Rapido has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Transport Department of the Government of West Bengal to enhance urban mobility in the state. Currently executing one lakh rides per day across West Bengal, Rapido, as per the MoU will invest INR 1.5 billion towards initiatives such as electric mobility, women’s safety and to create road safety awareness. 
A significant portion of the INR 1.5 billion, which is INR 1.3 billion, will be directed towards the development of urban electric mobility by deploying electric vehicles across Kolkata and other parts of the state. Rapido will also work on building the necessary infrastructure to support a seamless transition to sustainable transportation in line with West Bengal’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions and improve last-mile connectivity.  
As per the MoU, Rapido will also focus on ‘Pink Mobility’ initiative, a programme that is designed to provide safe and reliable commuting options for women. The company will introduce a dedicated fleet of pink-coloured two-wheelers and four-wheelers, driven by women captains. To further encourage women’s participation in the transport sector, Rapido will also provide financial assistance worth INR 120 million over the next three years to enable women captains to own and operate their vehicles.
As part of the arrangement, Rapido has also pledged INR 50 million towards road safety and awareness campaigns. This will include quarterly driver training programmes in collaboration with government-accredited training centres, public awareness campaigns on traffic regulations and helmet distribution drives. Rapido will also work closely with the Transport Department to support state-led road safety initiatives, reinforcing its commitment to creating a safer commuting environment.

Image for representative purpose only. 

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Technology firm AUMOVIO and adhesive manufacturer tesa have entered a partnership to introduce a new mechanical integration solution for automotive displays.

The collaboration focuses on a robotic bonding process that allows for debonding-on-demand, a feature designed to facilitate repairs and recycling throughout a vehicle's life cycle.

The system utilises a 2 mm wide adhesive tape that is applied robotically, providing an immediate load-bearing bond without curing time. This narrow profile enables the manufacturing of ultra-thin display bezels similar to those found in smartphones.

Unlike traditional permanent adhesives, this bond can be selectively detached with minimal effort, allowing individual display components to be replaced or reworked during production or service without discarding the entire module.

The technology is engineered to compensate for material expansion across automotive temperature ranges while supporting circular economy principles. By enabling the recovery of valuable components at the end of a vehicle's service life, the solution aligns with AUMOVIO’s sustainability strategy. The partners are currently preparing to integrate this process into volume production during the second quarter of 2026.

Pavel Prouza, Head of the User Experience (UX) Business Area at AUMOVIO, said, “The combination of highly precise, automated application and targeted detachability adds an important element to our manufacturing and quality processes. It strengthens the robustness of our production, reduces material waste, and promotes efficient use of valuable components. For the end customer, this could even mean that future repairs may require replacing only the affected individual components in a cost-effective way.”

David Caro, Head of Automotive, tesa, said, “This partnership demonstrates how innovative materials technology is advancing the mobility of tomorrow. Together with AUMOVIO, we offer automated adhesive bonds that not only provide long-term durability but can also be deliberately debonded – enabling efficient production, longer product life cycles, and circular product concepts. This helps our customers translate their sustainability goals into tangible product solutions.”

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China’s WeRide has announced that at the Wuhu round of the Second China Urban Intelligent Driving Competition, the Chery Exeed Sterra ET, powered by the WeRide WRD 3.0 (jointly developed with Bosch), claimed first place with a lead of over 10 points.

As the first publicly traded Robotaxi company, WeRide operates in over 40 cities across 12 countries. It holds autonomous driving permits in eight major markets, including the UAE, Singapore and the US, providing L2 to L4 solutions across the mobility, logistics and sanitation sectors.

This win marks the first time in the competition's history that a single solution has achieved four consecutive championships, following previous victories in Taizhou, Wenzhou and Jinhua.

The WRD 3.0 system utilises a one-stage end-to-end ADAS solution designed to handle complex urban environments. Its performance is driven by two key internal technologies:

• GENESIS Simulation World Model: A proprietary platform that uses generative AI to reproduce rare ‘long-tail’ scenarios, bridging the gap between virtual training and real-world application.
• L4 Driverless Data Integration: The system leverages large-scale data from WeRide's fully driverless operations to refine perception and planning in dense traffic, such as street markets and mixed-use urban roads.

WeRide has transitioned WRD 3.0 from an algorithmic concept to a production-ready system, achieving hardware-software decoupling that allows it to run on different computing tiers.

With the launch of the Aion N60, WeRide has become the first autonomous driving provider to achieve mass production of one-stage end-to-end technology on both Nvidia Drive and Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms.

While strengthening its presence in China with brands like GAC Trumpchi and Hyptec, WeRide is expanding its international footprint. Through partnerships with Tiggo, Omoda and JAECOO, the company aims to export its intelligent driving solutions to global markets.

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South Korea-based Stradvision, a company specialising in AI-based vision perception technology, has been selected by a global commercial vehicle manufacturer to deploy its SVNet software across its Indian vehicle lineup.

The programme focuses on fleet-scale deployment of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in a market where perception software must balance technical reliability with cost-efficiency.

The company stated that the Indian commercial vehicle sector requires ADAS solutions capable of operating on resource-constrained hardware while maintaining performance in high-density traffic.

SVNet is engineered to detect and classify objects in mixed-traffic environments, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers and pedestrians. This software architecture allows the OEM to implement functions such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning and lane departure warning across various models using a single software stack.

The deployment is structured to allow the manufacturer to standardise its perception platform while adjusting for model-specific hardware.

Till date, Stradvision has deployed approximately 5 million units of SVNet globally, providing the production maturity required for high-volume commercial vehicle programmes. This project indicates a shift in the automotive industry towards perception solutions that prioritises scalability and operational efficiency across diverse market conditions.

Philip Vidal, CBO, Stradvision, said, "India's commercial vehicle segment is one of the most consequential ADAS markets opening right now. The scale of the fleet, the complexity of the traffic environment, and the cost requirements make it a genuine test of whether perception software can perform where it matters most. SVNet was built for exactly this kind of deployment, and this program is a strong validation of that."

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Einride AB, the freight technology company, has appointed General (Ret.) Keith B. Alexander to its Board of Directors. The appointment coincides with the formal establishment of a dedicated defence business aimed at providing autonomous driving capabilities to military organisations globally.

General Alexander, a current member of the Amazon Board of Directors, previously served as the Director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and was the Founding Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command.

The move into the defence sector follows the completion of autonomous pilot contracts with a European NATO-allied organisation. Einride intends to utilise its vehicle-agnostic autonomous system, the Einride Driver, which can be integrated into new vehicle platforms or retrofitted onto existing fleets.

This technology licensing model operates alongside the company’s Freight-Capacity-as-a-Service offering, which manages electric heavy-duty fleets through AI optimisation software and charging infrastructure.

The company currently operates in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, serving more than 30 enterprise customers. Einride reports approximately USD 92 million in expected annual recurring revenue from signed contracts. The firm is also progressing toward a public listing through a proposed business combination with Legato Merger Corp. III, expected to conclude during the first half of 2026.

General Keith B. Alexander, said, "Autonomous systems operating in defence environments face a distinct threat landscape, where adversaries probe for vulnerabilities in communication, navigation, and control. What brought me to Einride is its strong operational foundation, proven safety record and real operational experience. My role is helping ensure Einride's systems meet the standards required by NATO-allied and U.S. defence organisations and scale from pilots to full programs."

Robert Falck, Chairman of Einride's Board of Directors, said, "General Alexander has spent decades operating at the intersection of technology, security, and high-stakes decision-making. As Einride continues to expand its offering to the defence sectors, his knowledge and experiences are exactly what we need in the boardroom."

Roozbeh Charli, CEO, Einride, added, “Having validated our technology in a defence context, we're now moving with intent: recruiting specialised talent, developing defence-specific expertise, and bringing in leadership with deep domain knowledge. Appointing General Alexander to our Board of Directors is one concrete example of that, his experience directly strengthening our strategic direction in this space.”

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