Image: Uber/Lucid/Nuro
Rejoice, small-talk haters: silence could become the preferred option in Uber rides if the ride-hailing giant has its way. Uber late last week announced plans to launch its own fleet of autonomous taxis through a new partnership with EV-maker Lucid and autonomous vehicle (AV) startup Nuro.
It’s part of Uber’s AV master plan. The ride-hailing giant has spent the past two years locking in partnerships with 18 global autonomous vehicle tech companies across the full spectrum of self-driving systems, including ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking. It’s inked its highest-profile deal in the US with self-driving industry leader Waymo, which allows Uber app users to order Waymo rides in Austin and Atlanta.
More broadly, autonomous taxis are starting to become more common on US streets. The aforementioned Waymo is currently testing its driverless ride-share operations across 10 new cities, in addition to the five metro areas it currently operates in, while Tesla rolled out its first-ever robotaxi service last month in Austin, TX.
But…The road to mass adoption still has several obstacles left to clear. Current self-driving tech doesn’t perform well in colder weather conditions, struggles to handle more complex traffic scenarios, and faces a general lack of public trust when it comes to safety. Plus, as San Francisco residents will tell you, they can honk quite a lot.
De Beers, the world’s largest diamond producer, is starting a marketing campaign to push natural mined diamonds, at a time when they’re being outshined by consumers' new crush: lab grown bling.
💼 The experiment, published by Boston College and the 4 Day Week Foundation earlier this month, encompassed ~1,000 employees across 17 UK companies and other organizations.
Americans are increasingly rockin’ down to Electric Avenue—or at least the well-worn part of it. New data shows a growing number of US consumers are exploring the used EV market, amid falling prices and a soon-to-expire tax credit from the federal government.
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