Automotive IQ’s new, free occasion – Automotive Security and Safety On-line – is now open for registrations.
Going down on June 30 and July 1, the occasion is designed to assist attendees resolve security and safety challenges, get the newest regulatory updates, and join with fellow professionals working to ship full Degree 5 automation.
On the location this week, we revealed our newest interview, this time with Common Motors’ Rami Debouk. Rami will converse in our Autonomous Automobiles On-line occasion on Could 26-27.
When you’re fascinated by sponsoring any of our on-line occasions, our all-new Media Equipment has all the main points.
We even have our newest Prime 5 – this time having a look at a few of the electrical automobiles we’re trying ahead to seeing hit the highway later this yr.
Right here’s another tales that caught our eye this week:
Tesla’s million-mile battery
Later this month, Tesla will maintain a ‘Battery Day’ occasion the place it is anticipated to element its new, low-cost EV battery. Nicknamed the million-mile battery, the cells have been co-developed with CATL, experiences Reuters, and are designed for one million miles of use.
The brand new cells will probably be used first in Tesla’s Chinese language market Mannequin 3s, earlier than going world. The batteries are a part of a wider technique to convey EVs down to cost parity with equal gas-powered automobiles.
Because of this, the method of creating the cells is extra extremely automated, lowering complexity, and the cells themselves use fewer uncommon supplies, which helps lower prices. Tesla can also be engaged on recycling and second-life initiatives for batteries, by way of its Redwood Supplies model.
Cruise cuts round 160 employees
GM’s autonomous automobile offshoot Cruise has introduced that it’s refocusing the mission of its near-2,000-strong employees, trimming eight per cent of the workforce.
Bloomberg experiences that the cuts come as Cruise has postponed plans to a launch a robotaxi service by the top of the yr, partly on account of coronavirus. The job losses are largely exterior of Cruise’s core engineering enterprise, and the agency provides that it’ll proceed to rent engineers.
Cruise spokesman Ray Wert informed Bloomberg “On this time of nice change, we’re lucky to have a crystal-clear mission and billions of {dollars} within the financial institution. The actions we took at present mirror us doubling down on engineering work and engineering expertise.”
Volvo loves Luminar LiDAR
Volvo Automobiles has introduced a partnership with Silicon Valley-based LiDAR agency Luminar. The tech agency will present LiDAR and notion know-how for Volvo’s subsequent era automobiles that will probably be constructed on its SPA 2 platform.
The LiDAR system will probably be neatly built-in into the roof of automobiles primarily based on SPA 2, as above, giving Degree 3 Freeway Pilot performance. This will probably be unlocked by way of OTA updates as totally different areas legalise using this know-how.
Volvo already holds a minority stake in Luminar, however has a clause that permits this to extend if the partnership is profitable. It’s an fascinating transfer as carmakers not often reveal suppliers on this method – might this be the signal of a brand new, extra clear means of working?
Waymo cashes in
Waymo has closed its first exterior funding spherical at a powerful $3bn. Varied funds and accounts managed by T. Rowe Worth Associates, Inc., Perry Creek Capital, Constancy Administration & Analysis Firm, plus different exterior traders together with provider Magna contributed to the determine.
The funding spherical is the primary to permit exterior traders to take shares in Waymo. The fund initially closed on $2.25bn in March, however was prolonged, netting an additional $750m of money to spend money on growing its ‘World’s Most Skilled Driver’ autonomous tech.
In a press release from Waymo CEO John Krafcik posted to the corporate’s weblog, he famous that “COVID-19 has underscored how totally self-driving know-how can present secure and hygienic private mobility and supply providers.”
