Submit Your Pitches: Hardware Tech Summit
On Wednesday, June 19, during Detroit Startup Week, PlanetM is hosting the inaugural Hardware Tech Summit in partnership with Centrepolis Accelerator and Hardware Massive.
This free, one-day conference taking place at the Velodrome in downtown Detroit from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET, will highlight top “physical product” innovators, local and global hardware-focused investors and more. Register here to attend.
Product developers can also apply for the Pitch Competition by May 31, 2019, to win cash prizes of $10,000. Eight finalists will be selected to pitch their brilliant mobility ideas at the summit. Pitches can be submitted here, but please remember to register for the summit in addition to submitting your pitch.
FCA partners with Harman, Google on connected-car platform
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is aiming to equip all of its vehicles with a new connected platform by 2022, partnering on the technology with Harman and Google. The connected-vehicle platform, slated to start rolling out on new vehicles later this year, is designed to prepare FCA's fleet for electrification, mobility services and smart-city technology.
Tesla doubles down on its radical approach to self-driving cars
Tesla isn't backing away from its radical plans for self-driving cars. CEO Elon Musk and other Tesla executives explained to investors their plans to have more than a million full self-driving Tesla’s on roads next year. The optimistic rhetoric contrasts with the rest of the autonomous vehicle industry, which is increasingly cautioning how long and hard a road it will be to get such cars on streets in mass.
Alphabet’s Wing drones now have FAA approval to deliver packages in the U.S.
Alphabet Wing, the drone delivery startup owned by Google’s parent company, announced that it has become the first company to receive Air Carrier Certification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This lets Wing begin commercial deliveries from local businesses to homes in the U.S. — including the crucial ability to fly over civilians and beyond the visible line of sight of drone operators.
Self-Driving Cars Get the Greenlight Under New Utah Law
A newly minted Utah law has given self-driving cars a greenlight throughout the state. House Bill 101, signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert in late March after passing unanimously in the Legislature, makes it legal for autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads throughout the state. It also redefines what it means to be a vehicle operator, expanding the definition so that computer systems within AVs can now legally be considered drivers.
Car rental giant Enterprise launches its own subscription service
Enterprise Holdings, the parent company of car rental companies Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rent A Car, announced plans to launch a car subscription service. It’s the car rental giant’s first foray into the buzzy Mobility-as-a-Service space, and could possibly disrupt car companies’ own efforts to offer alternatives to car ownership. Enterprise says customers pay a monthly fee to choose from six different vehicle classes — full-size and premium sedans, small and mid-sized SUVs, and small and medium-sized trucks — representing more than 20 makes and models.
Penske Opens Fast-Charging Stations for Electric Commercial Trucks in California
Electric cars aren't the only electric vehicles that need faster charging. Penske Truck Leasing, an arm of the vast Penske motorsports and business empire, has installed 14 DC fast-charging stations for electric commercial trucks at four of its facilities in Southern California. The company believes these are the first operational fast-charging stations in the United States designed specifically for commercial trucks.
This self-driving start-up wants to do more than just deliver groceries to your doorstep
Self-driving cars are still a relatively new concept that’s being tested, but one start-up, AutoX, is thinking ahead and looking for different ways autonomous vehicles can be used. Last year, the company launched a grocery delivery pilot program in San Jose, California. Users who download the AutoX app on their mobile phones can place orders for fresh produce and other goods. Those items will be delivered to them by one of AutoX’s driverless cars.
Aerotronic’s AI and aerial data provide answers to companies
Aerotronic, a recent graduate of the Techstars Mobility program in Detroit and a member of the PlanetM Landing Zone, uses artificial intelligence, helicopters and drones to offer answers to complicated questions that power companies and other businesses have about their systems.
Reach out to our PlanetM team at PlanetM.com to connect to the people, places and resources dedicated to the evolution of transportation mobility.
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