Bolt deeper into e-bikes, Volocopter off the ground, Bird lays off 23% and a Waymo-Uber partnership that shows it is all about business.

Bolt moving fast and hard into e-bikes, DiDi leaves NYSE and sees authorities ending investigations, Bird laying off 23%, Gorillas private label, Glovo in romania, UberEats anywhere in the US, Tesla building movie theaters, Volocopter flight, Waymo-Uber autonomous truck partnership and a wonderful product from Toyota. This and more on this week’s #movingpeople. Let’s start. 

Ride-hailing / car-sharing 🚙🚘

Uber gave the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) a “their own private label Uber’. The WFP uses it in Ukraine for last mile or dangerous mile food delivery, where trucks are not an option, and food delivery needs to rely on smaller vehicles.  

Don’t you just love coincidences in autocratic governments. Chinese regulators are said to be nearing the end of their probe into DiDi, just as the company is departing from the NYSE. This will see DiDi’s apps going back to the app store. 

In Vietnam, Grab is facing challenges. Inflation and rising fuel costs, lockdowns, the rain season and traffic jams are causing many drivers to quit the app, causing supply shortage that in turn affects demand. In March, Grab put a surcharge to assist drivers, but that had the effect of lower demand, which got drivers (supply) frustrated. Competitors Gojek and Be (website) are reportedly getting traction as no one app can deliver a reliable service. 

Also Grab is launching GrabMaps, to enter the $1bn market opportunity in South-East Asia. The company claims its map has lower error rate and lower latency.  

Liftango in Germany, deploying its car-pooling solution with Pharmaserv to solve car parking issues for the company’s 6,000 employees. We're sometimes used to thinking of Liftango as a DRT solution - but the company has long ago diversified into car sharing, with clients such as Tesla and Nike in the US. 

Gojek’s CEO, Kevin Aluwi, is stepping down and will join GoTo’s (Gojek’s parent company) board of commissioners, supporting the vision and mission of the company, and dedicating time to a EV partnership the group has. Aluwi has been with the company for a decade, and said that (he will have) “more time to explore my personal interests within the technology space”. The new CEO, from within the group, is waiting for shareholders approval. 

Micromobility 🛴🚲

Over the next six months Bolt will deploy 16,000 e-bikes in 30 European cities. Bolt already has micromobility solutions in 200 cities, and diversifying from a scooter mainly offer will cost the company €150M in 2022. We’re sometimes used to thinking of Bolt as a ride-hailing player - but the company has long ago diversified. 

Bird plans to lay off 23%, ±140 people, from across all regions and departments.Voi expands in Bristol and rolls out its new V5 model in three UK cities. Tier replacing Spin scooters in Essex. 

Micromobility landscape map and investor index. 

Delivery 🍽🧺

Reef ousts its Head of Kitchens. The company recently cut 5% of its global workforce and closed a ⅓ of its ghost kitchens locations, and is facing health and safety concerns in its headquarters in Florida. There are good news, the company recently signed with Denny’s and has other strong brands, such as Wendy’s, with it. 

UberEats announces nationwide (USA) shipping. Done in partnership with FedEx, consumers can send foods from local food and beverages sellers to anywhere in the US, with service taking an average of 4-5 business days. Goldbelly and DoorDash are already offering the service.  

Gorillas to launch their own private label brands. For now the offer will only be available in the UK, Netherlands, France and Germany, now Gorillas core markets, in a range of ±50 products. 

Glovo to invest €80M in Romania, its 3rd largest market, after Spain and Italy. Funds will be used to expand within Romania. Deliveroo launches fifth ‘Editions’ (ghose kitchen hubs) site in Dubai. 

Manufacturers 🛺

Ola Electric in talks with cell suppliers to build a battery factory at a $1bn cost, moving further into the supply chain. 

Tesla under enhanced security over autopilot crashes. US regulators are looking at why Tesla vehicles crash into parked first-respondent vehicles; why ‘Phantom Braking’ occurs; and at the level of (no) supervision drivers can dedicate while at autopilot mode. 

Also Tesla, the company is planning to build drive-in movie theater complexes showing 30 min movies - the time it takes to charge a Tesla. Plans for the 1st complex have been submitted to the city of Los Angeles.  

Toyota announces ‘Cabin Awareness’, a radar technology solution that detects micromovements, aimed at alerting drivers if leaving kids or pets behind. 

Flying cars 🚁☁️

Volocopter test flight, on youtube and from the cockpit. VoloConnect, a 4 seat vehicle,  flew for 2:14 minutes in May (and now it has hit the PR stage). The VoloConnect, a peri-urban vehicle, is expected to roll out in 2026, with VoloCity, planned for urban flights, expected to launch in 2024. 

New study from Deloitte expects that in 10 years ‘Air Taxis’ will be competitive with conventional taxis in terms of pricing, and could even cost less. They would integrate to the public transport network. 

Autonomous 🤖

Waymo Via (the delivery unit at Waymo) and Uber Freight partner, with Waymo Via committing to reserve billions of miles for Uber. The pilot would see Waymo acting as the carrier,  offering its autonomous trucks as assets for shippers on Uber’s marketplace. Later stage will see a ‘Driver-as-a-Service’ (DaaS*) offer, where carriers can opt into the Uber Freight Network. In simple terms, Uber Freight will manage demand, Waymo Via the autonomous technology. For more: TechCrunch, The Verge, Gizmodo. 

* Not to be confused with ‘Drone-as-a-Service’, also DaaS. We’re running out of letters people!

First autonomous cargo ship to complete a transoceanic trip.