Elon Musk raises $117M to dig better holes

July 31, 2019

This week, Madrid’s embattled car ban is saved, the youths aren’t biking like they used to, and German domestic flights may get permanently grounded, but first…

It’s the End of the Line

Or the edge of the geofence, depending on your preferred mode of transportation.

The July Special discount for Micromobility Europe—which costs €275 less than the full price—will expire tonight at midnight EST. It’s now or never.

Check out the Early Agenda for the event here, featuring seven new speakers added since last week, then do the smart thing…

But Wait! There’s More…

To sweeten the #MME pot, we are excited to announce a first-of-its-kind panel dedicated to autonomous micromobility.

On October 1 in Berlin, will bring together thought-leaders and early innovators—including Alan Wells (Head of New Mobility Robotics, Uber), Tarani Duncan (COO, Shared), Dmitry Shevelenko (Co-Founder, Tortoise), and David Hansen (Co-Founder, Weel Autonomy)—for a far-reaching conversation about why adding autonomy in micromobility is compelling, what the biggest challenges in the space are, and what you can expect once driverless bikes and scooters actually hit the road.

This is a can’t-miss conversation about the future of road use and robotics. Grab a ticket now and tell your grandkids you were there.

What You Need to Know This Week

  • American kids aren’t riding their bikes as much as they used to. Could high cycling fatalities be the reason parents are keeping their kids indoors and, if so, will the arrival of driverless cars ease their safety concerns? | Forbes

  • Jump scooters are back in Paris after a 10-day hiatus. | Fluctuo

  • It was only a matter of time before scooter startups and the tow companies that impound their vehicles went to war. | The Verge

  • The German Green Party wants to make domestic flights “largely obsolete” by 2035 by improving rail service. (That reminds us: Don’t forget to book your macro travel to the Berlin event if you haven’t yet!) | Euractiv

  • Unagi’s first e-scooter, the 24-pound, 16-mph Model One, gets taken for a test ride. | Wired

  • Driverless cars will likely worsen congestion, which is why cities need to invest in public transit and other mobility alternatives now. | World Economic Forum

  • Lyft’s stock tumbled after COO John McNeill announced he is leaving the company. | CNBC

  • Continuing a busy week for Spin, the Ford-owned company has refreshed its website, app, and logo. | VentureBeat

  • One month into Chicago’s dockless scooter-sharing pilot, Lime says demand for its vehicles is outpacing supply. | Curbed

  • Yamaha’s long-teased three-wheeled electric scooter continues its slow roll toward a commercial release date. | Designboom

  • While scooter rentals companies all over the world are incrementally raising their prices, the cost of buying an e-scooter keeps on falling. For a limited time, Walmart is offering the Xiaomi Mi for only $349. | PCMag

  • Indianapolis will charge Lime and Bird $1 per scooter, per day to fund mixed-use micromobility lanes. | IndyStar

  • … and this November, San Franciscans will vote on a similar ballot measure that would tax individual Uber and Lyft rides in order to pay for mass transit and street safety improvements. | Curbed

  • U-turn! Less than a month after it reversed Madrid’s car ban, the municipal government was forced to reverse its reversal, following successful court challenges and mass protests. | Jalopnik

  • Elon Musk’s Boring Company has raised about $117 million in funding to dig state-of-the-art holes for its hyperloop system. | Reuters

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