Zoox rolls in LA & EHang flies in Guangzhou
(5min read) And if Musk won't make a cheap EV, Bezos will.
Welcome to CoMotion NEWS, your weekly roundup of news and analysis of the mobility revolution. If this email was forwarded, you can sign up here for NEWS.
From black-market bike batteries to tethered drone deliveries, the future is flying, rolling, and sometimes catching fire. Zipline’s long-awaited drone service is finally airborne in Dallas, while EHang’s air taxis are now commercially cleared for takeoff in China. On the ground, Lime is tightening access to free rides in Denver—even as its batteries become hot commodities for thieves. Meanwhile, Zoox and Nuro are both navigating new directions in autonomy, Jeff Bezos is funding a $25,000 electric pick-up truck and researchers may have just cracked a cheaper, greener way to produce hydrogen fuel and clean water. All that, plus a simple plan to make U.S. trains faster—no bullet trains required.
We're also 2 weeks away from CoMotion MIAMI '25. Join mobility’s most influential innovators and thought leaders. Snag your pass now!
What you need to know
Can Amazon compete with Waymo? Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit, begins to test robotaxis in Los Angeles, laying the groundwork for offering paid rides to Angelenos in the future. Considering how much progress Alphabet’s Waymo has made in the robotaxi space, Zoox and others better hurry up if they want a slice of the market. Plus, dont miss the chance to hear from Zoox Senior Director, Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Ron Thaniel at CoMotion MIAMI about autonomous mobility at scale.
Bezos’s cheap truck: Speaking of Amazon, CEO Jeff Bezos has been quietly backing a Michigan EV startup, Slate Auto, which is developing a two-seat pickup truck for only $25,000. In other words, they’re trying to fulfill the promise that Elon Musk has repeatedly reneged on. A two-seat pick-up is a refreshing deviation from the decades-long trend towards monster trucks at monstrous prices.
EHang cleared for takeoff: EHang receives approval from Chinese regulators to begin paid commercial flights with its EH216-S autonomous eVTOL aircraft. This milestone allows EHang to offer low-altitude sightseeing tours in Guangzhou and Hefei, marking the beginning of its commercial operations. It’s unclear when it will become an urban commute option, but that is definitely the company’s long-term goal.
Zipline launches drone delivery business: After years of various pilot programs, Zipline, the drone delivery startup based in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, is launching commercial deliveries in the Dallas area, with plans to gradually expand to other markets in the coming months. Its latest Platform 2 system features drones that fly at 300 feet and deploy tethered droids to gently place packages on small surfaces like patios or doorsteps, completing 10-mile deliveries in about 10 minutes.
A cheaper alternative to bullet trains: A new report by the Transit Costs Project at NYU finds that Amtrak and commuter rail operators could significantly speed up existing service with relatively simple operational changes. Building high-level boarding platforms that make it easier for people to get on and off the train could substantially reduce “dead” time at stations. Switching from diesel to electric trains would also yield big time savings, since the latter reach top speeds much more quickly. These kinds of changes could reduce travel time by as much as 30%, and at a dramatically lower cost than building a whole new high-speed rail system.
Nuro’s new route: Nuro investors are buying into Nuro’s pivot away from delivery robots in favor of licensing autonomous driving tech to automakers, delivery fleets, and ride-hailing companies. The Mountain View startup just raised $106 million in a Series E funding round, resulting in a $6 billion valuation. You might recall that that is a drop from its $8.6 billion valuation in 2021, but things were a little crazy that year.
From Hydrogen to the World Cup: John Rossant on the Future of Mobility
Paul Comfort and Transit Unplugged recently sat down with John Rossant, Founder & CEO of CoMotion to explore what’s next for cities, transit, and technology. From preparing for mega-events like the World Cup to pioneering hydrogen-powered aviation, John shares how CoMotion is helping shape the future of urban mobility—with a pasta recipe thrown in for good measure. They discuss:
The evolving role of public-private partnerships in transit
Why CoMotion MIAMI feels more like a tech summit than a transit conference
How cities can creatively finance sustainable mobility as federal funds tighten
And the global push toward hydrogen-powered transport—from Monaco to Miami
Is slashing regulators actually good for Tesla? The Financial Times looks at the cuts Elon Musk has made to the autonomous unit at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. At least one (anonymous) Tesla manager thinks it’s the exact opposite of what the company needs to do if it wants to succeed in autonomous driving.
A green hydrogen (and desalination) breakthrough? A Cornell-led research team has developed a compact device that uses solar energy to extract hydrogen fuel from seawater through electrolysis, simultaneously producing potable water as a byproduct. The researchers say that within 15 years, the technology could reduce the cost of green hydrogen production to $1 per kilogram, about a quarter of the current cost.
Two weeks to go!
We’re just around the corner from CoMotion MIAMI '25, April 29-30. Connect with innovators, public and private sector leaders, global mayors, VCs and the hottest startups.
CoMotion MIAMI is not just a conference — it’s a launchpad for what’s next in urban transportation — and where vision meets implementation. Join a growing community making a real impact on how people and goods move around our cities.
Latest attendees include: Beep, City of Long Beach, City of Miami, City of Orlando, Connecticut DOT, Circuit, Cities Today, FIFA World Cup 2026, Aeroports de Paris, INIT Innovations in Transportation, it's electric, LACI, LADOT, Leitner-Poma, Lyft, Moovit, MobilityVC, Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, Palm Beach TPA, REGENT, Refresh Miami, SFRTA (Tri-Rail), Serve Robotics, Swyft Cities, Transit Alliance, Transit Unplugged, Toyota, Uber Transit, U.S. Bank, Visa, WSP, Zero Emissions Transit, Zoox — and many more!
Lime scales back free rides: Roughly half of the 5.2 million rides Denver residents took on Lime bikes and scooters last year were free, courtesy of Lime Access, a program available to anyone enrolled in certain low-income assistance programs such as food stamps or Medicaid. Lime says it can no longer afford to be so generous, and will now limit program participants to three rides per day, each capped at a half hour. That’s still not bad! How Lime can afford to give away so many free rides and remain profitable is unclear, perhaps the company hopes to eventually convince local governments to pay for such programs.
The black market for Lime batteries: Thieves in London are targeting Lime e-bike batteries, valued at over £300, to either sell illegally or convert regular pedal bikes into makeshift electric bikes. The rise in thefts coincides with a rise in fires linked to second-hand or low-quality e-bike batteries: officials are warning people against buying batteries on the black market. Lime, meanwhile, is taking steps to make the batteries harder to steal.
What we’re reading
The MTA goes back to the Future: New York’s transit agency is retiring the “geographically accurate” subway map of the past 45 years in favor of a minimalist one that draws inspiration from the map drawn by Italian designer Massimo Vignelli that was briefly introduced in the late 70’s. Vignelli’s map was never appreciated by the powers-that-be at the time, but it has been championed ever since by a loud contingent of his disciples. Take a look –– what do you think?
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Editor, CoMotion NEWS
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