US tech conglomerate holding company Alphabet is investing USD 5 bn in its self-driving, ride-hailing EV Waymo, CNBC reports, citing comments made by CFO Ruth Porat on an earnings call. This funding follows previous rounds in 2020 and 2021, where Waymo raised USD 2.25 bn and USD 2.5 bn respectively.

About Waymo: The fully electric ride-hailing car is equipped with a machine learning system called Waymo Driver that uses highly detailed custom maps, matched with real-time sensor data, to determine its exact road location at all times, according to its website. Waymo has so far offered 50k weekly paid trips — mainly in San Francisco and Phoenix — and completed 2 mn trips.

Alphabet is going against the grain: Alphabet’s new investment in Waymo comes after General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise said it would “indefinitely delay” the production of its self-driving shuttle, and Tesla decided to delay plans to unveil its robotaxi.

Brazil’s Eve presents its first eVTOL taxi prototype: Brazilian eVTOL company Eve Air Mobility revealed for the first time the full-scale prototype of its “flying taxi” — a battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically to accommodate ferry travelers on short city trips, Reuters reports. While the showcased prototype is not yet equipped to include cabin space or a pilot, the final aircraft plans to seat four passengers and a pilot.

The timeline: The firm is planning a test flight for the prototype by the end of this year or early 2025 with plans to obtain certification to begin operations in 2026, CEO Johann Bordais told Reuters. It will also conduct ground testing this month. “This prototype is completely remote so we can test aerodynamics, start flying and then make what we call transition flight from vertical to horizontal flight,” Bordais said.

MENA already has orders lined up: UAE-based charter flight operator Falcon Aviation Services is buying up to 35 flying taxis from electric aircraft company Eve Holding, with deliveries expected to start in 2026. It also signed an MoU with Saudi Arabia’s air carrier and the leading low-cost airline Flynas to explore operating eVTOLs in KSA. The firm has a backlog of 2.8k orders globally.

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