Tag: Uber

Texas Startup Offering City-To-City Shuttle Service In Teslas

InvestElectric CarsElectric Car BenefitsElectric Car SalesSolar Energy RocksRSSAdvertisePrivacy Policy
Cars Published on February 18th, 2019 | by Kyle Field
Texas Startup Offering City-To-City Shuttle Service In TeslasTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 18th, 2019 by Kyle Field

A new startup is building an army of Teslas in Texas to establish a city-to-city shuttle service. ElecTrip is the name of this new luxury city-to-city shuttle service.
The business is unique in that it does not plan to own all of the Teslas it needs, but has purchased two vehicles to anchor its operations. In order to grow its capacity beyond those two vehicles, the company is reaching out to private owners and asking to rent their vehicles from them for the day as needed. In exchange, owners will get $100 to $175 per day, depending on the number of miles put on their vehicle while it was out.
On the customer front, ElecTrip is offering passengers a dedicated Tesla shuttle that will take them from within 50 miles of their starting city to another city within a 4-hour drive without needing a charge. The hope is that passengers will be willing to pay more than they would for a comparable Uber or Lyft for a premium, dedicated experience.
ElecTrip is aiming at what it sees as a sweet spot in pricing between ride-sharing services and airline travel. Hopping on a plane could be faster, but with the additional security and hassle, taking a door to door shuttle could be a more appealing offering, especially if the service can hit a lower price point. Airline travel also comes with a massive emissions footprint that electric transportation is able to improve upon.

The price for the service ranges from $200 for the 1 hour and 20 minute run from Austin to San Antonio all the way up to $430 for the 3½ hour slog from Houston to Dallas. Don’t think that $430 puts them out of the running, as the service can accommodate up to 5 people, which has the potential to make riding in a Tesla the lower cost option in many cases.
ElecTrip was founded by two University of Texas at Austin grads who were attracted to the idea of electric vehicles and started looking for a way to capitalize on the lower maintenance costs of the vehicles. The business is still just getting off its feet, but one year into the adventure, the founders are excited by the rapid month-over-month growth they continue to see.
Related:
New Tesla Shuttle Website For USA
Boston ↔ NYC In A Tesla
Tesla Shuttle Flies Into Florida

About the AuthorKyle Field I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.

Back to Top ↑AdvertisementAdvertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of our readers.
CleanTechnica Clothing & Cups Top News On CleanTechnica Join CleanTechnica Today!
AdvertisementAdvertisementFollow CleanTechnicaFollow @cleantechnica
Our Electric Car Driver Report Read & share our new report on “electric car drivers, what they desire, and what the demand.”The EV Safety Advantage

Read & share our free report on EV safety, “The EV Safety Advantage.”EV Charging Guidelines for Cities

Share our free report on EV charging guidelines for cities, “Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure: Guidelines For Cities.”30 Electric Car Benefits Our Electric Vehicle Reviews
Tesla News
Cleantech Press Releases Let Them Speak! Why The Solutions Project Is Funding Renewable Energy Innovation Led By Women & People Of Color | #CleanTechnica Exclusive New Research Shows That Only Two Large Petroleum Companies Have Meaningful Emission Reduction Targets Koben Announces EVOLVE EVSF —Grid-Friendly Modular EV Store & Forward System38 Anti-Cleantech Myths Wind & Solar Prices Beat Fossils Cost of Solar Panels Collapses
© 2018 Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc.
InvestElectric CarsElectric Car BenefitsElectric Car SalesSolar Energy RocksRSSAdvertisePrivacy Policy

This site uses cookies: Find out more.Okay, thanks

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal invests $92M in Ola

The money is starting to flow from India’s largest startup exit. Ola has added a major name to its ongoing financing round after it confirmed that Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal has invested 650 crore INR (around $92 million) into the Indian ride-hailing business. The deal rumored in January when Paper.vc, an intelligence service that sifts through company… Continue reading Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal invests $92M in Ola

China ride-hailing giant Didi to lay off 15% employees this year: Source

Didi Chuxing will lay off 15% of its staff or about 2,000 people this year, a source said, marking the ride-hailing firm’s first major cut back as it grapples with regulatory scrutiny and public backlash over the murder of two of its users. Didi CEO Cheng Wei said at a meeting with management that the… Continue reading China ride-hailing giant Didi to lay off 15% employees this year: Source

Uber reports $3B in Q4 revenue, rising operating losses

Ahead of its anticipated initial public offering this year, Uber reported a net loss of $865 million in the fourth quarter. That figure, however, was aided by a tax benefit that saved the company from reporting a $1.2 billion net loss in the period. On an adjusted, pro-forma basis, Uber’s net loss in the final… Continue reading Uber reports $3B in Q4 revenue, rising operating losses

Uber posts $50 billion in annual bookings as profit remains elusive ahead of IPO

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc had $50 billion in total bookings for its ride-service and food-delivery businesses last year, a testament to the size and global reach of the company as it prepares to woo investors in one of the biggest public stock listings to date. FILE PHOTO: Uber’s logo is displayed on… Continue reading Uber posts $50 billion in annual bookings as profit remains elusive ahead of IPO

General Motors starts taking orders for its electric bicycle

Source: General Motors
The ARĪV Meld is a compact eBike

General Motors just unveiled its electric bicycle in a bid to arm itself against an uncertain future for cars.

The largest U.S. automaker on Thursday released the name of its bike, Ariv, and said it will start taking orders in select countries in Europe.

The name is the result of a crowdsourced campaign announced in November. There are two versions: the Meld, a compact e-bike, and the Merge, a folding e-bike.

GM is launching the bikes in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, where lithium-ion battery-powered e-bikes are popular. In Belgium and the Netherlands, the Ariv Meld starts under $3,200 and the Ariv Merge is around $3,800. Prices will be slightly lower in Germany. GM expects to begin shipping to customers in the second quarter.

It is another move by a major automaker to broaden its portfolio to protect against the uncertainties of a changing market. GM and rivals have expanded into scooters, ride-sharing and self-driving cars in an effort to stay relevant in an era where consumers' transportation choices are changing. Even motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson has unveiled lightweight electric two-wheeler concepts as fears of declining ridership grow.

“I think both GM and Ford are both exploring nontraditional transportation opportunities because their overall vehicle sales have been declining,” CFRA analyst Garrett Nelson said. “We view GM's e-bike and Ford's recent e-scooter investment [in Spin] as an attempt to appeal to a younger and more urban demographic, whose transportation needs are proving to be considerably different than prior generations.”

With ride-hailing companies and similar businesses spreading, some industry watchers wonder whether broad swaths of future generations will even consider car ownership at all.

“Carmakers are highly concerned about the implications of this ongoing shift in consumer preferences on their long-term car sales, particularly with the rise of Uber, Lyft, and various ride-sharing options which weren't available several years ago,” Nelson said. “Their fear is that this demographic may not need — or want to — purchase a vehicle at all.”

Driverless truck startup TuSimple raises $95 million at $1 billion valuation – VentureBeat

There’s a healthy demand for driverless trucks. It’s an industry predicted to reach 6,700 units globally, totaling $54.23 billion this year, and one that stands to save the logistics and shipping industry $70 billion annually while boosting productivity by 30 percent. Besides cost savings, the growth is driven in part by a shortage of human drivers. In 2018,… Continue reading Driverless truck startup TuSimple raises $95 million at $1 billion valuation – VentureBeat

Self-driving truck start-up achieves unicorn status in funding round that values it at $1 billion

Imaginechina | AP Images
A self-driving TuSimple truck is on display during 2018 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China.

Autonomous trucking company TuSimple has achieved unicorn status on Wall Street with a fresh funding round that values the start-up at $1 billion.

The company said Wednesday it raised $95 million in a series D funding led by Sina Corp. and Composite Capital, a Hong Kong-based investment firm, as it prepares to expand its testing of self-driving semis on highways in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

“By the end of 2020 or early 2021 we think we think we can take the driver out of the cab on trucks,” said Chuck Price, chief product officer of TuSimple.

San Diego-based TuSimple is developing technology to allow shipping companies to operate self-driving class 8 tractor-trailers, potentially eliminating the need for drivers, the biggest expense facing trucking firms today, especially in a tight labor market. On average, shipping firms spend $2 per mile hauling goods, a cost TuSimple believes it could cut by 30 percent by eliminating the driver with autonomous trucks.

The money will help TuSimple expand its fleet of 12 test trucks to more than 50 by June. The company is currently testing autonomous semis on routes between Phoenix and Dallas.”

The extra cash will also help the company develop joint production of autonomous semis with truck manufacturers. TuSimple is currently working with two tractor-trailer makers, which it is not naming.

There are just under 3.5 million semis on the road in the U.S., according the American Trucking Association. They are the heartbeat of an $800 billion freight shipping industry TuSimple executives believe will continue growing.

“With e-commerce growing by double digits every year, freight shipping is not slowing down,” said Cheng Lu, CFO of TuSimple

Most of the attention surrounding the development of autonomous vehicles has been focused on self-driving cars and the race to build autonomous ride-hailing companies. Alphabet subsidiary Waymo, General Motors subsidiary Cruise and Uber are just a few of the companies that have dominated headlines with their work on self-driving cars. By comparison, the potential of autonomous semis has not received as much attention.

That could change as TuSimple and others demonstrate tractor-trailers can drive autonomously from shipping depot to shipping depot. “A big milestone will be showing that on one route we can take out the driver completely,” said Price.

TuSimple is not alone in the push to develop self-driving semis. Embark Trucks, Ike, Starsky Robotics, Thor Trucks and Udelv are also working on autonomous trucks.

Correction: This story was revised to correct the date of TuSimple's announcement to Wednesday.

Autonomous truck startup TuSimple hits unicorn status in latest round

Another autonomous-vehicle unicorn has joined the herd. TuSimple, a self-driving truck startup running daily routes for customers in Arizona, has raised $95 million in a Series D funding round led by Sina Corp. as the company prepares to scale up its commercial autonomous fleet to more than 50 trucks by June. The startup, which launched in… Continue reading Autonomous truck startup TuSimple hits unicorn status in latest round

US autonomous truck startup TuSimple raises $95m led by China’s Sina

February 13, 2019 US self-driving truck startup TuSimple said it has raised $95 million in a funding round led by Chinese internet giant Sina Corp, which values the three-year-old firm at $1 billion. The fresh funds, investors of which also include Hong Kong-based investment firm Composite Capital, will be used to expand its commercial fleet… Continue reading US autonomous truck startup TuSimple raises $95m led by China’s Sina