Stellantis CEO quits Waymo, Rivian cuts staff and EV slowdown continues

TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here – just click on TechCrunch Mobility to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.

welcome back TechCrunch Mobility – Your central hub for news and insight on the future of transport.

a brilliant CEO carlos tavares And I covered plenty of that in a wide-ranging interview covering the company’s previously stated goals on EVs, the threat of Chinese automakers, its deal with Amazon on software, and whether the RamCharger and electric Dodge Charger are still on track (they are). Told things. , By the way, stay tuned for more coverage this coming week.

You may be surprised to learn that Stellantis still intends to deploy commercial self-driving vans through the partnership waymo, Tavares said they are working to “deepen” the relationship; You can read more about that here. Of course, as he spoke, I wondered if this was wishful thinking or an effort by the company to show it is still part of the autonomous vehicle conversation? Any doubts I may have may be cleared by this summer. stay tuned.

This week’s news articles also include Uber’s India boost in travel ticketing and delivery, consolidation in shared micromobility, second chance for Nikola’s Idle Badger Pickup Truck, and more!

let’s go!

a little bird

Here’s an interesting thing that brings high-end real estate and automotive together. Back in January, mercedes benz Made its foray into real estate by tying up with Binghatti Properties, The two companies partnered on a $1 billion development in Dubai that will include 150 apartments starting at $2.7 million a pop.

A little birdie tells us that Mercedes will announce another “Mercedes-Benz Places” development before the end of this month – this time in the United States. What’s your guess?

On the EV front, we got news of an interesting development Cake, Swedish e-motorbike startup that entered bankruptcy protection. While Cake was going through that process, a Florida man who owns a retail shop called Emoto purchased all of the Cake Mecca and Osa motorbikes that were being shipped across the state, as well as accessories and spare parts.

Check out our story that started with a tip!

Got a tip for us? E-mail Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or sean o’keane sean.okane@techcrunch.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, Click here to contact usIncluding SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.

deal of the week

Just when I thought the micromobility industry couldn’t get any stronger, Cooltra acquired cityscootThe Paris-based service known for its iconic white and blue electric mopeds was placed under receivership under a court order several months ago.

as a reporter Romaine Delate Note, micromobility startups flourished in Europe when interest rates were near 0%. However, the economic sky became much murkier as interest rates rose, making it harder to raise funding rounds and secure the credit facilities needed to acquire new vehicles. A wave of bankruptcies and mergers ensued.

CityScoot has raised at least $75 million since its founding in 2014. After failing to secure a new funding round to keep the company afloat, it filed for bankruptcy and was later placed under receivership under court order. Cooltra’s offer, which was approved by the courts, focuses mostly on CityScoot’s assets, including its user base.

According to court documents, Cooltra is spending €400,000 ($430,000 at today’s exchange rate) to acquire CityScoot and plans to spend approximately €1.5 million ($1.6 million) over the next two years to finance the merger Is.

Other deals that caught my attention…

Haomo.aiAn autonomous driving startup backed by Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor raised 100 million yuan, or $14 million, in a Series B funding round led by Chengdu Wufa Private Equity Fund Management, an investment vehicle backed by the Chengdu government.

No deal, name change! robotic research autonomous industry (RRAI), an autonomous vehicle company with a history of working with the Department of Defense, changed its name to Forterra.

Notable readings and other news

autonomous vehicle

Uber Eats plans to launch a delivery service with cartcan’s Sidewalk robot in Japan. The companies already have limited operations in Fairfax, Virginia and Miami.

Waymo’s Expansion plans for California slowed by delays California Public Utilities Commission, News of the stoppage came as a major blow. Although there has been increased criticism and pressure regarding robotaxis regulations, I do not think it is as harmful as some people suggest. The CPUC said its decision to suspend the application pending further review was “not unusual.” The most interesting thing for me was to learn that Waymo had updated their app to include parts of San Mateo County which would unlock a route to San Francisco International Airport.

Electric vehicles, batteries and charging

archThe electric boating startup revealed a new battery-powered wake sports boat called the Arc Sport.

The earnings demonstrated – once again – that the appetite for high-priced luxury EVs may not be as big as we thought. Lucid Motors After once predicting it would ship 90,000, it said it would make only 9,000 EVs in 2024; Rivian, which is laying off 10% of its workforce to cut costs, said it expects to make 57,000 EVs in 2024; And mercedes It will not meet its target of 50% of sales being electrified (including hybrid) by 2025. The new target is now 2030.

During this, ford It has cut prices for its fully electric 2023 Mustang Mach-E by $8,100 to rid itself of inventory and compete with Tesla and its increasingly cheap EVs.

technology in car

hive foldersGoogle, a mapping startup, is launching a new dashcam later this year that its co-founder believes will accelerate efforts to capture market share from Google. Yes, Google!

this week’s wheels

Image Credit:Kirsten Korosec

I’m back in another Genesis, this time G80 EV AWD, I’ve only been behind the wheel for a few days, but I already have a list of “likes” and “room for improvement.” The white matte model I drove is priced at $82,450.

Genesis fans may recognize the battery-electric G80 as it is almost identical to the gas-powered G80 3.5T Sport (with the exception of the powertrain and other related bits). Taking a vehicle designed for internal combustion engines and retrofitting it into an EV means making some compromises. The power and torque are there – two 136-kilowatt electric motors each provide the equivalent of 182 horsepower – and the finished look is attractive. But squeezing that 87.2 kilowatt-hour battery frees up some trunk space. And no, there is no trunk or frunk up front.

This EV is quiet on the highway, but a little noisy on rough roads. Advanced driver assistance systems are easy to use and include adaptive cruise, which accelerates or brakes to maintain a selected distance from the vehicle in front, as well as lane keeping “assist” (it won’t move for you) and others. Safety alert features like blind spot warning.

Image Credit:Kirsten Korosec

So far, I have found the interaction with the infotainment system frustrating at times, especially using the large chrome dial on the center console that is too close to the other dial that changes gears (see above).

Moving the dial illuminates different areas on the screen, which the user must click on when he finds what he wants. It works, but it’s not exactly intuitive or intuitive. Add a little glare from the sun and it can be difficult to see what’s highlighted. I might have explained ‘Hey, I didn’t want that!’ A few times on a recent drive.