Volume 34
| 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 |
| Elon Musk concedes making autonomous cars is harder than expected Inside EVs, July 6th Elon Musk has made several predictions over the years regarding when Tesla would introduce a dependable full self-driving (FSD) system and so far they have proven to be a bit too optimistic. |
| Audi, VW’s software unit join group developing safe system architecture for self-driving vehicles Automotive News Europe, July 6th The goal of the group is to develop a safe system architecture for self-driving vehicles and help pave the way for mass autonomous vehicle production. |
| Amazon goes all-in on truck safety with autonomous driving company Plus Forbes, June 30th Amazon is playing a role in the development and deployment of the next generation of delivery vehicles, from long-haul trucks to last mile delivery vans. |
| Audi sees electric cars becoming as profitable as gas-powered cars within 2-3 years Electrek, July 6th Audi CEO Markus Duesmann says that he sees electric cars becoming as profitable as gas-powered cars within the next two to three years. |
| Dallas rideshare Alto closes $45M Series B, bringing total funding to $60M Dallas Innovates, June 28th Dallas’ own rideshare service, Alto, has completed a $45 million round of Series B financing—its largest yet—to continue propelling national growth and transforming the industry. The infusion of capital will fund a major pivot for the local startup: Going electric. |
| Why the first movers in autonomous trucking have the edge CCJ Digital, July 1st Several of the nation’s largest fleets are investing in self-driving trucks. Ordering the trucks from a major original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is not an option at present, but carriers are now contracting with TuSimple, Plus, Locomation, Waymo and other companies that have developed self-driving technology. |
| 2 Oregon delivery providers drop Amazon; e-tailer says they demanded $36M Freight Waves, June 30th Last Mile Delivery and Triton Transportation cite changing metrics, driver safety concerns among dozens of issues that made delivering packages in Portland area dangerous and untenable. |
| California is restoring electric car rebates, but some environmentalists aren’t happy SF Chronicle, July 5th California is slated soon to reinstate funding for subsidies that encourage drivers to buy electric cars, a program advocates say will help the state prepare for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. |
| Tesla AI chief explains why self-driving cars don’t need lidar TechTalks, June 28th What is the technology stack you need to create fully autonomous vehicles? Companies and researchers are divided on the answer to that question. Approaches to autonomous driving range from just cameras and computer vision to a combination of computer vision and advanced sensors. |
| NHTSA tells autonomous tech companies they need to report crashes MSN, July 6th Companies working on autonomous and driver assistance technologies did not need to report any incidents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about times when their vehicles did not work as advertised. Now they do. |
| Uber and Lyfts can be electrified now, but drivers aren’t so sure Vice, June 28th Ridehail companies have set aggressive goals for going all electric, but that reality feels a long way away. |
