Waymo’s spent robotaxi batteries will be used as grid storage
The company announced a deal with B2U Storage Solutions to repurpose the battery packs as Waymo pulls them off the road.
Transportation
Uber to put 500 data-collection vehicles on the road this year
The modified Ioniq 5 will be loaded with sensors to capture data for Uber’s new AV Labs division.
Carvana ties up with Bezos-backed Slate Auto as it plans new car sales
Carvana was granted a warrant to buy shares in Slate last year, according to documents obtained by TechCrunch. Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter is heavily invested in both companies.
Squishmallows, dentures, and an ‘I Heart Hot Dads’ bag: Uber has found thousands of items left in robotaxis
Even in a future of robot taxis, someone still has to return the things passengers leave behind.
People are leaving a lot of weird stuff in their robotaxis
A unicorn Beanie Baby. A 15-pound green bowling ball. A pair of dentures. These are just some of the items left behind in robotaxis in the past year, according to Uber’s annual Lost and Found Index. For the first time, the company is expanding its annual of accounting of things forgotten in Uber vehicles to […]
Defense tech darling Mach Industries hits $1.8B valuation, a 4x jump in a year
In a wild ride for 22-year-old founder and CEO Ethan Thornton, Mach Industries has raised another $300 million. It already has five autonomous vehicles in development and completed a major acquisition.
SpaceX says it may issue ‘significant’ equity in ‘future transactions’
The company added a warning to prospective investors that a major dilution could be in the cards after it goes public.
TechCrunch Mobility: It doesn’t matter that people hate the Ferrari Luce
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part.
United flight forced to turn around because of a Bluetooth speaker name
United flight 236 from Newark to Palma de Mallorca on Saturday night was forced to turn around just an hour after takeoff due to security concerns around a Bluetooth signal. Multiple Redditors claimed to be on the flight and reported that the crew repeatedly requested passengers to turn off their Bluetooth. According to one poster, […]
The Mercedes CLA offers great EV specs for an average price
Despite headwinds from the current administration, automakers continue to release well-equipped EVs with bigger battery packs and increasingly faster charging speeds. For those who want to travel further between plugging in, the future is still bright, just slightly tinted. But there haven’t been many sedans starting around or below $50,000, as crossover SUVs have largely […]