Adopts

Hey, folks, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular recap of the past few days in tech. The headlines have been dominated — nay, overwhelmed — by the drama unfolding at AI startup OpenAI, but plenty else happened in the half-week leading up to Thanksgiving. So much for a sleepy pre-holiday! In this edition of WiR, besides the OpenAI saga, we cover Apple finally bringing RCS to iPhones, a former Silicon Valley VC darling being convicted of investor fraud, Cruise co-founder Kyle Vogt resigning and Amazon…

SAE International has officially selected MAHLE's Differential Inductive Positioning System (DIPS) as the global standard solution for wireless charging. MAHLE's positioning system claims to offer a hassle-free charging experience by automatically aligning an Electric vehicle above the charging coil in the floor. This is a complete cable-free solution and this brings users freedom from finding specific charging plugs for the electric cars. The adoption of MAHLE's technology as the global standard is expected to accelerate…

In a bold move, the South Korean automotive giant Hyundai has revolutionized its design philosophy by introducing the all-new fifth-generation Santa Fe. The all-new Santa Fe which once used to be the flagship SUV from the brand in its Indian lineup has recently been unveiled in the international market and it looks just like the Exter micro-SUV which was also recently launched in India. The all-new Santa Fe has been radically redesigned and it looks extremely macho and will command a huge road presence. Hyundai has…

On Tuesday, the European Parliament adopted the Chips Act, a landmark law aiming to bolster the bloc’s autonomy and competitiveness in the semiconductor sector. The act has been in the works for over a year now, but recent developments seem to have sped up the process. Specifically, the announcement comes after China’s recent export controls on gallium and germanium, two metals critical for semiconductor manufacturing. “The EU Chips Act will be an instrument of technological and industrial…

Data transfer between Europe and the United States was deemed illegal back in 2020 by an EU Court. Now, almost three years later, the European Commission announced the adoption of a new adequacy decision, which essentially allows companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple to store data about European users on their American servers. The EU-US Data Privacy Framework introduces new binding safeguards to address all the concerns raised by the European Court of Justice, read a press release issued by the Commission. US…

Mercedes-Benz announced the adoption of Tesla’s NACS connector in its electric vehicles in North America starting in 2025. It is the first German automaker to jump on board. Over the last month, there has been a wave of automakers that have announced the adoption of Tesla’s NACS connector, starting with Ford, followed by GM, Rivian, and Volvo. The big German automakers seemed to be holding out – although Volkswagen said that it was in discussions with Tesla about it. Now one of them…

The last few weeks have seen the floodgates open for electric vehicle manufacturers to sign on to Tesla’s NACS charging network, helping to solidify the standard as the new main charging connector for EVs in the US. But no electric motorcycle manufacturers had announced intentions to adopt Tesla’s charging connector, at least until now. Verge Motorcycles, a Finnish electric motorcycle maker that is expected to begin selling its motorcycles in the US later this year, has just joined the ranks…

Volvo's EX30, a small electric crossover SUV, is expected to arrive in the U.S. next year.Courtesy: VolvoSwedish automaker Volvo Cars said on Tuesday that it has signed a deal with Tesla that will allow drivers of its electric vehicles to charge at roughly 12,000 Tesla charging stations in North America starting next year.Under the deal, Volvo's EVs will be equipped with Tesla-designed plugs, called the North American Charging Standard, or NACS, starting in 2025.Volvo's deal with Tesla appears identical to deals struck in…

The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click The Station — to receive the full edition of the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.  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. Allow me a brief moment to toot my own horn! Downey’s Dream Cars, a new reality TV show that combines cars, climate change, the future of mobility, startups and Robert…

European ride-hailing firm Bolt will start using self-driving robots to deliver customers’ food as part of a new partnership with fellow Estonian company Starship Technologies, announced yesterday.   Bolt, one of Europe’s most highly valued tech companies, plans to roll out thousands of the robots across multiple countries, starting in its home city of Tallinn later this year. A competitor of Uber, Bolt has more than 100 million customers in Europe, Africa, West Asia, and Latin America.…