Tag: techcrunch mobility

TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility – your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.

This week was a busy one with Rivian officially announcing the reveal date for its next-gen EV, a Waymo robotaxi striking a bicyclist (oh and one of its robotaxis was vandalized and burned late Saturday night!), Arrival trying to sell off its UK assets, plus a few scoops on e-motorcycle startup Cake, Ford and Fisker. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so come along for a ride.

Oh, but first, a bit of late-breaking news over the weekend.

Joby Aviation, a company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, announced Sunday an agreement with Dubai regulators to launch air taxi services there by early 2026. Joby, a startup that went public in 2021 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, said it’s targeting initial operations as early as 2025.

It’s worth noting that under the deal, Joby has exclusive air taxi rights in Dubai for six years and some financial “mechanisms”; Joby didn’t provide further details. Joby has also signed an agreement with Skyports, a company that will design, build and operate four initial vertiport sites across Dubai.

Let’s go!

A little bird

We’ve had many little birds talking to us about Fisker, the EV startup that went public in 2020 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. Those conversations combined with a review of internal documents, a number of lawsuits and an investigation by federal regulators came together in a riveting and troubling story by Sean O’Kane.

What did O’Kane find? Fisker Ocean SUV customers have reported more than 100 separate loss-of-power incidents as well as a myriad of other problems, including sudden loss of braking power, problematic key fobs causing them to get locked inside or outside of the vehicle, seat sensors that don’t detect the driver’s presence and the SUV’s front hood suddenly flying up at high speeds.

Customers also complained about the service department. After our story was published, another little bird told us that Fisker’s global service director was recently let go.

Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or Sean O’Kane sean.okane@techcrunch.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.

Deal of the week

India is one of the largest two-wheeler markets in the world. And a whole new crop of startups — like startup River — are popping up on the scene thanks to demand for zero-emission vehicles.

River recently raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by Japan’s Yamaha Motor. Existing investors Al-Futtaim Automotive, Lowercarbon Capital, Toyota Ventures, Trucks VC and Maniv Mobility also participated.

The startup is facing a competitive market as many companies are vying for a piece of the EV pie. River is betting that it will win over Indian customers with Indie, a utility lifestyle-focused product that has been described as an “SUV” two-wheeler.

Other deals that got my attention …

Elroy Air, a South San Francisco-based startup developing autonomous cargo drones,  raised $48.9 million, according to a regulatory filing.

Guided Energy, a French startup that raised $5.2 million from Sequoia Capital and Dynamo Ventures at the end of 2023, is building a software tool that will help EV fleet operators with charge management and dispatch.

Oto, an Indian startup that built a financing software platform for two-wheeled EVs, raised $10 million in a round led by GMO Venture Partners.

Starship Technologies, a delivery robotics startup out of Estonia, raised $90 million in funding round co-led by two previous backers: Plural and Iconical. It brings the total raised by Starship to $230 million, with previous backers including the Finnish-Japanese firm NordicNinja, the European Investment Bank, Morpheus Ventures and TDC.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Autonomous vehicles

An administrative law judge with the California Public Utilities Commission held a settlement hearing regarding the October 2 incident that left a pedestrian, who had initially been hit by a human-driven car, stuck under and then dragged by a Cruise robotaxi.

The hearing rehashed much of what Quinn Emmanuel – the law firm GM hired to investigate the October 2 incident — revealed in an independent report. But it’s worth noting that throughout the exchange, Cruise struck an extremely conciliatory tone. Craig Glidden, GM’s EVP of legal and policy who was appointed in December chief administrative officer at Cruise, was particularly ingratiating.

At one point, he seemed to agree with paying a higher fine, which under statute would be $112,000. Here’s what he said.

“It was regrettable. It was a mistake and Cruise is attempting to make right with the mistake. I’m not here to quibble about whether it’s $75,000 or $112,000. We want to get the matter settled because we want to move forward and we want to advance the mission of bringing driverless cars that are safer to the public and also greater accessibility to the public to the market. So we’re more than happy to be compromised in any ways that the court would see fit or the commission would see fit to get this matter behind us.”

Waymo has the attention of regulators in California after one of its robotaxis struck a bicyclist in San Francisco. The cyclist suffered minor injuries. Waymo said its robotaxi was stopped at a four-way intersection as a large truck was driving in the opposite direction. The car then moved into the intersection and collided with the cyclist who was behind the truck.

TechCrunch spoke to the Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission — the two agencies that control permits that allow companies like Waymo to test, deploy and commercially charge for driverless rides. The CPUC said it was “gathering information from Waymo” and the DMV told me the agency “is reviewing the incident.” We’ll see if this turns into anything more.

One more Waymo item. At around 9 p.m. Saturday evening, a crowd surrounded an empty Waymo robotaxi, began rocking it, smashing windows and ultimately lit it on fire courtesy of fireworks. FriscoLive415 shared the video on X. Pretty insane footage. A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch the vehicle was not transporting any riders and no injuries have been reported. The company is “working closely with local safety officials to respond to the situation.”

Electric vehicles, charging & batteries

Arrival announced that its U.K. division is entering administration, the country’s version of bankruptcy.

Electric motorcycle company Cake held talks with Harley-Davidson and other automakers in 2023 as it fought to stay alive, founder and CEO Stefan Ytterborn told TechCrunch.

Cowboy is rolling out an on-demand service program for basic maintenance, customization and repairs, delivered at the e-bike owner’s home.

Ford has been quietly working on a low-cost EV. The company created a skunkworks project two years ago that’s based in Irvine, California and led by ex-Tesla and Ford Advanced EV development boss Alan Clarke. Notably, the team includes engineers from Auto Motive Power (AMP), the EV power startup that the automaker acquired in November 2023. AMP founder Anil Paryani, who coincidentally overlapped with Clarke for about five years at Tesla, is also part of the skunkworks project.

Rivian will reveal its smaller, cheaper R2 SUV on March 7. Stay tuned!

Toyota will spend an additional $1.3 billion to prepare its Kentucky factory for production of a new three-row all-electric SUV designed for U.S. consumers

Gig economy

Uber hit a major milestone that a few years ago I wasn’t sure would ever be met. The ride-hailing and delivery app reported a full-year profit (driven by operating income) as a public company. And it seems that profit momentum is expected to continue into the first quarter. Uber has hit an annual profit before, but it was largely due to its investments. In 2023, the company’s profits also came from its operations.

Reminder that Lyft will post its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings after markets close February 13.

People

Getaround, a company that helps vehicle owners rent out their cars, trucks and SUVs to other peers, is cutting 30% of its North American workforce as part of a restructuring. Getaround cut 10% of its staff in February 2023.

General Motors hired battery expert and ex-Tesla executive Kurt Kelty to be the automaker’s new vice president of batteries — a brand new role for the company.

This week’s wheels

This week’s wheels might get the attention of e-bike followers. Editor Taylor Hatmaker writes this about her “zombie” Van Moof.

My VanMoof e-bike isn’t dead, but it’s not quite alive either. I bought an X3 from VanMoof after I reviewed the bike for TechCrunch back in 2021 and came away wildly impressed. The bike was excellent; but it was also a personal revelation, empowering me —a lazy fair-weather cyclist — to bike around my city (Portland, OR) when I might otherwise use a car.

When I bought my VanMoof, on sale at the time, I knew it was a risk. I spent the money, knowing that in the worst-case scenario my bike could turn into a $2,000 brick. That scenario arrived last year when VanMoof declared bankruptcy.

Lavoie bought the company’s remains late last summer, providing a glimmer of hope that the notoriously fickle bikes full of bespoke components will still be serviceable in the future. In the meantime, VanMoof owners like myself scrambled to download apps like Bikey, made by Cowboy, to salvage the digital keys linking us to our bikes.

I still have a lot of affection for my 30-pound possible-future-paperweight, which I nervously power on and connect my phone to a few times a week. It’s been pouring for months — not the kind of weather I’ll bike in any more — but I hope when Spring rolls around that my X3 shows some fresh signs of life too.

TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility – your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.

This week, read about autonomous vehicle company Motional, why the Tesla board is likely having discussions about Elon Musk’s 2018 $56 billion pay package, a new unicorn focused on student transportation, and more.

Let’s go!

A little bird

Here’s a fun one for y’all. Amid all the layoffs and startup failures, there is also hiring going on.

A little bird pointed us to one particularly interesting hire over at Elon Musk’s The Boring Company. Vignesh Swaminathan — who is also known as Mr. Barricade to his 1.8 million TikTok followers — recently took a position as a senior civil engineer. Why so noteworthy? Swaminathan is a well-known urban planner (and TikToker) who spent the better part of a decade focused on designing bikeways and pedestrian paths as CEO and president of Crossroad Labs.

It appears that Crossroad Labs, a Cupertino, California-based civil engineering design firm, shut down in January. Swaminathan took the job at The Boring Company a couple of weeks later. We wonder if his previous urban planner and bike-focused experience will be put to work at The Boring Company?

Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or Sean O’Kane sean.okane@techcrunch.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.

Deal of the week

A new unicorn has been born. I’m talk about Zūm, a student transportation startup that uses a mix of buses, vans and other vehicles combined with software to provide efficient and safe routes to and from school for kids.

The startup, founded and run by Ritu Narayan, raised $140 million in a Series E funding round led by global investment firm GIC. Other investors included Climate Investment, Sequoia and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. The funding pushed its valuation to $1.3 billion

Zūm has made headway in the past several years, locking in school district customers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Nashville and Maryland. Now it’s focused on converting its fleet of vehicles to all EVs by 2027 while continuing to grow its footprint.

Other deals that got my attention …

BluSmart, an Indian ride-hailing startup that competes with Uber and homegrown rival Ola, raised $25 million from Switzerland-headquartered impact fund ResponsAbility in a mezzanine structure, including partial equity dilution and debt.

OK so this isn’t so much a deal, as a dealbreaker. Cake, the Swedish electric motorcycle startup, filed for bankruptcy February 1 after failing to secure enough investment. Cake joins a growing list of micromobility companies that have run into financial trouble over the past year, most recently VanMoof, Superpedestrian and Bird.

Kura, a UK startup that combined a school bus service with a software platform to safeguard pupils, was acquired by “smart buses” startup Zeelo.

Notable reads and other tidbits

ADAS

XPeng, Tesla’s challenger from China, is making plans to bring its advanced driving assistance tech to international markets.

Autonomous vehicles

Motional is the product of a joint venture between Hyundai and automotive supplier Aptiv. But that relationship is changing. Aptiv said it will no longer allocate capital toward the endeavor. We explain why.

Electric vehicles, batteries & charging

Arrival, the commercial EV startup, is being removed from the Nasdaq stock exchange as it speeds toward dissolution.

Tesla was sued by 25 California counties alleging the automaker has repeatedly mishandled hazardous waste at facilities throughout the state. Two days later, the parties settled with Tesla agreeing to $1.5 million in fines and a five-year injunction that requires inspections.

In-car tech

Hesai, a Chinese company that makes lidar sensors, was added to the U.S. Department of Defense’s list of “Chinese Military Companies.” Hesai called the inclusion “unjust, capricious and meritless” and said that the sensors are for civilian use only. Hesai also emphasized the company doesn’t have ties of any kind to any military in any country.

People

Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package is unfair, a Delaware judge ruled. If the decision stands (many expect an appeal) it will void the largest compensation deal in corporate history.

This week’s wheels

I recently spent a week in this hanauma mint-colored Genesis GV60 Performance. Top takeaways? This is a slick-looking and premium (inside and out) all-electric vehicle that is fast off the line and pretty darn fun to drive, but not exactly amazing on tight mountain turns.

The all-wheel drive vehicle (there are electric motors in the front and rear) make for generally good handling. When I pushed it, there was a bit of body roll through the turns. But let’s be honest here, most consumers don’t drive like they’re on a test track. Nor should they.

The 77.4 kWh battery combined with the electric motors produce 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That allows the GV60 to go from 0 to 60 miles in about four seconds — certainly fast enough to be appreciated by EV aficionados. The battery range of 235 miles is low in this EV era. It’s certainly enough for the commute and daily driving needs, but some consumers may balk at spending the base price of $69,550 for an all-electric SUV with such a low range compared to its peers.

TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility – the same weekly newsletter you’ve been reading, but with a new name and a few changes.

As I mentioned last week, this is still your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation! This week, read about how Mercedes mistakenly exposed its source code, the latest in the Cruise-GM saga, Tesla’s EV sales warning and more.

Let’s go!

A little bird

Economic headwinds might be easing a bit, but companies are still getting squeezed. Autonomous vehicle and EV startups — even those that have since gone public — are trying to cut costs in hopes of extending their capital runway. Aurora Innovation, for instance, laid off about 3% of its workforce; EV company Polestar confirmed to TechCrunch it has also cut about 15% of its global workforce, Flexport is reportedly looking to axe another 20% of jobs and package delivery company Veho said that it laid off 19% of its corporate/exempt employee headcount.

Now, a few little birds are telling us that Canoo and Faraday Future — both EV startups that went public via mergers with special purpose acquisition companies — are either reducing salaries or furloughing employees. Faraday has confirmed it has reduced salaries and furloughed employees without providing more detail. Sources tell us that Canoo is also furloughing workers.

Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or Sean O’Kane sean.okane@techcrunch.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.

Deal of the week

Over at the TC climate desk, reporter Harri Weber spoke to ArcTern Managing Partner Murray McCaig about its third (and recently closed) $335 million fund.

ArcTern plans to pump this capital into climate-focused startups that can deliver super quick returns. Specifically, the Toronto-based firm is focused on startups that use proven tech in new ways. And his bet? Decarbonizing mobility. Though electric vehicle sales have slowed lately, McCaig sees this as a “blip.”

The VC believes North America is about to reach a tipping point where EV adoption takes off like a rocket, as it has in Norway.

Other deals that got my attention …

Clearmotion raised an additional $4 million, bringing its Series B round to about $43 million, according to a recent Form D filing.

Corvus Energy, an energy storage and fuel cell systems company focused on maritime, offshore and port applications, secured an undisclosed investment from Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund.

Monta, an EV charging software startup based in Copenhagen, raised €80 million ($86.9 million) in Series B funding round co-led by Energize Capital, GreenPoint Partners and Denmark’s state-backed Export and Investment Fund.

Sion Power, a Tucson, Arizona-based lithium-metal battery developer, raised $75 million from battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, mathematician and investor Jim Simons’s Euclidean Capital and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s family office management company Hillspire LLC.

Vroom is shutting down its online used car marketplace and shifting all of its resources and capital into two business units focused on auto financing and AI-powered analytics. About 800 employees, or 90% of its workforce, will lose their jobs as a result.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Autonomous vehicles

The internal review of Cruise and the October 2 event that led to the GM subsidiary losing its permits to operate robotaxis in California finally dropped. The tl;dr via the report conducted by Quinn Emanuel: Cruise didn’t purposely mislead regulators. So what went wrong at Cruise? A lack of judgement, missteps by leadership, an “us versus them” relationship with regulators and a fixation on correcting the inaccurate media narrative that the Cruise AV, not the human-driven Nissan, had caused the accident were all contributing factors to the company’s problems.

Cruise also revealed that the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission have also opened investigations into the company. Pretty much every agency you can think of is now looking into the incident, including the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the California Public Utilities Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Finally, the 195-page also included in its appendix a heavily redacted report by Exponent that looked into the technical problems on October 2, specifically why the robotaxi initiated a pullover maneuver that then dragged the pedestrian who was trapped underneath. More to come on that front. 

Electric vehicles, batteries & charging

Porsche took the wraps off of two variants of the Macan EV, a long-delayed project that will test whether consumers still have the drive to spring for an electric vehicle that costs more than $78,000.

Tesla kicked off earnings season with a bit of a stinker. Yes, the company delivered a record 1.8 million EVs in 2023, but profits suffered (especially when looking at its operating income) due to its price cuts that squeezed margins as well as higher R&D expenses and the cost of bringing the Cybertruck into production. While solar deployments declined, energy storage was one of the rosier areas, with 125% growth year-over-year.

Software and other in-car tech

Mercedes-Benz accidentally exposed a trove of internal data after leaving a private key online that gave “unrestricted access” to the company’s source code

Tesla plans to spend $500 million to build one of its so-called “Dojo” supercomputers at its Buffalo, New York factory, the state’s governor Kathy Hochul announced during a Friday a news conference, just days after CEO Elon Musk called the project a “long shot.” Musk also made an interesting comment on social media that downplayed the investment, noting the company would spend far more money on Nvidia hardware in 2024.

This week’s wheels

This week’s wheels comes from TC editor Devin Coldewey who recently bought the Ride1up 700 Series e-bike. 

I vacillated for a few months on buying a new e-bike, trying to find the right balance between moped-style throttle and traditional pedal assist. Ultimately, I went with the Ride1up 700 Series, which offered a sort of package deal (at a Black Friday price) that meant a minimum of fuss for a maximum of utility. Fenders, rack, lights, all in the bargain.

While assembly was a bit involved (don’t attempt if you haven’t put a bike together before), the final product is — now that I have put some miles on it — pretty solid. Some of the ergonomics could be better and the custom rack doesn’t fit any of the panniers I wanted; however, the big solid frame and oversize wheels are reassuring on the road and the throttle is excellent for navigating both Seattle hills and Seattle drivers.

It’s on the heavier side — 62 pounds – so I wouldn’t walk it up any stairs or hang it from an ordinary bike hook. But it’s already opening up a different “zone” in my mind for getting around the city: too far to conveniently walk, too close to justifiably drive and too hilly to pedal. Turns out that’s a lot of Seattle!

This definitely won’t be my last ebike, but I’m pleased with it as my first. If I had to do it again, I might have opted for the lighter LTD with its torque sensing pedal assist, but hey.

TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.

Welcome to TechCrunch Mobility – the same weekly newsletter you’ve been reading, but with a new name and a few changes.

Don’t worry, this is still your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. This week, read about Amazon, EV startup Fisker, electric boats, a bunch of new funding deals and my time driving the all-new Kia EV9.

Let’s go!

A little bird

A little bird pointed us to a new website with some electric trucks that sure do look familiar.

Remember Lordstown Motors, the EV startup that went public via a SPAC and has since filed for bankruptcy protection? Steve Burns, who founded and was then ousted from Lordstown Motors, is back with a new EV startup called LandX Motors.

The new LandX Motors website prominently displays the same electric Endurance pickup truck he once promised would beat Tesla, Ford and General Motors to market.

A person familiar with the company’s plans told TechCrunch that it’s not so much about the Endurance truck, but the underlying platform, software and engineering behind it. Still, with the former Lordstown trucks playing a starring role on company’s website and video, it’s unclear just how developed this plan is.

Want to reach out with a tip, comment or complaint? Email Kirsten at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or sean.okane@techcrunch.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.

Deal of the week

Supply chain logistics startup Flexport had a rather tumultuous 2023 that included founder Ryan Petersen ousting his hand-picked successor and taking back the CEO spot and then acquiring the assets of shuttered digital freight network Convoy.

The startup is kicking off 2024 by shoring up its business with a $260 million “uncapped convertible note” from Shopify, a deal that was announced by Petersen in a series of posts on social media site X.

As a reminder, Shopify and Flexport are already attached. Flexport acquired in 2023 Shopify’s logistics arm. The deal gave Shopify 13% equity stake in Flexport and a seat on the board.

Other deals that got my attention …

Electra, the Paris-based EV charging startup, raised $330 million in a Series B round led by Dutch pension fund service provider PGGM and Bpifrance’s Large Venture fund. Eurazeo, RIVE Private Investment, the SNCF group through 574 Invest and Serena also participated.

Franziska Bossart, the new head of the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, spoke to me about how the $1 billion fund is evolving. Tl;dr: She’s expanding its geographic focus to Asia and Europe, and homing in on three areas, including AI.

International Battery Company, a startup developing lithium-ion battery cells for EVs, raised $35 million in a pre-Series A round led by RTP Global.

Land Moto, the Cleveland-based electric motorcycle startup, raised $3 million in a round led by a special purpose venture vehicle called Nunc Coepi Ventures.

Lightship, an all-electric RV startup, raised $34 million in a Series B round co-led by Obvious Ventures and Prelude Ventures. Other new investors include Allegis Capital and global RV manufacturer THOR Industries and its investment partner TechNexus Venture Collaborative.

Northvolt, the Swedish battery startup, secured a $5 billion debt deal to help pay for the expansion of its first gigafactory. As TC+ reporter Tim de Chant writes: “Northvolt’s $5 billion loan won’t be enough to guarantee success, but it should be enough to help ramp up its production to a targeted 60 gigawatt hours.”

Uber shut down alcohol delivery service Drizly three years after the cab-hailing company acquired it for $1.1 billion.

Notable reads and other tidbits

Autonomous vehicles

TuSimple will delist itself from the Nasdaq stock exchange as it moves forward with its plan to fully exit the U.S. market.

Electric vehicles, charging & batteries

BMW’s future growth depends on EVs, and it’s finally going all in, TC+ reporter Tim de Chants writes.

Fisker’s electric Ocean SUV is under investigation by federal regulators over braking loss complaints.

GM recalled 66 electric delivery vans made by its BrightDrop subsidiary after the front drive units in at least two of them caught fire late last year. The cause appears to be related to a manufacturing defect.

Navier, the electric boat startup, has launched a pilot program for its hydrofoiling watercraft via a partnership with Stripe to bring passengers from San Francisco’s outskirts to the downtown area.

Future of flight

Wing, the drone-powered delivery company operated by Alphabet, intends to introduce a larger craft capable of delivering heavier packages to customers.

This week’s wheels

I headed to Napa Valley to try out the Kia EV9 – an all-electric SUV with three rows that many believe will bring a whole new batch of EV customers into the market.

Before I give some abbreviated thoughts on what I did and didn’t like, here are a few specs. The Kia EV9 comes in five trims with the cheapest — the rear-wheel drive EV9 Light — starting at $54,900. I tested the GT-Line trim, an all-wheel drive top-of-the-line version that has a range of 270 miles and starts at $73,900 (For comparison, the Rivian R1S, which is AWD, comes with standard with  260 miles of range and starts at $78,000. The Kia EV9 Light RWD trim equipped with the bigger battery has the best range of 304 miles.

What did I like? It remained well planted on winding roads, even if I pushed the vehicle a bit. It’s also quiet, has the kind of interior details one might expect in a premium-priced SUV, the seats are comfortable and the advanced driver assistance system is easy to engage. The third row isn’t exactly spacious, but certainly better than many three-row SUVs I have been in.

There were a few misses. I do think that Kia missed an opportunity by not giving the EV9 rear-wheel axle steering and I’m not sure if the battery range, which is between 230 miles and 304 miles depending on the trim, is enough for buyers. Finally, the layout of the interior cabin is almost there, but I’m still not sure I love the placement of the start button and gear shifter (it’s a stock tucked behind the steering wheel).