Volume 30
| 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 |
| Revel saw a loophole as an opportunity for a new ridehail service.New York City is absolutely livid CNN, May 3rd Back in 2018, New York City regulators, tired of vehicles from Uber and Lyft making some streets so clogged that cars had to drive slower than streetcars and buggies once had, cracked down and said they would temporarily block new for-hire licenses. But in a fit of environmental-minded well-meaning, they left a loophole for electric cars. Now an upstart company is trying to use that loophole to bring new cars into Manhattan. |
| Detroit’s Luminar collaborates with Pony.ai on autonomous driving platform D Business, May 10th Luminar Technologies, which is based in Florida and has a Detroit office, has collaborated with California’s Pony.ai, an autonomous driving technology company, on a new sensing platform. Luminar offers lidar hardware and software. |
| As Rivian EVs’ first deliveries near, startup seeks more ways to stand out Car and Driver, May 9th Startup electric-vehicle companies and ambitious plans seem to go hand in hand. Whether it’s Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Martian dreams or Nio building battery swap stations overseas, new automakers like to do things their own way. If you take a look at what Rivian is up to, you’ll see it fits the pattern quite well. |
| Increasing adoption of aerial delivery drones driving autonomous last mile delivery Cision PR Newswire, May10th Fact.MR’s recent research study on global autonomous last mile delivery market forecasts an impressive growth on the back of technological advancements in delivery systems. Demand for autonomous last mile delivery is skyrocketing with the rising adoption of autonomous vehicles for the delivery of products without any human intervention. |
| Stellantis’ Free2Move to offer subscription service in U.S. The Detroit News, April 29th Free2Move, Stellantis NV’s mobility services brand, said Thursday said it will expand its Car on Demand subscription service to the United States, starting with six states this year. |
| From electric vehicles to air mobility: GM looks to grow beyond traditional auto industry CNBC, May 6th Since taking over the helm of General Motors in 2014, CEO Mary Barra has meticulously cut costs, slashed about 64,000 jobs, exited unprofitable markets overseas and audaciously pledged to make GM an all-electric auto company by 2035. |
| Uber, Lyft rides becoming more expensive,harder to find amid driver shortage WRAL, May 7th If you’ve noticed an increase in prices or wait times when requesting an Uber or Lyft, you’re not alone. That’s because both ride-booking companies are facing a massive driver shortage. With more people vaccinated and with businesses now open, Uber and Lyft tell WRAL they’re trying to keep up with the demand. |
| After being hired in huge numbers, US delivery workers are losing their jobs Quartz, May 7th As the US economy continues to open up, the April jobs report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the boom in delivery jobs has taken a tumble. |
| Driverless truck startup plus to list in $3.3 billion deal Bloomberg, May 10th Self-driving truck startup Plus agreed to merge with special purpose acquisition company Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. V, becoming the latest developer of autonomous vehicles to seek a public listing via a blank-check firm. |
| Michelin partners with mobility company Arity Tire Review, May 10th Michelin is partnering with Arity, a mobility and data analytics company founded by The Allstate Corporation, to develop data-powered solutions for transportation departments and cities to improve road safety across the U.S. |
| Tesla can’t promise driverless cars in 2021, engineer tells California DMV CNBC, May 7th Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s messaging around driverless vehicle technology does not always “match engineering reality,” according to meeting notes by the California Department of Motor Vehicles released late Thursday. |
| Uber and Arrival partner to create an EV for ride-hail drivers Tech Crunch, May 3rd Arrival, the electric vehicle manufacturer that’s attempting to do away with the assembly line in favor of highly automated microfactories, is partnering with Uber to create an EV for ride-hail drivers. |
