Volume 29
| Welcome to the next edition of our bi-weekly recap of the latest and greatest in connected and on-demand mobility. If you’re not already receiving this email, you should be: Subscribe |
| Lyft sells self-driving tech unit to Toyota for $550 million, moves up profit timeline Reuters, April 26th Lyft Inc will sell its self-driving technology unit to Toyota Motor Corp in a $550 million deal, the companies said on Monday, allowing the ride-hail company to hit its profitability target one quarter earlier. |
| MOTER Technologies launched to commercialize connected car data Cision PRWeb, April 27th MOTER will bridge the gap between the automotive and insurance ecosystems, making efficient data monetization possible through its expertise in edge computing, data science and insurance risk analytics. |
| An E.V. start-up backed by UPS does away with the assembly line The New York Times, April 21st Arrival, a developer of electric vans and buses, says it has come up with a cheaper way to build vehicles in small factories. But can it deliver on that promise? |
| Waymo’s leadership shift spotlights self-driving car challenges Venture Beat, April 24th Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car subsidiary, has reshuffled its top executive lineup. John Krafcik, Waymo’s CEO since 2015, announced on April 2 that he would be stepping down from his role. Krafcik is being replaced by former COO Tekedra Mawakana and former CTO Dmitri Dolgov and will remain as an advisor to the company. |
| MoceanLab expands carsharing to LA’s westside Auto Rental News, April 23rd MoceanLab expanded its free-floating carshare service to Los Angeles’ Westside — bringing a new mobility solution to one of the region’s most congested areas. |
| Supplier scarred by Dieselgate rejects EV future,will invest in combustion tech into 2040s Green Car Reports, April 26th Lashing out against proposals for upcoming Euro 7 emissions legislation, the CEO of the mammoth auto industry supplier Bosch last week called regulators “fixated” on EVs, and accused the EU of running a “technology monopoly” that chokes all other means of climate innovation. |
| Gett inks deal with Curb Mobility to bring yellow cabs to its enterprise-focused on-demand ride-hailing app Tech Crunch, April 18th Gett, the ride-hailing startup that has been carving out a niche for itself in a crowded and competitive market for on-demand transportation by focusing on enterprise accounts and connecting people with rides in some 1,500 cities leveraging a number of third-party fleets, is adding another partner today as it continues to double down on its business model in the wake of corporate travel slowly coming back online. |
| Self-driving data: The role of automation in autonomous vehicles TechNative, April 14th Apple recently shared plans to develop a self-driving car by 2024. The tech giant’s watershed announcement has reignited interest in the autonomous car market, a burgeoning industry set to surpass $65.3 billion by 2027. Traditional automotive OEMs feel the Silicon Valley heat getting closer to the core business. |
| Target, Walmart make investments to enhance last mile delivery Retail Touch Points, April 15th Both Target and Walmart have announced new investments in last mile delivery technologies, highlighting the growing importance of fulfillment in the post-COVID environment. |
| Congress resurrects push to allow thousandsmore autonomous vehicles on the road The Verge, April 22nd Robot cars are back in the spotlight on Capitol Hill after previous efforts failed to pass comprehensive legislation allowing more autonomous vehicles on the road. |
| Electric vehicle prices fall as battery technology improves Visual Capitalist, April 25th Electric vehicles (EVs) only accounted for around 3.2% of global car sales in 2020—a figure that’s set to grow in the coming decade, largely due to falling EV battery costs. With rising production and technological improvements, batteries are becoming cheaper to produce, making EVs increasingly competitive with gas-powered cars. |
| Volvo XC90 robotaxis are coming to ride-hail giant DiDi’s fleet Motor Trend, April 22nd As part of a strategic plan to expand its self-driving vehicle test fleet, DiDi Autonomous Driving has struck a partnership with Volvo Cars. The signed agreement maintains that Volvo will supply DiDi with XC90 models to have autonomous software and hardware installed. |
