General Motors said Wednesday it will join a growing list of automakers focused on streamlining the EV charging process by equipping its models with ‘Plug and Charge’ capability — aka the ability to easily plug in and automate payment at a range of different charging stations. Though Pl…
To succeed in the mass market, EV makers must focus on cost, not speed
As the global EV industry ramps up and crosses into the mass market, automakers must switch their focus from speed to cost, according to the AlixPartners 2022 Global Automotive Outlook released Wednesday. The world is continuing to electrify, with sales of battery-electric vehicles set to make up h…
Unlikely players team up to lead South Korea’s air taxi industry
South Korea, which lacks the VC, entrepreneurial ecosystem and aerospace legacy of the U.S., might be the first to lay the groundwork for taking air mobility from expensive project to viable service.
Rimac raises more than $500M from Porsche, Softbank and Goldman Sachs
Rimac Group said Tuesday it has raised 500 million euro ($536 million), funds that will help the Croatian startup expand beyond its electric hypercar roots and grow into a global EV components supplier — and eventually a publicly traded company. Softbank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs led the Seri…
I was in Berkeley a couple of months back, helping TechCrunch get its proverbial ducks in a row before our first big climate event (coming in a few weeks, folks). Professor Ken Goldberg, who’s helped play a big role in a number of our robotics events, kindly gave me a tour of BAIR, the Berkeley [&h…
Hyundai plans to spend $10B on EVs, AVs and robotics in the US by 2025
Hyundai said it plans to invest more than $10 billion toward accelerating electrification and autonomous vehicle technology in the U.S. by 2025. Part of that pot includes the $5.5 billion it has earmarked for a new EV plant and battery manufacturing facility in Georgia that Hyundai announced Friday…
Hyundai is the latest automaker to announce plans to open an EV factory in Georgia, the same state where Rivian is preparing to break ground on a plant.
Investors reward battery startup SES for losing money (but not too much)
While R&D work continues on its lithium-metal technology, an increasing amount of SES' cash is going toward building facilities in the ramp up to commercial production.
I know I keep teasing how excited I am about July’s big robotics event, but it’s precisely because of panels like the one we announced earlier this week. We’ve got Rodney Brooks and Clara Vu teaming up for a 2-on-1 fireside to discussing the changing face of human-robot interaction. It’s a big, bro…