Could you pass?

Could you pass?

September 30, 2021

 September 30 ,2021  

Tesla

Happy Thursday and first full week of Fall.  Tesla has begun rolling out a Full-Self Driving (FSD) beta request button that allows users to try autonomous technology before its wider release. If requested, Tesla will assess user driving behavior for a week to determine if users can use the technology. Basically, if you’re a good driver, Tesla will allow you to try the autonomous tech. The scoring is based on a scale between 0-100, and Tesla said most drivers will have a score of 80 or above. The scoring will be based on five key factors including: Forward Collision Warnings per 1,000 miles, Hard Braking, Aggressive Turning, Unsafe Following, and Forced Autopilot Disengagement.  With this news and the weather starting to cool off, we decided that we need to keep our subscribers warm.  That’s why we’re giving away a Tesla hoodie for the month of October.  It’s easy to be automatically entered, you just have to refer one person through the link below that would enjoy this newsletter.  Safe driving and stay warm.

Test Your Knowledge

What state just signed a bill to only allow the sale of EVs by 2035?

  1. Michigan

  2. Colorado

  3. New York

  4. Hawaii

EV Headlines

Lucid

Lucid has begun producing their first cars with deliveries scheduled in late October, just in time for Halloween. Lucid’s first car is a $169,000 special edition of its flagship sedan called the Air Dream Edition, with an industry-leading range of up to 520 miles, according to the EPA. Lucid has received more than 13,000 total reservations so far. Lucid told investors in July that it expects to produce 20,000 Lucid Air Sedans in 2022, generating more than $2.2 billion in revenue. In other EV News

  • Ford announced three new battery factories and a truck plant which will cost around $11.4 billion.  The planned $11.4 billion will be split between Ford and its main Battery supplier SK Innovation out of South Korea.   Two of the battery plants will be in Kentucky and the third battery plant will be in Tennessee, where the truck plant will be located.

  • Mahle Powertrain and Allotrope Energy have created a new lithium-carbon technology with a fast charging capability and a lifetime of over 100,000 cycles.  As an example, Mahle compared the charging times of an e-moped.  A lithium-ion battery took around 30 minutes to recharge vs. the lithium-carbon pack took just 90 seconds.  

  • Demand for electric vehicles is estimated to increase 15 times in the next six months in India. This increase is due to the rise in fuel costs and incentives given out by the government. 

  • Consumers Energy is implementing incentives to encourage EV use around Michigan. The Bring Your Own Charger program financially rewards electric vehicle owners for charging their EV at home. All Consumer Energy customers will be eligible.

  • While car sales declined in 2020, EVs came out on top. Europe and China achieved fourth quarter sales increases of 60% and 80%, making global EV sales rise to 6%. The U.S. is behind Europe and China, but EV sales here increased nearly 200% between second-quarter 2020 and second quarter 2021, contributing to a domestic penetration rate of 3.6% during the pandemic.

Autonomous Corner

Volvo Group

Volvo and Aurora have revealed a prototype self-driving semi truck meant for long distances. The truck has an impressive variety of sensors and uses the virtual Aurora Driver to navigate by itself. Volvo didn’t provide many specs on the truck, but they hope to achieve Level 4 autonomy.  Volvo is currently using autonomous trucks in Norway and Sweden.  No timetable has been set for these trucks on public roads in North America. 

In other AV News

  • CA AVs to be zero emissions.  California’s SB 500 requires all autonomous vehicles to be zero emissions by 2030. Currently, transportation makes up 40% of the state’s climate-changing emissions. 

  • General Motors is investing $300 million in Momenta to fund the development of self-driving technologies for future GM vehicles in China. This investment will vastly increase the speed of AV vehicle progress.

  • Woven Planet Holdings, a subsidiary of Toyota, has acquired Renovo Motors, a developer of software for automotive applications. Within six months, Woven Planet has acquired three AV-related companies. AV News geeks (like ourselves) should keep an eye out for news from Woven Planet!

EV & AV Podcasts, Videos & More

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Referral Program

Answer

signed a bill promising no more sales of fossil fuel-burning passenger vehicles by 2035 and for larger vehicles by 2045. This will massively improve the air quality in New York, as transportation represents the largest greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

 

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