Kirsten Korosec
TechCrunch
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Recent articles by Kirsten:
Detroit Auto Show canceled in preparation for FEMA to turn venue into field hospital –
The North American International Auto Show, which was scheduled for June in Detroit, has been canceled as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread and the city prepares to repurpose the TCF Center into a temporary field hospital. NAIAS is held each year in the TCF Center, formerly known as the Cobo Center. Organizers said they […] → Read More
Trump orders GM to start ventilator production for COVID-19 amid contract dispute –
President Donald Trump signed Friday a presidential directive ordering GM to produce ventilators and to prioritize federal contracts, just hours after the automaker announced plans to manufacture the critical medical equipment needed for patients suffering from COVID-19, disease caused by coronavirus. The order, made under the Defense Production Act, marks a sudden reversal by Trump, […] → Read More
Tesla to reduce on-site staff at Nevada gigafactory by 75% –
Tesla is reducing number of on-site workers at its Nevada gigafactory by 75% in response to the growing spread of COVID-19, according to an update from Storey County, where the massive plant is located. The information, which was first reported by Bloomberg, was part of a larger update on the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center and […] → Read More
TuSimple partners with supplier ZF to mass produce self-driving truck tech –
Self-driving truck startup TuSimple is partnering with automotive supplier ZF to develop and produce autonomous vehicle technology such as sensors on a commercial scale. The partnership, slated to begin in April, will cover China, Europe and North America. The two companies will co-develop sensors needed in autonomous vehicle technology such as cameras, lidar, radar and […] → Read More
Major automakers Toyota, Honda, FCA extend factory closures –
Toyota, Honda and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will not reopen North American factories at the end of the month as planned as the COVID-19 disease spreads and dampens demand for new cars, trucks and SUVs. FCA said Thursday that plants across the U.S. and Canada, as well as headquarters operations and construction projects, are intended to […] → Read More
Tesla email reveals two employees have tested positive for COVID-19 –
Two Tesla employees, who had been working at home for nearly two weeks, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to an internal email sent Thursday morning by the company’s head of environmental, health, and safety department and viewed by TechCrunch . The employees were not symptomatic in the office, and both are quarantined at home […] → Read More
Tesla CEO Elon Musk: New York gigafactory will reopen for ventilator production –
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday that the company’s factory in Buffalo, New York will open “as soon as humanly possible” to produce ventilators that are in short supply due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. His comments, which were made Wednesday via Twitter, follows previous statements by the CEO outlining plans to either […] → Read More
Fox Sports to broadcast the full season of NASCAR’s virtual race series –
Esports racing, helped by record-setting viewership, is hitting the big time. Fox Sports said Tuesday it will broadcast the rest of the eNASCAR Pro Invitational iRacing Series, following Sunday’s virtual race that was watched by 903,000 viewers and attracted, according to Nielsen Media Research. While those numbers are far below the millions of viewers who […] → Read More
Volvo’s Polestar begins production of the all-electric Polestar 2 in China –
Polestar has started production of its all-electric Polestar 2 vehicle at a plant in China amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended the automotive industry and triggered a wave of factory closures throughout the world. The start of Polestar 2 production is a milestone for Volvo Car Group’s standalone electric performance brand — and not […] → Read More
Stocks blast higher on expectation of sweeping federal action –
There are no free market fanatics on corporate boards the moment the economy wobbles. Today makes the point, with stocks shooting higher on the back of news that a sweeping federal package of aid and stimulus should soon pass Congress. The goal of the financial package is to blunt the impact of COVID-19-related market disruptions […] → Read More
Ford won’t restart North American plants March 30 –
Ford said Tuesday won’t restart its factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico on Monday, March 30 as the automaker had originally planned. The company, which suspended production at its North American factories due to the continued spread of COVID-19, has decided not to restart operations in light of various governments’ orders to stay and […] → Read More
Fiat Chrysler to start producing 1 million face masks a month –
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Monday it will start manufacturing face masks in the coming weeks and donate the critical medical equipment to first responders and health care workers — the latest automaker to direct its manufacturing expertise towards the COVID-19 pandemic. The automaker confirmed to TechCrunch that production capacity is being installed this week at […] → Read More
Zillow suspends home buying due to COVID-19 –
Zillow said Monday it will temporarily stop buying homes in all 24 markets where it operates in response to public health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest real estate startup to shift how it operates as the disease caused by coronavirus continues to spread. Zillow said it decided to pause making offers to […] → Read More
Ford, GM, Tesla given the ‘go ahead’ to produce ventilators, Trump says –
Ford, GM and Tesla have been given the “go ahead” to make ventilators to help alleviate a shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump said in a tweet Sunday that ended with a challenge to auto executives to show how good their companies are. Ventilators are a critical piece of medical equipment for patients […] → Read More
GM and Ventec Life Systems partner to ramp up production of ventilators –
GM said Friday that it is working with Ventec Life Systems to help increase production of respiratory care products such as ventilators that are needed by a growing number of hospitals as the COVID-19 pandemics spreads throughout the U.S. The partnership is part of StopTheSpread.org, a coordinated effort of private companies to respond to COVId-19, […] → Read More
Tesla partner Panasonic is shutting down its operations at Nevada gigafactory –
Panasonic is pulling its 3,500 employees from the massive Nevada factory it operates with partner Tesla over concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The company said Friday it will ramp down operations early next week and then close for 14 days. The move only affects Panasonic employees. Tesla also employs thousands of workers at the […] → Read More
Rivian shuts down all facilities over COVID-19 pandemic concerns –
Rivian, the buzzy electric vehicle startup that is backed up Amazon and Ford, is shutting down all of its facilities due to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Rivian employs more than 2,000 workers across several locations, including its headquarters in Plymouth, Michigan, a factory in Normal, Ill. as well as operations […] → Read More
SpaceX and Tesla are ‘working on’ ventilators, Elon Musk says –
Elon Musk tweeted Friday that Tesla and SpaceX employees are “working on ventilators” even though he doesn’t believe they will be needed. His confirmation on Twitter that both of the companies he leads are working on ventilators comes a day after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made a direct plea to Musk to […] → Read More
Anthony Levandowski pleads guilty to one count of trade secrets theft under plea deal –
Anthony Levandowski, the former Google engineer and serial entrepreneur who was at the center of lawsuit between Uber and Waymo, has pleaded guilty to one count of stealing trade secrets while working at Google under a plea agreement reached with the U.S. District Attorney. While Levandowski still faces a possible prison sentence of between 24 […] → Read More
Tesla to temporarily shut down Fremont factory –
Tesla will suspend production at its Fremont, Calif., factory beginning March 23, days after a shelter in-place order went into effect in Alameda County and sparked public tussle between the automaker and local officials over what was consider an “essential” business. Tesla will also suspend operations at its factory in Buffalo, New York except for […] → Read More