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receive back to The Station , your key hub for all past , present and succeeding means of propel people and parcel from Point A to Point B.
Hello ! And goodbye ! Well , at least until 2024 . The Station is live to take a little break through the death of this yr . I need to give thanks you all for reading our weekly newssheet and reaching out to me with suggestions , tips and unfavorable judgment . Yes , I even appreciate the thoughtful pushback .
It ’s been an action - jam year with new startup emerging ( so many electric boat and RV company , am I ripe ? ) , a bevy of EVs bump off the road and a number of commercial-grade milestones achieved in the sovereign vehicle industriousness . There were , of form , blue and even shocking moments too . A number of startups failed , including a lot of mobility SPACs , and layoffs were permeating even into this last calendar month of the year . Two of the more arresting story were within the sovereign fomite industriousness : the founders of the defunctArgo AIcoming back with a newSoftBank - funded Ab startupand the ruination ofCruise .
The Cruise account proceed to unfold and will likely diddle out well into 2024 . This past workweek was a doozy for Cruise , albeit an expected one . The upshot : The Cruise board , and by extension the GM board , are cleaning house in an crusade to save years of technical forward motion . As part of that deputation , nine top leaderswere dismissed and900 workers were laid off .
We ’ll be following the Cruise story into next year . But that is n’t our only focussing .
Here at TechCrunch , our squad cares about the future of transportation , from new EVs and battery technical school to galvanic and H aviation , autonomous vehicles , micromobility and in - automobile tech . That means more than just highlighting the next raw new thing . Instead , we strive to excuse why it count and who it might dissemble . In other Word , we ’re the variety of folks who take that unlikely going or side road to explore what others may avoid . We hope you ’ll join us on the ride .
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
See you in the New Year !
Want to contact out with a crest , scuttlebutt or ailment ? Email Kirsten atkirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com . admonisher that you could drip us a note attips@techcrunch.com . If you prefer to remain anonymous , click here to get hold of us , which includes SecureDrop ( pedagogy here ) and various encrypted messaging apps .
Micromobbin’
The large story in scooterville was the “ seemingly ” abrupt decision bySuperpedestriantoshut down its U.S. operationsand begin to search the sales event of its European business just 18 months afterraising $ 125 million . I detest to say I saw this coming , but well , let ’s just say I was n’t appal by the news show , considering that in late November , Superpedestrian pop out letting go of some European executive who were in charge of global growth and operations .
Superpedestrian ’s Link scooters are in about 60 cities across 11 countries , but they ’ll be perpetrate from most markets by the end of 2023 . The startup lay itself as a safe urban center spouse , commit in its sophisticated rider assistance technology byacquiring Navmaticin July 2021 . What amount out of that was Pedestrian Defense , Superpedestrian ’s GPS - establish safety system of rules that allow it to notice and right unsafe rider behavior in real metre . But that system competed with other camera - base computer visual sensation system , like those popularize by Drover AI and Luna . Lime , the only big scooter ship’s company that looks like it might endure , implemented its own version of the passenger assistance technical school to its scooters in July 2022 , around the same time that Superpedestrian started issuing layoff .
Shared micromobility is a hard business to get right , as we ’ve insure from the Libra sheets of public companies Bird and Micromobility.com ( formerly Helbiz ) . Bird latterly got kicked off the line market , issued a couple rounds of layoffs and is probably close to filing for failure . Micromobility.com issue not one , but two reverse origin split this class , and its ancestry price is still encircle the drain . And after some failed talk to get acquired , Tier Mobility also issue layoffs in November . Oh , and let ’s not forget the mysterious disappearing of Bolt .
My question now is , which one will be next to flash off into the great beyond ?
— Rebecca Bellan
Deal of the week
Just a gang of deals this week !
Dimensional Energy , New York - free-base inauguration make grow sustainable airmanship fuel from carbon paper dioxide emissions and water , raised $ 20 millionin a Series A round led by Envisioning Partners . Strategic investor such as United Airlines ’ sustainable flying fund , Microsoft ’s clime conception stock , RockCreek ’s sassy air power future investment firm , DSC Investment , Delek US and New York Ventures , as well as be investors like Elemental Excelerator and Chloe Capital , also participated .
DST , a Chinese Modern energy fomite fleet management company , completed an $ 80 million financing round to fuel R&D investiture and veridical - time computational analytics .
Exponent Energy , the Indian EV charging startup , raised a $ 26.4 million Series B , led by Eight Road Ventures and TDK Ventures . The funds will help Exponent flourish its 15 - arcminute charging answer to five major Amerind cities in FY 2024 and enter the intercity e - bus section . The company plans to deploy 1,000 of its charging stations and have 25,000 electron volt powered by Exponent by 2025 .
Lyko , a Mobility - as - a - Service startup , raised € 1.4 million ( $ 1.53 million ) from Habert Dassault Finance , Afrimobility ( Akwa Group ) , backer investor and banks including Bpifrance , Crédit Mutuel and Caisse d’Épargne .
Metafuels , a sustainable jet fuel inauguration , raised $ 8 millionin a round lead by Energy Impact Partners and Contrarian Ventures .
Vammo , the São Paulo - based startup that want to surmount electrical motorcycle battery swapping in Latin America , raise $ 30 millionin a Series A round to capture the growth in popularity of motorcycles across the neighborhood . The equity and debt round was lead by Monashees with engagement from climate tech fund 2150 and Maniv Mobility .
Notable reads and other tidbits
ADAS
Teslais limiting the consumption of itsAutopilot equipment driver - assistance softwareas part of a two - million - vehicle recall . Reporter Sean O’Kane explicate what and why this matters .
Autonomous vehicles
TechCrunchreporter Rita Liao digs into the nuanced newAV regularization in China . “ A close read reveals some interesting contrast between the perspectives of Chinese and U.S. regulators regarding the nascent technology , ” Liao drop a line .
Waymokeeps chugging along , this workweek with an important expansion . Select rider can now bepicked up or dropped offby the party ’s robotaxis curbside at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport . It ’s limited to be sure , but still a milepost .
WeRidestarts testingautonomous busesin Singapore , signaling its globular dream .
Car sharing and other gig economy bits
European Unionlawmakers have finallyreached a dealon the terminal shape of the Platform Worker Directive , which is designed to bolster gig worker rights .
Getaround , the startup - turn SPAC that enables cable car possessor to charter their vehicles to their peer , filed itsfirst earnings report . Tl;dr : a dad in revenue that advise the company is growing , but still not enough to be profitable .
Electric vehicles, batteries & charging
Chevroletinvited reporters , including yours truly , to drive the2024 Chevy Blazer EV.My thoughts ? There is a plenty to like about this fomite . But in cattiness of all of its winnings , the Blazer EV , which is intended to be a mass seller , is simply too expensive for what it offers .
Fordisslashing its yield targetfor the all - electric F-150 Lightning to match weak requirement .
Jon McNeill , the former chairman of Tesla , founder of venture DVx and frailty chair of the Cruise board , wrote an interestingop - erectile dysfunction in TechCrunchdebunking the recent storyline that EV requirement is weakening . He argues that data shows EV sales are thrive , but warns that the U.S. must take action at law if it want to stay in the orbicular race .
Sila , a 13 - twelvemonth - older troupe that has raised more than $ 900 million to escort , signal a milepost dealto supply Panasonicwith its Titan Silicon anode fabric . Production will befall at Sila ’s future Moses Lake facility , where the startup recently broke basis .
Chinese electric scooter makerGogorointroduced a battery - swapping web and three smartscootersto India , marking the company ’s official entry into the world ’s most populous country and full-grown two - wheeler market .
Tesla’s$50,000 threat toCybertruck resellersmay be back after all .
Uber FreightandGreenlane , a $ 650 million junior varsity between Daimler Truck NA , NextEra Energy and BlackRock , are working together to accelerate the deployment and installation of public charging infrastructure for heavy duty EVs .
TheU.S.-Chinatech warfare is escalating overEV battery ascendence .
In-car tech
The U.S.National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationwantsanti - sot - driving techin car . Here ’s what place upright in the way .
