TechCrunch Mobility: Lyft has entered the robotaxi chat
TechCrunch Mobility: Lyft has entered the robotaxi chat
TechCrunch Mobility：Lyft 正式加入自动驾驶出租车（Robotaxi）阵营
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Lyft reached a new milestone this week when Waymo robotaxis landed on its app in Nashville. Under the partnership, Lyft handles fleet services, such as vehicle readiness and maintenance, as well as infrastructure and depot operations through its wholly owned subsidiary Flexdrive. In Nashville, customers can hail a Waymo robotaxi directly from the Waymo app, or try their luck on the Lyft app, which will match riders with a Waymo depending on availability. 本周，随着 Waymo 自动驾驶出租车正式接入 Lyft 纳什维尔地区的应用程序，Lyft 达成了一项新的里程碑。根据双方的合作协议，Lyft 将通过其全资子公司 Flexdrive 负责车队服务，包括车辆准备、维护以及基础设施和车库运营。在纳什维尔，用户既可以直接通过 Waymo 应用程序呼叫自动驾驶出租车，也可以尝试通过 Lyft 应用程序下单，系统会根据车辆可用性为乘客匹配 Waymo 车辆。
Lyft has more than dabbled in autonomous vehicle technology over the years, including through partnerships with Aptiv (now Motional) in Las Vegas, May Mobility in Atlanta, Baidu in London, and Waymo in Phoenix. But this week is notable because it marks Lyft’s first true entry into commercial robotaxi services using driverless vehicles without a human operator behind the wheel. 多年来，Lyft 在自动驾驶技术领域并非浅尝辄止，此前曾与拉斯维加斯的 Aptiv（现为 Motional）、亚特兰大的 May Mobility、伦敦的百度以及凤凰城的 Waymo 展开过合作。但本周的进展意义重大，因为它标志着 Lyft 首次真正进入了使用“无安全员”自动驾驶车辆的商业化出租车服务领域。
Lest you forget, the company spent four years and millions of dollars developing its own AV tech under its Level 5 business division. Lyft sold its autonomous vehicle unit to Toyota’s Woven Planet Holdings subsidiary for $5.5 billion in 2021 — one of many acquisitions during a period of widespread consolidation across the nascent industry. Lyft then took a break from AVs as it focused on its core ride-hailing business. But it didn’t dismiss the idea altogether. 别忘了，该公司曾通过其 Level 5 业务部门投入四年时间和数百万美元研发自有的自动驾驶技术。2021 年，Lyft 以 5.5 亿美元的价格将其自动驾驶部门出售给了丰田旗下的 Woven Planet Holdings——这是该新兴行业在广泛整合时期发生的众多收购案之一。随后，Lyft 暂停了自动驾驶业务，转而专注于其核心的网约车业务，但并未完全放弃这一构想。
I spoke to Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s executive vice president of growth, about the milestone and thought I would share a few insights. In his role, Bird manages Lyft’s international, luxury, and autonomous vehicle plans — and sometimes all three may converge. When I asked Bird when we’ll see more robotaxis on the Lyft app — and where — he didn’t get too specific. But he did say the company went into 2026 focused on its partnership with Waymo in Nashville and Baidu in London (where commercial service has not yet launched). 我与 Lyft 负责增长业务的执行副总裁 Jeremy Bird 谈到了这一里程碑，并想分享一些见解。Bird 在任内负责管理 Lyft 的国际业务、豪华车业务以及自动驾驶计划，有时这三者会产生交集。当我问及何时以及在何地能在 Lyft 应用程序上看到更多自动驾驶出租车时，他没有给出具体细节。但他表示，公司进入 2026 年后的重点是与纳什维尔的 Waymo 以及伦敦的百度（目前尚未启动商业服务）保持合作。
“I think next year what you’ll see is more diversification of that,” he said, adding that ideally this would include expanding Lyft’s partnership with both partners. “I think next year will be a big year for us.” And it seems international markets are a big part of that AV expansion plan. Bird called London a “fascinating market,” and throughout our conversation he repeatedly talked about Lyft as a global company, a notable shift from just a few years ago when it was focused on the U.S. market. “我认为明年你会看到更多样化的布局，”他说道，并补充称理想情况下这将包括扩大与这两家合作伙伴的关系。“我认为明年对我们来说将是重要的一年。” 国际市场似乎是其自动驾驶扩张计划的重要组成部分。Bird 将伦敦称为一个“迷人的市场”，在我们的整个谈话中，他反复提到 Lyft 是一家全球性公司，这与几年前仅专注于美国市场的情况相比，是一个显著的转变。
So, where is Lyft headed next? When it comes to international markets, Lyft seems to be prioritizing locations where it can operate a hybrid network — meaning AVs and human-driven vehicles — from the get-go. “We are a global company becoming more global, which is important for us,” he said. “And AVs will be the way we think about the future. Like any market we go into, is there an AV component to that? Is it a market where AVs are already open regulatorily, or that would put that market up higher on our list of the places we want to go?” 那么，Lyft 的下一步走向何方？在国际市场方面，Lyft 似乎优先考虑那些从一开始就能运营混合网络（即自动驾驶车辆与人工驾驶车辆并存）的地区。“我们是一家正在变得更加全球化的全球性公司，这对我们很重要，”他说。“自动驾驶将是我们思考未来的方式。就像我们进入的任何市场一样，那里是否有自动驾驶的成分？如果该市场在监管层面已经开放了自动驾驶，那么它在我们想要进入的名单中排名就会更高。”
A little bird
小道消息
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin 图片来源：Bryce Durbin
A little bird noticed a couple of interesting hires over at Ford that sure look like the company is building up its defense tech muscles. Ford recently hired ex-Raytheon employee Tomaz Seignemartin as VP of continuous improvement and former General Dynamics staffer Shirish Srinivasan, who is now chief of staff to Ford’s chief strategy officer. Ford also hired Nathan Rigoni, who was Lockheed Martin’s generative AI team lead, as senior software engineer. 有消息灵通人士注意到福特最近聘请了几位引人注目的人才，这看起来像是公司正在加强其国防技术实力。福特最近聘请了前雷神公司（Raytheon）员工 Tomaz Seignemartin 担任持续改进副总裁，并聘请了前通用动力公司（General Dynamics）员工 Shirish Srinivasan 担任福特首席战略官的幕僚长。福特还聘请了曾担任洛克希德·马丁公司（Lockheed Martin）生成式 AI 团队负责人的 Nathan Rigoni 担任高级软件工程师。
Now, of course, a handful of defense tech hires at a company that employs thousands is hardly a trend. But it does illustrate how having a background in defense tech has become more valuable. Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com. 当然，对于一家拥有数千名员工的公司来说，招聘几名国防技术背景的人才算不上什么趋势。但这确实说明了拥有国防技术背景的人才正变得越来越有价值。有线索要提供吗？请发送电子邮件至 kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com 联系 Kirsten Korosec，或通过 Signal（账号：kkorosec.07）联系，也可以发送电子邮件至 sean.okane@techcrunch.com 联系 Sean O’Kane。
Deals!
投融资动态！
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin 图片来源：Bryce Durbin
The Boring Company, the startup founded by Elon Musk to “solve traffic” by creating a network of underground tunnels, raised $3 billion in a round led by the United Arab Emirates. The Boring Company is now valued at $23 billion, the company shared in its announcement. There is a reason for UAE’s support. The Boring Company, which already worked with the UAE on the Dubai Loop, said it will dig another 150 kilometers of tunnels in the Middle Eastern country. Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Human Capital, Vy Capital, and Valor Equity Partners also participated. 由埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）创立、旨在通过建造地下隧道网络来“解决交通拥堵”的初创公司 The Boring Company 在一轮由阿拉伯联合酋长国领投的融资中筹集了 30 亿美元。该公司在公告中表示，目前估值已达 230 亿美元。阿联酋的支持是有原因的。The Boring Company 此前已与阿联酋在“迪拜环线”（Dubai Loop）项目上展开合作，并表示将在该中东国家再挖掘 150 公里的隧道。Andreessen Horowitz、红杉资本（Sequoia Capital）、Human Capital、Vy Capital 和 Valor Equity Partners 也参与了本轮投资。
In the U.S., the Boring Company’s most visible work is in Las Vegas, where it has developed tunnels connecting hotel casinos such as Resorts World, Encore, and the Sahara, the convention center, and limited trips to the airport. Tesla vehicles, driven by a human, shuttle riders to and from these locations. 在美国，The Boring Company 最引人注目的项目位于拉斯维加斯，其建造的隧道连接了名胜世界（Resorts World）、Encore 和撒哈拉（Sahara）等酒店赌场、会议中心以及通往机场的部分线路。目前，由人类驾驶的特斯拉车辆负责在这些地点之间运送乘客。
Other deals that got my attention this week … 本周引起我注意的其他交易……
ARC Ride, the Kenya-based electric mobility startup, raised $33.3 million in a round led by Novastar Ventures and Norrsken22. Other backers included IFC, British International Investment, Proparco, Japanese supplier Musashi Seimitsu, and African impact investor Talanton. 总部位于肯尼亚的电动出行初创公司 ARC Ride 在一轮由 Novastar Ventures 和 Norrsken22 领投的融资中筹集了 3330 万美元。其他支持者包括国际金融公司（IFC）、英国国际投资公司（BII）、Proparco、日本供应商武藏精密工业（Musashi Seimitsu）以及非洲影响力投资者 Talanton。
Beep, a startup known for operating autonomous shuttles at campuses and airports, raised $20 million in a Series B round led by Mobileye, one of its existing tech partners. The Orlando, Florida-based company that was founded in 2019 said it has raised $130 million to date. 以在园区和机场运营自动驾驶班车而闻名的初创公司 Beep 在由其现有技术合作伙伴之一 Mobileye 领投的 B 轮融资中筹集了 2000 万美元。这家成立于 2019 年、总部位于佛罗里达州奥兰多的公司表示，迄今已累计融资 1.3 亿美元。
Fryte Mobility, a Munich, Germany-based software startup focused on charging logistics for electric trucks, raised €3.5 million ($4 million) in seed funding co-led by 4impact capital and Rethink Ventures. Existing backers Revent, F-LOG, accilium ventures, and unnamed angel investors also participated. 总部位于德国慕尼黑、专注于电动卡车充电物流的软件初创公司 Fryte Mobility 筹集了 350 万欧元（约合 400 万美元）的种子轮融资，由 4impact capital 和 Rethink Ventures 共同领投。现有投资者 Revent、F-LOG、accilium ventures 以及未透露姓名的天使投资人也参与了投资。
Porsche completed the sale of its stakes in Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group to HOF Capital. Porsche received about 1 billion euros in the sale, and about 250 million euros of those proceeds will be used to further fund its pension obligations. 保时捷（Porsche）完成了将其在 Bugatti Rimac 和 Rimac Group 的股份出售给 HOF Capital 的交易。保时捷在此次出售中获得了约 10 亿欧元，其中约 2.5 亿欧元的收益将用于进一步资助其养老金义务。