Transportation

Transportation includes all the present and future ways people and packages get from Point A to Point B, from scooters and e-bikes to autonomous vehicles, EVs, transit and evTOLs. We cover players big and small, from Tesla, GM, Uber, and Lyft, to small startups entering the automotive tech space.

Yet another startup for self-driving cars closes down, Zoox widens its driverless trials, and interest in AI among investors intensifies.

Zoox Robotaxi Driving Down A Road In Las Vegas
Deal of the weekIf you’re looking for yet another example of investor enthusiasm for AI just take a look at the latest fundraise over at autonomous vehicle software company Applied Intuition. Other deals that got my attention …Anaphite, a battery technology startup, raised £1.6 million ($2 million)via a government-backed grant investment led by Elbow Beach Capital. Motional, the autonomous vehicle technology startup Motional, secured a bridge loan that provides a temporary financial reprieve as the company searches for a longer-term source of funding, TechCrunch exclusively learned. Phantom Auto, a remote driving startup that launched seven years ago amid the buzz of autonomous vehicle technology, shut down after failing to secure new funding. You might recall that VW’s autonomous vehicle ambitions were wrapped up in Argo AI, a startup backed solely by the automaker and partner Ford.

Motional, Supported by Hyundai, Secures Financial Leverage with Bridge Financing

Gettyimages 1793810928
Autonomous vehicle technology startup Motional has secured a bridge loan that provides a temporary financial reprieve as the company searches for a longer-term source of funding, TechCrunch has learned. Motional CEO Karl Iagnemma told staff in a companywide email viewed by TechCrunch that the company’s board of directors approved the bridge financing. After a wave of consolidation and shutdowns in the nascent autonomous vehicle industry, Motional is one of the few companies left that’s still pursuing a commercial robotaxi service. The company operates an autonomous vehicle taxi service in Las Vegas (still with human safety operators behind the wheel) on Uber, Lyft and Via platforms. The autonomous vehicle company last had layoffs in December 2022, when it cut about 10% of its workforce.

Exploring the Possibilities: How Rivian and Telo’s Compact EV Models Could Revive the Electric Vehicle Industry

Site Ev Version
The great EV boom is fading a bit, but that’s not a concern if you take a long-enough view. Sure, Tesla expects slower growth for its car sales this year, and there are some indications that other companies are trimming their electric car plans, but there’s also reason to be optimistic. If you take a look at some upcoming EVs, you may notice that the don’t look precisely like the current, bestselling gas-powered cars out there. I reckon that that is for the best — when you swap power sources, you can shake up the rest of a vehicles design, right? So two cheers for Rivian’s R3 and what Telo is cooking up, because their plans have me hype.

The Launch of Cypher’s Inventory Drone from an Autonomous Mobile Robot Base

Img 0857
The halls of Modex this week are lousy with solutions to the problem of inventory. Recent years have given us drone solutions and Dexory’s massive AMR (autonomous mobile robot) with a telescoping scaffolding structure. At its core is a tall (but not Dexory tall) AMR that serves as a launching and landing pad for a drone. You can’t really see it from the image I took, but the drone is actually tethered to the inside of the AMR platform. The Ottawa-based firm says the drone can operate for up to five hours before needing to return to the base for a recharge.

Phantom Auto, a Remote Driving Startup, Announces Closure

Phantom Remote Operator 12april2019
Phantom Auto, a remote driving startup that launched seven years ago amid the buzz of autonomous vehicle technology, is shutting down after failing to secure new funding, TechCrunch has learned. Phantom Auto, which had cut staff last year, employed a little more than 100 people as of this week. Phantom Auto’s demise is the latest in a long line of startups that popped up as the autonomous vehicle technology industry gained attention and investment from investors. Phantom Auto was founded in 2017 and initially focused on applying its teleops technology to autonomous vehicles on public roadways such as robotaxis and self-driving trucks. Phantom Auto pivoted in 2019 and started shopping its remote driving system to logistics, specifically forklifts and yard trucks that have no autonomy as well as autonomous sidewalk delivery robots.

Uber’s Chief Executive Officer Unveils Strategies for Expanding Driver Electric Vehicle Accessibility and Combatting Emissions at SXSW

Uber Dara Sxsw
Uber CEO outlines plans for increasing driver EV access, reducing emissions at SXSW Dara Khosrowshahi explains his priorities for Uber now that it's achieved profitabilityUber’s future will be greener, more affordable, and able to challenge Amazon at its own rapid delivery game, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi predicted while on stage this week at SXSW. To achieve that, Uber has to make it easier and cheaper for drivers to access electric vehicles. Uber said emissions are calculated based on Uber Green and Uber Comfort Electric rides, and the amount of CO2 emissions avoided compared to UberX or Uber Comfort trips of the same distance. Riders can go to their account section of the Uber app to access the “estimated CO2 saved” feature, which shows all the emissions saved by taking Uber Green and Uber Comfort electric rides. Since then Uber has partnered with autonomous sidewalk delivery startups Cartken and Serve Robotics and robotaxi companies Waymo and Motional.

AI-Powered Autonomous Vehicle Software by Applied Intuition Secures $6 Billion Valuation

Applied Intuition Adas Sensorsim
Autonomous vehicle software company Applied Intuition has raised $250 million in a round that values the startup at $6 billion, as it pushes to bring more artificial intelligence to the automotive, defense, construction and agriculture sectors. The eye-popping funding round is the latest example of investor fervor for AI. Lux Capital, Elad Gil, and Andreessen Horowitz all previously led funding rounds for Applied Intuition. Founded in 2017, Applied Intuition creates software that automakers and others use to develop autonomous vehicle solutions. “When they think like, ‘I have this software or AI problem,’ we generally want them to think about us,” Younis says.

Dispute Arises for Lucid Motors’ Gravity SUV Moniker

Lucid Gravity Terrain
Lucid Motors is stuck in a fight over the name of its Gravity SUVLucid Motors is at risk of losing the trademark for the name of its Gravity SUV, just months before the company is supposed to start production. Google Ventures-backed EV charging company Gravity Inc. filed a “petition for cancellation” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) in December asking for Lucid’s Gravity trademark to be revoked. “We feel very, very confident about it,” Moshe Cohen, Gravity Inc.’s CEO, said of the petition in an interview with TechCrunch. Lucid, in its answer to the petition filed last week, says that Gravity does not currently operate an EV fleet and argues that consumers would not be confused by the two different uses of the Gravity name. “[Lucid] believes that it is being and will continue to be damaged by [Gravity Inc.’s] registration,” the company writes.

New Software and Reduced Prices: Chevy Blazer EV Sales Reinstated by GM

Apple Wwdc 2022 2022 06 13 At 1.21.30 Pm
General Motors has resumed sales of the Chevrolet Blazer EV — and at a cheaper price — more than two months after the automaker pulled the vehicle over software problems. The company temporarily halted sales of the Blazer EV in December after early customers reported problems with the SUV’s infotainment screen and charging at DC fast charging stations. GM said in a statement that the company “made significant software updates that will improve features and functionality to deliver on the high expectations of our customers. Existing Blazer EV owners will have to bring their car into a GM dealership for a software update to address any potential problems going forward. The company says it has improved its quality testing and software processes to prevent similar problems in the future.

Rivian’s R2 SUV Amasses Over 68,000 Reservations Within 24 Hours of Unveiling

Rivian Getty
The Rivian R2, an all-electric sport utility vehicle that’s smaller and more affordable than the automaker’s flagship SUV, appears to be a hit with potential customers. At least, if the number of reservations for the R2 is any guide. Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe posted Friday on Instagram that the company had received more than 68,000 R2 reservations less than 24 hours since the vehicle was revealed at an event in Laguna Beach, California. The R2 is a five-seat, all-electric midsized SUV that will have more than 300 miles of range and a base price of $45,000. Rivian also revealed Thursday the R3 and the R3x, all-electric hatchback vehicles with sporty Honda e vibes.