A startup that matches riders with drivers for paid, and pre-scheduled carpooling, Scoop, has inked a deal with two big towns in the increasingly congested commuter hubs in the San Francisco Bay Area, Foster City and San Mateo. With this deal, each city is subsidizing carpoolers’ rides so that passengers only have to pay $2 each way, and will ostensibly refrain from driving solo or… Read More
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Fisker is back with a new electric car to debut later in 2017
Henrik Fisker, designer of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Aston Martin DB9, is back with an electric car company called Fisker, Inc. – not to be confused with the old Fisker, which was acquired by Chinese auto parts giant Wanxiang and retooled as Karma Automotive. The new Fisker will also be making EVs, though, with an all-electric “spiritual successor” to the Fisker Karma to… Read More
Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio and scientist Katharine Hayhoe talk climate change at SXSL
At an SXSL panel on Monday, President Obama, actor, environmentalist and philanthropist Leonardo DiCaprio and scientist Katharine Hayhoe discussed climate change and what we can possibly due to curb it. Hayhoe, who is the director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, and CEO of ATMOS Research & Consulting, helps organizations like airports and public water utilities… Read More
How to feed the world– with sensors, data and local production
Today, food and agriculture entrepreneurs took the stage at the White House lawn for SXSL 2016 to discuss the potential and limits of technology to feed a burgeoning world population. According to the most recent available estimates from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 793 million people in the world do not have enough to eat today. And with a… Read More
Faraday Future partners with Chevy Bolt-supplier LG Chem on batteries
How do you prove you’re serious about making electric cars? A partnership with one of the suppliers currently producing batteries at scale for shipping vehicles is a good start. Faraday Future announced such a union today, with a new agreement with LG Chem, the lithium-ion cell manufacturer that provides the powerhouses for vehicles including the Chevrolet Bolt EV. The partnership… Read More
Chevrolet’s Colorado ZH2 fuel cell Army test truck is made for modular power
Chevrolet continues work on zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell tech, and it’s now providing a just-revealed Colorado ZH2 fuel cell vehicle to the U.S. Army for design, to find out if the unique advantages of fuel cell tech are viable in actual real-world military mission situations. The ZH2 is a modified version of the Colorado midsize pickup Chevrolet produces for the consumer market, with… Read More
Honest Co. is reformulating its soaps after ingredients controversy
The consumer products startup founded by Jessica Alba, The Honest Co., on Friday told the Wall Street Journal that it plans to reformulate its dish soap, laundry detergent and other cleaners after an earlier controversy over their ingredients.
The Honest Co. markets its products as gentler, healthier and more environmentally sustainable than those of mainstream brands in the U.S.
However… Read More
Dozr raises $1.9 million to become an Airbnb for bulldozers and excavators
A startup called Dozr Inc. has raised CAN $2.5 million (or $1.9 million USD) in seed funding to help contractors rent heavy industrial equipment from other construction professionals who have it, but aren’t using it. Based in Kitchener, Ontario Dozr’s marketplace lets builders rent equipment, like excavators, skidsteers or one day drones and industrial robotics, either alone, or with… Read More
Mercedes-Benz looks to the future with Generation EQ EV concept
Mercedes-Benz is trying to play with your emotions with its new electric vehicle concept, debuted at the Paris Motor Show today. The “Generation EQ” it unveiled is a sporty SUV design, which is reminiscent of the Tesla Model X in its lines and overall look. It has a dual electric motor drive train, and a theoretical max range of around 310 miles, thanks to a scalable battery… Read More
Zuck’s photos from Facebook’s futuristic Arctic data center
Why pay for air conditioning when you can just build a data center near the Arctic Circle and pump in the frosty winds? That’s why Facebook created these massive fans for its Luleå, Sweden data center. In hopes of proving that Facebook’s 10-year plan goes way beyond the News Feed, Mark Zuckerberg has begun sharing rare photos of the company’s technology. Here’s his… Read More
Smart’s entire car lineup will have an electric drive option in 2017
At some point, it’ll probably be commonplace, but as of its 2017 model year, Smart will be the only big car brand that can truthfully claim to offer both an electric drive and a gas-powered option across all of its vehicle offerings. The Daimler-owned maker of pint-sized urban cars will offer an EV version of its Fortwo, Fortwo Cabrio and Forfour in 2017, and each one will use a brand… Read More
This new electric car is designed for a $37 weekly subscription service
Europe continues to test the waters of shared vehicle ownership models, and the Amber One is a car designed to help eliminate the huge amount of time our own vehicles currently spend idle. The all-electric concept has a 250-mile range on a single charge, a top speed of over 93 mph, and a 0 to 60 time of a respectable 7 seconds. But you can’t buy one – to gain access, you… Read More
BrightFarms raises $30.1 million to set up futuristic greenhouses across the U.S.
Agriculture tech startup BrightFarms has raised $30.1 million in Series C funding to bring its high-tech greenhouses, and fresh produce, across the U.S. The company is on a mission to make all fresh fruit and vegetables locally, rather than require them to be hauled from long distances or imported from overseas before they are sold at groceries. Taking a page from the playbook of solar… Read More
China’s LeEco raises $1.08B to build its electric sports car
The Chinese market for electric vehicles is hot, and the latest indicator is a $1.08 billion raise from China’s LeEco, a Beijing-based web video company (which now dabbles in everything from televisions to transportation) that’s targeting Tesla with its own electric sports car plans. Funding for its first car is coming from Legend Holdings Corp., Yingda Capital Management Co.… Read More
Spiri’s prototype 200-mile EV is made for on-demand carpooling
Danish startup Spiri revealed their on-demand carpooling service in late August, and is now ready to show off its first prototype vehicle. The company decided to build its own all-electric car from the ground up, using an engineering team with talent from Aston Martin, Tesla and more, in order to arrive at a final product that best suits the needs of frequent, multi-passenger urban… Read More
Chevrolet Bolt EV starts at $29,995 U.S. with federal tax credits
Chevrolet’s new Bolt EV is a vehicle that Wired has dubbed “Tesla-walloping,” and its pricing seems like a direct shot at Tesla’s lineup, including the forthcoming Model 3, which is set to be the dedicated electric carmaker’s more “affordable” option. Chevrolet revealed specific pricing and trim details for the base model Bolt EV LT, which begins at… Read More
Black female founder raises $7 million for renewable energy tech startup
I’d like to tip my imaginary hat off to Jessica O. Matthews, the black female founder and CEO of renewable energy tech startup Uncharted Play. Her company just closed a $7 million Series A round led by the NIC Fund with participation from Kapor Capital, Magic Johnson Enterprises, BBG Ventures and Lingo Ventures. Read More
Tesla says SolarCity deal could be delayed by shareholder lawsuits
Tesla has said that its acquisition of SolarCity could be delayed because of shareholder lawsuits which have been filed to challenge the merger, according to an amended regulatory filing published by the SEC today spotted by Reuters.
The lawsuits include four filed in Delaware during the first half of September, which accuse Tesla and SolarCity board members of having violated their… Read More
Rex Animal Health is using genomics to keep livestock healthy
A startup called Rex Animal Health wants to protect livestock from illnesses that can quickly turn into epidemics, and help farmers breed animals with the healthiest and most attractive traits. Today at Disrupt SF, Rex unveiled technology to help veterinarians provide clinical support at the point on the farm, and predict the genetic causes of problematic traits in their herds, and in the… Read More
This electric bus can handle a day’s worth of transit on one charge
Tesla topping the 300 mile per charge rating with its new 100 kWh battery was a big deal, but a new zero emission bus debuted today by Proterra has actually managed 600 miles out of a full battery in testing. In a real-world setting, Proterra’s new Catalyst E2 will probably manage somewhere between 194 and 350 miles in actual use settings – but that’s plenty according to… Read More