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Welcome again to TechCrunch Mobility – your central hub for information and insights on the way forward for transportation.
This week was a busy one with Rivian formally saying the reveal date for its next-gen EV, a Waymo robotaxi placing a bicyclist (oh and one among its robotaxis was vandalized and burned late Saturday night time!), Arrival attempting to unload its UK property, plus just a few scoops on e-motorcycle startup Cake, Ford and Fisker. There’s lots of floor to cowl, so come alongside for a journey.
Oh, however first, a little bit of late-breaking information over the weekend.
Joby Aviation, an organization creating all-electric plane for industrial passenger service, introduced Sunday an settlement with Dubai regulators to launch air taxi providers there by early 2026. Joby, a startup that went public in 2021 by way of a merger with a particular goal acquisition firm, mentioned it’s focusing on preliminary operations as early as 2025.
It’s price noting that underneath the deal, Joby has unique air taxi rights in Dubai for six years and a few monetary “mechanisms”; Joby didn’t present additional particulars. Joby has additionally signed an settlement with Skyports, an organization that may design, construct and function 4 preliminary vertiport websites throughout Dubai.
Let’s go!
Somewhat fowl
We’ve had many little birds speaking to us about Fisker, the EV startup that went public in 2020 by way of a merger with a particular goal acquisition firm. These conversations mixed with a evaluate of inner paperwork, a variety of lawsuits and an investigation by federal regulators got here collectively in a riveting and troubling story by Sean O’Kane.
What did O’Kane discover? Fisker Ocean SUV prospects have reported greater than 100 separate loss-of-power incidents in addition to a myriad of different issues, together with sudden lack of braking energy, problematic key fobs inflicting them to get locked inside or outdoors of the automobile, seat sensors that don’t detect the driving force’s presence and the SUV’s entrance hood immediately flying up at excessive speeds.
Prospects additionally complained in regards to the service division. After our story was revealed, one other little fowl informed us that Fisker’s world service director was not too long ago let go.
Obtained a tip for us? E mail Kirsten Korosec at [email protected] or Sean O’Kane [email protected]. In the event you desire to stay nameless, click on right here to contact us, which incorporates SecureDrop (directions right here) and numerous encrypted messaging apps.
Deal of the week
India is among the largest two-wheeler markets on this planet. And a complete new crop of startups — like startup River — are popping up on the scene because of demand for zero-emission autos.
River not too long ago raised $40 million in a Collection B funding spherical led by Japan’s Yamaha Motor. Present buyers Al-Futtaim Automotive, Lowercarbon Capital, Toyota Ventures, Vehicles VC and Maniv Mobility additionally participated.
The startup is going through a aggressive market as many firms are vying for a chunk of the EV pie. River is betting that it’s going to win over Indian prospects with Indie, a utility lifestyle-focused product that has been described as an “SUV” two-wheeler.
Different offers that bought my consideration …
Elroy Air, a South San Francisco-based startup creating autonomous cargo drones, raised $48.9 million, in response to a regulatory submitting.
Guided Vitality, a French startup that raised $5.2 million from Sequoia Capital and Dynamo Ventures on the finish of 2023, is constructing a software program instrument that may assist EV fleet operators with cost administration and dispatch.
Oto, an Indian startup that constructed a financing software program platform for two-wheeled EVs, raised $10 million in a spherical led by GMO Enterprise Companions.
Starship Applied sciences, a supply robotics startup out of Estonia, raised $90 million in funding spherical co-led by two earlier backers: Plural and Iconical. It brings the whole raised by Starship to $230 million, with earlier backers together with the Finnish-Japanese agency NordicNinja, the European Funding Financial institution, Morpheus Ventures and TDC.
Notable reads and different tidbits
Autonomous autos
An administrative legislation decide with the California Public Utilities Fee held a settlement listening to concerning the October 2 incident that left a pedestrian, who had initially been hit by a human-driven automobile, caught underneath after which dragged by a Cruise robotaxi.
The listening to rehashed a lot of what Quinn Emmanuel – the legislation agency GM employed to research the October 2 incident — revealed in an unbiased report. Nevertheless it’s price noting that all through the change, Cruise struck a particularly conciliatory tone. Craig Glidden, GM’s EVP of authorized and coverage who was appointed in December chief administrative officer at Cruise, was significantly ingratiating.
At one level, he appeared to agree with paying the next wonderful, which underneath statute can be $112,000. Right here’s what he mentioned.
“It was regrettable. It was a mistake and Cruise is making an attempt to make proper with the error. I’m not right here to quibble about whether or not it’s $75,000 or $112,000. We wish to get the matter settled as a result of we wish to transfer ahead and we wish to advance the mission of bringing driverless vehicles which might be safer to the general public and likewise larger accessibility to the general public to the market. So we’re very happy to be compromised in any ways in which the court docket would see match or the fee would see match to get this matter behind us.”
Waymo has the eye of regulators in California after one among its robotaxis struck a bicyclist in San Francisco. The bike owner suffered minor accidents. Waymo mentioned its robotaxi was stopped at a four-way intersection as a big truck was driving in the other way. The automobile then moved into the intersection and collided with the bike owner who was behind the truck.
TechCrunch spoke to the Division of Motor Automobiles and the California Public Utilities Fee — the 2 companies that management permits that permit firms like Waymo to check, deploy and commercially cost for driverless rides. The CPUC mentioned it was “gathering info from Waymo” and the DMV informed me the company “is reviewing the incident.” We’ll see if this turns into something extra.
Yet one more Waymo merchandise. At round 9 p.m. Saturday night, a crowd surrounded an empty Waymo robotaxi, started rocking it, smashing home windows and finally lit it on hearth courtesy of fireworks. FriscoLive415 shared the video on X. Fairly insane footage. A Waymo spokesperson informed TechCrunch the automobile was not transporting any riders and no accidents have been reported. The corporate is “working carefully with native security officers to answer the scenario.”
Electrical autos, charging & batteries
Arrival introduced that its U.Ok. division is coming into administration, the nation’s model of chapter.
Electrical bike firm Cake held talks with Harley-Davidson and different automakers in 2023 because it fought to remain alive, founder and CEO Stefan Ytterborn informed TechCrunch.
Cowboy is rolling out an on-demand service program for primary upkeep, customization and repairs, delivered on the e-bike proprietor’s house.
Ford has been quietly engaged on a low-cost EV. The corporate created a skunkworks undertaking two years in the past that’s primarily based in Irvine, California and led by ex-Tesla and Ford Superior EV improvement boss Alan Clarke. Notably, the workforce contains engineers from Auto Motive Energy (AMP), the EV energy startup that the automaker acquired in November 2023. AMP founder Anil Paryani, who coincidentally overlapped with Clarke for about 5 years at Tesla, can also be a part of the skunkworks undertaking.
Rivian will reveal its smaller, cheaper R2 SUV on March 7. Keep tuned!
Toyota will spend an extra $1.3 billion to organize its Kentucky manufacturing facility for manufacturing of a brand new three-row all-electric SUV designed for U.S. shoppers
Gig economic system
Uber hit a serious milestone that just a few years in the past I wasn’t positive would ever be met. The ride-hailing and supply app reported a full-year revenue (pushed by working revenue) as a public firm. And it appears that evidently revenue momentum is predicted to proceed into the primary quarter. Uber has hit an annual revenue earlier than, but it surely was largely as a result of its investments. In 2023, the corporate’s income additionally got here from its operations.
Reminder that Lyft will put up its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings after markets shut February 13.
Individuals
Getaround, an organization that helps automobile homeowners lease out their vehicles, vans and SUVs to different friends, is chopping 30% of its North American workforce as a part of a restructuring. Getaround lower 10% of its employees in February 2023.
Basic Motors employed battery skilled and ex-Tesla government Kurt Kelty to be the automaker’s new vp of batteries — a model new function for the corporate.
This week’s wheels
Picture Credit: Taylor Hatmaker
This week’s wheels may get the eye of e-bike followers. Editor Taylor Hatmaker writes this about her “zombie” Van Moof.
My VanMoof e-bike isn’t useless, but it surely’s not fairly alive both. I purchased an X3 from VanMoof after I reviewed the bike for TechCrunch again in 2021 and got here away wildly impressed. The bike was glorious; but it surely was additionally a private revelation, empowering me —a lazy fair-weather bike owner — to bike round my metropolis (Portland, OR) once I may in any other case use a automobile.
Once I purchased my VanMoof, on sale on the time, I knew it was a threat. I spent the cash, figuring out that within the worst-case situation my bike may flip right into a $2,000 brick. That situation arrived final yr when VanMoof declared chapter.
Lavoie purchased the corporate’s stays late final summer season, offering a glimmer of hope that the notoriously fickle bikes filled with bespoke parts will nonetheless be serviceable sooner or later. Within the meantime, VanMoof homeowners like myself scrambled to obtain apps like Bikey, made by Cowboy, to salvage the digital keys linking us to our bikes.
I nonetheless have lots of affection for my 30-pound possible-future-paperweight, which I nervously energy on and join my cellphone to a couple instances every week. It’s been pouring for months — not the form of climate I’ll bike in any extra — however I hope when Spring rolls round that my X3 exhibits some recent indicators of life too.