A nudge toward autonomy: a U.K. insurance company is offering a discount for Tesla drivers that turn on autonomous driving features. The insurer, Direct Line, is now offering a 5 percent discount for those willing to let go of the wheel, so to speak. LINK
G.M. Unveils Its Driverless Cars, Aiming to Lead the Pack LINK
- The GM Investor Presentation LINK
- George Hotz, the founder of open source self-driving car kit comma.ai, picks apart GM’s investor deck. LINK
Lyft exec suggests they could dethrone Google Maps as the leader in routing technology, thanks to the data it gathers from its 800,000 rideshare drivers. LINK
Lyft expands its non-emergency medical transportation services. It’s doing so in partnership with healthcare transport platform, Circulation. LINK
Chinese bike sharing firm Hellobike has raised a US$350 million series D round from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s financial services affiliate Ant Financial, electric vehicle developer WM Motor, Chengwei Capital and bike manufacturer Fujita. LINK
Indian ride-hail player Ola just launched its own dockless bike-sharing service Using the same app as they would hail a ride, Ola users can find the nearest dockless bike. LINK
Tucson’s Bike-sharing program offering free rides on Tuesdays in December LINK
Helmut Lang Using New York Taxi Drivers as Models to sell $125 T-shirts. In 1998 Helmut Lang was the first designer to use a taxi’s advertising space to promote a line. I wanted to buy the yellow hoodie but, sadly, it sold out. LINK
Uber in Japan is regulated by a taxi service, just as it is in the places in Europe where it hasn’t been banned. LINK
Uber attempts to build bridges with regulators by joining a public transport association LINK
London taxi industry looks to city hall for changes to be made to the cost structure. Industry reps said their business has fallen by 40 percent since Uber was given the green light by the city council eight months ago. LINK
At least 47 cities around the world are piloting self-driving cars LINK
VW unveils an electric van for its MOIA ride-sharing service. It will launch in Hamburg in 2018 with about 200 vehicles. LINK
Nissan Motor Co. said it would start testing robotaxis on Japanese streets in March. LINK
A German government agency has removed Tesla’s Model S from the list of electric cars eligible for subsidies because it is not available in a version that falls within a 60,000 euro ($71,448) price limit. LINK
