BREAKING: NYC caps UBER… LINK
The Voice of Mobility
- Voice AI like Alexa and Siri could hold the key to building trust in self-driving cars. LINK
- ‘Voice of Waymo’ reassures passengers of the driverless van’s safety. LINK
3D printing bikes, cars, and shuttles are more accessible than you think. With 3D printed vehicles becoming manufacturable at home, there’s no stopping the 3D printing train. choo choo LINK
Out of the Ashes of Otto
- Lior Ron, one of Otto’s cofounders, is back at the helm of Uber’s standalone long-haul trucking Uber freight connects truckers with shippers. Uber plans to double its investment in the unit to drive growth ahead of a much-anticipated initial public offering. LINK
- Don Burnette, one of Otto’s cofounders, is back at the helm of an autonomous long-haul trucking company called Kodiak Robotics. Kodiak is edging out of stealth and announced it raised $40 million in financing LINK
- FLASHBACK: Anthony Levandowski, one of Otto’s cofounders, is back at the helm of an autonomous long-haul trucking company called ai LINK
DUI arrests in South Florida have plummeted. Uber, Lyft, and millennials are among the reasons why. LINK
The Future of Parking
- Cities of the future will not need street parking.LINK
- Self-driving cars will not kill parking. In fact, the $100 billion market may be poised to grow. LINK
- The CEO of SpotHero explains how he’s outlasted all of his better-funded rivals — and the lesson to be learned. LINK
- Did you know… The term “Parking” was actually meant for space set aside for “tree parks“, not cars, on the side of the street? Here’s the interesting etymology of parking. LINK
Renting cars to ride-share drivers
- Avis Car Rental is making its vehicles available toLyft drivers who need quick and easy access to cars, opening up new revenue streams. LINK
- A bunch of new car rental options for ride-share drivers, but it’s still not worth it.LINK
Oh, That musky scoundrel
- Last Wednesday, Elon Musk apologized to an analyst for calling him a ‘boring bonehead’ in the last earnings call. Mr. Musk said there’s‘no excuse for bad manners.’ LINK
- Four days later … Musk tweets a video parody of Hitler ‘shorting Tesla stock’ LINK
Uber has been hit with a $650 million class-action lawsuit from London’s “black cab” drivers. They claim the company has acted “unlawfully’ since launching in London in 2012 and had the intention of “causing loss to the licensed taxi trade.” LINK
India’s Uber rival Ola is headed to Europe with the ride-hailing launch in the UK. Ola has obtained licenses to begin operations in South Wales in September, as well as Greater Manchester, and plans to expand nationwide by the end of the year. LINK
Meanwhile, in southern Michigan, an Amish entrepreneur slaps the word Uber on the side of his horse and buggy and gets international exposure for his $5 carriage ride. Well played Mr. Hochstedler. LINK
SOURCE: Didi and Alibaba‘s Ant Financial are in talks with ofo for a joint buyout offer that could value the bike sharing co. up to US$2 billion. LINK
- FLASHBACK: China’s Meituan buys Mobike for US$2.7 billion. Meituan-Dianping, one of the world’s most valuable start-ups, is pushing into mobility-related services as it expands its offerings for its 320 million annual active buyers. LINK
- FLASHBACK: The Didi vs Meituan vs Alibaba food delivery battle basically means free meals for users. LINK
