Two big air taxi deals this week. Archer Aviation announced that it now owns its former rival Wisk Aero, with Boeing getting a 16.5% stake in Archer. And, “ Joby Aviation, which made a more predictable deal this week. The company acquired Resonant Sciences for $500 million, marking the electric air taxi developer’s push into the defense sector.” Tech Crunch
Category Archives: Uncategorized
State high speed rail oversight
In 2023, California created a state office that oversees its high speed rail. The office is intended “To provide oversight, the state created an independent watchdog in 2023: an inspector general with the power to audit contracts, investigate fraud and flag problems before they turn into bigger, more expensive ones.” CBS News
Logistics data breach
A data breach of Ceva Logisticas is causing shipping delay. Hacks of logistics companies can access and hijack trucks sand shipping containers. Tech Crunch
Anatomy of alcohol delivery opposition
During the pandemic, distillery direct delivery was available to your home in California. An opposition group comprised of teamsters and corporate wholesalers and distributors are not thrilled. In 2026, the opposition ensured that the pandemic era statutes, codifying the original Governor Executive Order, will expire on December 31st. The lobbying dollars spent on this: +$1 […]
Tesla SpaceX merger
Tech Crunch and The WSJ this week talked about Easter eggs for the Tesla SpaceX merger. They note that Tesla is selling off its China operations.
+1 new drone delivery service
DoorDash has a pending FAA application for the company’s proprietary drone delivery system. How did DoorDash get here? According to a co-founder “We started from first principles: What’s the actual customer problem that needs to be solved?” TechCrunch
Transportation funding term: gap-to-expenditure
The “gap-to-expenditure (GTE) ratio, which calculates each state’s projected funding gap for maintenance, preservation, repair, and replacement of National Highway System and other roadway infrastructure as a share of its planned budget.” 24 of 33 states reporting Transportation Asset Management Plans have funding gaps. 5 have GTE ratios above 100%, meaning that their funding gaps […]
Proposed robotaxi limits
San Francisco mayor has asked the state Department of Transportation to impose new limitations on robotaxis because of traffic jams attributed to robotaxis. Turns out robotaxis can run out of power and stop in the middle of traffic. The proposed new regulations focus on “core operational capabilities” and require the companies to immediately remove and […]
Electric plane pilot program
An electric plane program has launched in Virginia. Last Friday was the first flight from the federal government’s advanced air mobility pilot program. The program will be healthcare intensive including organ transportation. The program is a partnership between Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Ultimately, the program will expand to 26 other states. Virginia Mercury
Robotaxi lobby collision
D.C. is working through robotaxi rules. In the opposition corner, Uber. Uber argues D.C.’s proposal hands Waymo a monopoly and displaces driver based ride share. Uber wants robotaxis to operate on a ride share platform. In the supporter corner, Waymo says the proposal allows for the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles, supports public transit, equitable […]