Waymo gears up for highway testing / Jet Blue CEO steps down / Kia showcases new EV lineup at CES
Inside Transportation
For January 09, 2024
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Here is your Transportation briefing:
* 🚁 Joby Aviation revealed plans to construct eVTOL charging stations in Southern California.
* 🚚 Kia unveiled its latest lineup of EV truck models.
* 🚗 Waymo announced plans to test self-driving cars on highways in Arizona.
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Robel
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1
Waymo announced plans to initiate highway testing for its driverless passenger vehicles in Phoenix, a significant advancement that could lead to expanded commercial operations if successful. The company's Jaguar I-Pace SUVs will begin autonomously shuttling employees on freeways after extensive testing with operators behind the wheel.
More:
* Driverless highway services will start with employee shuttles before extending to regular customers in Phoenix, although no specific timeline has been provided.
* Recent milestones include airport curbside drop-offs and integration into the Uber app, showcasing Waymo's progress in contrast to struggling competitors like Cruise.
* Waymo redirected its focus from autonomous trucking to ride-hailing, leveraging insights gained from extensive trucking testing in Arizona to propel its passenger vehicle program.
* Late last year, the company unveiled data demonstrating that its self-driving technology exhibited better safety when compared to typical human-driven vehicles.
2
JetBlue's CEO, Robin Hayes, will step down next month and be succeeded by the airline's COO, Joanna Geraghty. The move came at a time when the company aimed to acquire Spirit Airlines in a nearly $4B merger to bolster its competitiveness against larger rivals like Delta and United.
More:
* Robin Hayes, a veteran in the airline industry, attributed his resignation to the demanding nature of the role, prioritizing health and well-being.
* The company faces hurdles as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to block the Spirit Airlines merger, awaiting a federal judge's decision after a trial late last year.
* Hayes will continue on the board as a strategic advisor, while Geraghty, having spent about two decades at JetBlue, will assume leadership responsibilities.
* Geraghty, appointed COO in 2018, has overseen various aspects of JetBlue's operations, including its network expansion and revenue management.
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3
BT Group's incubation hub announced plans to repurpose street cabinets for broadband and phone cabling storage into EV charging units. The company noted it will start with trials in East Lothian, Scotland, with a broader U.K. rollout in the pipeline.
More:
* Addressing the U.K.'s EV charging infrastructure shortfall, BT's initiative aims to retrofit existing cabinets, potentially adding 60,000 new EV charging points to the 53,000 already in service nationwide.
* The initiative targets enhancing convenience for drivers switching from petrol and diesel vehicles to overcome barriers identified by 60% of surveyed individuals dissatisfied with the current EV charging infrastructure.
* Operational, technical, and commercial complexities remain for the plan to scale, despite the U.K. government's extension of the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles to 2035 and the goal of 300,000 charge points.
4
Kia rolled out its upcoming electric vehicle lineup at CES 2024, featuring vans, trucks, ride-hailing, and last-mile delivery vehicles built on a modular platform. Partnering with Uber, Kia's PVB division announced plans to introduce vehicles with interchangeable cabins, emphasizing a modular design approach.
More:
* Limited details were provided on the cabin-swapping mechanism, employing both mechanical couplings and electromagnets, leaving technical specifics undisclosed.
* Kia aims to commence production in a dedicated South Korean plant by 2025, targeting an initial annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles, expandable to 300,000 globally.
* The lineup's first model, the Kia PV5, a three-row van with a futuristic design, is set for a 2025 launch at an estimated price of $35,000, with plans for larger and smaller variants, including a potential robotaxi version by 2028.
* Despite their utilitarian appearance, the vehicles offer a modular design similar to electric truck company Canoo's promised offerings.
NOTE: Inside.com founder and CEO Jason Calacanis is an investor in Uber.
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5
Volkswagen announced it will roll out an AI-powered chatbot based on ChatGPT in specific models like ID.7 EVs and Tiguans. This hands-free feature will read researched content, offer richer conversations, and answer vehicle-specific questions via its IDA voice assistant.
More:
* The AI chatbot, scheduled for release in Q2, will initially roll out in Europe; however, plans for the U.S. market are pending internal considerations.
* ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has gained prominence in the tech landscape, with Volkswagen becoming one of the most significant automakers to embrace this AI technology, following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz, which integrated it into its MBUX infotainment system.
* Volkswagen envisions drivers interacting with the IDA voice assistant as before, triggered by the "Hello IDA" wake word or steering wheel button.
* Unanswered requests beyond the assistant's capability are seamlessly transferred to the AI chatbot, with responses relayed through the IDA voice assistant interface for clarity.
6
Joby Aviation, a U.S. air taxi developer, partnered with Clay Lacy Aviation to install the first electric charging station in Southern California. The move is part of a $100M redevelopment plan at Orange County's John Wayne Airport.
More:
* The partnership between Joby Aviation and Clay Lacy Aviation involves installing an electric aircraft charging station in Southern California designed to support Joby's air taxi operations.
* Joby's Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS) is currently in use at Edwards Air Force Base and their production facility in Marina, California. It is expected to be installed at John Wayne Airport by mid-2025.
* The infrastructure will be crucial for Joby's air taxi network in Southern California, an area expected to pioneer eVTOL aircraft operations in the United States.
* Joby's CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, highlighted the significance of this step in delivering their air taxi service in the greater Los Angeles area, emphasizing the importance of the infrastructure to support their future operations.
* The move comes as the broader eVTOL industry eyes the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as a potential opportunity to showcase air taxi technology on a grand scale.
7
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Robel Kelkile Writer
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Robel Kelkile is passionate about all things tech, venture, and financial education. He has previously served both universities and state governments in their engagement strategy and tracking legislation.
This newsletter was edited by Aaron Crutchfield
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