China’s Didi, BAIC set up joint venture to work on NEV projects

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Didi Chuxing said it had set up a joint venture (JV) with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co., a unit of state-owned BAIC, to work on new energy vehicle and artificial intelligence projects. The JV, BAIC-Xiaoju New Energy Auto Technology Co. Ltd, aims to develop “next-generation connected-car systems”, Didi, China’s largest ride-hailing operator,… Continue reading China’s Didi, BAIC set up joint venture to work on NEV projects

BMW, Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover invest in roadside assistance startup Urgently

Urgently, the roadside assistance startup that connects car owners who need help with tow truck and other services, has raised $21 million in a Series B round that includes the venture arms of BMW, Porsche and Jaguar Land Rover. BMW has also signed Urgently as a vendor partner for its own roadside assistance platform (known… Continue reading BMW, Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover invest in roadside assistance startup Urgently

Go-Jek makes first close of $2 billion round at $9.5 billion valuation

Southeast Asia-based ride-sharing firm Go-Jek is making progress with its plan to raise up to $2 billion in fresh capital to fund its battle with close rival Grab. Indonesia-headquartered Go-Jek has closed an initial chunk of that round after a collection of existing investors, including Google, Tencent and JD.com, agreed to invest around $920 million towards… Continue reading Go-Jek makes first close of $2 billion round at $9.5 billion valuation

Costa Rica Proposes Law to Legalize, Tax Ride-Hailing

When registering to operate in Costa Rica, ride-hailing companies would have to pay a registration fee of about $13,800,000. Photo via dconvertini/Flickr.  Lawmakers in Costa Rica have proposed legislation that would allow taxi companies and ride-hailing platforms to operate together “under fair conditions of competition,” according to the Tico Times. The bill put forward by the… Continue reading Costa Rica Proposes Law to Legalize, Tax Ride-Hailing

BMW ReachNow CEO Steve Banfield to step down as BMW and Daimler launch joint mobility company

Steve Banfield. (GeekWire Photo / Nat Levy) BMW ReachNow CEO Steve Banfield, who helped the German carmaker grow its car-sharing service in the U.S., is stepping down from the role, GeekWire has learned. Banfield took the reins at ReachNow in 2016, one month after the service launched in Seattle. The former INRIX and Rightside executive… Continue reading BMW ReachNow CEO Steve Banfield to step down as BMW and Daimler launch joint mobility company

REFILE-UPDATE 1-Boeing’s flying car lifts off in race to revolutionize urban travel

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Boeing Co said on Wednesday its flying car prototype hovered briefly in the air during an inaugural test flight, a small but significant step as the world’s largest planemaker bids to revolutionize urban transportation and parcel delivery services. Boeing’s Autonomous Passenger Air Vehicle (PAV) prototype is shown during an inaugural test flight,… Continue reading REFILE-UPDATE 1-Boeing’s flying car lifts off in race to revolutionize urban travel

Wheels Raises $37M in Funding

Wheels, a Los Angeles, CA-based dockless electric mobility and transportation company, raised $37m in funding. Backers included Tenaya Capital, Bullpen Capital, Crosscut Capital, 3L Capital, Naval Ravikant, and a collection of strategic investors from the entertainment and sports communities. Co-founded by brothers Jonathan Viner and Joshua Viner, Wheels is a last-mile, shared electric mobility platform,… Continue reading Wheels Raises $37M in Funding

Wag founders ditch dogs for bikes with $37 million in funding

Wag founders Jonathan and Joshua Viner are leaving dogs behind for bikes. Wheels, the Viner brothers’ new electric bike-share startup, is announcing $37 million in funding from Tenaya Capital, Bullpen Capital, Naval Ravikant and others. The Viner brothers departed dog-walking startup Wag last year to start a fund focused on consumer startups. The departures came… Continue reading Wag founders ditch dogs for bikes with $37 million in funding

DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss

One way to gain ground on a competitor is to poach their best executives. We’ve seen it time and time again, from high-level Tesla employees fleeing for Lyft or Apple stealing Google’s AI talent. DoorDash, a well-funded food delivery unicorn, is familiar with this method of staffing. The company announced this morning that it has poached… Continue reading DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss