Welcome again to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for information and insights on the way forward for transportation. Join right here at no cost — simply click on TechCrunch Mobility!
Brief week, shorter e-newsletter. For all of the U.S.-based readers, I hope you had an fulfilling Labor Day.
Earlier than we leap into the information fray, right here is one nifty merchandise that mixes robotics, mobility, and accessibility. Korea’s Institute of Equipment and Supplies showcased a robotic wheelchair with massive, deformable wheels that may handle rocks, stairs and different obstacles. Test it out.
Now, on to different information. Let’s go!
Just a little chook
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Offers!
Speak about hustle.
Zepto, the 3-year-old Indian supply and e-commerce startup, has raised $1 billion previously 90 days, TechCrunch solely discovered. This confirms our earlier reporting that the startup was finalizing a $340 million funding spherical led by Common Catalyst. Different backers embody Nexus Enterprise Companions, Lightspeed, Avra, YC Continuity, Opposite and StepStone Group.
A few different notable offers …
E Daddy, a UAE-headquartered enterprise that makes two-wheeler EVs in Dubai, raised $15 million in a funding spherical.
Oxylus Power, a startup spun out of a Yale chemistry lab final yr, has been working to refine the manufacturing of so-called inexperienced methanol. Now it has some capital. The startup raised a $4.5 million seed spherical led by Toyota Ventures and Azolla Ventures with participation from Earth Foundry and Connecticut Improvements. TechCrunch reporter Tim De Chant digs into why its founders imagine they can assist airways and transport firms hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
WeMob, a fleet administration and telematics SaaS firm in Iberia, was acquired by Alerce for an undisclosed quantity.
Notable reads and different tidbits
ADAS
A lady who allegedly killed two folks utilizing the hands-free driver-assistance product Ford BlueCruise was charged with a DUI murder.
Autonomous autos
Tesla plans to unveil its robotaxi at an occasion at Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.’s film studio within the Los Angeles space, Bloomberg reported. A hacker, referred to as greentheonly, adopted up with fairly the perception on social media web site X. He famous that Tesla began intensive information assortment in “WB Studio” space 4. This implies that Tesla could also be pre-mapping the world earlier than the October 10 occasion.
Electrical autos, charging & batteries
Tesla deleted all of its weblog posts previous to 2019 (the headline is for all these 1984 followers on the market). These weblog posts are a digital historical past of the corporate, protecting the whole lot from CEO Elon Musk’s unique grasp plan, to the primary Autopilot fatality in a Mannequin S, to declarations on the potential of its EVs. Neither the corporate, nor Musk, have defined why.
Way forward for flight
Archer Aviation stated it accomplished 402 check flights up to now this yr. The corporate stated it’s ramping up flight check operations prematurely of for-credit flight testing with the FAA.
Experience-hailing and car-sharing
Lyft is protecting its micromobility enterprise, nevertheless it’s coming at a value. The corporate is restructuring its operations and shedding about 1% of its workforce (Lyft employed about 2,945 staff on the finish of 2023). The corporate expects to incur $34 million to $46 million of restructuring expenses. The massive change, apart from an built-in unit and a brand new identify, is the tip of dockless rides. Docked or bust!
Uber introduced a strategic plan to double down in South Korea, a transfer that straight challenges market chief Kakao Mobility, the ride-hailing unit majority-owned by South Korean messaging and tech large Kakao.
Vay, a startup that has put a teleoperated twist to car-sharing in Berlin and Las Vegas, is increasing into business and business-to-business providers buoyed by current offers with automaker Peugeot and car-sharing firm Poppy. Thomas von der Ohe, Vay’s co-founder and CEO, instructed me the startup might be saying some delivery-specific partnerships quickly, together with with trucking, gentle business car and last-mile supply firms.
Small startup world aspect notice: A number of the tech buried in Vay’s teleoperated Kia Niro autos comes from Polysync Applied sciences, a now-defunct startup out of Portland that I found waaaayyyy again on the first self-racing automobile occasion at Thunderhill Raceway in 2016.
This week’s wheels
I spent a couple of days within the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 2LT, and I’m pleased to report that the software program labored! And no, this isn’t snark; final yr, GM skilled what one worker lately described to me as a “centennial moment” when it rolled out the Chevrolet Blazer EV and it was stricken by buggy software program that left one auto reporter stranded.
The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 2LT, which is front-wheel drive and comes with an 85 kilowatt-hour battery that gives an estimated 319 miles of vary, has a steered retail worth of $45,995 (together with the vacation spot price). My model additionally included the hands-free superior driver-assistance system referred to as Tremendous Cruise.
I used to be skeptical after my expertise with the Blazer EV, which left me a bit meh. The Equinox EV isn’t the Blazer. It’s merely a greater EV — and sure, even with out Apple CarPlay. There have been a couple of additional steps to make sure you’ll have the identical digital expertise because the smartphone mirroring CarPlay and Android Auto merchandise present. And that may flip off some people. However as soon as I checked all of the checks and toggled all the correct toggles, I had a seamless expertise.
One odd merchandise of notice: Tremendous Cruise was initiating computerized lane modifications on the freeway, however by my second day behind the wheel (and on the identical stretch of freeway), I needed to manually transfer the car into the lane.
What’s “This week’s wheels”? It’s an opportunity to study in regards to the completely different transportation merchandise we’re testing, whether or not it’s an electrical or hybrid automobile, an e-bike or perhaps a trip in an autonomous car. Future autos embody some e-bikes and the GMC Sierra EV and the Chevrolet Equinox EV.
