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TechCrunch’s Transport Team – At least myself and senior journalist Rebecca Bellan – it’s hittin’s path. Destination: SXSW, the annual technical, music, film and culture conference in Austin. We both have panels, if you are at SXSW, check out yourself and introduce yourself.
We will open our eyes and ears to participate in the event’s shipping news, including a stage interview with Rivian CEO RJ Scaringing. You all know I’ll search for this city Waymo Robotaxis, only Uber app.
Our SXSW panel includes a March 11 interview with Autodesk Chief Marketing Officer Dara Treseder, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan will focus on the spotlight Change the city space. Rebecca will talk to executives at GM, Dolby and Google on March 12 In-car entertainmentI’ll interview wing CEO Adam Woodruff, Walmart Dedicated Warren Moore and Vice Presidents of University of North Texas Professor Clinton Purtell The future of drone delivery.
Before we get into the rest of the news, I want to talk about it Trump administrationexpected to disrupt the automotive industry.
We will follow the development of roller coaster deployment of this policy, including President Trump’s decision Delayed tariffs Regarding cars imported from Canada and Mexico, it was imported in Mexico for a month after executives from the three major automakers requested. capture? Government expects GM, Ford and Stelantis Move any maritime operation Arrive in the United States on April 2.
In this prediction, I feel safe: This won’t happen.
A little bird
when public Revealing its cheapest electric car, some winks and nods about the software make us wonder. A little bird confirmed our thoughts.
Volkswagen’s ultra-cheap electric car is called every 1 id (a four-door hatchback revealed this week), and will be the first Use software and architecture to launch from Rivian. Electric vehicles will be produced in 2027 at a starting price of 20,000 euros ($21,500), which will be the first company to ship using Rivian’s vehicle architecture and software. $5.8 billion joint venture Last year, the attack was between German automakers and American electric car manufacturers.
According to our source, another EV, called ID.2, should be released in 2026, is based on the E3 1.1 architecture and software developed by Volkswagen Software Unit Cariad.
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trade!
Let’s call this a deal Didi dreams. I’m talking about China’s cycling companies Didi and seek new funds for its self-driving car technology department Estimated at $5 billion.
DIDI Automous Driving is a unit created by DIDI, already Total $1.55 billion so far. Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg (reported by Scoop) that the division’s goal is to raise hundreds of millions of dollars and is negotiating with investors including Beijing funds to measure interests.
Amid other huge deal news, Chinese electric car manufacturers Bit Raised $5.6 billion in major stock sales. The company sold 129.8 million shares in the transaction, exceeding expectations.
Other deals that caught my attention…
Aiden Carconnected vehicle technology and data privacy start, Raised $4.2 million In seed funding led by Nuri Venture Partners. Other investors include Insurance, Tengro Ventures, Angels Band, Mentor Foundation, Start Equity Ventures, Conxcity and Weltham Capital, and an angel investor and home office who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The San Francisco startup founded by a former Volvo engineer has raised $6.1 million so far.
cano CEO Anthony Aquila yes Purchase almost all The assets of EV startups are bankrupt. price? $4 million.
Capowa company that develops intramotive charging systems for robot fleets, $15 million In a series of funding rounds led by Toyota Ventures. Investors Elements VC, IL Ventures, Payton Planar Magnetics Ltd., Mobilion and Doral Energy-Tech also attended the meeting.
California Clean Mobility Options Credential Plan release $33 million award Resolve action gaps and reduce air pollution, including electric school buses and e-bikes.
Famous readings and other tidbits
Self-driving cars
avride This time there is another partnership with Hyundai. Company agrees Co-development of autonomous vehicles. The deal will focus on AV technology designed for robots. Avride is also expanding its fleet of modern Ioniq 5 fleets, which will integrate with its autonomous driving system. History: Waymo and Hyundai also reached an agreement.
Politics Milano Set up new automatic speed record with A’s Indy Autonomous challenge Maserati MC20 Coupereaching 197.7 mph.
Uber CPO Sachin Kansal I recently talked about his career at a ride company and his promotion in October. this Deploy autonomous vehicles 14 partnerships through Uber (probably more in the future) are the next big challenge for the new chief product officer.
this “Waymo on Uber” Robotaxi Services Live in Austin now. This means that Uber users in Austin can now choose between Waymo Robotaxi and human drivers. Speaking of Waymo, the company has more than 200,000 paid Robotaxi rides Every week – The weekly Robotaxi doubled its bike in less than a year.
Electric cars, charging and batteries
Andreessen Horowitz Co-founder Ben Horowitz donated Tesla Sebert-style fleet Go to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. He has a history of giving away technology to the department.
Volvo Revealed ES90 sedanThe company’s first mass-produced electric vehicles are estimated to have a range of 435 miles under the WLTP rating system in Europe. Fun fact: The Volvo is equipped with Luminar’s iris lidar integrated on the roofline.
Riding a bike
Tesla Apply for a license Together with the California Public Utilities Commission, operate transportation services in the state. It is important to note that Tesla applies for a shipping charter contract operator license differently than Lyft and Uber’s ride-hailing app companies. A TCP license means that the company (in this case Tesla) owns the vehicle and uses its employees as drivers. This is also a necessary first step if the automaker wants to eventually run the Robotaxi service there.
Uber Driving a teenager-centric Uber serves teenagers In India. The service is currently residing in Bangalore, Delhi NCR and Mumbai. The company plans to expand its services to 35 cities in the coming weeks, including Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.
The Wheels of the Week
There is nothing this week, but please stay tuned.
What is “Wheels of the Week”? This is an opportunity to understand the different transportation products we are testing, whether it’s electric or hybrid, electronic bikes, or even self-driving cars.
