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Welcome back toTechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insight on the future of transportation . Sign up here for free — just clickTechCrunch Mobility !
I ’ve been thinking a bit about time — and specifically what trends , music , ethnical practice , and even way we move around that encapsulate a time of year or particular yr . Gaming the algorithm seems to be an emerge symbol of this era of app - establish shipping and gig worker .
Take theNYT ’s late featureon a handful of Lyft “ bike angel , ” folks who have incentive to help the troupe ’s docked Citi Bike platform encounter need . It seems that gaming the Citi Bike algos was alucrative side hustlefor a while .
OK , enough deep thoughts about time and space . How about we get into the transport news of the daytime !
A little bird
This is not a transportation story , but I have to share because it involvesTravis Kalanick , an old character from the early and chaotic days of drive - hailing who co - foundedUber . For those who forgot : Kalanick stepped down as CEO of Uber in 2017 after Susan Fowler ’s viralblog postsparked an investigating into that work ’s culture . He go on to other projection , let in becoming chief executive officer of CloudKitchens .
Here ’s where our little bird , who apportion some troubling information about the workplace polish at CloudKitchens , comes in . The story bloomed far beyond that confidential information and into an article thatuncovered a unlawful termination lawsuitthat allege intimate discrimination and a hostile study environment . The bro culture , which had become a cornerstone of Uber in its former days , seems to have cropped back up .
Got a tip for us ? Email Kirsten Korosec atkirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com , Sean O’Kane atsean.okane@techcrunch.com , or Rebecca Bellan atrebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com . Or insure outthese instructionsto watch how to contact us via cipher messaging apps or SecureDrop .
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Deals!
See , folks , there are startups outside of the AI hype oscillation that are invoke money ! I do n’t typically call out themes , but I would observe that in this issue of TechCrunch Mobility , there sure are a lot ofaviation - relatedraises .
Here are some passel that arrive my attention …
Air Company , a sustainable aviation fuel startup , raised $ 69 millionin a Series B funding unit of ammunition led by Avfuel , with participation from Lowercarbon Capital , In - Q - Tel , Alaska Airlines , Connecticut Innovations ’ Climate Tech Fund , Duncan Aviation , JSSI , and the owners of Sheltair Aviation . live investors Carbon Direct Capital , JetBlue Ventures , and Toyota Ventures also participate .
Ayrton Energy , a startup make for on hydrogen storage , raised a $ 6.8 millionseed round lead by Clean Energy Ventures and BDC Capital , with participation from Antares Ventures , EPS Ventures , SOSV , The51 , and UCeed Investment Funds .
Cariqa , a Berlin - ground EV charge marketplace startup , raised € 1 million($1.1 million ) in a pre - seed funding around from Anthemis , Vento Ventures , Hatcher+ , Techstars , Golden Egg Check , and Plug and gaming .
DeepDrive , the German startup working on two-fold - rotor coil electric fomite motor , lift € 30 million($33.5 million ) in a Series B fundraising round led by Leitmotif . live investors BMW i Ventures , Co - Pace , UVC Partners , and Bayern Kapital also take part .
Point.me , the genuine - time flight of stairs rewards search engine , raised $ 15 millionin a Series B funding turn conduct by Nyca Partners and Citi Ventures . Other investor include Brian Kelly ( founder of the Points Guy ) , Samsung Next , RiverPark Ventures , Four Cities Capital , and MoreThan Capital , among others . Thayer Ventures and PAR Capital Ventures , who led other fundraising rounds , also participated .
Pyka , the autonomous galvanizing airmanship startup make grow crop - dusting and cargo plane lines , raised $ 40 millionin a Series B round led by Obvious Ventures , with engagement from Piva Capital , Prelude Ventures , Metaplanet Holdings , and Y Combinator .
REE Automotiveraised $ 45 millionand signed a major worldwide manufacturing concord with Motherson Group , a $ 17 billion revenue power plant operating in 44 countries . Today the fellowship also declare it haskicked off U.S. production in Detroit with Roush .
Twelve , a Berkeley - found startup develop sustainable airmanship fuel and other product from captured carbon copy dioxide , raised $ 200 millionin a Series C support round co - direct by TPG Rise Climate , Capricorn Investment Group , and Pulse Fund . Fifth Wall , Northstar VC , TGVP , Alaska Airlines , DCVC , Munich Re Ventures , and Emerson Collective also participated . The startup also secured another $ 400 million in project equity led by TPG Rise Climate and $ 45 million in credit facilities .
VELA , a French company develop confidential information - power maritime cargo transport , raised € 40 million($43 million ) in a funding round led by Crédit Mutuel Impact , 11th Hour Racing , and BPI – French Public Investment Bank .
Xiaodi Hou , the founder of failed sovereign trucking startupTuSimple , has n’t given up on AVs . He has a newfangled ego - drive truck startup called Bot Auto and hasraised $ 20 million . Forbes had the initial level ; stay tuned for more point from us .
Notable reads and other tidbits
Another 24-hour interval , anotherUberAV partnership . This time , Uber ispartnering with WeRideto contribute the Chinese company ’s robotaxis to the ride - hailing weapons platform starting in Abu Dhabi later this twelvemonth .
BMWmakes the showcase forbattery and hydrogen EVs .
EV startupHarbingeris develop its firsthybrid powertrain for an RVmade by customerThor Industrieswith 500 international mile of range . One crucial note , though : In this face , “ intercrossed ” does n’t mean a gasoline engine working alongside an galvanising powertrain . Harbinger is adding a small gas source that can feed energy into the 140 kWh battery pack . Thor says RVs using the intercrossed platform “ will be commercially available in 2025 ” across its various submarine - brands .
Northvolt , the barrage startup , laid off 20 % of its workforce . Reporter Tim De Chant lays out what this means and whymaybewe should n’t concern .
Rad Power Bikeshas partnered with Best Buy to bring the einsteinium - bike brand into the retail merchant ’s fund .
Rivianhas revealed the first $ 10 million worth of grants from the Rivian Foundation , three years after the EV maker vowed the philanthropic gift would receive 1 % of its equity to make the “ natural populace ” a “ stakeholder in our success . ” Read on to get a rich sympathy ofwhere the money is goingand why it train so long .
Tesla Supercharger : Here are the latest updateson which non - Tesla brands can get at the EV meshwork .
Wingis inflate its radio-controlled aircraft bringing course of study beyond the Dallas - Fort Worth area and into Charlotte , North Carolina , TechCrunch has read . Wing did n’t unveil which retail merchant it be after to partner with in that city . The company home in on North Carolina after valuate itsrecent view of 5,000 American shoppers . The view found 84 % of North Carolina resident mention interest in radical - fast market delivery , meaning 30 minute or less .
How willPresidentBiden ’s new proposed Formosan software banaffect U.S. automakers ? newsman Rebecca Bellan dug into the proposed rule and spoke to SAFE ’s Avery Ash to get out what it might mean .
This week’s wheels
Welp , I planned to apportion my cerebration on theGMC Sierra EV Denali , but then reporter Rebecca Bellan drop a line a full review of thePedego Cargo e - bike . I ’d be remiss not to highlight it here . ( Sierra EV wait one more week . )
The upshot ? After spending the summertime riding around on Pedego ’s Cargo e - bike , Bellan was take by the sporty styling and design and its cargo capacitance . But it was n’t all smooth pedaling . Some technical school issue , as well as its oppressiveness , might give some pause on shelling out $ 4,000.Read on for the full review .
What is “ This week ’s wheels ” ? It ’s a probability to learn about the different expatriation ware we ’re testing , whether it ’s an electrical or hybrid car , an e - bike , or even a ride in an self-directed vehicle .
