Trucking into the public markets
CoMotion NEWS is looking for guest articles!
Dates to remember
- Mobility Speed Chats: digital networking event on Oct. 7. Sign up for a chance to win a free CoMotion LA Ticket.
- CoMotion is moderating the ‘Belgium-California Dialogue on Smart & Sustainable Cities’ panel at the Smart & Resilient Cities Forum on Oct. 9 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
- CoMotion INNOVATORS Program application window closes on Oct. 15!!
- CoMotion LA Salon at LA Tech Week: ‘The Future of Mobility UX’ on Oct 15 to discuss the future of the mobility experience and LA's unique opportunities. Co-hosted by CoMotion and BMW Designworks.
- CoMotion LA ‘25 & CoMotion GLOBAL: get your pass and save 30% now until Oct 20.
Welcome to CoMotion NEWS, your weekly roundup of news and analysis of the mobility revolution. If this email was forwarded, you can sign up here for NEWS.
Autonomous trucks are getting hot. Meanwhile, Nvidia is weighing a $500 million stake in UK AV startup Wayve, Exxon touts a battery breakthrough that could extend EV range by 30%, Portland has wrapped its first zero-emission delivery zone, and Suffolk County is testing curbside charging built into street gutters. Uber is once again exploring drone delivery, and Namibia has launched its first solar-powered green hydrogen plant.
What you need to know
We’re looking for guest articles! We’re looking for interesting perspectives on innovation or policy related to mobility. If you have an idea for an article, please email jcraver@comotionglobal.com!
Nvidia eyes $500M AV investment: Chip and AI behemoth Nvidia is considering a major strategic investment in UK-based AV startup Wayve. The roughly $500 million that may go to Wayve is part of a larger $2.6 billion investment Nvidia has pledged to bolster the UK’s AI ecosystem.
The EV revolution, powered by Exxon: The oil giant says it has developed a new graphite molecule that will extend the life of an EV battery by 30%.
Kodiak to go public: Kodiak Robotics, the Mountain View startup that develops self-driving technology for freight trucks, moves forward with plans to go public by merging with blank-check corporation Ares Acquisition Corp II. It raises $145 million in PIPE investment in the deal, which has been in the works since at least April.
Portland’s zero-emission loading zones: Oregon’s largest city just concluded the nation’s first zero-emission delivery zone pilot, where curb space in a prime section of downtown was reserved for zero-emission delivery vehicles. In a report on the pilot, the city reports that major delivery providers like Amazon, DHL and FedEx began relying more on electric vehicles as a result.
Chargers on the curb: Suffolk County, England is piloting pavement gully charging systems that let people without driveways charge EVs at home instead of having to rely on more expensive public chargers. The initiative, funded by £5.9m from the government, has cut charging costs for participants by 90%.
Join us for the 9th edition of CoMotion LA ‘25 on Nov. 12-13, at the Japanese American National Museum in DTLA.
CoMotion LA is where public meets private, startups meet investors, and ideas become reality. It’s more than just a conference, it’s a launchpad for the future of urban transportation.
Grab your pass today, save 30% — and gain access to our annual conference filled with energizing panels, keynotes, pitches, private evening receptions, workshops, demos, exhibitions, and more. View the 2025 Program and explore 35+ unique sessions including the OMF Summit Track.
Charging real estate: San Francisco startup EV Realty raises $75 million to build charging hubs for electric freight trucks throughout California. The company’s goal is to find locations that have strong grid access and correspond with heavy truck traffic.
More driverless trucking in Texas: Bot Auto, a Houston-based autonomous trucking startup, completes a 40-mile driverless validation run in the Houston area. The company has already been making autonomous trips between Houston and San Antonio with a safety driver in the cab. Aurora Innovation, a more established self-driving truck startup, is also making trips between Dallas and Houston with a safety driver.
Uber tests drone delivery – again: Uber Eats will begin testing drone delivery in certain U.S. markets in partnership with Israeli drone startup Flytrex. Uber dabbled in drone delivery six years ago but ultimately sold its aviation unit, Uber Elevate, to Joby Aviation in 2020 – right around the same time that it offloaded its autonomous driving division. Now of course Uber is aggressively pursuing autonomous ride-hailing, but via partnerships with AV companies like Waymo. Will it be similarly aggressive in its pursuit of drone delivery?
Namibia opens green hydrogen plant: Namibia flips the switch on its first solar-powered green hydrogen plant to fuel trucks, tractors and to generate off-grid power.
Smarter Mobility Africa's big announcement: Our friends at Smarter Mobility Africa will announce their 2026 Host City Partner at CoMotion GLOBAL in Riyadh this December. The move underscores the growing influence of the world's fastest-growing continent on the future of sustainable mobility. Watch the exclusive interview with John Rossant and Ben Pullen, where they discuss how African cities are leading in electrification, innovation & inclusion, why Riyadh is the global spotlight for mobility this December, and what to expect from the special African Mobility Leaders Lunch.
A robotaxi prediction: Marc Amblard, founder of Orsay Consulting, delves into trends in autonomous ride-hailing and predicts that by 2030 robotaxis will be operating commercially in 30 to 50 cities in China, 20-30 cities in the U.S. and a handful of cities in Europe.
Open Mobility Foundation webinar on MDS: The webinar on September 30 will feature city leaders from Chicago, Washington DC, Seattle and Philadelphia discussing how they're implementing the Mobility Data Specification (MDS) for applications ranging from delivery robots to autonomous vehicle policy and right-of-way management. Sign up here!
What does the future of LA mobility look like, where are the opportunities, and what barriers are in our way?
Join stakeholders from both the public and private sector to listen about and discuss the future of the mobility experience and LA's unique opportunities. Co-hosted by CoMotion and BMW Designworks, this conversation will touch upon autonomy, connectivity, urban planning, and digitization.
This event is a part of #LATechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem.
What we’re reading
The state of China’s auto market: Bill Russo of Shanghai-based Automobility, the newest member of the CoMotion Strategic Council, offers a deep analysis of China’s burgeoning auto sector, whose growth is powered almost entirely by the rise of EVs.
America can’t let transit die: Jarrett Walker, author of the seminal book on public transportation, Human Transit, writes that many U.S. cities are on the brink of making devastating cuts to public transit. It is a dangerous delusion, he writes, to believe that robotaxis will be able to replace what’s been lost.
CoMotion's mobility goodness brought to you by:
Jack Craver,
Editor, CoMotion NEWS
jcraver@comotionglobal.com
Write to us if you would like to suggest content for our next newsletter!
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