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Greetings and welcome back to The Station, a newsletter examining both current and developing methods for moving people and goods between locations.

It’s been quite a week, hasn’t it? Let’s get started.

Feel free to reach out to me at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com with any feedback, suggestions, or perspectives you might have. You can also connect with me directly on Twitter — @kirstenkorosec.

Transportation on the ballot

The outcome of the presidential election extended beyond a single day, evolving into a week of anticipation as the nation awaited confirmation of whether President Trump would secure another term or if Joe Biden would become the 46th President of the United States.

On Saturday morning, the Associated Press, Fox News, and all other leading news organizations declared Joe Biden the president-elect. Despite this announcement, vote tabulation will proceed, ultimately leading to the formal casting of ballots by each state’s Electoral College electors on December 14th, in accordance with established election procedures.

Should Biden assume the presidency, transportation policy will likely not be among his immediate priorities. However, his personal experiences – including the loss of his first wife and daughter in a vehicular accident, his perspectives on climate change, and his fondness for both Corvettes and Amtrak – could significantly influence the direction of federal transportation initiatives. The nation currently faces substantial infrastructure demands, a struggling rail system, and a rapidly developing technology sector focused on the commercial application of self-driving vehicle technology.

The election encompassed more than just the presidential contest between Trump and Biden. Numerous transportation-related proposals appeared on ballots across the country, addressing issues such as public transportation funding, a vehicle owner’s right to repair, and the classification of gig economy workers as either employees or independent contractors. 

California’s Proposition 22 garnered considerable attention, fueled by substantial financial contributions from companies like Uber, Lyft, and others reliant on gig workers, to secure its passage. With voter approval, Prop 22 maintains the classification of gig workers as independent contractors. Companies utilizing these workers are now obligated to provide a minimum earnings guarantee of 120% of the minimum wage, 30 cents per mile driven for expenses, a healthcare allowance, occupational accident insurance for work-related injuries, safeguards against discrimination and harassment, and auto accident and liability insurance.

Following its success in the election, Uber has indicated its intention to pursue similar legislation in other areas. The ride-hailing company’s goal of enacting laws that support its business model extends internationally. During a recent earnings call, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated the company would “more actively advocate for laws like Prop 22.” He further emphasized that working with governments throughout the U.S. and globally to achieve this outcome would be a key company priority.

Voters in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington also decided on other transportation-related measures. Of the 19 measures concerning public transit, 15 were approved, two were rejected, and one in Gwinnett County, Georgia, remains too close to call. The Center for Transportation Excellence has compiled a useful spreadsheet to track these Election 2020 ballot measures related to public transit.

Another ballot measure that attracted significant attention and lobbying efforts was Question 1 in Massachusetts. Approved by 75% of voters, this measure amends and expands a law granting Massachusetts consumers the right to repair their own vehicles.

Automakers selling vehicles with telematics systems in Massachusetts must now equip them with a standardized, open data platform starting with the 2022 model year. This platform must provide vehicle owners and independent repair shops with direct access to retrieve mechanical data and perform diagnostics using a mobile application.

Crucially, this measure encompasses the data collected and wirelessly transmitted by telematics systems. It not only grants access to mechanical data but also enables owners and independent mechanics to send commands to the vehicle for repair, maintenance, and diagnostic procedures.

The result? While currently limited to Massachusetts, this ballot measure sets a precedent for potential expansion nationwide. The original Right to Repair law was enacted in Massachusetts in 2013, and by 2014, the industry reached a memorandum of understanding to extend the bill’s coverage to the entire country.

Deal of the week

The realm of transportation encompasses more than simply getting from one location to another; it also includes associated conveniences, such as parking. This week’s standout financial event centers around this very aspect.

REEF Technology, a Miami-based organization initially known as ParkJockey, secured $700 million in funding from a consortium of investors, including SoftBank and Mubadala Corp.

REEF delivers both the physical infrastructure and the technological solutions, alongside management services, for parking facilities. More recently, the company has expanded its offerings to encompass infrastructure support for cloud kitchens, healthcare facilities, logistics operations, last-mile delivery services, and even traditional retail spaces and unique customer experiences.

According to Ari Ojalvo, the company’s co-founder and CEO, these funds will be utilized to grow from a network of 4,800 locations to 10,000 sites nationwide, transforming parking areas into “neighborhood hubs.” Notable participants in this investment round included private equity and investment firms Oaktree, UBS Asset Management, and the European venture capital company Target Global.

As Jonathan Shieber of TechCrunch observed in his analysis of REEF’s funding, similar to WeWork, REEF primarily leases properties, enhances them, and then subleases to other businesses (or utilizes the spaces directly). However, unlike WeWork, this venture appears to have a strong potential for success, particularly considering the business trends that have been accelerated by the health and safety protocols implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other deals that captured attention…

ANOTHER LIDAR SPAC! Aeva is the latest organization to bypass a conventional initial public offering (IPO) in favor of becoming a publicly traded company through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. It represents the third lidar company, following Velodyne and Luminar, to pursue this path to the public markets.

Aeva, a lidar company headquartered in Mountain View, California, was founded by two former Apple engineers and is supported by Porsche SE. The company announced its intention to merge with InterPrivate Acquisition Corp., resulting in a post-merger market valuation of $2.1 billion. Completion of the deal with InterPrivate is anticipated in early 2021.

Logisly, a Jakarta-based startup that identifies as a “B2B tech-enabled logistics platform,” announced a $6 million Series A funding round to improve logistical efficiency in Indonesia. Monk’s Hill Ventures led the investment.

Marshmallow, a U.K.-based startup aiming to disrupt established insurance companies with a novel approach to risk assessment, secured $30 million in a Series A funding round. The company’s valuation following this funding is $310 million.

Pony.ai, an autonomous vehicle company operating in both California and China, now boasts a valuation of $5.3 billion after receiving a new investment of $267 million. The round was spearheaded by TIP, an innovation fund associated with the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board that concentrates on late-stage venture and growth equity investments in companies developing groundbreaking technologies. Existing investors Fidelity China Special Situations PLC, 5Y Capital (formerly Morningside Venture Capital), ClearVue Partners and Eight Roads also contributed to the round.

Provizio, which has created a sensory system designed to perceive, anticipate, and prevent car accidents in real-time and beyond the driver’s direct line of sight, successfully closed a seed funding round of $6.2 million. Participants in the round included Bobby Hambrick, founder of Autonomous Stuff, the founders of Movidius, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and ACT Venture Capital.

Scale AI, a company that employs both software and human resources to process and categorize image, lidar, and map data for organizations developing machine learning algorithms, such as Toyota and Zoox, is nearing a valuation of $3 billion, as reported by The Information. The company, established and led by 23-year-old Alexandr Wang, reportedly received an investment offer from Tiger Global Management that values Scale at $3.2 billion pre-money, representing a tripling of its previous valuation.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Here's what else you should be aware of…

Amazon has initiated operations at its inaugural European Amazon Air hub, located at the Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. This new installation covers an area of 20,000 square meters and will be the base for two Boeing 737-800 aircraft bearing Amazon branding, increasing the company’s total number of operational aircraft to over 70.

Bentley Motors has commenced a gradual transition away from the 12-cylinder combustion engines that have been central to the company’s identity for a century. The luxury automotive manufacturer, operating under the VW Group umbrella, announced it will exclusively produce plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles beginning in 2026, with the ultimate goal of phasing out all combustion engines within the next ten years. The British automaker plans to have a completely electric lineup by 2030, launching two plug-in hybrid models next year and its first all-electric vehicle in 2025.

CarGurus’ 2020 Pickup Truck Sentiment Study indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic may have positively influenced sales, particularly among younger consumers. Over 26% of pickup truck owners participating in the study stated they had not initially intended to purchase a vehicle in this category. Further findings revealed that 34% anticipate owning an electric pickup truck within the next decade, and 23% within the next five years.

Truck owners from Generation Z and the millennial generation are more than twice as likely to foresee owning an electric truck in the coming five years compared to older truck owners (30% versus 12%). This younger demographic is also twice as inclined to consider trucks from newer entrants to the market, such as Tesla (32% versus 14%), Rivian (11% versus 4%), or Hummer (13% versus 6%), as revealed by the study.

GM is currently recruiting personnel for over 1,100 positions at its nearly 3 million-square-foot Ultium Cells LLC battery cell manufacturing plant in Lordstown, Ohio. Ultium Cells LLC, a collaborative venture with LG Chem, will be responsible for the large-scale production of Ultium battery cells designed for electric vehicles. While the facility is still under construction, GM has begun actively seeking candidates for “key roles.”

Tesla has officially released Teslaquila, a branded spirit that originated as a component of CEO Elon Musk’s April Fool’s Day jest concerning the automaker’s purported bankruptcy. The Tesla Tequila is priced at $250 and is currently unavailable due to being sold out.

Uber recently published its earnings report. As noted by Alex Wilhelm and myself, the company’s two primary business areas presented contrasting results: Uber’s ride-hailing service (Mobility) experienced a decrease in volume but achieved profitability, while its food delivery service (Delivery) saw growth but continued to operate at a loss.