Why the world should pay attention to India
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Join us for CoMotion LA ‘26 this November 18-19 for our 10th edition: Cities on the Move: Mega-events, AI & Shaping What’s Next — featuring the OMF Summit Track.
India is showcasing some of its tremendous transportation advantages, both as the world capital of electrified two-wheelers (and battery-swapping) and as a formidable builder of high-quality public transit.
In Europe, Uber is poised to take a huge bite out of the continental food delivery market while a U.S. federal court rules in favor of an outspoken critic of car-centric engineering, who accused a state engineering licensing board of trying to silence his criticisms of the industry. Plus, more Waymo personnel take their criticism of Tesla’s autonomous tech public. Remarkably, it has not yet provoked a response from Elon Musk, who has never been accused of restraint in dealing with critics.
What you need to know
Betting on battery-swapping for India’s gig economy: Canadian auto parts titan Magna International is doubling down on its investment in Yuma Energy, a Bengaluru startup operating a battery swapping network for India’s rapidly growing population of electric mopeds. Four years ago Magna poured $77 million into Yulu, the mobility startup from which Yuma was later spun out. While Indians have been rapidly shifting to electric two-wheelers, its growing population of delivery workers have been less likely to make the shift due to the time lost while charging. Hence the great potential Magna and others see for battery-swapping.
How Delhi built a world class subway: The New York Times spotlights the Indian capital’s world-class subway system, which is now longer than the Big Apple’s despite being a full century younger. The metro carries 6.5 million people a day over its 258 miles of track. The rapid and cost-efficient construction of the system, begun in 2002, stands in stark contrast to the glacial speed and obscene cost of building transit in the U.S. If India can do it, why can’t we?
Less than 80 days to go! ⏳⏱️
Join the leaders, innovators and decision-makers shaping how cities move at the special 10th edition of CoMotion LA.
Participate in public sector pitches, walking tours, panels, keynotes, live demos, workshops, networking sessions, LA New Mobility Challenge, and sizzling evening receptions.
👉 Check out the 2026 Speaker line up here.
🎟️ Get your Mobility Leader Pass while rates are low. Hurry, Super Early Bird sale ends on Sep 14!
Delivery Hero board gives thumbs up to Uber takeover: The board of Delivery Hero, one of Europe’s top food delivery apps, recommends that shareholders approve Uber’s $15 billion purchase offer. The acquisition will dramatically expand Uber’s delivery footprint in Europe, possibly making it the largest on the continent. It’s important to remember that Uber’s many partnerships with AV firms is not just about robotaxis. It also likely sees tremendous potential in autonomous delivery.
Philly cured of double-parking: Philadelphia’s introduction of automated parking enforcement via bus cameras has resulted in a dramatic reduction in double parking and loading zone violations, making it much easier for commercial vehicles to get access to the curb space they need to unload. As a result, they’re spending far less time blocking traffic and average vehicle speeds on major Center City streets is up from 7 mph to 10 mph. You can bet other cities are taking note…
The Waymo-Tesla rivalry goes public: After Waymo published a blog post essentially arguing that Tesla’s camera-only approach to autonomy isn’t good enough, Tesla fans claim it’s merely a sign that the Alphabet subsidiary feels threatened. Now Waymo personnel are firing back on social media. It’s an unusual opportunity to see people on the inside (beside Elon Musk) argue over AV tech. Make sure to take screenshots…someday some of these people will be proven very wrong.
Partner Promo
CoMotion is delighted to be joining CAA and South Florida business leaders at Miami Dade College on Sep 10 for the “Invest: Miami 11th Annual Leadership Summit & Report Launch” to continue the conversation around the opportunities and challenges shaping Miami’s future.
Registration is open for the afternoon, featuring an awards ceremony, live DJ, salsa dance performance, and a raffle for 125,000 American Airlines miles.
For those of you who would like to join us, redeem a 50% discount on afternoon happy hour tickets with code COMOTION50.
What we’re reading
The right to criticize engineers should not be abridged: Charles Marohn, a transportation engineer and founder of Strong Towns, an urbanist advocacy group, describes the lengthy legal battle waged against him by the Minnesota engineering licensing board over his critiques of America’s car-centric engineering practices. A federal judge recently ruled in Marohn’s favor, finding that the board violated Marohn’s first amendment rights by fining him for his advocacy.
