Our first Fireside chat was intimate and informative. Thank’s Marc for being so open and everyone who joined us. I’m currently planning a second one which I’ll live stream live on Facebook and record for YouTube, podcast, etc.
MORE DRIVE-INS DCÂ (DURING CORONA)Â …
- South Korea’s drive-in cinemas enjoy sales boom over virus fears. “We’ve had a 10-20 percent increase in sales for weekdays, and sell out on weekends,” Park said, adding: “We’re definitely getting many more calls and internet inquiries after the coronavirus outbreak.” LINK
- America’s drive-in cinemas enjoy sales boom over virus fears.  Last weekend, they saw a 40% increase, says the theater’s owner, LINK
TRANSIT DC (DURING CORONA) Public transit ridership continues to plummet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Citymapper opens their data and creates the CMI ( Citymapper Mobility Index) This is the percentage of the city moving compared to earlier this year. LINK
- H/T Annie Reddaway  via TWiM Slack Group
AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS (DURING CORONA) …
- Daimler and BMW donate masks to hospitals LINK
- Fiat now produces respirators LINK
- Volkswagen & Mahindra Group researching using 3D printing to manufacture ventilators LINK
- GM is partnering with Ventec Life Systems to help solve the shortage of ventilators. LINK
MORE CARS AC (AFTER CORONA) … STUDY: 93% said they’re using their personal cars more often. 40% said they’re considering buying a car because they no longer want to use public transportation. 28% said they distrust the cleanliness of other people’s cars. LINK
SoftBank-Backed Getaround Looks for Buyer as Demand Evaporates. Getaround outlined measures it was taking in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, which included waiving cancellation fees and quarantining cars that had been in contact with the coronavirus. Turo Inc., Getaround’s main startup rival, announced similar policies. Both companies acknowledged they’d seen drops in demand.  LINK
- FLASHBACK: Share Now, the car-sharing service formerly known as Car2Go, is leaving North America. Daimler and BMW, the two global automakers that share ownership of Share Now, said it would cease service on February 29th, 2020. Share Now currently operates in New York City, Montreal, Seattle, Washington, DC, and Vancouver.  LINK
Anthony Levandowski pleads guilty to stealing google trade secrets. According to court documents Tony has admitted that he obtained and stored thousands of sensitive documents from Google’s self-driving car program, “with the intent to use them for his personal benefit after his departure from the company.” LINK
Ohio grants a Ford Mustang owner from Ohio the vanity license plate “COV1D19” The plate could be revoked if the DMV gets complaints about it. They’re @Ohio_BMV on Twitter just in case you are wondering.  LINK
Meanwhile, in Shaolin (That’s Wu-Tang for Staten Island, New York City) Councilman Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island) penned a letter to the Department of Transportation requesting that the city’s speed cameras be shut down while school is out of session. LINK
Should car insurance cost less as drivers stay home because of coronavirus? Consumer groups say yes.The groups are asking the insurance commissioners to direct insurers to lower premiums as the coronavirus crisis plays out. LINK
SOME GOOD NEWS… We’re being bombarded with death tolls, but there is a lot of kindness and hope out there. I’ll be closing each newsletter with some positive vibes.
- Detroit landlord’s small-business survival plan: free rent until July LINK
- A former homeless man is providing sinks, water, and soap to help protect those on the streets from the coronavirus LINK
- Krogers announced that it will provide a one-time bonus to every hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing and customer service associate, amounting to $300 for every full-time associate and $150 for every part-time associate. LINK
Now, go make a difference.
