys about Diesel Cheating Animal Testing

A bizarre incident involving the testing of diesel exhaust fumes on a group of cartoon-watching monkeys, and possibly humans too, has catapulted the Volkswagen AG emissions scandal back onto newspaper front pages. But public outrage, though warranted, may well ring hollow this time. When Volkswagen admitted rigging about 11 million vehicle engines in 2015, I assumed the German… Continue reading VW Customers Don’t Give a Monkeys about Diesel Cheating Animal Testing

Addison Lee’s private minicab app goes global

Addison Lee is trying to shake off its image as a London-focused taxi service and re-establish itself as a ride-hailing app that works around the world. Today, the company announced a “digital global service” that anyone can use to book minicabs in over 100 cities worldwide. In some locations, that will mean Addison-owned vehicles, but… Continue reading Addison Lee’s private minicab app goes global

Nexar gets $30M Series B for its AI-based road safety dashcams and network

Nexar, a startup that makes an AI-based dashcam app to monitor road safety, announced today that it has raised a $30 million Series B led by Ibex Ventures. Participants included Alibaba Innovation Ventures (the venture capital investment arm of Alibaba Group), Nationwide Insurance and returning investors Aleph, Mosaic Ventures, Slow Ventures, True Ventures and Tusk… Continue reading Nexar gets $30M Series B for its AI-based road safety dashcams and network

The quest for Asia’s ride-hailing market & more

The quest for Asia’s ride-hailing market & more Welcome to our weekly news highlights by Splyt, the place where you‘ll find the most relevant information about the urban mobility scene. Follow us for updated news, we post every Tuesday! Here is what happened last week:Self-driving car startup Pony.ai raises $112 One of the now many autonomous driving… Continue reading The quest for Asia’s ride-hailing market & more