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For normal readers of TechCrunch Mobility, you might be questioning, “Why did this article land in my inbox on Friday?” People, we’re shifting days in an effort to convey you a extra full rundown of the information of the week.
I spent the final week at SXSW, the annual tech, movie, comedy, and music pageant in Austin. I like to recommend scrolling through our live blog to atone for all of the transportation, AI, social media, creator financial system — principally tech — information that occurred throughout the convention.
I’ve watched Austin evolve through the years with some good and dangerous outcomes. Protected bike lanes have been one constructive growth, which I appreciated as I rode just a few Lime scooters and two Mod Bikes e-bikes across the metropolis. Austin can also be turning into a hub for autonomous car exercise with Avride headquartered there, Zoox testing on public roads, and Waymo launching a industrial robotaxi service.
I used to be fortunate sufficient to be matched with two Waymo robotaxis — all ride-hails happen by the Uber app, so it’s by no means a assure. I additionally had one coordinated match courtesy of Waymo. As I wrote earlier this week, it’s completely wild that Waymo and Uber are working collectively. Here’s why.
Oh, and here’s what I discovered in my Waymo-Uber robotaxi ride. Trace: some updates to the consumer interface.
Slightly chook
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Offers!
Senior reporter Sean O’Kane took a deep dive into a brand new enterprise agency known as Leitmotif that’s been quietly making a great deal of offers for the previous 16 months. The agency, which has funded round 20 startups, broadly focuses on decarbonization with a portfolio that features EV corporations, house and battery performs, and 4 nuclear fusion startups.
That’s not the fascinating half. Right here’s what’s: All the cash in its fund got here from the Volkswagen Group. Check out the full story about why the German automotive large has dedicated $300 million to Leitmotif’s first fund.
Different offers that obtained my consideration …
Carpool Logistics, a car logistics platform, raised $12 million in a Sequence A funding spherical led by Wavecrest Development Companions, with participation from CarMax, Impel founders Devin Daly and Michael Quigley, and automotive trade veteran David Metter.
Daqus Vitality, a startup engaged on battery supplies, raised $6 million in a seed spherical led by Morningside with participation from unnamed particular person buyers.
Nirvana, an AI-based insurance coverage platform that makes use of real-time driving telematics and 20 billion miles of truck driving information to construct and handle insurance coverage insurance policies for truckers, raised $80 million in a Sequence C spherical of funding led by Normal Catalyst. Lightspeed Enterprise Companions and Valor Fairness Companions additionally participated. The funding values Nirvana at $830 million post-money.
Northvolt filed for bankruptcy in Sweden, the most recent blow to Europe’s makes an attempt to create a battery-manufacturing juggernaut that might rival the Chinese language giants.
Notable reads and different tidbits
ADAS
Rivian rolled out a hands-free version of its driver-assistance system for freeway driving, which founder and CEO RJ Scaringe mentioned onstage at SXSW in Austin. The brand new hands-free characteristic places Rivian in competitors with Ford and GM, which have related hands-free methods that management steering, acceleration, and braking underneath sure situations and places.
Autonomous automobiles
Hugging Face teamed up with AI startup Yaak to expand LeRobot — a set of open AI fashions, datasets, and instruments to assist construct real-world robotics methods — with a coaching set to permit robots and vehicles to navigate environments like metropolis streets autonomously.
Vans VC normal accomplice Reilly Brennan had an fascinating column, Don’t mistake ridehailing for AV ridehailing.
Travis Kalanick, the previous CEO of Uber, thinks the corporate’s determination to abandon its autonomous driving program was a mistake. Reminder: Uber ATG was burning by money when it was sold to Aurora in 2020.
Waymo retains increasing — this time in Silicon Valley. And that enlargement has include hundreds of parking tickets.
Electrical automobiles, charging, & batteries
The Mint 400 off-road race put two EVs — a Rivian R1T truck and a Chevrolet Silverado EV ZR2 off-road race truck idea — to the test.
Rad Energy misplaced its CEO and gained a new one in a span of some days.
President Donald Trump mentioned he’ll label violence in opposition to Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism — yet one more signal of his deep assist for Elon Musk. As reporter Sean O’Kane notes, “Tesla Takeovers” have been breaking out throughout the globe at Tesla dealerships as folks protest what they see as a hostile takeover of the federal authorities by Musk (who’s CEO of Tesla and its largest shareholder) and his Department of Government Efficiency. Among the protests have resulted in graffiti on Tesla indicators, charging stations set on hearth, even Molotov cocktails being thrown in a single dealership’s lot.
This week’s wheels
This week I attempted two e-bikes from Austin-based Mod Bikes. I’ll deal with its latest one, the Groove, which launched earlier this week.
I spent 24 hours with the Groove, an all-electric step-through bike with a souped-up seashore cruiser feel and look. The Groove existed earlier than, however Mod Bikes discontinued it. Now it’s again and has been up to date all through, together with the body, battery, torque sensor, good show, and motor.
The bike itself is sporty and polished with a lot of considerate particulars that make the $1,999 price look like a steal. The design is considerate with easy-to-read and easy-to-operate controls and an built-in bike lock that folds neatly on the body.
The Groove is a throttle and pedal help bike, and I discovered it simple to change between the varied modes. I not often relied on the throttle alone as a result of the help supplied loads of oomph. The bike has a payload capability of 275 kilos and reaches a high velocity of 28 miles per hour. The Groove has 50 miles of vary; nevertheless, there’s a dual-battery choice that pops it as much as 100 miles.
One word, although: Wow, this bike is hefty. And whereas that’s usually factor, people ought to give themselves a little bit of time to regulate to its weight.
I additionally examined Mod Connect, which permits customers to wirelessly pair a Lumos ultra-smart helmet to sync and management flip alerts straight from the bike. The linked bike helmet made me really feel way more seen to drivers as I navigated the busy streets of downtown Austin.
What’s “This week’s wheels”? It’s an opportunity to be taught in regards to the completely different transportation merchandise we’re testing, whether or not it’s an electrical or hybrid automotive, an e-bike, or perhaps a trip in an autonomous car.
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