Rebecca Bellan, Author at TechCrunch

What Trump’s win might mean for Elon Musk

Rebecca Bellan, Aria Alamalhodaei — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:51:03 +0000

Elon Musk — the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and the owner of The Boring Company, Neuralink, and X — took a sharp swing to the right this election to support President-elect Donald Trump, using his vast wealth, influence, and megaphone on X to influence the outcome of the election. Musk’s support came […]

Lyft partners with May Mobility, Mobileye to bring autonomous vehicles to the app

Rebecca Bellan — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

It seems Lyft is hoping to catch up to Uber’s string of autonomous vehicle partnerships. Lyft announced Wednesday three separate partnerships — with startup May Mobility, automated driving company Mobileye, and smart dashcam firm Nexar — all aimed at establishing a foothold in the emerging autonomous vehicle market. In the announcement, the ride-hailing company said […]

Elon Musk’s false and misleading election claims have been viewed 2 billion times on X

Rebecca Bellan — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 17:08:40 +0000

The world’s richest man buys out one of the most popular social media platforms and uses it as a propaganda and disinformation machine in support of a presidential candidate. What could go wrong? An analysis from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit that tracks misinformation, found that Elon Musk posted at least […]

DeepRoute raises $100M in push to beat Tesla’s FSD in China

Rebecca Bellan — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 15:10:00 +0000

DeepRoute.ai, a Shenzhen-based autonomous driving technology startup, raised $100 million from Great Wall Motor. The startup aims to get its automated driving systems into as many vehicles in China before Tesla takes off next year, according to a Reuters report. DeepRoute did not publicly disclose the name of its automaker backer, but reports in the […]

From Lime to Uber to Hertz: Free and discounted Election Day rides

Rebecca Bellan — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Election Day is nearly here, and if you haven’t already mailed in your ballot or gone in for early voting, you might need a ride come November 5. Here’s a roundup of all the freebies, discounts, and information on getting to the polls that transportation companies are offering. Micromobility Lime is offering free rides to […]

How national interest startups should be thinking about government contracts

Rebecca Bellan — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000

National interest technology can show up in a lot of ways, like in data analysis and cybersecurity, as well as satellites and weapons. Many startups with dual-use applications are increasingly looking at the government as an attractive customer due to its wide range of use cases and the amount of federal dollars available. And while […]

Ford pauses F-150 Lightning production as Tesla Cybertruck heats up

Rebecca Bellan — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 18:06:50 +0000

Ford will pause production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck starting in mid-November for almost two months as it struggles with decreased demand, increased competition, and losses in its electric vehicle business. “We continue to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability,” a Ford spokesperson told TechCrunch. The news was […]

Aurora Innovation delays commercial autonomous truck launch to 2025

Rebecca Bellan — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 23:51:37 +0000

Autonomous vehicle technology startup Aurora Innovation is targeting April 2025 for commercial deployment of its autonomous trucks, pushing its timeline back by about a quarter. The company had originally planned to launch by the end of 2024. The company said it delayed the launch so it can continue to validate its self-driving technology. “While this […]

GM CEO Mary Barra on the politics of EVs, the future of AVs, and moving away from China

Rebecca Bellan — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 00:26:04 +0000

“I never thought the propulsion of a vehicle would become a political issue,” GM chairman and CEO Mary Barra said onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt on Tuesday. While the executive didn’t expand on this statement, former president Donald Trump has railed against EVs and claimed, wrongly, that there is a mandate to make and sell electric […]

BANF’s smart tires for trucks promise to save fuel and lives

Rebecca Bellan — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 21:18:37 +0000

Tire health has a huge impact on a truck’s fuel efficiency and safety on the road. And yet, with all of the arguably sexier solutions out there offering driver assist features and self-driving software, tires don’t get the attention they deserve. At least, so says Ron Lee, the head of business development at BANF, a […]

Jon McNeill’s insights on Tesla’s robotaxi and why EV startups fail

Rebecca Bellan — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Jon McNeill — a former Tesla and Lyft executive and current CEO at DVx Ventures — spread the word last week at the World Business Forum on what he calls the “Tesla innovation method” of radical simplification. After his presentation, we sat down to chat about Tesla’s automation goals, its new robotaxi, and why building […]

Jon McNeill’s lessons on innovation through subtraction

Rebecca Bellan — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Before Jon McNeill was CEO at VC firm DVx Ventures, he was the president of Tesla and chief operating officer at Lyft. He helped Tesla grow its revenue run rate from $2 billion to $20 billion in 30 months, and he doubled Lyft’s revenue ahead of its IPO. He’s also on the board of GM’s […]

Joby launches $200M public offering ahead of 2025 commercial eVTOL release

Rebecca Bellan — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 21:54:06 +0000

Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle startup Joby Aviation has launched a public offering to sell up to $200 million of its shares of common stock, per a regulatory filing. Joby said it will use the proceeds from the raise — together with its existing cash — to fund its certification and manufacturing efforts, prepare […]

Feds clear way for EVTOL startups to bring flying vehicles to U.S. airspace

Rebecca Bellan — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 19:40:57 +0000

Federal regulators have cleared the path for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to share U.S. airspace with planes and helicopters — a win for the burgeoning industry and a timely decision for startups like Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation that are expected to launch air taxi networks commercially in 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration […]

Four takeaways from Pony AI’s IPO filing

Rebecca Bellan, Sean O'Kane — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 18:34:50 +0000

Toyota-backed autonomous vehicle company Pony AI has joined the list of Chinese firms going public on the U.S. stock market after a multi-year ban from Beijing on offshore capital raising. Zeekr, a luxury Chinese electric vehicle startup, debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in May, and WeRide, another AV startup, also hopes to file […]

Fluid Truck files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and pursues sale after leadership shakeup

Rebecca Bellan — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 20:01:36 +0000

Less than two months after Fluid Truck’s board ousted its sibling co-founders from their executive positions, the company has laid off 30% of its staff, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and found a potential buyer to take on the business, pending court approval, according to bankruptcy filings and information from a former employee. Fluid […]

Beyond the hype: Why Tesla’s robotaxi future faces regulatory roadblocks

Rebecca Bellan — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:05:00 +0000

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Kirsten is still out doing Kirsten things, so I (Rebecca Bellan) will continue to pass along all the tech mobility news that’s fit to print. It’s been […]

Waymo offers $3 credit for San Francisco riders going to public transit stations

Rebecca Bellan — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 16:52:12 +0000

For the next month, Bay Area riders of Waymo robotaxis can earn a $3 credit whenever they travel to and from certain public transit stations. Riders will be able to take advantage of the offer through November 15, and they can use the credits earned toward future robotaxi rides from now until December 31, the […]

GM partners with startup Forge Nano to improve EV battery life, performance, and safety

Rebecca Bellan — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 17:15:51 +0000

General Motors is working with Forge Nano, a materials science startup, to find new ways to enhance the performance and lifetime of electric vehicle battery cells. The automaker’s investment arm, GM Ventures, on Wednesday injected $10 million into Forge Nano, which is developing a thin coating the startup says will help improve safety and increase […]

How Tesla’s plans for ‘unsupervised FSD’ and robotaxis could run into red tape

Rebecca Bellan — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 21:42:35 +0000

During Tesla’s much-hyped robotaxi reveal event last week, CEO Elon Musk said he expects Tesla to release an “unsupervised” version of FSD, the automaker’s advanced driver assistance system, in Texas and California in 2025 on certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. He also said Tesla would begin production on its robotaxis — which are […]