Latest from Rebecca Bellan
Transportation
Cruise clears key hurdle to getting robotaxis back on roads in California
16 hours ago
Cruise, the self-driving subsidiary of General Motors, has agreed to pay a $112,500 fine for failing to provide full information about an accident involving one of its robotaxis last year.…
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I’m back…
For the last two decades, Raquel Urtasun, founder and CEO of autonomous trucking startup Waabi, has been developing AI systems that can reason as a human would. The AI pioneer…
Fundraising
Black founders are customizing ChatGPT as crypto makes a comeback
9:00 AM PDT • June 17, 2024
This week on Equity, we discussed some big news that really matters: How Black founders are addressing the diversity gap in AI chatbots. We’ve all…
Transportation
Tesla shareholders vote yes again to approve Elon Musk’s $56B pay plan
2:30 pm PDT • June 13, 2024
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has secured enough shareholder votes to have his 2018 stock option compensation package approved. Shareholders also approved the company’s decision to re-incorporate Tesla in Texas, moving…
Transportation
Tesla shareholders sue Musk for starting competing AI company
11:44 am PDT • June 13, 2024
Tesla shareholders are suing CEO Elon Musk and members of the automaker’s board of directors over Musk’s decision to start xAI, which they say is a competing AI company, and…
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Kirsten Korosec…
Transportation
Tern AI wants to reduce reliance on GPS with low-cost navigation alternative
11:27 am PDT • June 12, 2024
The most critical systems of our modern world rely on GPS, from aviation and road networks to emergency and disaster response, from precision farming and power grids to weather forecasting…
Transportation
Waymo issues second recall after robotaxi hit telephone pole
7:41 am PDT • June 12, 2024
Waymo has voluntarily issued a software recall to all 672 of its Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis after one of them collided with a telephone pole. This is Waymo’s second recall. The…
Transportation
GM gives Cruise $850M lifeline as it relaunches robotaxis in Houston
11:25 am PDT • June 11, 2024
General Motors is investing $850 million into Cruise as the autonomous vehicle subsidiary slowly makes its way back to testing in Phoenix, Dallas and, as of Tuesday, Houston. GM’s CFO…
Startups
Robinhood’s crypto bet, AI-powered healthcare, and Fisker’s fall
7:05 AM PDT • June 7, 2024
As always, there was a lot happening in startup land this week, and the Equity team had so much fun breaking it down for you.…
Transportation
Inside Fisker’s collapse and robotaxis come to more US cities
10:05 am PDT • June 6, 2024
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Your usual…
Transportation
Revel to lay off 1,000 staff ride-hail drivers, saying they’d rather be contractors anyway
9:43 am PDT • June 6, 2024
New York-based Revel has made a lot of pivots since initially launching in 2018 as a dockless e-moped sharing service. The BlackRock-backed startup briefly stepped into the e-bike subscription business.…
Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving unit, is bringing its autonomous vehicles to more cities. The self-driving technology company announced Wednesday plans to begin testing in Austin and Miami this summer. The two…
Transportation
Whizz wants to own the delivery e-bike subscription space, starting with NYC
9:08 am PDT • June 5, 2024
New York City, home to over 60,000 gig delivery workers, has been cracking down on cheap, uncertified e-bikes that have resulted in battery fires across the city. Some e-bike providers…
Dallas is the second city that Cruise is easing its way back into after pulling its entire U.S. fleet late last year.
Social
Inside the demise of EV startup Fisker, and X’s new rules allow adult content
9:21 AM PDT • June 3, 2024
We’re kicking off the week with a deep dive from this weekend into the demise of electric vehicle startup Fisker at the hands of its…
Transportation
Feds tell Zoox to send more info about autonomous vehicles suddenly braking
8:31 am PDT • May 31, 2024
U.S. federal regulators have requested more information from Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving unit, as part of an investigation into rear-end crash risks posed by unexpected braking. The National Highway Traffic Safety…
Transportation
Archer, Kakao Mobility partner to bring electric air taxis to South Korea in 2026
8:31 am PDT • May 30, 2024
Archer Aviation is partnering with ride-hailing and parking company Kakao Mobility to bring electric air taxi flights to South Korea starting in 2026, if the company can get its aircraft…
Battery recycling startups have emerged in Europe in a bid to tap into the next big opportunity in the EV market: battery waste. Among them is Cylib, a German-based startup…
Transportation
Chinese EV makers, and their connected vehicles, targeted by new House bill
2:50 pm PDT • May 29, 2024
Chinese EV manufacturers face a new challenge in their pursuit of U.S. customers: a new House bill that would limit or ban the introduction of their connected vehicles. The bill,…
Featured Article
Onyx Motorbikes was in trouble — and then its 37-year-old owner died
James Khatiblou, the owner and CEO of Onyx Motorbikes, was watching his e-bike startup fall apart. Onyx was being evicted from its warehouse in El Segundo, near Los Angeles. The company’s unpaid bills were stacking up. Its chief operating officer had abruptly resigned. A shipment of around 100 CTY2 dirt…
8:02 am PDT • May 27, 2024
Social
How Maven’s AI-run ‘serendipity network’ can make social media interesting again
7:30 am PDT • May 26, 2024
Everything in society can feel geared toward optimization — whether that’s standardized testing or artificial intelligence algorithms. We’re taught to know what outcome you want to achieve, and find the…
Venture
The proposed AI ‘kill switch,’ and why it’s rough out there for emerging fund managers
7:10 AM PDT • May 24, 2024
It was an event-filled week in startup land, and the Equity crew had a blast breaking it down for you. On today’s episode of TechCrunch’s…
Climate
Redwood Materials is partnering with Ultium Cells to recycle GM’s EV battery scrap
6:02 am PDT • May 23, 2024
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling startup founded by former Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, will be recycling production scrap for batteries going into General Motors electric vehicles. The company announced Thursday…
For this episode of Equity, we spoke to two Aussie VCs: Dan Krasnostein of Square Peg and Gabrielle Munzer of Main Sequence.
Transportation
Uber’s and Lyft’s ride-hailing deal with Minnesota comes at a cost
2:06 pm PDT • May 21, 2024
Uber and Lyft drivers in Minnesota will see higher pay thanks to a deal between the state and the country’s two largest ride-hailing companies. The upshot: a new law that…
Transportation
Aurora and Volvo unveil self-driving truck designed for a driverless future
6:00 pm PDT • May 20, 2024
A new self-driving truck — manufactured by Volvo and loaded with autonomous vehicle tech developed by Aurora Innovation — could be on public highways as early as this summer. The…
Startups
Maven takes the clout-chasing out of social media as Reddit teams up with OpenAI
8:57 AM PDT • May 20, 2024
Last week was a big one for AI news, and one thing that stood out to us was OpenAI’s deal with Reddit. Per the terms of…
Transportation
VCs and the military are fueling self-driving startups that don’t need roads
8:00 am PDT • May 18, 2024
A new crop of early-stage startups — along with some recent VC investments — illustrates a niche emerging in the autonomous vehicle technology sector. Unlike the companies bringing robotaxis to…
