Sea gliders in Japan, robotaxis in Austin & another auto strike
CoMotion NEWS - Jack Craver
A lot of the stories this week may feel like deja vu, but we promise it’s actually new! Workers at another vehicle manufacturer go on strike, public safety officials in another major U.S. city butt heads with Cruise over robotaxis, a major micromobility startup announces layoffs, Uber suffers a legal defeat in Europe, GOP presidential candidates bash EVs, and cars are becoming even more expensive.
But then there is some truly surprising stuff: the first green hydrogen unicorn, a plan to deploy electric sea gliders in Japan and autonomous eVTOL testing in LA. Finally, why can’t the famously punctual Germans get their trains to run on time?
What you need to know
Another auto strike: While there are signs of progress in the UAW’s negotiations with the Big Three, 3,900 union employees of Mack Trucks, a truck manufacturer owned by Volvo, vote to go on strike, rejecting a tentative contract reached between the company and union leadership that included a 20% pay increase. The workers walked off the job Monday morning at plants in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida.
Bird sheds staff after delisting: Two weeks after acquiring rival scooter operator Spin and one week after being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, Bird issues a round of layoffs, although the number of affected employees remains unclear. The Santa Monica-based company was booted from the NYSE after failing to maintain a market capitalization above $15 million for 30 straight days. The firm went public via SPAC just under two years ago but has been hobbled by a number of issues, most notably an inability to make money. Before its delisting, the stock had lost 80% of its value in the past year.
Dutch court rules against Uber over data transparency: A court in the Netherlands rules that two fired Uber drivers have a right to know what caused the app’s algorithms to flag their accounts for termination. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation requires employers to provide employees with information about algorithms that have a significant impact on their employment.
As CoMotion LA draws near, we chat with CoMotion Impact Partner, World Auto Steel. Their Steel E-Motive program stands at the forefront of sculpting the future of sustainable Mobility as a Service, propelled by innovative advancements in steel. CoMotion’s CEO John Rossant is joined by World Auto Steel’s Technical Director, George Coates, and Ricardo’s Chief Engineer, Vehicle Systems Integration, Neil McGregor. This episode deep dives into what position steel occupies in an era of fully autonomous ride-sharing and how it can contribute to net zero emission targets. Tune in now!
Austin officials frustrated with Cruise: Police and fire officials in Austin, Tex., voice concerns about the driverless vehicles that Cruise, the GM-backed startup, has been testing in the city. Since the testing debuted in August, fire department officials say that there have been two instances when Cruise vehicles hindered the ability of fire trucks to leave a downtown station. Emails sent by fire department officials display their frustration with the company’s practices and slow response to questions and concerns.
Anti-EV is becoming a GOP staple: Republicans are warming to Elon Musk, but they are still not sold on electric cars. Not only are GOP presidential candidates united in opposition to laws and subsidies aimed at propping up EVs, but some of them, notably Donald Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy, are portraying EVs as a threat to American manufacturing.
The first green hydrogen unicorn: Electric Hydrogen, a startup in the Boston area, raises $380 million in a Series C round, pushing its valuation up to $1 billion.
First Minneapolis, then St. Paul: A few years after Minneapolis became the first U.S. city to eliminate single-family zoning, its ‘twin’ neighbor, St. Paul, is considering following suit. In the early stages of the debate, it appears that supporters of greater housing options and more density outnumber opponents, perhaps reflecting a generational shift in attitudes about zoning, which in the past has been vigorously defended by older homeowners.
Robo air taxi testing in LA: Wisk Aero, a subsidiary of Boeing based in Mountain View, Calif., begins running test flights of autonomous air taxis out of Long Beach Airport.
Regent & Japan Air partner on electric sea gliders: Regent, the electric sea glider developer based in Massachusetts, raises $60 million in a Series A round and announces a partnership with one of its financial backers, Japan Air, to deploy its gliders on Japanese waterways. The startup, which has so far raised a total of $90 million, tested a 12-seat prototype in Rhode Island last year that reached 50 mph at 10 feet above the open ocean. The company says the commercial version will travel at up to 180 mph.
If you thought cars were expensive before…AAA estimates that the average annual cost of car ownership in the U.S. has climbed to $12,182, up from $10,728 last year. That amounts to 16% of the annual income of the median American household. Simply put, every part of car ownership has become much more expensive since the pandemic. Used vehicles are now selling for 40% more than in 2020, while the cost of maintenance and repairs is 30% higher and insurance is 29% higher. Time to consider an e-bike!
We are just ONE MONTH AWAY! 🤩🎉
Cities everywhere are focusing efforts on developing and repurposing infrastructure for a more sustainable mobility future. That's one of the key themes of the extra special seventh edition of CoMotion LA '23.
Make sure to join us on Nov 14-16, DTLA, and connect with mobility stars, leading companies, and the most interesting startups in mobility! Look who’s coming… 👀
Stephanie Wiggins, CEO, LA METRO
Mark Groden, Founder & CEO, Skyrse
Billy Thalheimer, CEO & Founder, REGENT Craft
Nuria Fernandez, Administrator of the FTA, USDOT
Pierfrancesco Maran, Deputy Mayor, City of Milan
John Moavenzadeh, Executive Director, MIT Mobility Initiative
Huaijin Bao, Global Head of Industrials, Citi Commercial Bank
Randall Winston, Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure, City of Los Angeles
Stacey Matlen, SVP - Innovation, Partnership Fund for NYC
Thiemo Schalk, Government & External Affairs, BMW
Terra Curtis, Interim Director - Consumer Protection & Enforcement Division, CPUC
Nik Karalis, CEO, Woods Bagot
Michael Schneider, CEO & Founder, Streets For All
Get your pass today and save 30% before prices go up next Monday, Oct 16.
What we’re reading
Building ‘livable’ streets in an era of AVs: StreetsBlog’s Kea Wilson talks with Bruce Appleyard, a professor of urban planning at San Diego State University and the author of a recent book, Livable Streets 2.0, about what policies will ensure that driverless cars actually make our streets safer and more pleasant for all users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists. The technology alone won’t do the trick, he warns.
Chinese AVs in California raise concerns: NBC News takes a look at the state of autonomous vehicle testing in California, where 10 of the 40 companies licensed to test on public roads are Chinese. This has stirred concerns about AVs used to collect data that could be of use to the Chinese government.
How e-bikes don’t need to be a luxury item: The Washington Post highlights some of the roughly 60 e-bike incentive programs around the U.S. that are making the generally pricey products accessible to low-income people. Cities, countries, states and electric utilities are among the entities offering generous income-based subsidies.
Germany copes with tardiness: For reasons that aren’t easy to explain, tardiness has become the rule rather than the exception for German rail travel. Less than half of trains in the famously punctual country come on time. In an effort to soften the blow, train operators have begun to infuse their frequent delay announcements with humor.
CoMotion's mobility goodness brought to you by:
Jack Craver,
Editor, CoMotion NEWS
jcraver@comotionglobal.com
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