Skift Take
DiDi said robotaxis will be available on its rideshare app by 2025, and Regent Craft said it will begin testing electric seagliders next year.
Travel Startup Funding This Week
Each week we round up travel startups that have recently received or announced funding. Please email Travel Tech Reporter Justin Dawes at [email protected] if you have funding news.
Six travel tech startups announced fundraises over the past week of more than $222 million.
>>DiDi Autonomous Driving, which is developing autonomous vehicles for rideshares, has raised $149 million from Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. and Guangzhou Development District Investment Group Co.
DiDi Autonomous Driving is a subsidiary of DiDi Global, a rideshare app based in Beijing. It started as a division of the parent company in 2016 and then was established as a subsidiary in 2020.
The company earlier this year said that it plans to release robotaxis that customers can reserve through the DiDi rideshare app by 2025.
A model of the vehicle, called DiDi Neuron, shows a robotic arm inside that can pick up luggage, wake passengers up, and pick up items from throughout the interior. And there’s no driver’s seat.
The company already operates limited robotaxi services in certain areas of Guangzhou and Shanghai.
With the latest funding, DiDi said it plans to “invest deeply in research and development, accelerate the implementation of related products, pursue open collaborations in the industry chain, build a sustainable and open industry ecosystem, and expedite the widespread commercial use of autonomous driving technology.”
>>Regent Craft, which is developing an electric seaglider for commercial travel, has raised $60 m