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Welcome to TechCrunch Mobility – the same weekly newsletter you’ve been reading, but with a new name and a few changes.
Don’t worry, this is still your central hub for news and information about the future of transportation. This week, read about AmazonEV launch Fisherelectric boats, a bunch of new financing offers and my time driving the brand new one Kia EV9.
Let’s go!
A little bird
A little bird showed us a new website with some electric trucks that sure look familiar.
I remember Lordstown Motorsof the EV startup that went public through a SPAC and has since filed for bankruptcy? Steve Burnswho founded and then was ousted from Lordstown Motors, is back with a new EV startup called LandX Motors.
LandX Motors’ new website prominently displays the same Endurance electric truck it once promised would beat Tesla, Ford and General Motors to market.
A person familiar with the company’s plans told TechCrunch that it’s not so much about the Endurance truck, but the underlying platform, software and engineering behind it. However, with ex-Lordstown trucks taking center stage on the company’s website and video, it’s unclear how developed this plan is.
Want to get in touch with a tip, comment or complaint? Email Kirsten at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or sean.okane@techcrunch.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, click here to contact uswhich includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.
Offer of the week
Supply chain startup Flexport had quite a tumultuous 2023 involving founder Ryan Petersen ousting his handpicked successor and taking over as CEO, then acquiring the assets of the closed digital freight network Convoy.
The startup kicks off 2024 by bolstering its business with an uncapped convertible note of $260 million Shopifya deal announced by Petersen in a series of posts on social networking site X.
Reminder that Shopify and Flexport are already connected. Flexport acquired Shopify’s logistics arm in 2023. The deal gave Shopify a 13% equity stake in Flexport and a board seat.
Other offers that caught my eye…
Electra, the Paris-based EV charging startup, has raised $330 million in a Series B round led by Dutch pension fund service provider PGGM and Bpifrance’s Large Venture fund. Eurazeo, RIVE Private Investment, SNCF Group through 574 Invest and Serena also participated.
Franziska Bossart, the new head of Amazon’s Industrial Innovation Fund, talked to me about how the $1 billion fund is shaping up. Tl;dr: It is expanding its geographic focus to Asia and Europe and is based in three areas, including artificial intelligence.
International Battery Companya startup developing lithium-ion battery cells for electric vehicles has raised $35 million in a pre-Series A round led by RTP Global.
Land Motothe Cleveland-based electric motorcycle startup has raised $3 million in a round led by a special purpose vehicle called Nunc Coepi Ventures.
Lightship, an all-electric RV startup, has raised $34 million in a Series B round led by Obvious Ventures and Prelude Ventures. Other new investors include Allegis Capital and global RV manufacturer THOR Industries and its investment partner TechNexus Venture Collaborative.
Northvolt, the Swedish battery startup, secured a $5 billion debt deal to help pay for the expansion of its first gigafactory. As TC+ reporter Tim de Chant writes: “Northvolt’s $5 billion loan won’t be enough to guarantee success, but it should be enough to help boost its output to its targeted 60 gigawatt hours.”
Uber shut down the alcohol delivery service rainy three years after acquiring the taxi company for $1.1 billion.
Notable reads and other items
Autonomous vehicles
TuSimple I will delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange as it moves forward with its plan to completely exit the US market.
Electric vehicles, charging & batteries
BMW’Future growth depends on electric vehicles, and eventually it goes all in, writes TC+ reporter Tim de Chants.
Fischer’s The Ocean electric SUV is under investigation by federal regulators over complaints of brake loss.
GM recalled 66 electric delivery trucks it built BrightDrop subsidiary after the front-drive units on at least two of them caught fire late last year. The cause appears to be related to a manufacturing defect.
Navierthe electric boat startup, has launched a pilot program for its hydrofoil through a partnership with Film to bring passengers from the outskirts of San Francisco to the city center.
The future of flight
Wingthe drone delivery company operated by Alphabetplans to introduce a larger vessel capable of delivering heavier packages to customers.
This week’s wheels
Image Credits: Kirsten Korosech
I headed to Napa Valley to try it out Kia EV9 – a three-row all-electric SUV that many believe will bring a whole new batch of EV customers to the market.
Before I give some brief thoughts on what I did and didn’t like, here are some specs. The Kia EV9 comes in five trims with the cheapest – the rear-wheel drive EV9 Light – starting at $54,900. I tested the GT-Line trim, a top-of-the-line all-wheel-drive version that has 270 miles of range and starts at $73,900 (For comparison, the Rivian R1S, which is AWD, comes standard with 260 miles of range and starts at $78,000 .The Kia EV9 Light RWD trim equipped with the largest battery has the best range of 304 miles.
What did I like? It stayed well planted on twisty roads, even if I pushed the vehicle a bit. It’s also quiet, has the interior details you’d expect in a premium SUV, the seats are comfortable and the advanced driver assistance system is easy to use. The third row isn’t exactly roomy, but it’s certainly better than many three-row SUVs I’ve been in.
There were a few misses. I think Kia missed an opportunity by not giving the EV9 the EV9’s rear-axle steering, and I’m not sure if the battery range, which is between 230 miles and 304 miles depending on trim, is enough for buyers . Finally, the interior cabin layout is almost there, but I’m still not sure I like the placement of the start button and shifter (it’s a stock one hidden behind the steering wheel).
