Food trucks in the U.S. have taken many forms, but have long been a popular option for dining. Now as the coronavirus pandemic alters the way we interact and engage with others, these kitchens on wheels may have a new function, especially on college campuses.
Rod Keller, CEO of the electric vehicle manufacturer AYRO is jumping at the opportunity to capitalize on the niche industry in a partnership with Gallery Carts. The new collaboration will combine AYRO's expertise in developing electric vehicles with Gallery's expertise in creating food delivery vehicles.
"Colleges are faced with, 'Well how do we provide food and beverage while at the same time, avoiding the mass crowds that you would typically see inside of a cafeteria?'" Keller told Cheddar.
So far, more than $500,000 has been poured into the collaboration as orders for the vehicles continue to amass. Keller said he's confident that as universities and other large campuses seek safer ways to feed their communities amid the pandemic, the need for their services will grow.
AYRO is also banking on buyers in higher education considering the long-term savings electric vehicles can provide. Keller said its electric vehicles save fleet operators at least 50 percent on fuel and energy costs.
"When people are moving cargo from one side of a university to another, or business campus, or hotel and resort, you don't need a full-sized truck with 400 miles of range running on gasoline to do that," Keller said.
Square is changing its name to Block. It comes as the company expands beyond its original credit card reader business and into blockchain and crypto technology.
The name change will go into effect on December 10th, and the company says the name change, "creates room for further growth." Jim Anderson, CEO, SocialFlow joined Cheddar Movers to discuss.
Stock markets around the world continue to be impacted by fears of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant. President Biden today reiterated his stance that the new strain is cause for concern, but not cause for panic. Wells Fargo Investment Institute Global Equity Strategist Scott Wren joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Not only has the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency become the 13th most valuable cryptocurrency by market cap with a worth of over $23 billion, but it has made one duo, known as the Shiba Brothers, millionaires. The brothers, Tommy and James, and Oskar Kowalski, Founder of The Global Incubator, join Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where they discuss their collaboration on Legends of Bezogia.
Fintech startup UNest is providing financial planning tools for parents saving on behalf of their children and has raised $26 million to accelerate its mission. Ksenia Yudina, Founder and CEO at UNest, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she discusses how her company is closing the wealth gap and leveling the playing field for the next generation.
Stocks closed sharply higher Thursday after several days of investor skittishness over the COVID-19 Omicron variant. This rebound comes despite several cases of the variant being reported in the United States. Gene Goldman, Chief Investment Officer at Cetera, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's close, the Fed's recent announcement about speeding up their taper timeline, and more.
Austin Winsberg, creator of the NBC series "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to dish out some details about the holiday movie special "Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas" now on Roku. Despite initial plans for producing a new Season 3 despite being canceled by the network, Winsberg said that it is not necessary to have seen the first two seasons in order to enjoy the movie. He noted that following cancellation fans rallied behind the show, campaigning for it to come back, which led to a movie being greenlit by Lionsgate to be completed within just a four-month window, according to Winsberg.
As the Leonardo DiCaprio-backed, pure-play electric vehicle company Polestar plans to close a SPAC IPO with Gores Guggenheim, CEO Thomas Ingenlath talked to Cheddar about how the company positioned itself to be able to go public. With competition tightening in the electric vehicle sector, Ingenlath noted what differentiates his cars from the competitors. "Scandinavian cool design and of course the road to zero emissions is something that we take very, very seriously," he said.
Bitcoin is slowly coming back to life after plunging recently, but everyone's favorite cryptocurrency needs to chart a 77% rally in the next four weeks to reach the widely forecast year-end value of $100,000. Bitcoin was trading more than 0.8% percent lower on Thursday morning, Ethereum was also declining. David Nage, portfolio manager at Arca, joins Cheddar News to talk discuss the market.
