Is this the future of commuting? Germany unveils futuristic trains with gyms, privacy pods, and flatscreen TVs, in a bid to compete with ride-sharing platforms. I’d be happy with working WiFi. LINK
How local governments came to embrace business partnerships, especially small ones. LINK
Upstart bike-sharing systems have raised billions in capital and deployed millions of cycles. But European cities are starting to push back against the chaos that can ensue when bikes go “dockless”. LINK
Startup Grobike brings the sharing economy to kids’ bikes. LINK
Startup Snow Go Now! is an on-demand snowplowing service that allows people to send a text message to an automated system with a request for driveway clearing. People who own snowplows can also pick up work over the platform. LINK
OPEC Sees a Future With Fewer Cars. The oil cartel doesn’t explain why, but others point to autonomous vehicles and ride sharing. In America, car sharing and ride-hailing services could accelerate the decline in oil demand all the way to a 7% drop by the year 2040. LINK
In a world of driverless cars, what would dealers sell? Maybe nothing, say analysts Morgan Stanley. The U.S. car dealer pie is worth $1 trillion, split between 10,000 owners, and “tech disruption” could consolidate the number to “as few as 10 monolithic mega-fleet managers supporting the future shared autonomous transportation ecosystem.” LINK
Honda Innovations is expanding its global open innovation program for early-stage innovators in Detroit, Japan, China, and Europe. Modeled on the Honda Xcelerator program in Mountain View, Calif., Honda Innovations will guide other Honda operations as they establish startup liaisons globally, providing protocols and best practices to identify and engage with startups and entrepreneurs. LINK
SoftBank fund could shake up tech world and be a game-changer for Silicon Valley: The Japanese company has started a massive new venture capital fund for investing in startups that are expected to dominate the industry so thoroughly it’s playfully referred to as a “gorilla.” The Vision Fund’s $100 billion nearly equals the total amount pumped into venture capital-backed companies last year, according to market intelligence firm CB Insights. LINK
Uber agrees to move forward with proposed multi-billion dollar SoftBank deal, but SoftBank says not so fast. LINK
Uber CEO says the target date for its IPO is 2019. LINK
The Irish Taxi Federation has slammed MyTaxi’s new cab-sharing service.LINK
@Google and @Volkswagen are collaborating on how to apply quantum computing to solving some fundamental car-related problems, including optimizing traffic flows, making machine learning more intelligent, and helping to crack the issue of building new battery technologies that can extend range and improve charging rates. Right now it’s just a research project, but it may be the beginning of something new. LINK
Daimler unveils new ‘Ask Mercedes’ customer service chatbot- a single voice-activated app that is available whether users are driving their cars, sitting at home or on the go. LINK
Continental increases focus on automated and autonomous driving in the agricultural industry. Continental is intensifying its activities in the field of automated and autonomous driving in the agricultural industry. From 2025, autonomous, fully automated and fully connected agricultural vehicles will be an increasingly common sight on farm fields, the company says. LINK
