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Welcome to TechCrunch Mobility – the identical weekly e-newsletter you’ve been studying, however with a brand new title and some adjustments.
Don’t fear, that is nonetheless your central hub for information and insights on the way forward for transportation. This week, examine Amazon, EV startup Fisker, electrical boats, a bunch of recent funding offers and my time driving the all-new Kia EV9.
Let’s go!
Slightly chicken
Slightly chicken pointed us to a brand new web site with some electrical vehicles that positive do look acquainted.
Bear in mind Lordstown Motors, the EV startup that went public through a SPAC and has since filed for chapter safety? Steve Burns, who based and was then ousted from Lordstown Motors, is again with a brand new EV startup known as LandX Motors.
The new LandX Motors web site prominently shows the identical electrical Endurance pickup truck he as soon as promised would beat Tesla, Ford and Common Motors to market.
An individual aware of the corporate’s plans advised TechCrunch that it’s not a lot concerning the Endurance truck, however the underlying platform, software program and engineering behind it. Nonetheless, with the previous Lordstown vehicles enjoying a starring position on firm’s web site and video, it’s unclear simply how developed this plan is.
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Deal of the week
Provide chain logistics startup Flexport had a somewhat tumultuous 2023 that included founder Ryan Petersen ousting his hand-picked successor and taking again the CEO spot after which buying the property of shuttered digital freight community Convoy.
The startup is kicking off 2024 by shoring up its enterprise with a $260 million “uncapped convertible notice” from Shopify, a deal that was introduced by Petersen in a sequence of posts on social media website X.
As a reminder, Shopify and Flexport are already hooked up. Flexport acquired in 2023 Shopify’s logistics arm. The deal gave Shopify 13% fairness stake in Flexport and a seat on the board.
Different offers that acquired my consideration …
Electra, the Paris-based EV charging startup, raised $330 million in a Sequence B spherical led by Dutch pension fund service supplier PGGM and Bpifrance’s Massive Enterprise fund. Eurazeo, RIVE Non-public Funding, the SNCF group by way of 574 Make investments and Serena additionally participated.
Franziska Bossart, the brand new head of the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, spoke to me about how the $1 billion fund is evolving. Tl;dr: She’s increasing its geographic focus to Asia and Europe, and homing in on three areas, together with AI.
Worldwide Battery Firm, a startup creating lithium-ion battery cells for EVs, raised $35 million in a pre-Sequence A spherical led by RTP World.
Land Moto, the Cleveland-based electrical motorbike startup, raised $3 million in a spherical led by a particular function enterprise car known as Nunc Coepi Ventures.
Lightship, an all-electric RV startup, raised $34 million in a Sequence B spherical co-led by Apparent Ventures and Prelude Ventures. Different new buyers embody Allegis Capital and world RV producer THOR Industries and its funding companion TechNexus Enterprise Collaborative.
Northvolt, the Swedish battery startup, secured a $5 billion debt deal to assist pay for the growth of its first gigafactory. As TC+ reporter Tim de Chant writes: “Northvolt’s $5 billion mortgage gained’t be sufficient to ensure success, nevertheless it must be sufficient to assist ramp up its manufacturing to a focused 60 gigawatt hours.”
Uber shut down alcohol supply service Drizly three years after the cab-hailing firm acquired it for $1.1 billion.
Notable reads and different tidbits
Autonomous autos
TuSimple will delist itself from the Nasdaq inventory trade because it strikes ahead with its plan to totally exit the U.S. market.
Electrical autos, charging & batteries
BMW’s future development relies on EVs, and it’s lastly going all in, TC+ reporter Tim de Chants writes.
Fisker’s electrical Ocean SUV is underneath investigation by federal regulators over braking loss complaints.
GM recalled 66 electrical supply vans made by its BrightDrop subsidiary after the entrance drive models in a minimum of two of them caught hearth late final yr. The trigger seems to be associated to a producing defect.
Navier, the electrical boat startup, has launched a pilot program for its hydrofoiling watercraft through a partnership with Stripe to deliver passengers from San Francisco’s outskirts to the downtown space.
Way forward for flight
Wing, the drone-powered supply firm operated by Alphabet, intends to introduce a bigger craft able to delivering heavier packages to prospects.
This week’s wheels
Picture Credit: Kirsten Korosec
I headed to Napa Valley to check out the Kia EV9 – an all-electric SUV with three rows that many imagine will deliver a complete new batch of EV prospects into the market.
Earlier than I give some abbreviated ideas on what I did and didn’t like, listed below are a number of specs. The Kia EV9 is available in 5 trims with the most affordable — the rear-wheel drive EV9 Gentle — beginning at $54,900. I examined the GT-Line trim, an all-wheel drive top-of-the-line model that has a variety of 270 miles and begins at $73,900 (For comparability, the Rivian R1S, which is AWD, comes with normal with 260 miles of vary and begins at $78,000. The Kia EV9 Gentle RWD trim outfitted with the larger battery has the most effective vary of 304 miles.
What did I like? It remained properly planted on winding roads, even when I pushed the car a bit. It’s additionally quiet, has the type of inside particulars one would possibly count on in a premium-priced SUV, the seats are comfy and the superior driver help system is simple to have interaction. The third row isn’t precisely spacious, however definitely higher than many three-row SUVs I’ve been in.
There have been a number of misses. I do assume that Kia missed a chance by not giving the EV9 rear-wheel axle steering and I’m undecided if the battery vary, which is between 230 miles and 304 miles relying on the trim, is sufficient for consumers. Lastly, the structure of the inside cabin is nearly there, however I’m nonetheless undecided I like the position of the beginning button and kit shifter (it’s a inventory tucked behind the steering wheel).
