Notable news and other tidbits
Autonomous vehicles
Aurora is launching a small test fleet of Toyota Siennas for ride-hail operations in Texas, with a focus on high-speed routes.
Nvidia is signing up more automakers and AV companies to integrate its self-driving software, sensor and compute toolkit, Hyperion, such as BYD, Lucid Motors, WeRide and DeepRoute.ai. It also announced the next generation of Hyperion, which will include a more robust sensor platform and more compute power. In addition, the company is launching a mapping product for the AV industry.
WeRide said its Robobus and robotaxi fleets have accomplished road tests in Heihe, China and Abu Dhabi, UAE, where temperatures reach as low as -13 degrees and 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air stuff
Joby Aviation reported its Q4 and full year 2021 earnings. The company reported a net income of $5 million and an operating loss of $77.2 million. Adjusted EBITDA loss of $65.2 million was reflected primarily in the costs associated with development, certification and manufacturing aircraft.
Rocket Lab has confirmed its next Electron launch window for April 1.
Electric vehicles
Cadillac began production on Monday of its first-ever electric vehicle, the $60,000 Lyriq crossover.
Einride is partnering with shipping company Maersk to bring 300 connected electric trucks to Maersk’s North American warehousing, distribution and transportation business. They want to electrify over 1 million shipments over the next five years.
Lucid Motors opened its newest studio in Ontario, its 23rd in North America, and plans to begin Canadian deliveries of the Lucid Air in the spring. The EV startup has collaborated with Electrify Canada to offer those who reserve an Air by June 30 two years of complimentary charging on the company’s charging network.
Hyundai’s new Sonata will feature solar cells built into its roof, which has the possibility to add three to four miles to the cars range. Not massive, but it’s not nothin’.
Ford and Cisco are partnering to develop a WebEx app capable of running on Ford’s infotainment system, so that not even driving in a car will allow you to escape from video conference calls.
Elon Musk is tweeting about his Master Plan for how to scale Tesla to the “extreme” and hinting at the next part of the long-term playbook, which heavily features AI.
Maserati unveiled a prototype for its first all electric vehicle, a crossover called the Grecale, that will also come in a gas version because it’s Maserati.
Polestar is bringing its most affordable model, the Polestar 2 with a single motor and 270 miles of range, to the U.S. The car starts at $45,900, compared to the dual-motor Polestar 2 at $51,200, but the company says it can be sold for as low as $33,400 after federal and state incentives.
People
The SEC is urging a court not to let Elon Musk get away with skirting the rules of a 2018 settlement that said Musk would need to get pre-approval for certain Tesla-related public communications.
Former Cruise CEO Dan Ammann is now going to be heading up ExxonMobil’s Low Carbon Solutions business unit.
Miscellaneous
Finn, European car subscription platform, is expanding into Western Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Washington D.C. following an initial U.S. launch in December.
Uber reached an agreement to list all NYC taxis on its app, which will both help the company combat its driver shortage and rising fares, and help taxi drivers who were once at risk of being absolutely shafted by the ridehail app. Likely as a result of this, Curb, a ride-hailing app for licensed taxis and for-hire rides, is also partnering with Uber in NYC, enabling Curb-connected drivers to receive trip requests from Uber users.
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