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

The past week saw significant activity within the transportation sector, especially concerning self-driving vehicle innovations. Let's dive into the details.

Feel free to reach out via email at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com with any feedback, commentary, perspectives, or information. You can also connect with me directly on Twitter — @kirstenkorosec.

Micromobbin’

New York City remains a significant, undecided market for scooter companies. On October 30th, the city published a “Request for Expressions of Interest” concerning its pilot scooter program. A separate request was also issued for businesses offering supporting services to the electric scooter sector, including data compilation and analysis, on-street scooter charging and parking solutions, safety education programs, and scooter retrieval and storage services.

This action formally begins the selection process for companies seeking operating permits within the city. It is anticipated to be a highly competitive pursuit for access to one of the world’s most desirable markets. Shortly after the city’s RFEls were made public, I received multiple emails containing statements from scooter companies, each emphasizing their relevant experience, commitment to safety, and overall business approach.

Several key decisions by the city are still pending, or have not yet been publicly announced, such as the specific geographic areas where scooters will be permitted and the operational requirements for interested companies. It is known that Manhattan is excluded, as scooter use is prohibited there. This leaves the four remaining boroughs – Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island – as potential operating zones.

Meanwhile, in the e-bike world …

Harley-Davidson has announced the creation of a new, independent business focused on electric bicycles, with plans to launch its initial product line in the spring of 2021.

This new pedal-assist electric bicycle venture is being introduced during a period of substantial growth in the e-bike industry, driven by increased demand following the COVID-19 pandemic. The global e-bicycle market was valued at over $15 billion in 2019 and is forecast to expand at a yearly rate exceeding 6% from 2020 to 2025. The market demand exists; could this be Harley-Davidson’s strategy for engaging a new generation of riders?

The new company, named Serial 1 Cycle Company, originated as an internal project within Harley-Davidson’s product development division. The name is derived from “Serial Number One,” the historical nickname for Harley-Davidson’s earliest existing motorcycle.

Deal of the week

Fisker Inc. recently joined other emerging electric vehicle companies in becoming publicly traded through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. The company announced in July – following a $50 million investment – that it had come to terms to merge with Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company backed by an affiliate of Apollo Global Management Inc.

The merger was finalized this week, marking Fisker’s debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading began on Friday, and the company’s shares experienced a significant increase, closing up 13%. It’s noteworthy that Fisker currently has no revenue and no vehicles in production, though a manufacturing agreement with Magna has been secured to produce its initial model, the Ocean SUV. Fisker anticipates beginning deliveries of the Ocean SUV in 2022.

Henrik Fisker, the company’s founder and well-known automotive designer, shared figures this week regarding Ocean SUV reservations, reporting a total of 8,871. Key questions remain regarding the volume of vehicles Fisker must produce and sell to achieve profitability. Would 9,000 vehicles be sufficient? Furthermore, will these reservations ultimately translate into completed purchases?

Other deals that garnered attention … 

Continental made a minority investment in lidar technology developer AEye. While the specific details of the “minority stake” were not revealed, AEye confirmed it represents the company’s largest investment from a Tier 1 supplier to date. This investment fosters a comprehensive partnership, uniting a team of approximately 300 lidar engineers to refine and mass-produce long-range lidar products. This investment follows the announcement of Blair LaCorte’s appointment as CEO of AEye. Jon Lauckner, formerly CTO at GM; Dr. Bernd Gottschalk, an automotive executive and consultant previously with Daimler AG’s board and founder of AutoValue; Frank Petznick, executive vice president of advanced driver assistance systems at Continental; and Keith Dierkx, a veteran IBM executive, also joined Aeye’s advisory board last month.

Hermeus, a company focused on developing a Mach 5 aircraft capable of traversing the distance between New York and London in just 90 minutes, secured $16 million in a Series A funding round led by Canaan Partners. Existing investors Khosla Ventures, Bling Capital and the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund also participated in this round.

Outrider, a startup specializing in autonomous yard truck systems, raised $65 million in funding only eight months after emerging from stealth mode. The Series B round was spearheaded by Koch Disruptive Technologies, bringing the company’s total funding to $118 million. Existing investors, including NEA, 8VC and Prologis Ventures, increased their contributions, and new investors such as Henry Crown and Company and Evolv Ventures also joined the round.

Root Inc., an auto insurance platform based in Ohio, generated $724 million through its initial public offering in the U.S. The company offered 24.2 million shares at $27 apiece – exceeding the previously indicated range of $22 to $25 per share. According to an SEC filing, the company also secured $500 million through share sales to Dragoneer Investment Group and Silver Lake.

Ryder System, a company providing shipping, logistics, and truck rental services, unveiled a $50 million venture fund. TechCrunch’s Jonathan Shieber provides further insight into this development.

WiTricity completed a $34 million investment round led by Stage 1 Ventures, with participation from Air Waves Wireless Electricity and a strategic investment from Mitsubishi Corporation through its U.S. subsidiary, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas). WiTricity stated that these funds will be allocated to further development of its wireless power platform, expansion of its intellectual property holdings, and leveraging the growing commercial interest in wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles.

A little bird

Normally, this “little bird” segment features confirmed information and details from multiple sources that haven’t yet appeared in official reports. This week takes a slightly different approach. I will leverage my background in covering and analyzing the AV industry, combined with observations from social media, to offer a prediction regarding a potentially significant collaboration.

My primary forecast for 2020 centers around a partnership between Voyage, a company focused on automated vehicle technology, and Canoo, an electric vehicle manufacturer that recently became a publicly traded company. I’ve made my prediction. What leads me to believe this could happen? Simply put, I’ve observed a strong rapport between Voyage and Canoo that appears to extend beyond simple professional respect. ;D

Regarding confirmed news, Voyage recently announced a collaboration with First Transit to implement and manage robotaxi services in locations such as The Villages. Voyage has been conducting trials and providing rides (with a human safety driver present) within The Villages senior community for a considerable period. First Transit, meanwhile, brings to the table sixty years of expertise in the transportation sector.

Oliver Cameron, Voyage’s founder and CEO, clarified the rationale behind the partnership with First Transit in a recent social media post (and accompanying blog entry). He stated, “Robotaxis represent a novel business model, but many of the associated challenges have already been addressed by established companies (such as @FirstTransit). Therefore, it makes sense to collaborate rather than attempt to recreate existing solutions.”

We can anticipate further alliances between companies specializing in technology development and those with established experience in transportation management. This week provided another illustration of such an AV-operator partnership. Motional, the joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, and Via, an on-demand shuttle service, revealed plans to introduce a publicly accessible shared robotaxi service in a U.S. city during the first six months of 2021. The companies aim to establish a model for on-demand shared robotaxis and understand how these autonomous vehicles can be incorporated into public transportation systems.

Waymo presents its safety assessment

During my time away, Waymo released a substantial collection of information regarding its autonomous vehicle activities in Phoenix, Arizona. This extensive data release offers understanding beyond simply the count of accidents – 18 – or close calls – 29 – experienced over the last twenty months. It represents the initial comprehensive examination of Waymo’s automated system and its operational procedures.

The organization made available two reports outlining its safety protocols and preparedness, alongside public road safety performance statistics, which examines the distance Waymo vehicles have traveled on Arizona’s public roadways. The initial report explores its multi-faceted safety strategy, encompassing the vehicle’s hardware, the behavior of the automated driving system, and operational procedures.

I am continuing to review these reports and will share further observations shortly. However, I want to highlight two key conclusions at this time.

1. Waymo is now offering a thorough response to inquiries I’ve previously directed to the company, including questions posed to its Chief Technology Officer, Dmitri Dolgov, concerning the criteria for acceptable safety levels – specifically, “What constitutes sufficient safety?” and “How is the point of adequate safety determined?”
2. Companies developing automated vehicle technology are beginning to prioritize and demonstrate openness in their practices.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Here are several additional items we have observed.

Daimler Trucks and Waymo have announced a collaboration to develop an autonomous version of the Freightliner Cascadia truck. This marks Waymo’s initial venture into the freight transportation sector. Shortly after, Daimler Trucks revealed an investment in lidar technology developer Luminar, as part of a larger agreement to manufacture autonomous trucks capable of highway travel without a driver present.

These agreements represent the latest steps taken by the German manufacturer to shift its focus from robotaxis and shared mobility services toward the application of automated vehicle technology within the freight industry.

Grab and Marriott International have established a partnership encompassing the hospitality company’s food and beverage operations across six Southeast Asian nations: Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Rather than focusing on hotel room reservations, the Marriott International agreement with Grab centers on approximately 600 restaurants and bars located at its properties in these six countries, which will begin integration into GrabFood’s on-demand delivery platform in November.

Postmates is currently implementing what may be its most significant service update to date. The company is introducing a retail feature, initially available in Los Angeles, allowing users to shop at local stores and enabling local merchants to establish virtual on-demand storefronts within the app. Postmates customers will be able to browse local businesses through a new “Shop” tab in the Postmates application.

Scott Painter, the originator of the used-vehicle subscription service Fair, has been actively securing funding and preparing to launch a new software-as-a-service platform designed to assist subscription providers in achieving scalability and profitability, as reported by Automotive News. Painter resigned from his position as Fair’s CEO last year. His new venture will be named NextCar.

Tesla has increased the price of its FSD software (an abbreviation for “full self-driving,” though it is not truly self-driving) to $10,000. The FSD package, an optional feature for vehicle owners, has experienced consistent price increases over the past year. This price adjustment follows closely after the company began distributing a beta version of the software update. It is important to note that FSD does not meet the industry or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) definition of Level 4 autonomy, as outlined by SAE International standards. Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD necessitate constant driver supervision, and a human driver must be prepared to assume control—and, based on available footage, intervention is often required. Level 4 autonomy, according to SAE standards, requires no driver intervention under specific circumstances.

Uber has reported receiving over 8,500 requests for arbitration stemming from its decision to eliminate delivery fees for select Black-owned restaurants through Uber Eats.

Uber is also confronting another legal challenge in Europe concerning algorithmic decision-making. The App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) has initiated a case in a Dutch court to contest the ride-hailing company’s practice of “robo-firing”—that is, the utilization of automated systems to detect suspected fraudulent activity and subsequently terminate drivers based on that analysis.