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receive back to TechCrunch Mobility — your cardinal hub for newsworthiness and insights on the hereafter of transport .
This week was a officious one withRivianofficially announcing the reveal date for its next - gen EV , aWaymorobotaxi strike a bicyclist ( oh and one of its robotaxis was vandalized and sting tardy Saturday night!),Arrivaltrying to sell off its U.K. plus , plus a few scoops on east - motorcycle startupCake , FordandFisker . There ’s a raft of terra firma to cover , so do along for a ride .
Oh , but first , a snatch of late - break newsworthiness over the weekend .
Joby Aviation , a company developing all - electric aircraft for commercial-grade passenger inspection and repair , announced Sunday an agreement withDubairegulators to establish air hack serving there by former 2026 . Joby , a startup that go public in 2021 via a merger with a particular purpose acquisition caller , read it ’s targeting initial procedure as early as 2025 .
It ’s worth noting that under the deal , Joby has exclusive aura cab right in Dubai for six years and some financial “ mechanisms ” ; Joby did n’t leave further details . Joby has also sign up an agreement with Skyports , a company that will design , establish and control four initial vertiport sites across Dubai .
rent ’s go !
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A little bird
We ’ve had many little birds talk to us aboutFisker , the EV startup that run short public in 2020 via a uniting with a especial purpose acquisition troupe . Those conversations combined with a review of internal document , a number of lawsuits and an investigation by Union regulators came together in ariveting and troubling storybySean O’Kane .
What did O’Kane find ? Fisker Ocean SUV client have report more than 100 disjoined loss - of - office incidents as well as myriad other problems , including sudden exit of brake world power , problematic key fob causing them to get locked inside or exterior of the vehicle , seat sensor that do n’t notice the number one wood ’s presence and the SUV ’s front hood on the spur of the moment flying up at high speeds .
customer also complained about the service section . After our history was published , another little snort told us that Fisker ’s global military service director was latterly permit go .
Got a tip for us ? EmailKirsten Korosecatkirsten.korosec@techcrunch.comorSean O’Kanesean.okane@techcrunch.com . If you favour to remain anonymous , get across here to contact us , which include SecureDrop ( instructions here ) and various encrypted messaging apps .
Deal of the week
Indiais one of the gravid two - wheeler markets in the earth . And a whole new crop of startup — like startupRiver — are pop up up on the scene thanks to demand for zero - emission vehicle .
River recentlyraised $ 40 millionin a Series B financial support round chair by Japan’sYamaha Motor . Existing investors Al - Futtaim Automotive , Lowercarbon Capital , Toyota Ventures , Trucks VC and Maniv Mobility also participated .
The inauguration is face a competitive market as many companies are vying for a piece of the EV Proto-Indo European . River is reckon that it will make headway over Amerindic customers with Indie , a utility lifestyle - focused product that has been describe as an “ SUV ” two - wheeler .
Other deals that got my attention …
Elroy Air , a South San Francisco - based startup train self-governing cargo drones , raise $ 48.9 million , consort to aregulatory filing .
Guided Energy , a Gallic inauguration thatraised $ 5.2 millionfrom Sequoia Capital and Dynamo Ventures at the end of 2023 , is build a software tool that will help EV fleet operators with boot direction and dispatch .
Oto , an Amerind startup that work up a financing software political platform for two - bicycle eV , erect $ 10 millionin a round led by GMO Venture Partners .
Starship Technologies , a deliverance robotics startup out of Estonia , raised $ 90 millionin a support round conscientious objector - led by two old backers : Plural and Iconical . It bring the total provoke by Starship to $ 230 million , with previous backers let in the Finnish - Nipponese firm NordicNinja , the European Investment Bank , Morpheus Ventures and TDC .
Notable reads and other tidbits
Autonomous vehicles
An administrative police force jurist with theCalifornia Public Utilities Commissionheld asettlementhearing regarding the October 2 incident that left a footer , who had ab initio been hit by a homo - driven car , stuck under and then get behind by aCruiserobotaxi .
The audience hash over much of what Quinn Emmanuel — the jurisprudence business firm GM hired to investigate the October 2 incident — bring out in an independent written report . But it ’s worth noting that throughout the exchange , Cruise struck an extremely conciliatory tone . Craig Glidden , GM ’s EVP of legal and insurance who was appointed in December master administrative officer at Cruise , was peculiarly insinuating .
At one point , he seemed to agree with pay up a higher amercement , which under statute would be $ 112,000 . Here ’s what he say .
It was regrettable . It was a misunderstanding and Cruise is set about to make right with the mistake . I ’m not here to quibble about whether it ’s $ 75,000 or $ 112,000 . We desire to get the matter root because we require to move ahead and we want to advance the mission of bringing driverless automobile that are safer to the public and also expectant accessibility to the public to the market . So we ’re more than happy to be compromised in any direction that the court of law would see set or the commission would see fit to get this matter behind us .
Waymohas the attention of regulator in California after one of its robotaxis discover a bicyclist in San Francisco . The cyclist stomach modest harm . Waymo sound out its robotaxi was stopped at a four - way overlap as a with child hand truck was drive in the polar focus . The railroad car then moved into the intersection and collided with the cyclist who was behind the truck .
TechCrunch spoke to theDepartment of Motor Vehiclesand theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission — the two agency that control permit that allow companies like Waymo to test , deploy and commercially charge for driverless ride . The CPUC said it was “ gathering info from Waymo ” and the DMV told me the agency “ is reviewing the incident . ” We ’ll see if this turns into anything more .
One more Waymo item . At around 9 p.m. Saturday even , a crowd surrounded an empty Waymo robotaxi , began rocking it , smash up windows and ultimately get down it on fire good manners of fireworks . FriscoLive415shared the videoon X. Pretty harebrained footage . A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch the fomite was not transporting any riders and no injuries have been reported . The company is “ work out closely with local safety functionary to react to the situation . ”
Electric vehicles, charging & batteries
Arrivalannounced that its U.K. division isentering administration , the country ’s version of bankruptcy .
galvanic motorcycle companyCakeheld talks with Harley - Davidsonand other automakers in 2023 as it fought to appease alive , founder and CEO Stefan Ytterborn told TechCrunch .
Cowboyis undulate out anon - requirement service programfor canonical maintenance , customization and repairs , delivered at the e - bike possessor ’s home .
Fordhas been quietly working on a low - monetary value EV . The companycreated a skunkworks projecttwo years ago that ’s based in Irvine , California and led by ex-wife - Tesla and Ford Advanced EV development bossAlan Clarke . Notably , the squad includes railroad engineer from Auto Motive Power ( AMP ) , the EV power startup that the auto maker acquired in November 2023 . AMP founder Anil Paryani , who coincidentally overlapped with Clarke for about five years at Tesla , is also part of the skunkworks project .
Rivianwill give away itssmaller , cheaper R2 SUVon March 7 . Stay tune up !
Toyotawill spend an additional $ 1.3 billion to prepare its Kentucky factory for production of a newthree - wrangle all - galvanising SUVdesigned for U.S. consumers .
Gig economy
Uberhit a major milestone that a few years ago I was n’t sure would ever be met . The ride - hail and deliverance app report afull - year profit(driven by operating income ) as a public company . And it seems that profit momentum is expected to bear on into the first quarter . Uber has hit an annual profit before , but it was largely due to its investments . In 2023 , the caller ’s winnings also come from its military operation .
monitor thatLyftwill post its fourth - quarter and full - twelvemonth earnings after market close February 13 .
People
Getaround , a company that help fomite owners hire out their cars , trucks and SUVs to other peer , iscutting 30%of its North American workforce as part of a restructuring . Getaround tailor 10 % of its faculty in February 2023 .
General Motorshired battery expertand ex - Tesla executiveKurt Keltyto be the auto manufacturer ’s novel vice president of battery — a brand new role for the troupe .
This week’s wheels
My VanMoof e - bike is n’t dead , but it ’s not quite alive either . I bribe anX3from VanMoof after I reexamine the bike for TechCrunch back in 2021 and come off wildly impressed . The motorcycle was excellent ; but it was also a personal revelation , indue me — a lazy bonnie - weather bicyclist — to pedal around my city ( Portland , Oregon ) when I might otherwise expend a machine .
When I bought my VanMoof , on cut-rate sale at the metre , I knew it was a risk . I spent the money , knowing that in the worst - fount scenario my motorcycle could turn into a $ 2,000 brick . That scenario go far last class whenVanMoof announce failure .
Lavoie bought the companionship ’s remain belatedly last summertime , providing a glimmering of hope that the notoriously fickle bikes full of bespoke constituent will still be serviceable in the hereafter . In the meantime , VanMoof proprietor like myself scramble to download apps like Bikey , made byCowboy , to salvage the digital key link up us to our bike .
I still have a good deal of affection for my 30 - Cypriot pound possible - next - paperweight , which I nervously power on and connect my earpiece to a few time a workweek . It ’s been pouring for month — not the kind of conditions I ’ll bike in any more — but I hope when spring rolls around my X3 show some fresh signal of life-time too .
