Hey urbanists! Uber made a big announcement this week, Elon Musk admitted Tesla has a technology prob
|
April 15 · Issue #29 · View online |
|
Hey urbanists! Uber made a big announcement this week, Elon Musk admitted Tesla has a technology problem, and The Guardian had a great series on Australian cities. I’ve ended the issue with links to stories from around the world, so I’m sure you’ll find something of interest. Since I wrote a bit about Uber, I’ll keep this intro short. Have a great Sunday! — Paris
|
|
|
Ride, Bike, or Drive: Uber Wants to Do All Things Mobility
Uber will begin offering bike-share and vehicle-rental services, along with public transit tickets, in certain cities to expand options in its app. A stronger push into “mobility as a service” should come as no surprise, given that Uber experimented with other offerings in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and other ride-hailing companies have announced similar plans: Lyft has talked about being the app for all your transportation needs and India’s Ola recently made its own push into public transit ticketing.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi also recently mused about Uber running bus services — which it previously announced in Egypt — proving that the company’s ambitions go far beyond being a taxi service enhanced by technology. Uber intends to dominate urban transportation networks through acquisition and attrition — the latter particularly in the case of public transit — though its financial situation is a major problem. Counter to the dominant media narrative, Uber is wildly unprofitable, having lost $4.5 billion in 2017 with no path to black, and its low prices are only possible though VC subsidization. Using partnerships to expand into other areas provides new revenue sources because Uber will simply take a cut while the other companies manage their own financials. This move is unlikely to solve Uber’s cash troubles, but it may allow it to survive long enough to reach its planned IPO next year and the cash influx that should accompany it. That isn’t, however, something we should eagerly await. Uber has an amazing PR team which positioned this as another move in its quest to reduce personal vehicle ownership, but as we should all know by now, what a capitalist enterprise says in public is not the same as what it’s planning internally. Uber wants a monopoly on transportation that would serve Uber, not its users, and this is just another step down that path.
|
|
Was reminded of the sad fact that Google Maps not only advertises ride hailing services right under transit options, but also does not do anything of the sort when the user selects driving as the mode option. It’s clear what is being portrayed as competitive with what here. https://t.co/6JSPGdm7Se
|
2:25 PM - 13 Apr 2018
|
|
Uber acquires dockless bike-share startup Jump
Ahead of this week’s announcement, Uber bought Jump, the bike-share service it previously worked with in San Francisco.
|
Uber's flying cars depend on magical batteries
As ride hailing makes congestion worse in major cities, further slowing vehicles and buses, Uber wants to provide a means to skip traffic for those who can afford it with a newly imagined technology: flying cars!
|
|
Tesla proves technology is not always the solution
Elon Musk has an almost unshakeable belief in the power of technology. However, as Model 3 production delays continue due to a failure to automate final assembly and Autopilot’s death toll rises, will Musk be able to recognize that *maybe* tech won’t always be the solution? I published this piece on Monday, arguing that if anything would finally break through Musk’s bubble, it would be investor pressures. By Friday, I was proved right, but there’s still no recognition that his Autopilot system isn’t nearly as safe as he claims it to be.
|
Tesla relied on too many robots to build the Model 3, Elon Musk says
I loved reading this article, but it remains to be seen whether Musk is possible of a more critical approach to technology.
|
Tesla Model Y production will power up in Nov 2019
The Model Y crossover is supposed to go into production in November 2019, but given the troubles with the Model 3, how much do you want to bet it will get pushed just like all of Musk’s other timelines?
|
|
I currently live in Canada, but I used to live in Australian, so I still try to keep up with the goings on down under. The Guardian had a great set of features on the challenges facing Australia’s cities, and I highly recommend at least reading those on Sydney and Melbourne.
- Melbourne is experiencing massive population growth and is poised to surpass Sydney by the 2030s, but is it making the right decisions to keep its title of “world’s most liveable” city?
- Sydney’s growth has traditionally been focused on the harbour, but governments have announced a new plan to refocus the metropolis around three centres: Eastern Harbour City, Central River City, and Western Parkland City. It’s an ambitious proposal to ensure everyone is within 30 minutes of essential services, but will it work?
- The Gold Coast is known as Australia’s Las Vegas, but as it tries to show it’s more than a tourist trap, will the rest of Australia let it throw off its old image?
- There are also good pieces on the aftermath of the closure of Australia’s last car plant in Adelaide and an experiment with a dementia-friendly village in Hobart.
|
|
|
|
|
Did you enjoy this issue?
|
|
|
|
If you don't want these updates anymore, please unsubscribe here
If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe here
|
|
|
|