Tag: Mobility

Audi starts 2019 with around 144,650 automobiles sold

AUDI AG delivered around 144,650 cars to customers worldwide in January. As such, sales performed positively in the two largest markets. In China the company achieved its best January result in its history, with sales up 5.1 percent to 64,000 units sold. In the German domestic market the Ingolstadt-based carmaker handed over 23,359 cars (+1.5%).… Continue reading Audi starts 2019 with around 144,650 automobiles sold

Volkswagen Financial Services acquires Fleet Logistics

Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS) has acquired a 60% stake in Fleet Logistics. In an exclusive interview with Fleet Europe, VWFS explains the deal, and what’s next. The acquisition, subject to approval by the relevant authorities, is the result of a strategic partnership between VWFS, a financial subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, and TÜV Süd, the… Continue reading Volkswagen Financial Services acquires Fleet Logistics

Budget Truck Rentals Partners with On-Demand Service

The partnership is currently active at 13 locations across Orlando, Fla., with plans to expand to other regions and states throughout the year. Photo via Ildar Sagdejev/Wikimedia.  Budget Truck Rental today announced a new partnership with Fetch, a self-service truck startup, which makes Budget trucks available for rent through Fetch’s mobile marketplace. Fetch users can rent Budget box trucks, cargo vans and pickup trucks… Continue reading Budget Truck Rentals Partners with On-Demand Service

Bizarre Japanese Robot Folds Clothes at a Punishingly Slow Pace

Keep Dreaming We’re sure we’re not the only ones who can’t wait for the arrival of robot housekeepers à la the Jetson’s Rosie. Unfortunately, Mira Robotics’ latest effort isn’t quite there yet. On Thursday, the Japanese startup unveiled ugo, a laundry robot, at an event in Tokyo. After watching an incredibly entertaining demo video, we’ve come to… Continue reading Bizarre Japanese Robot Folds Clothes at a Punishingly Slow Pace

Leveling Up: What Is Level 2 Automated Driving?

The Society of Automotive Engineers has designated six categories of autonomous driving, ranging from Level 0 to Level 5. However, the ongoing development of self-driving cars has produced advanced technologies that can improve vehicle safety now, adding new distinctions to automated and autonomous driving features. Level 2 automated driving is defined as systems that provide… Continue reading Leveling Up: What Is Level 2 Automated Driving?

Addressing Health and Wellbeing Through Better Transportation

Since 2016, Lyft has been focused on reimagining the way healthcare organizations and their patients get around. Every year, over 3.6 million people can’t get the care they need due to a lack of transportation — an issue we are uniquely positioned to address through our work with leading organizations across the healthcare ecosystem and… Continue reading Addressing Health and Wellbeing Through Better Transportation

Amazon just invested in self-driving car company Aurora

Leonard Ortiz | Digital First Media | Getty Images
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, speaks to a group of Amazon employees that are veterans during an Amazon Veterans Day celebration, to honor the Warriors@Amazon, a group of employees who have served in the military and their spouses, in an event outside a hanger at the Long Beach Airport in Long Beach on Monday, November 12, 2018. The event included the unveiling Amazon's 40th airplane named Valor in honor of the group. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

Self-driving car startup Aurora announced on Thursday that it has raised more than $530 million in funding, from investors including Amazon, Sequoia and the investment arm of energy giant Shell.

“This funding and partnership will accelerate our mission of delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly,” Aurora said. Aurora's management has a lot of experience in the automotive industry.

The company's CEO and co-founder Chris Urmson is the former CTO of self-driving cars at Alphabet, which owns the autonomous vehicle firm Waymo. Co-founder and chief product officer Sterling Anderson led the design and launch of the Tesla Model X, according to Aurora's website. Drew Bagnell, Aurora's chief technology officer and co-founder helped found Uber's Advanced Technology Center.

“We are always looking to invest in innovative, customer-obsessed companies, and Aurora is just that,” Amazon told CNBC in a statement. “Autonomous technology has the potential to help make the jobs of our employees and partners safer and more productive, whether it's in a fulfillment center or on the road, and we're excited about the possibilities.”

The Wall Street Journal said last year that Amazon has a team dedicated to building autonomous vehicle technology. Amazon also announced a partnership with Toyota last year that will help Amazon explore ways to use self-driving cars to deliver food. Earlier this week, CNBC reported that Amazon is already hauling cargo in self-driving trucks developed by Embark.

Rather than manufacturing its own vehicles, Aurora is working with incumbents like VW and Hyundai, as well as Byton in China, to develop self-driving cars. It competes with Waymo, other venture backed autonomous vehicle start-ups like Zoox, and self-driving companies that were acquired by Ford and GM, Argo.AI and Cruise, respectively.

Neither Amazon nor Aurora revealed just how much of the new funding round came from Amazon. The e-commerce titan's investment in Aurora follows its addition of risk language in its 10K filings, that Amazon views “transportation and logistics services” as competition.

Amazon's delivery costs exceeded $27 billion in 2018. Using advanced driver-assistive technology, or fully self-driving vehicles, could help it curb delivery costs.

-CNBC's Deirdre Bosa and Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.

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Amazon Echo is a key part of company's future, says NYT columnist
12:16 PM ET Fri, 1 Feb 2019 | 04:19

Groupe PSA acquires TravelCar

Car manufacturer Groupe PSA is accelarating its developments to become a steady player in the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) arena, with the acquisition of TravelCar. Already two years ago Groupe PSA invested in the start-up, specialised in parking and car rental solutions. Today TravelCar has 5,000 partner car parks and tens of thousands rental… Continue reading Groupe PSA acquires TravelCar

GM electric vehicles could be profitable early next decade, says CEO

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Cadillac electric crossover SUV based on GM BEV3 modular platform
Incentives, credits, and compliance schemes can only get the electric vehicle market so far. The real test of its success will be when large, established automakers can get to a point when they can call them profitable.

On Wednesday, on a call with analysts to discuss the company’s fourth-quarter 2018 financial results, GM CEO Mary Barra said that’s a distinction could come in the early 2020s.

DON'T MISS: GM to launch two new electric vehicles within 18 months, 20 by 2023

While Barra deflected a question about GM’s potential electric-pickup project, she pointed to GM’s battery-development partnership with Honda and its strong position in China. “So I think we’re in a good position, driving our cell costs down,” she said.

Cadillac electric crossover SUV based on GM BEV3 modular platform

Although other vehicles are still due to take advantage of the platform used for the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the first profitable electric vehicle from GM may have a Cadillac badge. GM revealed earlier this year that, with a vehicle to launch around 2022, Cadillac will be the “vanguard” brand for a completely new electric-vehicle architecture termed BEV3.

CHECK OUT: GM, Honda partner on next-generation electric-car batteries

In 2017, Barra called GM’s pivot toward EVs, autonomous-vehicle tech, and changing ideas about mobility “the biggest business opportunity since the creation of the internet.” At that time, Barra’s comments signaled a goal of profitability by 2021.

The company, which reported positive financial results for 2018 and for the most recent quarter, announced a massive restructuring in November, affecting thousands of manufacturing related cuts and five assembly plants at least temporarily shut down. It this week confirmed that 4,000 white-collar jobs are affected by this.

READ MORE: GM promises it can make money on all-electric cars by 2021

Barra reiterated yesterday that GM believes in an all-EV future, and noted that the company is being repositioned “from one that was trying to be all things to all people in all markets to a very strategic, agile, and profitable company.”
“We are intent on reinventing personal transportation, capitalizing on a trillion-dollar opportunity, while making the world safer, better, and more sustainable,” said Barra.