AX0-100 resources - Axis Network Video Updated: 2023

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As the world grapples with soaring energy prices, a landmark shift towards renewable energy is taking place. Solar power, in particular, is enjoying a remarkable boom, a phenomenon detailed in a new report released Thursday by the International Energy Agency (IEA). 

The International Renewable Energy Agency, a separate entity from the IEA, is urging for a substantial increase in wind and solar investments. The global community is expected to discuss an international target for renewable energy deployment during this year's U.N. climate summit in Dubai. This signals a shared commitment to a sustainable, renewable-powered future.

More about solar energy 

Solar energy, one of the most popular forms of renewable energy, harnesses the power of the sun's radiant light and heat. It's a clean, abundant, and renewable source of energy that can be used for a multitude of applications, including generating electricity, providing light or comfortable interior environments, and heating water for domestic, commercial, or industrial use.

To capture and convert the sun's energy into usable forms, several technologies are available:

Solar Photovoltaics (PV)

Photovoltaics is the most well-known method for harnessing solar energy. Solar PV systems convert sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor materials (often silicon-based) through the photovoltaic effect. The cells generate electric current when photons from the sun hit the cell and energize the electrons.

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

CSP plants generate electricity by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a small area. The concentrated light is then used as a heat source for a conventional power plant. There are several types of CSP technologies, including parabolic trough, compact linear Fresnel reflector, Stirling dish, and solar power tower systems.

Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC)

SHC technologies collect thermal energy from the sun and use it for heating and cooling purposes. They can be used for water heating, space heating, space cooling, and process heat applications.

Passive Solar

Passive solar design takes advantage of the sun's energy to maintain a comfortable temperature in a building without the need for mechanical systems. It involves designing buildings with efficient insulation, strategic window placement, and reflective coatings on walls, windows, and roofs.

Solar energy has numerous advantages. It's sustainable, renewable, and abundant, and it emits no greenhouse gases when producing electricity. It's also versatile, capable of powering everything from small devices to entire buildings and even cities.

Challenges of using solar energy

However, it does come with some challenges. Solar energy production is intermittent since it's dependent on daylight hours and weather conditions. Hence, it requires storage solutions or supplementary power sources for periods of low production. 

Additionally, while the cost of solar technologies has dropped significantly in exact years, initial setup and installation can be high.

Given these factors, continued advancements in solar technology, energy storage solutions, and grid management will play a crucial role in expanding the role of solar power in our global energy mix. The future of solar energy remains promising, and it's expected to be a major contributor to the world's transition to sustainable energy.

More about wind energy

Wind energy is another form of renewable energy that harnesses the natural power of the wind to generate electricity. As the wind moves across the surface of the earth, it carries kinetic energy with it. Wind turbines capture this kinetic energy and convert it into mechanical power, which can then be converted into electricity.

There are two main types of wind turbines:

1. Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs): These are the most commonly recognized type of wind turbine. They consist of a tower with three blades rotating around a horizontal axis, similar to traditional windmills.
2. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs): These turbines have a vertical rotor and can capture wind from all directions without needing to be repositioned, unlike HAWTs. VAWTs are less commonly used than HAWTs, but they can be advantageous in areas where wind direction is highly variable or in urban environments.

Wind turbines can be installed both onshore and offshore. Onshore wind farms are typically cheaper to install and maintain, but offshore wind farms can capture more energy due to higher wind speeds over the ocean.

One of the main benefits of wind energy is that it's a clean, renewable form of energy that doesn't release harmful emissions. It's also abundant, particularly in certain regions with high wind potential. Wind farms, especially those onshore, can be built relatively quickly compared to other types of large-scale energy infrastructure.

Challenges of using wind for energy supply

However, there are also challenges associated with wind energy. Wind is intermittent, and its availability does not always coincide with electricity demand, necessitating effective energy storage solutions or backup power sources. 

Wind turbines also require a significant amount of space, which can lead to land use conflicts. Furthermore, they have been associated with noise and aesthetic concerns, as well as impacts on wildlife, particularly birds and bats.

In terms of economic considerations, while the cost of wind energy has been decreasing, the initial investment can still be high. However, once a wind farm is set up, the cost of operation and maintenance is relatively low.

Despite these challenges, wind energy plays a crucial role in the transition towards sustainable and clean energy sources. Advancements in technology, like more efficient turbine designs and better energy storage solutions, are continually improving the feasibility and efficiency of wind energy.

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Key Points

• Iran has embraced an offensive regional strategy to adapt for modern conflict and pursue external objectives more effectively. This shift means more aggressively empowering the so-called Axis of Resistance and expanding Iranian regional influence.
• Regime officials are responding to their evolving threat perceptions and acting on their growing confidence in their defensive capabilities. They now view their conflict against the US as hybrid in nature, rather than conventional.
• Iran is building an increasingly capable and cohesive coalition of state security services and foreign militias to execute its rulers’ offensive concepts. This coalition fuses conventional and unconventional means to threaten enemies.
• The US must develop its Iran policy past just nuclear negotiations. The US needs a comprehensive strategy that contains the growing threat from the Axis of Resistance while maintaining deterrence and preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Read the PDF.

Executive Summary

Iran has adopted in exact years an offensive regional strategy that emphasizes strengthening its so-called Axis of Resistance and expanding its regional influence more aggressively than in past decades. Iranian lead­ers assert that going on the offensive is necessary to counter alleged Western hybrid warfare against them. They have also concluded that they have deterred the US conventionally, allowing them to pursue this risk­ier approach against the US and its partners without fear of provoking a serious American response. This pivot toward an offensive strategy is thus fundamen­tally changing how Tehran interacts with the rest of the Middle East and pursues its grand strategic objec­tives (i.e., attaining regional hegemony, destroying the Israeli state, and expelling American influence from the region).

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is optimizing the Axis of Resistance, which includes the Iranian armed forces and its foreign militia network, to support this offensive strategy. Khamenei has firstly ordered the armed forces to Boost their capability to conduct expeditionary operations and project force. He has secondly pushed for greater interoperability between the Iranian military services and their proxy militias. This fusion of conventional and unconventional capa­bilities constitutes the Iranian brand of modern war­fare. Examples of this offensive force in action include the Axis of Resistance mobilizing to defend Bashar al Assad beginning in 2011 and the Iran-led campaign against regional energy infrastructure in 2019.

This offensive orientation increases the likelihood of a conflict erupting between the US, Iran, and both sides’ regional partners. Such a conflict would imperil US interests in the Middle East, such as fighting extremist militant groups and protecting the global energy trade. It could also draw crucial resources away from competition with China and Russia.

The nuclear negotiations will not decrease the potential for conflict with Iran, regardless of their outcome. Concluding a nuclear agreement would constrain the Iranian nuclear program but also invigorate the regime with additional resources to stabilize its domestic position and finance military activities and regional aggression. On the other hand, failing to reach a nuclear agreement risks driving an escalation cycle between Iran and Israel, which will inevitably involve the United States. These negotia­tions are not therefore a serious solution to address­ing this challenge—at least not on their own.

The correct approach to dealing with Iran is almost certainly to develop and implement a comprehensive policy that contains the Axis of Resistance, deters its aggression, and prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The hurdles involved in crafting and implementing such a strategy are significant, to be sure. But the alternative—remaining passive to this worsening challenge—is much more dangerous for the United States. Failing to act will inevitably pres­ent Washington with a crisis or series of crises in the region that will threaten US strategic interests and distract from competition with China and Russia. US policymakers can preempt this pitfall by acting now and mitigating future risk by appropriately containing the Iranian threat.

Read the full report.

Most recently Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an city and delivered a “keynote” speech during which he upheld that Central Asian countries and China have developed a“mature” relationship based on trust, respect and“mutual interest'.

During his speech Mirziyoyev he rightly proposed the“goals” of further increasing the trade volume between Central Asian countries and China by 2030 through promoting“balanced growth” in the supply of industrial goods and agricultural products, establishing effective trade and logistics infrastructure and modern wholesale distribution networks, as well as establishing“green channels” and unified e-commerce platforms. Thus he endorsed the“strategic importance” and utility of the BRI.

In 2015, Uzbekistan became a partner of the BRI and joined the Asian International Investment Bank (AIIB). Both countries signed over 100 bilateral agreements which have further strengthened their economic cooperation. China-Uzbekistan bilateral trade has increased“140 times” in the last 30 years. It increased by 21.8 percent to nearly“US$9.78 billion” in 2022-2023 which is getting momentum by each passing day. Uzbekistan also showed strong interest in cooperating with China on electric vehicles, new energy industry and digital cooperation. Moreover, Qamchiq Tunnel in Uzbekistan has revolutionized the concept of regional connectivity.

In the past, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan's President, participated in the BRI Forums in 2017 and 2019. During the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Uzbekistan in September the two countries signed additional cooperation documents in various fields.

Interestingly, in the first meeting of the heads of C+C5 countries, China emphasized Uzbekistan to deepen industrial cooperation, investment, and win-win cooperation in BRI and to increase regional industrial development in sectors such as digital economy, energy, and agriculture.

China's interaction with Uzbekistan is to further develop “South-South Cooperation” through BRI and the construction of an alternative route which would further strengthen existing maritime routes, regional hydrocarbon and mineral resources, export markets, loans, and investments in the local economy.

Interestingly, Uzbekistan holds“strategic importance” in the further development of BRI because in the China-Central Asia-West Asia BRI Corridor, two of the BRI routes pass through Uzbekistan, which will connect it to China and Iran. It also ideally positions in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, (Tashkent, Samarkand, Navi), and Turkmenistan Corridor, while it also keeps its key position in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan (Andijan, Pap, Tashkent, Samarkand, Navi) and Turkmenistan-Iran Corridor.

Additionally, all“four corridors” of the“China-Central Asia” gas pipeline pass through Uzbekistan. Apart from the 25-year bilateral contract for the sale of natural gas, a fifth route to transfer gas from Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan is also being seriously considered.

Moreover, Power China invested the Uzbekistan market in 1999 which is now involved in BRI. China and the BRI is the largest source of foreign investment in Uzbekistan. Since 2017, China has invested more than US$10 billion in Uzbekistan.

More than“120 companies” registered in Uzbekistan are 100 percent Chinese capitalized, while the number of enterprises with Chinese capital participation Joint Ventures has exceeded 2,000.

Furthermore, bilateral agreements for the implementation of more than 150 joint projects are either to be implemented in the future or are ongoing. Significant Chinese companies such as Huawei, ZTE, and China's Eximbank all operate in Uzbekistan.

China's BRI has invested in Uzbekistan in sectors such as industries, raw materials, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, advanced technology, construction of thermal power plants and upgrading of hydroelectric power plants, development of digital and fiber optic infrastructure, and 5G.

Chinese companies under the BRI are also active in the sectors such as renewable energy resources, and mining of Uzbekistan, especially in the cement sector and numerous factory projects, special economic zones, free trade zones, industrial parks (SEZs), building materials, chemical and chemical industry companies, agriculture and logistics, and textiles. Cooperation between the BRI and the development strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026 has also been taken on by Beijing.

More attention has been paid to the“China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan road corridor” and the“China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway”. In mid-September 2022, the representatives of these three countries signed a memorandum of cooperation for the implementation of the china-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan railway or CKU project.

Uzbekistan is the“largest consumer market” in Central Asia and a major regional“agricultural” and“manufacturing” exporter. Uzbekistan-BRI can be an ideal“geographical axis” of connecting China, South Eurasia, South Asia and the Middle East, the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf ports and the Black Sea. The completion of the BRI projects will greatly increase the trade, investment, and GDP of Uzbekistan, and the competitiveness of Uzbekistan's exports.

China plans to increase trade with the five Central Asian countries to US$70 billion by 2030. Uzbekistan's future potential for continued BRI inclusion is significant, with Uzbekistan signing BRI infrastructure related contracts worth US$16 billion with China in 2022. By using the BRI, Uzbekistan is diversifying its infrastructure network and reducing delivery times to the country by approximately 15 percent.

It is good omen that the Uzbek government termed BRI as an important contribution to reaching the national GDP goal of US$100 billion in GDP, doubling exports to more than US$30 billion dollars by 2030, and diversifying the economy.

In this connection, hopefully the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway will create more important business and economic opportunities, and will shorten access to the Persian Gulf, the Caucasus, Turkey, the Middle- East, and Southern Europe.

To conclude, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev presented comprehensive“road map” of greater regional connectivity and pinpointed that the widening gaps in sustainable transport and logistics chains, food and energy security challenges, emerging socio-economic and geopolitical instability out of constant tight monetary policy, economic meltdown and high inflation causing serious risks for all the Central Asian countries which should be handled closer coordination and practical interaction. Thus he rightly supported the basic concept of China-Central Asia Summit and the BRI i.e. greater regional connectivity and immense socio-economic integration.

Uzbek president highlighted the importance of establishing the effective interaction mechanisms in the main areas of regional cooperation mainly trade, investment, transport, and humanitarian ties and fully supported the further development of BRI.

He emphasized strategic importance of achieving and securing sustainable development for improving the living standards of the population and the efficiency of poverty reduction. He suggested initiating a new economic dialogue and strengthening the interconnectedness for achieving of the Global Goals and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He suggested doubling the trade turnover of the CIS countries with China by 2030 mainly through: balanced growth of mutual supply of industrial goods and agricultural products; formation of an efficient trade and logistics infrastructure, modern wholesale and distribution networks; introduction of the system of“green” and express corridors, creation of common e-commerce platforms.

In this regard, the creation of the Business Council of Central Asia and China and a multilateral Agreement on Promotion of Mutual Trade and Investments would be mutually beneficial.

Furthermore, deepening industrial cooperation, attracting digital technologies and introducing innovations, especially in agriculture, can be effectively resolved through direct interregional contacts with the provinces of China, he further added.

He rightly showcased that the revival of the“Great Silk Road and the Trans-Eurasian Highway would be key components of be the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan automobile and railroad.

In this connection, the construction of the Trans-Afghan Corridor will further enhance connectivity with China and the countries of South Asia by alternative ways within the BRI mechanism.

It seems that Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev “Development Strategy 2022-2026” coincides with the Chinese president's GDI, GSI and GCI consolidating the spirits of community with shared future. The dreams of CPEC greater regional connectivity directly relates to the further strengthening of China-Central Asia and BRI. Trans-Regional Rail project of Uzbekistan-Pakistan and Afghanistan would further strengthen the true spirits of greater regional connectivity in the days to come.

The author of this article, Dr. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan is an Executive Director of the Center for South Asia & International Studies (CSAIS) and Regional Expert on China, CPEC & BRI

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MENAFN24052023000195011045ID1106309029

BIRMINGHAM, MI / ACCESSWIRE / May 26, 2023 / Rize Strategic Capital, a venture capital firm, has announced its acquisition of Axis Total Management Solutions (TMS), a Software as a Service (SaSS) platform for the trucking and logistics industry.

The goal in acquiring Axis TMS was to expand Rize's portfolio and increase its diversity and investment in sustainability. Rize seeks to create a nuclear portfolio designed to withstand a number of economic conditions, but also prioritizes managing companies dedicated to sustainability efforts.

By acquiring Axis TMS, Rize accomplishes two goals: expanding into a new industry (trucking and logistics), thus growing its portfolio diversity; and participating in a company that puts a significant emphasis on sustainability. The team at Rize prefers an involved, hands-on management style, and carefully curates companies with characteristics and goals that align with those of the venture capital firm.

Rize co-founder Christian Grothe states that Axis TMS is this type of company. 'We believe in being active managers in our portfolio companies, providing them with the necessary resources, guidance, and expertise to unlock their full potential,' he explains. 'Axis TMS is the type of company we look for when it comes to balancing aggressive growth potential with stability and sustainability.'

His co-founder Nick Tennant agrees, adding that Rize does not look merely for short-term gains, but instead, prefers to focus on the fundamentals of each company it works with. 'We feel that the trucking and logistics industry is a key point for encouraging sustainability,' Tennant reveals. 'While the market plays a significant role in global commerce, it also has a considerable impact on the environment due to carbon emissions and fuel consumption.'

He adds that Axis TMS is working toward reducing this impact. Founded in 2012, the platform offers comprehensive features and real-time visibility, empowering shippers and carriers to more effectively manage their shipments and Boost overall supply chain efficiency - thus working toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

The team at Rize feels that Axis TMS is a key investment for the firm, as it allows them a chance to participate in the growing transportation industry, which - globally - was valued at $7.31 trillion USD in 2022.

'This move lets us grow our portfolio and further diversify it at the same time,' says Tennant. 'It allows us to focus on our overarching goal of sustainability and supporting companies that share our goals. We are committed to help Axis TMS to grow and scale as well, as they work toward making a positive impact on the environment.'

About Rize Strategic Capital

Rize Strategic Capital is a venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage technology startups. The company's mission is to support ambitious founders and help them scale their businesses to new heights. Rize primarily invests in industries such as software, marketplaces, fintech, healthtech, and deep tech.

Website: www.rize.vc and

Contact Nic Shafer nics@rize.vc

About Axis Total Management Solutions (TMS)

Axis Total Management Solutions (TMS) is a SaSS cloud-based platform for trucking logistics management. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools and features to optimize the trucking logistics process, allowing shippers and carriers to gain real-time visibility into the status of their shipments.

Website: www.axistms.com

Contact
Nic Shafer nics@rize.vc

SOURCE: Rize Strategic Capital

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/757570/Rize-Strategic-Capital-Acquires-SaSS-Platform-AXIS-TMS

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.

I’m turning the wheel over to Rebecca Bellan next week, and she’s mostly steering things this week (I had to add a few of my thoughts in here cuz I can’t help myself). You’re in good hands!

The big news before the Memorial Day holiday weekend caught many by surprise. I’m talking about the Tesla-Ford agreement. The deal will mean Tesla tech, specifically its charging port, will be integrated into Ford’s second-generation EVs that are slated to come out in 2025.

The deal was announced by Ford CEO Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk via, you guessed it, a Twitter Spaces — Musk’s latest push toward turning Twitter into an real town square. No glitches for this one, at least. 

In the future, Ford’s next generation of EVs will be equipped with Tesla’s charge port, called the North American Charging Standard, starting in 2025. This will provide them access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers in the U.S. and Canada, which is double the number Ford customers currently have access to. Ford’s BlueOval Charge Network has over 10,000 public DC fast-chargers. 

During the event, Farley praised the location of Tesla’s Superchargers, the reliability of the routing software and the ease of use of Tesla’s connector. 

The two CEOs have remained friendly at times despite competing against each other. Musk has applauded Ford in the past, noting on several occasions that only Tesla and Ford have avoided bankruptcy. As they chatted live with over 200,000 people listening in, Farley and Musk seemed to hint at future potential collaborations.

In response to Farley’s noting that making a “fully software updatable vehicle” is “super hard,” Musk responded that Tesla would be happy to “be helpful on the software front” and might “open source more code” to automakers. 

Farley also asked Musk about Tesla’s new lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, which is notable given that Ford just secured a series of deals to ensure its own access to lithium.

Both Ford and Tesla shares jumped over 7% in after-hours trading as a result of the news.

So you might have heard, but in case you didn’t, TechCrunch is searching for 200 early-stage companies for Startup Battlefield at Disrupt this September. Comes with a chance to win a $100,000 in equity-free $$ and cool kid creds. Apply by May 31.

Want to reach out with a tip, comment or complaint? Email Kirsten at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com. You also can send a direct message to @kirstenkorosec. Or you can reach Rebecca at rebecca.techcrunch@gmail.com or follow her at @rebeccabellan.

Reminder that you can drop us a note at tips@techcrunch.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.

Micromobbin’

© Provided by TechCrunch the station scooter1a

Äike launched its e-scooter subscription service in San Francisco in partnership with Tempo, a new startup founded by former Scoot CEO Michael Keating that enables electric mobility brands to offer vehicle subscriptions. The exclusive partnership between the two means Äike customers can subscribe to the company’s Äike T scooter (which by the way can be charged with a regular USB-C laptop charger) on a month-to-month or annual basis. 

Beam is trialing tactile signage on its e-scooters in New Zealand to allow those who are blind, deafblind or have low vision better identify e-scooters and report issues like badly parked scooters. 

Dallas is opening itself back up to scooters after banning shared companies in 2020. Bird, Lime and Superpedestrian are the three to win the permit. 

Cake launched its NYC flagship showroom this week. To celebrate, the company also launched the NYC edition of the Makka, its lightweight urban commuter.

Gogoro is expanding its partnership with Bikebank in South Korea to introduce its Smartscooters and battery swapping under the Dotstation brand in the third quarter. This will bring Gogoro’s battery swapping network to seven cities beyond Seoul, where the scooters and swaps have been operating for food deliveries since 2019.

NYC’s DOT is publishing six self-guided cycling routes — each with a different theme — to encourage more safe cycling in the city, and I think that’s swell. The first one is geared toward women’s empowerment and next month’s will include LGBTQIA+ landmarks for Pride Month in June.

Pave Motors launched its first electric motorbike, the Pave BK. It’s got a sleek and minimal design that demonstrates how lightweight it is. It has a range of up to 50 miles and can go up to 30 mph in just 3.7 seconds.  

Virgo has launched a kickstarter for its full-face helmet that protects the head, chin and jaw. It’s lightweight and has a detachable LED rear light. As e-bikes get faster, it’s important to protect that precious skull.

Deal of the week

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Lordstown Motors is jumping into the reverse stock split fray, an increasingly popular move among the struggling SPAC set. The reverse stock split is Lordstown’s last-ditch effort to pull itself out of the penny stock doldrums and salvage a deal with Foxconn.

The 1:15 reverse stock split was to be expected after Lordstown cautioned investors in early May that it might have to file for bankruptcy after Foxconn threatened to pull out of a critical funding deal. Foxconn had previously agreed to buy out 10% of Lordstown’s common stock for $47.3 million, but Lordstown’s sub $1 share price caused a dispute between the two.

The EV maker is one of the latest in a series of transportation SPACs to turn to reverse stock splits in order to regain stock market compliance, including Bird, Helbiz and Arrival.

Other deals that got my attention … 

Applied Intuition is acquiring Embark Trucks for $71 million. The acquisition comes a couple of months after Embark had to cut 70% of its workforce.

Indian startup Chalo has raised $45 million in equity and $12 million in debt as it works to deepen its mobility offerings, transform bus commutes and launch in international markets. The Series D round was led by Avataar Ventures, with existing investors, including Lightrock India, WaterBridge Ventures and Amit Singhal, a former Google exec.

ClearMotion, the software-defined chassis company based in Massachusetts, raised $32 million from NewView Capital, Acadia Woods, BAI Capital, NIO Capital and Liberty Street. This follows a $39 million investment led by NIO Capital in September 2022.

Nikola received a delisting notice from the Nasdaq because its stock price has been trading below $1 for the past 30 days. Nikola is among a growing list of EV SPACs that have suffered on the public markets and have risked delisting.

Stellantis’ venture arm has invested an undisclosed amount into Lyten, a company developing lithium sulfur battery technology. The investment is part of Lyten’s Series B, which the company didn’t share details about. However, here’s a little puzzle for you. Stellantis tells us that Lyten’s Series B is expected to exceed its Series A of $160 million. Stellantis Ventures made up a significant fraction of the B round. Fun fact about Lyten: Celina Mikolajczak, a well-known battery expert who has held top positions at Tesla, Panasonic, and most recently QuantumScape, is Lyten’s chief battery technology officer.

TechCrunch (virtually) in Atlanta

On June 7, TechCrunch will host City Spotlight: Atlanta. We have a slate of amazing programming planned, including a fireside chat with Ryan Glover, the co-founder of the fintech Greenwood, as well as a panel that examines the venture ecosystem within the Atlanta region and identifies the best ways to raise and meet with local venture capitalists. But that’s not all. If you are an early-stage Atlanta-based founder, apply to pitch to our panel of guest investors/judges for our live pitching competition; the winner gets a free booth at TechCrunch Disrupt this year to exhibit their company in our startup alley. Register here.

Notable reads and other tidbits

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ADAS

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called out Tesla’s Autopilot this week. “There’s a real concern that’s not limited to the technology itself but the interaction between the technology and driver,” he said. In other words, while the tech doesn’t need to be perfect yet, we can’t deny that drivers often have a false sense of security, which can lead to accidents.

Tesla launched FSD Beta in Europe and Australia. It’s a small-scale launch, with one Model S in Belgium and another in Germany getting an update and a Model 3 in Australia receiving the beta software. For those who don’t know, FSD is already available in New Zealand, according to a Tesla salesperson who took me on a test drive the other day. 

Autonomous vehicles

Moia, Volkswagen’s on-demand ride-pooling company, will use Apex.AI’s operating system to develop their autonomous ride-pool service for the future self-driving “ID. Buzz AD.” 

Ever wonder what the policy and regulatory barriers holding back self-driving vehicles are, and how we can remove them? Well, the firm Hatch has 80 pages of answers for you, including over 40 recommendations. Some of those recommendations include a new language for regulators to describe automated vehicles, a proposal for allocation of liability and responsibility among passengers and automated-driving systems and a program for the introduction of automated trucking. 

Waymo and Uber have agreed to a multiyear strategic partnership that will see Waymo’s self-driving cars on Uber’s ride-hail and delivery platform, starting in Phoenix later this year.

Electric vehicles, batteries and charging

Australia reached an agreement with the U.S. to develop its critical minerals industry in cooperation with the U.S. The deal paves the way for Aussie suppliers of minerals like lithium, as well as renewable energy, to be treated as domestic suppliers under the U.S. Defense Production Act. 

BMW and Meta reached a joint research breakthrough that will allow virtual reality headsets to work in moving cars. Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, says he thinks bringing VR headsets — the most immersive medium ever invented — to cars will kill people.

BMW also extended its partnership with AirConsole to bring gaming to its new 5 Series sedan, which promises an all-electric i5 variant as well as a performance M5 sports sedan. The 5 Series is surprisingly spacious and unsurprisingly luxury filled, including a new digital dashboard and BMW’s so-called hands-free driver-assistance system.

The California Air Resources Board is urging the Biden administration to grant approval for its proposal to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. The Board had already approved its own plan in August, but it still needs a green light from the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce it.

Ford has gone back on its decision to build new vehicles without AM radio after pressure from lawmakers. Many automakers, including Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen, have said they plan to ditch AM radio because it interferes with electrical engines. So policymakers introduced a bill calling NHTSA to require AM radio in vehicles for public safety reasons. Ford CEO Jim Farley had a chat with some of them and apparently was convinced. Will other automakers follow?

Speaking of Ford, the company revealed details about its next-gen full-sized SUV EV, which CEO Jim Farley referred to as “a personal bullet train.” The new EV platform, which will go into the T3 e-truck and three-row SUV that’ll go into production in 2025, demonstrates a new strategy by Ford to reduce battery pack size while maintaining performance and range.

General Motors plans to unveil an all-electric Cadillac Escalade later this year. GM revealed almost no details about the so-called Escalade IQ, but we’re pretty sure it’ll be built off GM’s next-gen Ultium platform and could feature around a 450-mile range.

Hyundai is partnering with LG Energy to build a $4.3 billion EV battery factory in the U.S. to take advantage of tax credits. This is Hyundai’s second U.S. battery partnership announcement in exact weeks. The automaker is also partnering with SK On.

Tata Motors, owned by Jaguar Land Rover, is reportedly choosing Britain over Spain for its multi-billion-pound electric car battery plant.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted in a joint Twitter Spaces announcement with Ford that the automaker might “open up some of its automotive operating system code to other automakers.” 

Uber is launching Uber Green in India, an effort to introduce more EVs to the platform. The company will add 25,000 EVs to its platform in partnership with fleet providers like Lithium, Everest and Moove, and it’ll roll out 10,000 electric two-wheelers in Delhi by 2024 with Zypp Electric.

VinFast issued its first recall for some of its 2023 VF8 vehicles due to a software glitch that caused the dashboard screen to go blank. The dashboard in VinFast’s cars shows critical information like the speedometer or warning lights. The automaker will fix the problem with an OTA update.

Volvo has shared new details on its upcoming EX30 electric SUV, and by new details, we mean promotional images showing a vehicle for ANTS. Volvo claims the vehicle’s carbon footprint is smaller “than any Volvo car ever before.”

Gig Economy

In a disappointing turn for labor rights activists, Minnesota governor Tim Walz vetoed a bill that would have guaranteed a minimum wage and other protections for Uber and Lyft drivers. 

Miscellaneous

Candela has revealed its Candela C-8 Polestar edition hydrofoil boat, which the company says combines Polestar’s Scandinavian take on luxury EV design with Candela’s boat tech.

Nvidia will integrate its GPU chiplet into MediaTek’s automotive system-on-chips to jointly deliver a range of in-vehicle AI cabin solutions for software-defined vehicles. 

German authorities are investigating a potential data leak by Tesla. The automaker reportedly failed to adequately protect data of customers, employees and business partners, according to local business newspaper Handelsblatt. The paper received 100 gigabytes of confidential leaked data.   

People

Bosch created a new regional board to oversee its mobility business in North and South America, led by Paul Thomas as president of the Americas for Bosch Mobility.

EVR Motors, an Israel-based electric motor company, appointed Nick Rogers to its board. Rogers was a former executive director of product engineering and board member at Jaguar Land Rover.

Kodiak Robotics hired Steve Kenner as its vice president of safety. Kenner has a long career in tech and automotive with stints at Apple, Ford, General Motors and Uber.

Swvl Holdings appointed Ayman Ismail Mohamed Ahmed to its board of directors.

Urban Air Mobility

Vertical Aerospace said South Korean ride-hailing service Kakao Mobility has pre-ordered up to 50 of Vertical’s VX4 aircraft. Recall that last year, Kakao and Vertical joined LG Uplus, Pablo Air, Jeju Air and GS Caltex to participate in South Korea’s K-UAM Grand Challenge to commercialize urban air mobility. 

Ford EVs will have Tesla DNA and Waymo’s robotaxis are coming to Uber by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch

Sponsored Content from Axis Communications

Headquartered in Lund, Sweden, with $1.2 billion in sales annually, Axis Communications, Inc. is the leader in security surveillance solutions. In the U.S. we employ more than 600 employees and operate 12 Axis Experience Centers across the country, so prospective customers and integrators can get hands-on demos of some of the industry’s best surveillance solutions as well as hands-on training courses and use of office space for meetings.

But we’re not just about video.

About seven years ago, Axis entered the audio security market with a network horn speaker. Since then, we’ve added a mini-speaker, cabinet speakers, in-ceiling and pendant speakers, and more. With PoE connectivity, installation is simple because you don’t need dedicated audio cables, and the system can utilize existing networks. Audio remains an important focus for security and communications solutions, and our audio business continues to grow dramatically.

With our AXIS Audio Manager Edge software, which is built into every audio device, we’ve taken the intelligence out of an analog rack and moved it to the speakers. AXIS Audio Manager Edge is a free perpetual license offered in all our speakers and offers audio programming and configuration for systems of up to 200 speakers and 20 zones. AXIS Audio Manager Pro is server or e-license based available for larger, more complex installations of up to 5,000 speakers and 100 zones.

Both deliver “smart” audio configuration software. You can schedule messages to play at specific times, remotely set up zones and priorities and even remotely check the health of devices by sending a tone to make sure each speaker is operational. Add to that built-in microphones for two-way communications, DSP to ensure the audio is crystal clear, built-in programmable LEDs, PIRs in specific models and I/Os to trigger other devices, and you can see and hear the difference Axis audio offers. Have an existing analog system you’d like to integrate with an Axis network audio solution? No problem, we have migration devices for those applications too … and our open IP platform also allows integrations with other third-party devices and building systems.

Story continues

While video surveillance can be a deterrent for unauthorized activity, arguably its strongest use case is as a reactive forensic system in an unmonitored scenario. Basically, once someone has engaged in illegal behavior, video evidence can help identify the suspect and document their activities. In contrast, a surveillance system with a “smart” audio component has proven to be a very effective deterrent.

For example, call outs in a monitored scenario are particularly effective in deterring criminal activity. What happens if you are in a remote area and you hear someone say, “You are not authorized to be in this area and you are under surveillance?” Chances are you will look right at the camera, providing security personnel with a clear view for identification. Then, you’ll leave—quickly—because you know your potentially criminal behavior is being documented and authorities will likely be called.

Sometimes, proactive audio deterrence is less about preventing criminal behavior and more about modifying bad behavior. In one hospital, for example, nurses were using an emergency exit as a shortcut for leaving the building during a break. Every time that door was opened (or, worse yet, propped open), it provided an opportunity for unauthorized personnel to enter the building.

Plus, security was notified and were required to make sure the doors were secured every time. Considering the frequency with which nurses were using the emergency exit, it became a tremendous time burden on the security team.

Audio call outs solved the problem. When a person triggered the speaker’s integrated PIR, they were instructed to use an authorized exit via a live or recorded announcement. With the vocal warning, improper use of the emergency exit was reduced to practically nothing. That translated to real cost savings and improved safety, and let security focus its attention on other areas that required it.

Whether the message is prerecorded or live (accentuated with a description of clothing or other identifiable traits), audio call outs turn a reactive forensic security system into a proactive deterrent solution. From criminal behavior to parking violations, an audio component as part of an overall surveillance strategy can deter bad behavior before it happens. Plus, live monitoring of audio and video surveillance can deliver recurring monthly revenue (RMR) opportunities for integrators.

Axis network audio solutions are perfect for public address and intercom applications as well. Whether used for paging, scheduled announcements, alerts, mass communications, marketing messages, background music, or more—you can count on reliable, clear, and secure sound. With Axis, you get communications by day and proactive security by night. Learn more by visiting our website or contacting your local Axis representative at 800-444-2947. If you are attending InfoComm, visit us at Booth #5450 by scheduling a booth tour, or stop by for a chance to win an Axis camera, speaker, and software license.

Sponsored Content from Axis Communications

Headquartered in Lund, Sweden, with $1.2 billion in sales annually, Axis Communications, Inc. is the leader in security surveillance solutions. In the U.S. we employ more than 600 employees and operate 12 Axis Experience Centers across the country, so prospective customers and integrators can get hands-on demos of some of the industry’s best surveillance solutions as well as hands-on training courses and use of office space for meetings.

But we’re not just about video.

About seven years ago, Axis entered the audio security market with a network horn speaker. Since then, we’ve added a mini-speaker, cabinet speakers, in-ceiling and pendant speakers, and more. With PoE connectivity, installation is simple because you don’t need dedicated audio cables, and the system can utilize existing networks. Audio remains an important focus for security and communications solutions, and our audio business continues to grow dramatically.

With our AXIS Audio Manager Edge software, which is built into every audio device, we’ve taken the intelligence out of an analog rack and moved it to the speakers. AXIS Audio Manager Edge is a free perpetual license offered in all our speakers and offers audio programming and configuration for systems of up to 200 speakers and 20 zones. AXIS Audio Manager Pro is server or e-license based available for larger, more complex installations of up to 5,000 speakers and 100 zones.

Both deliver “smart” audio configuration software. You can schedule messages to play at specific times, remotely set up zones and priorities and even remotely check the health of devices by sending a tone to make sure each speaker is operational. Add to that built-in microphones for two-way communications, DSP to ensure the audio is crystal clear, built-in programmable LEDs, PIRs in specific models and I/Os to trigger other devices, and you can see and hear the difference Axis audio offers. Have an existing analog system you’d like to integrate with an Axis network audio solution? No problem, we have migration devices for those applications too … and our open IP platform also allows integrations with other third-party devices and building systems.

Story continues

While video surveillance can be a deterrent for unauthorized activity, arguably its strongest use case is as a reactive forensic system in an unmonitored scenario. Basically, once someone has engaged in illegal behavior, video evidence can help identify the suspect and document their activities. In contrast, a surveillance system with a “smart” audio component has proven to be a very effective deterrent.

For example, call outs in a monitored scenario are particularly effective in deterring criminal activity. What happens if you are in a remote area and you hear someone say, “You are not authorized to be in this area and you are under surveillance?” Chances are you will look right at the camera, providing security personnel with a clear view for identification. Then, you’ll leave—quickly—because you know your potentially criminal behavior is being documented and authorities will likely be called.

Sometimes, proactive audio deterrence is less about preventing criminal behavior and more about modifying bad behavior. In one hospital, for example, nurses were using an emergency exit as a shortcut for leaving the building during a break. Every time that door was opened (or, worse yet, propped open), it provided an opportunity for unauthorized personnel to enter the building.

Plus, security was notified and were required to make sure the doors were secured every time. Considering the frequency with which nurses were using the emergency exit, it became a tremendous time burden on the security team.

Audio call outs solved the problem. When a person triggered the speaker’s integrated PIR, they were instructed to use an authorized exit via a live or recorded announcement. With the vocal warning, improper use of the emergency exit was reduced to practically nothing. That translated to real cost savings and improved safety, and let security focus its attention on other areas that required it.

Whether the message is prerecorded or live (accentuated with a description of clothing or other identifiable traits), audio call outs turn a reactive forensic security system into a proactive deterrent solution. From criminal behavior to parking violations, an audio component as part of an overall surveillance strategy can deter bad behavior before it happens. Plus, live monitoring of audio and video surveillance can deliver recurring monthly revenue (RMR) opportunities for integrators.

Axis network audio solutions are perfect for public address and intercom applications as well. Whether used for paging, scheduled announcements, alerts, mass communications, marketing messages, background music, or more—you can count on reliable, clear, and secure sound. With Axis, you get communications by day and proactive security by night. Learn more by visiting our website or contacting your local Axis representative at 800-444-2947. If you are attending InfoComm, visit us at Booth #5450 by scheduling a booth tour, or stop by for a chance to win an Axis camera, speaker, and software license.