News Summary

• The company’s share price rose around 11% in the days that followed.Redwood Materials, the battery recycling and materials startup founded by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, raised $1 billion to expand the U.S.’s battery supply chain.VanMoof, the flashy e-bike startup that declared bankruptcy this summer, has gotten a lifeline.
• The goal is to help transform Toyota into a mobility company with expertise across energy, circular economy, carbon-neutral tech, smart communities and more.Rivian has brought on Dr. Kjell Gruner as chief commercial officer and president of business growth.
• But most people aren’t going to track down their bike and confront a potentially dangerous thief, and the police probably have more important things on their plates.Enter BackPedal, a UK-based startup that’s building a business model around e-bike recovery.
• If you prefer to remain anonymous, click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop (instructions here) and various encrypted messaging apps.If you’re into e-bikes, you’ve probably noticed that the new ones are being built with GPS tracking enabled, ostensibly so you can find your bike if someone steals it.
• The money will go toward retooling existing auto factories for electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well as boosting battery manufacturing domestically.Bosch’s deal to acquire TSI Semiconductors has gone through, but it’s facing some hurdles.
• But so far, BackPedal boasts a 90% success rate and is working on improving that rate as it grows across the U.K.Chinese EV startup XPeng will acquire the smart EV assets of ride-hailing giant Didi for $744 million.