Online outstation taxi marketplace InstaCar has raised an undisclosed sum from Uber investor David Cohen while Credence Whole Foods Pvt. Ltd snagged over $1 million in a strategic investment from IndoCan Honey. InstaCar raises capital from Uber Cabs investor Outstation taxi marketplace InstaCar has raised an undisclosed sum from Uber investor David Cohen, according to… Continue reading India Digest: Uber investor backs InstaCar; Credence raises funding
Tag: Uber
Delft-based Hardt Hyperloop raises multi-million euro round to develop high-speed, zero emissions transportation
An international business consortium led by Dutch clean energy conglomerate Koolen Industries has made a multi-million euro investment in Hardt Hyperloop, the company that created Europe’s first full-scale operational hyperloop test-facility for the high-speed zero emissions transportation system.
Hardt Hyperloop has developed technology that will make the transportation industry more sustainable. By travelling through low-pressure tubes where there is almost no air resistance, it is possible to achieve speeds of more than 1,000 km/h (600 mph). The vehicles levitate magnetically, hence there is no wear and operational costs are minimal. Vehicles travelling in a tube are protected from any outside forces, which means the hyperloop technology is extremely efficient and highly reliable. Compared with high speed rail, the hyperloop requires less land area and its infrastructure is easier-to-build, so it is cheaper to implement and maintain.
This investment round was backed by the renowne..
The scooter season continues: e-scooters should stay on the streets in winter
The E-scooter in Berlin are also available to customers in winter. “We expect that in winter there will be fewer users, but still so many that we maintain the operation regularly,” said a spokesman for one of the largest providers in Berlin, Tier, on request. “The number of scooters on the roads will remain the… Continue reading The scooter season continues: e-scooters should stay on the streets in winter
NTSB to determine probable cause of fatal Uber self-driving crash
FILE PHOTO: A screen displays the company logo for Uber Technologies Inc. on the day of it’s IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 10, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold a Nov. 19 hearing to determine the probable… Continue reading NTSB to determine probable cause of fatal Uber self-driving crash
Uber integrates electric moped service Cityscoot in Paris
Uber wants to become a super app by providing multiple services in a single app. That’s why the company is announcing an integration with French startup Cityscoot. Cityscoot is a free-floating electric scooter service (moped scooters). Just like other free-floating mobility services, you can open an app, locate the nearest vehicle around you, unlock it… Continue reading Uber integrates electric moped service Cityscoot in Paris
Self-Driving Requires Unprecedented Collaboration
By: Raj Kapoor, Chief Strategy Officer; and Luc Vincent, EVP Autonomous Driving In conversations about self-driving cars, people often talk about the rush to full autonomy like they’re commentators on a race — tracking new developments in technology, analyzing the strategic moves of the companies hurrying to be first. It’s easy to get caught up… Continue reading Self-Driving Requires Unprecedented Collaboration
Uber has laid off hundreds of employees in its third round of cuts this year (UBER)
Uber commenced a third round of layoffs on Monday, TechCrunch’s Megan Rose Dickey first reported. Roughly 350 employees in Uber Eats, ATG, and product roles were let go, according to an email from CEO Dara Khosrowshahi published by the news site. Uber has been under tremendous pressure to cut costs and turn a profit as… Continue reading Uber has laid off hundreds of employees in its third round of cuts this year (UBER)
Uber lays off another ~350 across Eats, self-driving and other departments
Uber has just laid off around 350 employees across a variety of teams within the organization, marking what the company says is its third and final phase of layoffs of the process it began earlier this year, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said to employees today in an email obtained by TechCrunch (full email below). Those… Continue reading Uber lays off another ~350 across Eats, self-driving and other departments
Uber launches boat service in Nigeria’s megacity Lagos
LAGOS (Reuters) – Global ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] on Friday launched a pilot test of a boat service in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos to attract commuters seeking to avoid the megacity’s notoriously congested roads. The United Nations predicts that Nigeria’s population will more than double to 400 million by 2050, which would make… Continue reading Uber launches boat service in Nigeria’s megacity Lagos
Car2Go leaving Portland, Denver, other US cities due to “highly volatile” market
Portland, Oregon is one of many larger cities in the U.S. currently undergoing a transportation shakeup that’s still confusing even to some transportation groups and policy wonks.
It certainly seems puzzling as well to Share Now—that’s the combined company formed by BMW and Daimler, from their car-sharing operations that has been called ReachNow and Car2Go, respectively.
“Since launching in North America in 2009, transportation has changed drastically and mostly for the better,” Share Now said, pointing to all the transportation alternatives that didn’t exist before.
Car2Go Mercedes-Benz GLA250
That said, the company will be exiting Portland, as well as Austin, Calgary, and Denver by October 31 and Chicago by December 31.
“This decision was not made lightly,” the company said in a prepared statement provided to Green Car Reports. “We have had to face the hard reality that despite our efforts, we underestimated the investment and resources that are truly necessary to make our service successful in these complex transportation markets amid a quickly-changing mobility landscape.”
In 2012, when Car2Go was expanding rapidly, it called Portland one of its strongest markets.
If Portland is any such example, it’s gone through a confusing mobility landscape, indeed. In the past 10 years, public-transit ridership is down about five percent, despite a rising population. And yet over this time per capita car ownership has dropped by at least five percent. The percentage of bike commuters looks nearly level and has started to trend downward in the past couple of years. However by some measures Portland road congestion has decreased recently.
In the midst of many of these trends, the city has seen a flood of electric scooter-sharing (hauled off in diesel trucks to be charged each night, in at least one much-maligned case), several bike-sharing schemes, and like every other urban landscape in the U.S., an invasion of cars with Uber and Lyft placards shortcutting down quiet side streets never before used by cabs.
Car2Go Smart Fortwo, in Portland
Seven years ago in Portland, austerity-special Smart Fortwo hatchbacks with steel wheels and stipped-down fleet interiors were suddenly seemingly everywhere around town. It was also a darling with the city, in a place where Smart’s parent company Daimler has its North American headquarters for its commercial-truck arm.
Their reign wasn’t all that long-lived, it seemed, as after making much ado about “emissions-free carsharing” the company stalled on plans to put more Smart Electric Drive versions in the fleet. Another noteworthy point when the relationship started to sour was when Car2Go greatly cut its coverage area in the city—essentially cutting out more racially diverse areas underserved by public transportation.
BMW’s ReachNow was even shorter-lived. It had a more glamorous existence, wooing 20- and 30-something professionals from the start with Mini and BMW models—including some i3 electric cars—and launching with promotions that clearly targeted those with a lot of disposable income. Despite earlier declarations that it was profitable, and plenty of signs of marketing savvy Car2Go hadn't always exhibited, it pulled its operations in Portland and Seattle in July.
The irony is that Car2Go displaced the car-sharing operation Zipcar, which has a strong base in the city but simply cost more (it’s now owned by Hertz and has a very different model than it used to).
Car2Go offering bike racks in Portland
Ride Now isn’t going away. It says that it’s “refocusing its efforts and resources on the cities that present the clearest path to free-floating carshare success.” Those cities are New York City, Washington D.C., Montreal, Vancouver, and Seattle.
The new company called the whole transportation market “highly volatile,” but wasn’t ready to talk details about how exactly that penciled out or what it means for car-sharing looking forward.
“Ultimately, we know that in order to ensure the future of our business in North America, we have to think differently about where and how we operate,” said Share Now.
In the interest of survival, this time around car-sharing needs to be less about skipping car ownership and more about giving users something they won’t find with Lyft and Uber.