Cruise Unveils New Technology as LTA Airship Emerges in Silicon Valley
Sign up for The Station, the weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation, by clicking here. Every weekend, you will receive the newsletter in your inbox for free. Welcome back to The Station, your central hub for all past, present, and future means of moving people and packages from Point A to Point B. This week we have a short newsletter due to the holiday, but don’t worry, we still have plenty to catch up on. First, let’s talk about one fun thing. LTA Research, the Sergey Brin-backed startup, revealed its prototype electric airship, the largest aircraft in the world, right in the heart of Silicon Valley. As contributor Mark Harris wrote, the airship takes drone technology and supersizes it, potentially able to carry tons of cargo over many hundreds of miles.
Ridepanda, the D2C micromobility marketplace, has made a significant business pivot to focus on enterprise-level business, offering commuter benefits to employers such as Amazon and Google. Gogoro, the Taiwanese two-wheeler battery-swapping giant, announced that its smart electric scooters can now be unlocked and turned on via a key in a rider’s Apple Wallet on their iPhone or Apple Watch. May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle startup, raised $105 million in a Series D round led by Japan’s telecom giant NTT.
Robotaxi companies Cruise and Waymo have been getting the bulk of the attention, while May Mobility has been operating quietly in the background. May Mobility raised $105 million in a Series D round led by Japan’s telecom giant NTT. Other notable deals include EasyPark Group’s intention to acquire Flowbird Group, Flitter’s seed funding of €3.5 million, Getir’s acquisition of FreshDirect, and Niron Magnetics’ $33 million investment.
Uber’s third-quarter earnings show a profitable ride-hail and delivery company that’s chugging along in spite of slowing growth in some sectors. Archer Aviation partnered with India’s travel and hospitality conglomerate InterGlobe Enterprises to launch an all-electric air taxi service in the country in 2026. Skyryse, the aviation software startup, completed a fully autorotation emergency landing procedure in a helicopter, putting the company on the path to unveil the first production helicopter featuring its technology in the first quarter of next year.