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Mobility & Transportation

Contact

Stanley F. Pierson
Partner, Silicon Valley
T: +1.650.233.4625
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Areas of Focus

Rapid advances in mobility and transportation technologies stand to meaningfully alter and enhance society for years to come, in relation to the movement of both people and goods.

Amid increasing societal and governmental focus on renewable energy, growing reliability and cost-efficiency of EVs; seismic improvements in connectivity and robotics; and the continued development of still nascent technologies, like air taxis, drone delivery and artificial intelligence, transportation and mobility innovations present companies and investors with a massive opportunity to reduce the climate impacts, costs and durations of travel. There are also, however, a variety of nuances and legal concerns to address to fully harness the vast benefits these emerging mobility technologies provide.

As a recognized leader in the Technology, Energy and Transportation sectors, Pillsbury brings together deep, multidisciplinary experience in these industries to help clients navigate the intricacies and seize on the immense potential of mobility innovations. Pillsbury lawyers from across our Emerging Companies & Venture Capital, Capital Markets, M&A, Private Equity, Finance, Policy, Regulatory, Intellectual Property, Litigation and other critical practices help clients involved in Transportation & Mobility efforts to capitalize on mounting energy transition interest and investment, safeguard ideas and innovations, evolve existing technologies to keep pace with recent advancements, and bring new, potentially transformational ideas to market.

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Aspects of the Transportation & Mobility sector where Pillsbury has driven first-mover collaborations:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Battery and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (BEVs/ FCEVs)
  • Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)
  • Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS)
  • Drones & UAVs
  • Energy & Infrastructure Projects
  • Energy Storage Solutions
  • Enhanced Connectivity and Infotainment (including 5G)
  • Grid Modernization
  • Hydrogen Energy
  • Micromobility
  • Nuclear-Powered Transport
  • Renewable Fuels
  • Ride-Sharing Platforms
  • Smart Cities
  • Sustainable Finance
  • Tax Equity Investments

Representative Experience

  • Represented TC Energy in a strategic deal with Nikola Corporation that includes evaluating opportunities to develop and operate clean hydrogen production hubs centered around TC Energy’s existing pipeline and electrical infrastructure to deliver low-cost and low-carbon hydrogen at scale, to facilitate the adoption of heavy-duty zero-emission fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen across various industrial sectors.
  • Represented Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions heavy duty trucks and hydrogen infrastructure, in its business combination with VectoIQ Acquisition Corp. to create the next generation of smart transportation.
  • Represented Nikola Corporation in its second $300 million common stock equity line purchase agreement with Tumim Stone Capital LLC. Under the latest agreement, Nikola now has the right to issue and sell to Tumim up to $600 million of Nikola’s common stock in aggregate.

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  • Advised on and helped an automotive retail company implement new equity incentive and employee stock purchases in connection with its SPAC transaction.
  • Represented Motivate, a Lyft-owned bike-sharing company, in a preliminary injunction to preserve its right to exclusivity following a $35 million investment to fund a bike-share program in San Francisco and four other Bay Area cities.
  • Provide legal advice and services to an American multinational auto manufacturer in the review, assessment, negotiation and finalization of an Automotive License Services Agreement with Google LLC.
  • Advised Cenntro Automotive Group Limited, a designer and manufacturer of electric commercial vehicles, on its pending combination with Naked Brand Group Limited
  • Represented ReviverMx, Inc., developer of a digital license platform designed to digitize and automate the renewal process, in connection with its $19.5 million funding round.
  • Acted for MCAP in connection with the transfer of a portfolio of aircraft valued in excess of US$1.2 billion into its affiliate, Vermillion Aviation.
  • Advised ORIX Aviation—a subsidiary of leading Japanese financial services group ORIX Corp.—in connection with its high-profile agreement to purchase a 30% stake in Avolon Holdings Ltd. The transaction is valued at $2.2 billion.
  • Advise and represent Growth Energy in challenging the decision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to grant small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program of the Clean Air Act.
  • Provide counsel to Renewable Fuels Association on the EPA’s renewable fuel standards.
  • Advised Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems America on multiple projects using renewable hydrogen and short-term lithium-ion batteries to be used for energy storage to tackle long term intermittency issues.
  • Represented Brain Corp., an AI company specializing in the development of self-driving technology for robots, on regulatory matters in connection with Series C funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund.
  • Represented Clean Air Power, a developer and provider of Dual-Fuel combustion technology for heavy duty diesel engines, on an agreement to receive a grant to support its development of a Genesis EDGE Dual-Fuel product.

Presentation

An Energy Lawyer Looks at the Mobility Transition

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