Notable reads and other tidbits
Autonomous Vehicles
Bill Gates wrote up some thoughts about where AV tech is headed. His blog also highlights a recent robotaxi ride he took with Wayve, a British AV company that has raised $258 million from backers that includes Microsoft.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed HB 1003, a bill that establishes a legal framework for autonomous vehicles (AVs) to test and deploy in the state.
Oxbotica is partnering with Google Cloud and will use its products like compute, storage, network, data and analytics to help develop, test, validate, and verify its self-driving technology. It will also leverage Google Cloud’s cyber-security technologies to help ensure secure use of autonomous mobility technology.
Waymo has taken its self-driving Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan out of service as it transitions its fleet to the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles equipped with its fifth-generation self-driving system. I wrote up a little historical feature on the vehicle, which was the company’s first commercialized autonomous vehicle.
Meanwhile, Waymo also said it is testing its fifth generation driver in Austin, Texas. The company didn’t confirm that Austin would be its next commercial launch, but it would make sense if Waymo is trying to keep up with Cruise.
Electric vehicles, charging & batteries
Canoo agreed to a $1.5 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Kia revealed the next EV in its portfolio, a three-row flagship SUV called the EV9 that will be key product in the company’s mission to reach annual sales of 1.2 million battery electric vehicles by 2030. The SUV will go on sale in selected global markets in the second half of 2023.
Lamborghini took the wraps off of the 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto, the Italian automaker’s first plug-in hybrid supercar and the replacement to the Aventador. Don’t worry, Lamborghini packed a lot into the Reveulto. Just look at the powertrain specs. The vehicle has 6.5-liter V12 engine that is then combined with three electric motors. The end result is an output of 1,015 CV (or about 1,001 horsepower) and a vehicle that can travel from 0-100 km/h (62 miles per hour) in only 2.5 seconds and a top speed of more than 350 km (217 mph).
Nio began its trial of EV battery swapping in China, which the company hopes will provide a quicker alternative to fast-charging stations. Nio already has 1,323 swapping stations in operation today and has set a target of 2,300 globally by year’s end.
Tesla brought back its referral program to Europe, a strategy that taps into the brand loyalty of customers as it seeks to preserve market share and boost sales before the first quarter of 2023 closes.
The U.S. signed a trade deal with Japan on EV battery minerals that will help both countries strengthen battery supply chains and grants Japanese automakers more access to the U.S.’s $7,500 EV tax credit.
The U.S. Treasury Department released updated rules for the EV tax credit. Early reports that fewer EVs would qualify for the full $7,500 were right.
In-car tech
General Motors shared its in-vehicle infotainment strategy and the big takeaway is that it will no longer equip future vehicles with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the middleware that lets users project their phone onto the center display. That’s an interesting change, especially because I remember when the Chevy Bolt first launched and it was not equipped with any in-house navigation and instead relied on Apple Carplay or Android Auto. GM will equip future vehicles with a number of embedded Google services, including Google Maps and Google
Assistant and other third-party apps like Audible and Spotify.
Ride-hailing and delivery
Grubhub is partnering with Transact Campus to integrate and provide a mobile-first app with capabilities for food ordering, pickup and delivery on college campuses.
Uber expanded Comfort Electric, the ride-hailing giant’s premium electric vehicle offering, to 14 new markets across the U.S. and Canada. The offers is now available in 40 North American markets.
People
Lucid Group is cutting its workforce by 18%, or 1,300 people, as part of a restructuring. The layoffs, which will be across the organization and will include executive positions, are expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter.
Lyft made a surprising move (although perhaps not to staff behind the scenes) and announced its co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer, who have been leading the company since its founding, are moving out of the executive spots to make way for new leadership. David Risher, who is taking over as Lyft’s CEO in mid-April, already has some ideas of how to reach profitability. In a wide-ranging interview with TechCrunch, Risher said the company may kill off shared rides and other features that get away from its core offering. And no, Lyft is not following Uber into delivery, so he says.
Shift Technologies, the online used vehicle retailer, cut its workforce by 30% in the first quarter as the company sought to reduce costs and eliminate duplicate positions following its merger with CarLotz. The layoffs came as the company saw its revenue plummet in the fourth quarter and its operating losses expand.
Virgin Orbit announced it will lay off around 85% of its workforce in order to further reduce expenses, after the troubled space company said it was unable to secure additional funding to keep it afloat.
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