Short bytes

General Motors CEO Mary Barra will take the keynote stage at CES in January for the second consecutive year, the Consumer Technology Association said last week. Barra will outline GM's vision for electric vehicle adoption and explain how advanced technology and EVs will shape modern mobility. At CES in 2021, Barra announced plans to launch BrightDrop, GM's electric van-powered goods and delivery brand. She also laid out GM's Ultium battery development plan and explained changes to GM's customer experience. More than 180 companies from the transportation and vehicle technology industry have committed to CES, including GM, Daimler AG, Fisker, Turing Auto and Waymo, CTA said.

John Deere, the world's biggest tractor maker, will acquire autonomous driving technology startup Bear Flag Robotics for $250 million, a bet that farming will continue becoming more automated. Automation is thought to be key to solving labor shortages, which have long been rife in the sector. "One of the biggest challenges farmers face today is the availability of skilled labor to execute time-sensitive operations that impact farming outcomes," Bear Flag CEO Igino Cafiero said in a statement. "Autonomy offers a safe and productive alternative to address that challenge head on."

— Bloomberg

The U.S. Senate last week confirmed Jennifer Homendy by voice vote to chair the National Transportation Safety Board. Homendy, 49, has served on the board since August 2018 and previously was a senior legislative staffer working on transportation issues. Homendy previously has criticized NHTSA for failing to ensure that driver assistance systems or nascent self-driving vehicles are safe.

— Reuters

Redwood Materials, a battery recycling startup headed by Tesla co-founder J.B. Straubel, announced an external investment round of more than $700 million. "With this capital, Redwood will be able to accelerate our mission to make battery materials sustainable and affordable, accomplishing the change we need in the world with a circular economy," said Straubel, who left Tesla in 2019.

— Leslie J. Allen