Mobility – Page 6854 – I wish I had more to offer

Fresh from Series A round, Singapore’s Neuron Mobility forays into NZ

Singapore-based e-scooter startup Neuron Mobility has launched its distinctive orange e-scooters in Auckland, marking its foray into New Zealand, barely a month after raising its Series A round. Neuron Mobility raised $18.5 million in Series A funding from GSR Ventures, Square Peg Capital and other investors in December 2019. Existing investors SeedPlus and SEEDS Capital… Continue reading Fresh from Series A round, Singapore’s Neuron Mobility forays into NZ

@Hyundai: CES 2020 Hyundai Mobis Unveil Urban-sharing mobility concept ‘M.Vision S’ based Autonomous Driving

CES 2020 Hyundai Mobis Unveil Urban-sharing mobility concept ‘M.Vision S’ based Autonomous Driving – Hyundai Motor Group TECH We use cookies to improve our site and your experience. By using this site, you agree to our TERMS OF USE Close Play Hyundai Mobis unveil M.Vision S, core technology and vision for future mobility at CES… Continue reading @Hyundai: CES 2020 Hyundai Mobis Unveil Urban-sharing mobility concept ‘M.Vision S’ based Autonomous Driving

Lime exits 12 cities and lays off 100 employees in search of profit

Sponsored Links In its ongoing quest to become profitable, Lime says it will exit 12 markets across the globe. In the US, the company will shutter operations in four cities: Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego and San Antonio. It will also leave Linz, Austria, as well as Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Lima, Puerto Vallarta, Rio de… Continue reading Lime exits 12 cities and lays off 100 employees in search of profit

Uber makes changes in California to brace for new gig worker law

Sponsored Links ASSOCIATED PRESS Late last month, Uber and Postmates sued California in an attempt to block AB5, the law that would reclassify many gig economy workers as employees. While that fight is not over, Uber is also preparing for the event that AB5 takes effect. The company sent an email to over 150,000 drivers… Continue reading Uber makes changes in California to brace for new gig worker law

Waymo secures bigger award against workers who went to rival Uber

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Waymo said on Thursday that arbitrators had finalized a judgment of $128 million, plus undisclosed legal costs and interest, against two former employees who went to rival Uber Technologies Inc. FILE PHOTO: A Waymo Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid self-driving vehicle is parked and displayed during a demonstration in Chandler, Arizona,… Continue reading Waymo secures bigger award against workers who went to rival Uber

Fiat Chrysler plants in Windsor and Belvidere will idle for two weeks amid slow sales – The Detroit News

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s assembly plants in Windsor and Belvidere, Illinois, will idle for two weeks this month following a year of declining sales for the minivans and SUVs built in those plants. Windsor Assembly, which produces Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans, will be down for the weeks of Jan. 13 and Jan. 20, the… Continue reading Fiat Chrysler plants in Windsor and Belvidere will idle for two weeks amid slow sales – The Detroit News

@Daimler: 09. Jan 2020Mercedes-Benz achieves increased unit sales for ninth consecutive year and remains number one among luxury car brands

January 09, 2020 – Mercedes-Benz achieves increased unit sales for ninth consecutive year and remains number one among luxury car brands. 2019 was the ninth consecutive record year for Mercedes-Benz, with growth of 1.3% to a total of 2,339,562 units delivered worldwide. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz maintained its leading position among the luxury car… Continue reading @Daimler: 09. Jan 2020Mercedes-Benz achieves increased unit sales for ninth consecutive year and remains number one among luxury car brands

@GM: Capital Markets Day and Q4 2019 Earnings Details Announced DETROIT , Jan. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) will announce its …

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@GM: Capital Markets Day and Q4 2019 Earnings Details Announced

Capital Markets Day and Q4 2019 Earnings Details Announced 2020-01-09 DETROIT — General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) will announce its fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 financial results and 2020 guidance on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. Materials, including a press release and financial highlights, and Capital Markets Day presentation slides will be available on the company’s investor… Continue reading @GM: Capital Markets Day and Q4 2019 Earnings Details Announced

Mercedes/BMW Ride-Hailing Group “Free Now” Buys 60 Tesla Automobiles

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Published on January 9th, 2020 |

by Steve Hanley

Mercedes/BMW Ride-Hailing Group “Free Now” Buys 60 Tesla Automobiles

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January 9th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

Free Now is a mobility service owned jointly by Mercedes and BMW. What we call a mobility service today used to be known as a taxi company. The difference is that a mobility service uses a smartphone app to match up taxis with riders and handle payment. (There are also now taxi apps that do that.)

Credit: Free Now via Facebook

What is called Free Now today is a conglomeration of two prior app-based ride-hailing companies –mytaxi and Hailo. According to Wikipedia, mytaxi was founded in 2009 in Germany. In 2014, it was acquired by Mercedes-Benz. Hailo began in London in 2011 and merged with mytaxi in 2016, making mytaxi the largest licensed taxi e-hailing service in Europe and the UK. In February 2019, BMW became a partner with Mercedes and the name of the company was changed to Free Now.

According to a report by Handlesblatt, Free Now has decided to expand its fleet of electric taxis in Germany and will begin by adding 60 Teslas to its inventory of cars in Hamburg, which is where Free Now has its headquarters. The news report does not specify which Tesla models will be added to the fleet, but it’s a good bet that most if not all of them will be Model 3s.

Free Now is big business. It has about 28,000 drivers throughout Europe and the UK and experienced a 20% increase in ridership in Germany last year. It grossed over €2 billion in revenues in 2019 from 300 million trips by 39 million passengers. In all, it has 1,800 employees in 35 cities.

It is laudable that the company wants to expand its electric car fleet but sad that neither Mercedes nor BMW has electric cars of their own they consider up to the task. So, the score in the electric taxi revolution stands at Tesla 60, Mercedes and BMW 0. There’s no clearer indication of who is leading the charge toward an electric car future than that.