Testing uberwaymo robotaxi, livian becomes hands-free and traviscaranic has av fomo

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I spent last week at SXSW, Austin’s annual tech, film, comedy and music festival. I recommend it Scroll through the live blog News that took place during the meeting to catch up with all the transport, AI, social media, creator economy (basically technology).

I have seen Austin evolve over the years with some good and bad results. The protected bike lane was one positive development. This is a great thank you when I rode some lime scooters and two mod bike e-bikes in the city. Austin is also becoming the hub for self-driving cars, where Avride is headquartered, Zoox is testing on public roads and Waymo launches commercial Robotaxi services.

I was lucky enough to match two Waymo Robotaxis. All ride hale happened on the Uber app, so it’s not a guarantee at all. There was also one coordinated match courtesy of Waymo. As I wrote earlier this week, Waymo and Uber work together is absolutely wild. This is the reason.

Oh, what do I have here? Found on my Waymo-Uber Robotaxi ride. Tip: Some updates to the user interface.

Little bird

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Great deal!

Senior reporter Sean Okane dived deep into the new venture company he called. Leitmotif It has quietly done lots of deals over the past 16 months. The company, which funds around 20 startups, focuses on decarbonisation through its portfolio, including EV companies, space and battery play and four fusion startups.

That’s not an interesting part. Here it is: All the money in that fund came from the Volkswagen Group. Check out all the episodes Why the German automotive giant committed $300 million to Leitmotif’s first fund.

Other deals that caught my attention…

Carpool LogisticsVehicle Logistics Platform, raised $12 million Participated in the Series A funding round led by Wavecrest Growth Partners from Carmax, Impel founders Devin Daly and Michael Quigley, and automotive veteran David Metter.

daqus energya startup working on battery materials, raised $6 million The seed round led by Morningside, and participation from unknown individual investors.

nirvanaan AI-based insurance platform that uses real-time driving telematics and 20 billion miles of truck driving data to build and manage insurance contracts for truck drivers, raised $80 million A Series C round funding round led by Catalyst. Lightspeed Venture Partners and Valor Equity Partners also participated. The investment is valued by Nirvana as a post-money of $830 million.

North Bolt filed for bankruptcy Sweden is the latest blow to Europe’s attempts to create a battery-making juggernaut that could rival the Chinese giants.

Notable readings and other information

Adas

Livian It has been expanded Hands-free version A driver assistance system for highway driving discussed by founder and CEO RJ Scaringe on the Austin SXSW stage. With the new hands-free feature, Libian competes with Ford and GM. It features a similar hands-free system that controls steering, acceleration and braking in specific conditions and locations.

Self-driving cars

Hugging my face Teamed up with AI startup Yaak Expand Rerobot – A collection of open AI models, datasets and tools to help build real-world robotic systems – Use training sets that allow robots and cars to autonomously navigate street-like environments.

Trucks VC General Partner Reilly Brennan There was an interesting column, Don’t mist a ride hale ring for a ride hale ring.

Travis KalanickThe former CEO of Uber has decided to Abandoning the autonomous driving program It was a mistake. Reminder: Uber ATG was burning in cash It was sold to Aurora in 2020.

Waymo Continue to expand – this time Silicon Valley. And it comes with the expansion Hundreds of parking tickets.

Electric cars, charging, batteries

Mint 400 Off-road racing put two EVs: the Libian R1T track and the Chevrolet Silverado EV ZR2 off-road race track concept – For testing.

Rud Power Lost CEO I’ve got a new one In a few days.

President Donald Trump He said he would label the violence against Tesla dealers. Domestic Terrorism – yet another indication of his deep support for Elon Musk. As a reporter Sean Okane “Tesla Take Over” is erupting around the world of Tesla dealers in protest of what he considers as a hostile federal takeover by Musk (Tesla’s CEO and its biggest shareholder) and his Musk. Government Efficiency Bureau. Some of the protests have brought graffiti to Tesla signs, ignited charging stations, and even Molotov cocktails are thrown into one dealer lot.

This week’s wheels

This week I tried two Austin-based e-bikes mod bike. I’ll focus on that latest one groovewhich of It was released earlier this week.

I spent 24 hours groovean all-electric step-through bike with the look and feel of a soupy beach cruiser. The grooves were previously present, but mod bikes have canceled it. Now it’s back and updated throughout, including frames, batteries, torque sensors, smart displays, motors and more.

The bike itself is sporty and refined. Prices at $1,999 It looks like a steal. This design is thoughtful with easy-to-read, easy-to-surgical controls and integrated bike lock that folds neatly into the frame.

The groove is a throttle and pedal assist bike, and I found it easy to switch between different modes. As the assist provided a lot of energy, I rarely resorted to just throttle. The bike has a payload capacity of 275 pounds, reaching top speeds of 28 mph. The grooves range from 50 miles. However, there is a dual battery option that pops up to 100 miles.

However, one note: Wow, this bike is a lot of money. And, while that’s generally good, people should give them a little time to suit their weight.

I also tested it mod connectThis allows users to wirelessly pair their Lumos Ultra-Smart helmets to synchronize and control signals directly from the bike. The connected bike helmet made the driver feel much more visible as he navigates the busy streets of downtown Austin.

What is “This Week’s Wheel”? This is your chance to learn about the various transportation products we are testing, electric and hybrid vehicles, e-bikes, and even self-driving vehicles.