Mobility Monitor

Autonomous Vehicles

• Wayve raises $1.5B at $8.6B valuation, with an additional $300M from Uber contingent on a successful London robotaxi launch. Investors include Mercedes, Nissan, Stellantis, NVIDIA, and Microsoft. The company focuses on robotaxi services and ADAS systems. Source

• Waymo launches commercial robotaxi services in four new US cities - Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando - bringing its total to 10 cities. The company also began testing in Charlotte, NC, and on Austin highways, with a fleet estimated at 3,000 vehicles offering close to 500,000 rides per week. Source

• Uber establishes Uber Autonomous Solutions unit to commercialize autonomous solutions globally, organized across Infrastructure, User Experience, and Fleet Operations to accelerate deployments at lower cost-per-mile. Source

• Tesla sues California DMV to reverse ruling that found Tesla engaged in false advertising with its "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" marketing. Tesla also changed naming to comply with the ruling. Source

• May Mobility expands autonomous footprint in Japan, launching a 30-day demo project in Saito City connecting the city center to a tourist attraction. Source

• Bot Auto to begin driverless freight operations with Ryan Transportation on overnight runs between Houston and Dallas (roughly 200 miles/320 km). Source

• Torc Robotics expands autonomous truck testing to Michigan public roads. Source

Ride-Hailing & Delivery

• Uber acquires SpotHero, a parking reservation app present in 400+ cities and 13,000 facilities in North America. Uber intends to offer SpotHero to users (not just drivers) for reserving parking for their own vehicles. Source

• Uber partners with Joby to allow eVTOL booking from the Uber app, with first commercial service expected in Dubai in H2/26. Source

• Uber partners with Manna Drones for drone delivery in Ireland with plans for a joint commercial service. Source

• DoorDash winds down operations in Qatar, Singapore (Deliveroo), Japan, and Uzbekistan (Wolt). The company reported good FY2025 financial results. Source

• Swiggy shuts down Snacc, its 15-minute food delivery service, due to profitability concerns after running for just under a year. Source

• Italian regulators investigate Deliveroo for rider exploitation, following similar action against Glovo's Foodinho brand that resulted in one year judicial supervision. Source

• Kazakhstan looking to update its gig-economy tax system, potentially taxing directly from turnover rather than profits. Source

• Bolt expanded its taxi services to 21 counties outside Dublin and Cork. Source

Micromobility

• Dott reports €173M revenue in 2025 and €7M in Adjusted EBITDA, with an EBITDA loss of €4M (with €11M attributed to one-off restructuring costs). Source

• Voi grew subscription revenue mix from 31% to 39% in 2025, reported €178.2M revenue and €18.6M EBITDA, launching Voi Business and winning contracts in Biel, Switzerland. Source

• Groningen, Netherlands awarded contracts: Voi and Dott will each roll out 400 electric shared bicycles (replacing Bolt); Check will continue e-scooter operations with 600 vehicles; and Moby will roll out 50 e-cargo bikes. Source

• Lime introduces new LimePrime benefits including flat-rate rides and more discounted fares across the US, UK, Italy, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. Source

• Forest pilots in-app sobriety check using reaction-time testing based on location and time-of-day. Source

• Major brand recalls 20,000 e-bikes due to rear wheel separation defect posing crash risk. Source

• Tenways set to go public with IPO filing on Hong Kong Stock Exchange as one of Europe's fastest-growing commuter e-bike brands. Source

Electric Vehicles

• BYD's Denza Z9 GT becomes world's longest-range EV with up to 1,036 km (644 miles) CLTC range. Source

• BMW's 2027 lineup leaked online, confirming several new EVs including the first Neue Klasse EV, the iX3, plus unannounced M cars including all-wheel-drive M2. Source

• Tesla increases Cybertruck AWD price from $59,990 to $69,990 (17% increase) just 10 days after launch, following artificial urgency creation. Source

• Tesla's China delivery times collapse to 1-3 weeks from several weeks/two months, while extending 7-year ultra-low-interest and 5-year zero-interest financing through March 31. Source

• Chinese scientists develop new EV battery capable of delivering over 1,000 km (620 miles) driving range with energy density above 700 Wh/kg. Source

• Tesla launches Model Y 7-seater in Europe for €2,500 with deliveries expected in April, though timing is questionable given the stretched Model YL with usable third row available in China. Source

• Range Rover's next electric SUV spotted testing with fastback-style design unlike anything seen from the luxury brand before. Source

• Canada begins accepting Chinese EV import permit applications, launching quota system allowing up to 49,000 China-built EVs over next 12 months. Source

• Rivian gifts Olympic hockey medalist Kelly Pannek a new EV after her car was totaled in a crash. Source

• Lyten completes takeover of Northvolt battery sites in Sweden (Ett, Ett Expansion in Skelleftea, and Labs in Vasteras). Source

• Solar installs surged 205% before the tax credit cut according to EnergySage's Home Electrification Marketplace Report. Source

• Real-world test shows electric semi trucks can save fleets nearly $160,000 per truck after 200,000+ km of driving across two fleets. Source

• Xiaomi puts humanoid robot to work in auto plant for three hours autonomously, joining Tesla and BMW in manufacturing automation. Source

Freight & Logistics

• Einride raises $113M via PIPE ahead of H2/26 public (SPAC) debut, valued at $1.35B pre-money (down from $1.8B initially reported). Most of company's 200 trucks are electric driver-operated. Source

• Harbinger acquires Phantom AI ADAS company, with ZF agreement to offer Phantom's tech to OEMs. Source

On-Demand Transit & Buses

• 2025 On-Demand Transit Market Report shows ~375 new projects launched globally (15% fewer than 2024), with net market growth of 215 new active projects. Via holds #1 position with 24% global market share, Spare at #2. Government-funded pilots are fading away. Source

• Via's FY25 results show 29% revenue increase to $434.3M and operating loss of $76.6M. Via acquired Downtowner for approximately $40M. Source

• ZF's SCALAR People Mobility unit is shutting down as part of ZF's broader layoffs and focus strategy. Source

• BasiGo enters fixed-route commuting in Kenya as SaaS product offered to local Saccos (transport cooperative societies). Source

Car Sharing & Rental

• Socar returns to operational profitability with revenue up 9% to ~$324M, gross profit of $70.2M (21.6%), and operating profit of ~$16M (~4.92%). Source

• GreenMobility pilots smoke detection tech by INVERS. Source

• GetGo signs data-sharing MOU with Singapore's Land Transport Authority. Source

AI/Automation

• Gartner challenges assumption that AI will be cheaper than human customer support, predicting that by 2030, costs per resolution for generative AI will exceed $3 - more than many offshore agents. Source

• Amadeus sets first multi-year growth target as AI reshapes travel tech, raising questions about whether value stays with the plumbing or moves to the interface. Source

• Southwest Airlines bars employees from wearing smart glasses like AI-powered devices in the workplace, as Meta's smart glasses sales tripled over the last year. Source

• Coco introduces Coco 2 delivery bot - fully autonomous, drives on roads, bike lanes (up to 13 mph/21 km/h), sidewalks, and indoors, reliable in extreme weather. Source

• Speedbird raises $5.8M bridge round to scale drone deliveries in Brazil with iFood as strategic investor. Source

Customer Experience

• Duolingo looks to limit friction as key growth metric slows - adding ads and subscription upsells increased revenue but came at expense of daily active user growth. Source

• Customer onboarding emerging as new long-term revenue driver rather than just a checklist. Source

• The No.1 barrier to exceptional service according to employees is staffing, with concerns increasing as employers reduce headcount. Source

• Sprouts names first-ever chief customer officer as price-conscious and less-engaged shoppers hold back financial performance. Source

Airline Industry

• FAA considers reducing flights at Chicago O'Hare after American and United significantly increased schedules, raising concerns about airport strain. Source

• Middle East sees massive flight cancellations after U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, with multiple carriers suspending operations out of UAE, Israel, and Qatar due to airspace closures. Source

• Dubai's status as travel safe haven tested as Iran strikes UAE, with reports of injuries and fires potentially depressing visits short-term. Source

• IAG sees U.S. rebound with premium travelers still driving profits, while improving economy bookings suggest North Atlantic market resilience. Source

Travel Industry

• Lunar New Year Holiday: Thailand now outpacing Japan as travelers' choice, suggesting demand shift rather than slowdown - travelers still want nearby, easy holidays but recalibrating destinations. Source

• Hotel groups face risk in Middle East if U.S.-Iran attacks escalate - owners can insure buildings against damage but not traveler confidence. Source

• Too many hotel brands - hotel groups chased scale and coverage, but next competitive edge will come from sharper brands, not more of them, especially in AI-compressed, loyalty-fatigued market. Source

• Pets in, kids out - with U.S. birth rates at record lows and pet ownership soaring, the travel industry is following demographic money. Source

• Travel Token Marketplace acquires Chain4Travel, Camino Network initiator and PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2025. Source

• Holidu acquires German vacation rental platform Bestfewo.de, marking its thirteenth acquisition and expanding German customer base. Source

Retail

• Walmart agrees to $100M FTC settlement over allegations that the retailer deceived delivery drivers regarding their pay. Source

• eBay cuts 6% of staff, axing 800 roles, though will continue hiring in priority areas after beating Q4 expectations. Source

• Walmart launches Scintilla In-Store app connecting suppliers with store-level data so field representatives can see real-time data to reduce out-of-stocks. Source

• Retail brands file tariff refund lawsuits including Allbirds and On after Supreme Court ruling that some Trump tariffs are "illegal," though industry becoming "desensitized" to trade volatility. Source

• Premium toys drive US toy market rebound as shoppers turn away from affordable options to higher price points. Source