The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation.\u00a0Sign up here \u2014\u00a0just click The Station<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.<\/em><\/p>\n Hey-o! Howdy readers and welcome back to The Station, your weekly newsletter on all things transportation. I hope you enjoyed the New Year! I appreciated a bit of rest and recovery, just in time for CES 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yup, I\u2019m in Las Vegas, yet again, for the annual tech trade show. The Big Three U.S. automakers (Ford<\/strong>, GM<\/strong> and Stellantis<\/strong>) won\u2019t have big splashy displays and announcements as in past years. However, there will be plenty of automotive, and more broadly, transportation companies and startups in attendance. I will be on the hunt all week for intriguing and innovative tech. Wish me luck. ;D<\/p>\n Honda<\/strong>, Kia<\/strong> and Vinfast<\/strong> are showing off EVs, Hyundai\u2019s<\/strong> Supernal will reveal an electric vertical take off and landing vehicle and Mercedes<\/strong> will be focusing on software and the in-cabin experience. AI is a theme that is popping up everywhere and perhaps surprising to some, hydrogen fuel will also have a presence.<\/p>\n Stay tuned for our coverage this week.<\/p>\n Want to reach out with a tip, comment or complaint? Email Kirsten at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com<\/a>. <\/em>Reminder that you can drop us a\u00a0note at\u00a0tips@techcrunch.com<\/a>.\u00a0If you prefer to remain anonymous<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>click here to contact us<\/em><\/a>, which includes SecureDrop (<\/em>instructions here<\/em><\/a>) and various encrypted messaging apps.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s been a bit quiet the past few weeks, but there have been a smattering of deals worth sharing.<\/p>\n One of note is Gbike<\/strong>, a Seoul-based shared e-scooters and e-bikes operator that is gearing up to go public<\/a> on the Korean stock market and is reviewing acquisition targets. Founder and CEO Walter Yoon told TechCrunch that the company is in talks for acquisitions in the micromobility industry to increase its market share before its planned initial public offering, aiming for early 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cDetails have not been materialized yet, but we\u2019re currently looking at around three to five targets to acquire,\u201d Yoon said, adding that it has not decided how many acquisitions it will complete.<\/p>\n Other deals that got my attention \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Bumper<\/strong>, an auto repair financing startup based in London, raised $18 million<\/a> in a round led by AutoTech Ventures. Shell Ventures, InMotion Ventures, Porsche Ventures, and Revo Capital also participated. Bumper also secured $30 million in debt.<\/p>\n Revfin<\/strong>, an Indian fintech startup that offers auto loans for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers raised $14 million<\/a> in a Series B round led by Omidyar Network, the philanthropic investment firm from eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.<\/p>\n Salt Creek Capital<\/strong> acquired<\/a> Vantage Vehicle International, a California-based maker of low-speed utility vehicles.<\/p>\n Swap Energy<\/strong>, an Indonesian EV battery startup, raised $22 million<\/a> in a Series A round led by Qiming Venture Partners. GGV Capital and existing investor Ondine Capital also participated.<\/p>\n Contributor Tim Stevens<\/strong> tested the advanced driver assistance systems in Tesla, BMW, Ford, GM and Mercedes. Here\u2019s how they stacked up<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aurora<\/strong> and Continental<\/strong> passed the first major hurdle in a $300 million project to produce thousands of autonomous hardware kits<\/a> for self-driving trucks.<\/p>\n China\u2019s<\/strong> robotaxi industry is facing new headwinds \u2014 and a bit of wariness after watching the drama at Cruise unfold. TC reporter Rita Liao does a deep dive on how these startups<\/a> are coping.<\/p>\n Nuro<\/strong> struck a deal with safety-focused software company Foretellix<\/strong> to help with virtual testing of its automated driving system<\/a>, in a bid to cut R&D costs.<\/p>\n 2024 will be a crucial year for India<\/strong>, as the country faces challenges to offer accessible growth capital to late-stage startups while trying to lure Tesla and other foreign EV manufacturers to enter its domestic market. Here\u2019s how the country will navigate EVs in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fisker<\/strong> is struggling to meet internal sales goals, documents show<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rivian\u00a0<\/strong>delivered 10% fewer EVs<\/a> in the fourth quarter, compared to the third quarter, leaving investors worried about softening demand. Rivian did exceed its production goals for 2023, providing some positive news for the EV maker.<\/p>\n Superpedestrian\u2019s<\/strong> electric scooters \u2014 more than 20,000 of them \u2014 will be auctioned off<\/a> later this month, along with other equipment from the startup\u2019s U.S. operations, after closing its doors December 31. Also, don\u2019t miss this article from TechCrunch about what Superpedestrian\u2019s demise means for the e-scooter industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tesla<\/strong> shipped a record number of electric vehicles<\/a> in Q4 to help it edge out its targets for the year, thanks in part to the popularity of its cheapest vehicle.<\/p>\n The U.S. government<\/strong> revealed the list of EVs that qualify for the full federal tax credit under the newer, more stringent guidelines. Here\u2019s the qualifying EVs list<\/a> and more details on what drove the change.<\/p>\n VinFast<\/strong> has earmarked an investment of up to $2 billion to build a factory<\/a> in India.<\/p>\n TC reporter Rebecca Bellan<\/strong> turned her attention to the overlooked tech<\/a> that kept cities moving in 2023.<\/p>\n Uber<\/strong> has quietly been testing a flexible pricing service<\/a> in more than a dozen cities in India.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nDeal of the week<\/h2>\n
Notable reads and other tidbits<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-station-ride-hailing1.png\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nADAS<\/h3>\n
Autonomous vehicles<\/h3>\n
Electric vehicles, charging & batteries<\/h3>\n
Cities<\/h3>\n