Possible_Terrorism_Warfare – Page 1072 – I wish I had more to offer

Daimler adjusts its earnings guidance – preliminary results for the third quarter 2018

Stuttgart, Germany – As a result of recent developments, Daimler AG today reassessed its earnings outlook for the year 2018 for the Mercedes-Benz Cars and Daimler Buses divisions and for the Daimler Group. This reassessment is based on a number of factors: The main factor is an increase in expected expenses in connection with ongoing… Continue reading Daimler adjusts its earnings guidance – preliminary results for the third quarter 2018

The Army is preparing to send driverless vehicles into combat

WARREN, Michigan — The Army is getting ready to drive into war — in driverless trucks. Next fall, its “Leader-Follower” technology will enable convoys of autonomous vehicles to follow behind one driven by a human. It’s a direct response to the improvised explosive devices that caused nearly half the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. The… Continue reading The Army is preparing to send driverless vehicles into combat

Uber considers minority investors for self-driving car unit: Report

Uber Technologies Inc is considering selling minority stakes in its costly self-driving car unit as the ride-hailing company tries to address rising cost pressures ahead of its initial public offering, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Uber received interest from potential investors and could spin off its Advanced Technologies Group into a separate business unit… Continue reading Uber considers minority investors for self-driving car unit: Report

Breaking News — Tesla Seals The Deal For Gigafactory 3 In China

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Published on October 17th, 2018 |

by Steve Hanley

Breaking News — Tesla Seals The Deal For Gigafactory 3 In China

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October 17th, 2018 by Steve Hanley

It’s official. Tesla has acquired just under 1300 acres of land in the Shanghai Lingang Equipment Industrial Zone for its Gigafactory 3. The factory is expected to cover about 1200 of those acres. The official signing ceremony for the transfer of land to Tesla took place in China on October 17, today.

Tesla is pushing hard to get the Gigafactory 3 project moving forward. Thanks to the tit for tat trade war initiated by the current US president and his crack team of economic advisers, Tesla cars manufactured in America now must pay an import tariff of 40%, making it hard for them to compete against locally produced automobiles. Cars built in the new factory outside Shanghai will be exempt from that tariff.

Tesla plans to be a major force in the Chinese new car market, especially as China institutes its latest EV policy starting January 1, 2019. After that date, every manufacturer building cars in the country will be required to produce a certain percentage of electric cars, known locally as new energy vehicles. Battery electric cars will get the most credits under the system. Plug-in hybrids will get a smaller credits.

Companies who wish to continue building cars with gasoline or diesel engines will be required to buy credits in order to do so. That will raise the selling price of those cars, making new energy vehicles more competitive in the marketplace.

Last month, Tesla began advertising numerous jobs for construction workers to help build the new factory, which is expected to have a capacity of 500,000 vehicles a year. Tesla expects the factory to begin producing cars in fewer than 2 years time — an incredibly short ramp up from breaking ground on the factory to getting cars rolling off the assembly line and into the hands of customers. But when have short timelines ever been a problem for Tesla?

It reportedly has increased the funding committed to the Gigafactory 3 project to $681 million. And as Vincent indicates on Twitter, local banks in the Shanghai area are actively engaged in lining up the additional funding needed to build GF3.

With the biggest new car market in the world, China is an important market for Tesla. Just how important is indicated by the fact that it is moving forward aggressively with plans for a Chinese factory before committing to a factory in Europe. Check out this video from the World Economic Forum on the rosy prospects for electric cars in China:

Check out more Tesla China news if this isn’t enough for you.

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About the Author

Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may take him. His muse is Charles Kuralt — “I see the road ahead is turning. I wonder what's around the bend?”

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Ford sales in China dropped 43 percent in September

JOHANNES EISELE | AFP | Getty Images
The Ford Mustang is displayed during the 17th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai.

Ford's sales in China dropped 43 percent in September from the same month a year earlier, a sign that sales are slowing in the world's largest car market.

This is the third straight month of declining auto sales in China.

The second-largest U.S. automaker has been hit by the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, despite the fact that Ford sells cars in China through partnerships with local firms.

Ford shares are down nearly 30 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock hit a 52-week low of $8.57 in trading Friday.

“We are intensely focused on our sales turnaround plan in China, which includes an aggressive cadence of product introductions to meet the needs of our Chinese customers, including the launch of the highly anticipated all-new Ford Focus,” said Peter Fleet, president of Ford Asia Pacific and chairman & CEO of Ford China, in a statement. “We believe the new products, which have been custom-designed and developed with Chinese customers in mind, will help us to regain momentum in the world's largest auto market.”

Auto sales are down across the board in China, said Michael Dunne, president of ZoZo Go, an investment advisory firm that follows Chinese autonomous and electrified vehicle companies. This is the first sustained downturn Dunne has seen since the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, he said.

There are three major factors driving this decline in demand. The first is a crackdown on certain types of peer-to-peer lending practices in China, a feature of the Chinese financial system that has typically allowed less wealthy Chinese to borrow money at rates better than what banks are offering.

The second is a general cautiousness among Chinese consumers that has emerged recently.

“When times are good, the Chinese are really bullish and bold,” he said. “But when times are uncertain they become exceptionally conservative.”

There is a particular mentality that can take hold among Chinese consumers that is more pronounced than the lack of consumer confidence seen in the United States, for example. “And it is contagious,” he added.

Finally, there is the trade war with the U.S., which has exacerbated the uncertainty many Chinese feel from the overall economic slowdown.

Ford has unique problems in China, Dunne said. The automaker has not brought new products to market for more than a year, and Chinese consumers have sought cars elsewhere. Ford is expected to bring new products to China in the next few months, he said.

Ford was not immediately available for comment.

WATCH: Ford is using bionic suits to help employees work safer

Ford is using bionic suits to help employees work safer
6:24 PM ET Fri, 20 April 2018 | 02:20

UPDATE 6-BMW to buy control of China venture in ‘new era’ for foreign carmakers

SHENYANG, China (Reuters) – Germany’s BMW (BMWG.DE) will pay 3.6 billion euros ($4.2 billion) to take control of its main joint venture in China, the first such move by a global carmaker as Beijing starts to relax ownership rules for the world’s biggest auto market. The luxury carmaker said on Thursday it would increase its… Continue reading UPDATE 6-BMW to buy control of China venture in ‘new era’ for foreign carmakers

Uber-funded research project pushes new ways to measure safety of driverless cars

October 11 at 12:01 AM A typical driving test considers basic skills: Can you parallel park? Do you merge safely? Do you know to yield to pedestrians? No such government exam is required for cars driven by a computer. The idea has been dismissed by federal officials who oppose regulation and industry leaders who say… Continue reading Uber-funded research project pushes new ways to measure safety of driverless cars

GM tops Tesla in ranking of automated driving systems

GM beats Tesla in Consumer Reports ranking of automated driving systems
5:51 PM ET Thu, 4 Oct 2018 | 01:45

As more automakers develop automated driving systems that allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheels for short periods of time, a new report says General Motors has developed the best system.
Consumer Reports tested four of the most popular systems and says Cadillac's Super Cruise does the best job of ensuring the vehicle is driven safely while making sure drivers pay attention when they take their hands off the steering wheels.

“Super Cruise has a camera that looks at the drivers' eyes and warns them if they look away for too long or fall asleep, and that's a game changer,” said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

“This is definitely a shot across the bow of Tesla, which already has Autopilot,” said Michelle Krebs, analyst for AutoTrader said.

Consumer Reports ranks Tesla's Autopilot as the second-most effective automated driving system, criticizing it for not doing enough to keep the driver engaged when the vehicle is in Autopilot mode.

“Autopilot is a strong system, but it doesn't have enough safeguards,” said Fisher.

GM Super Cruise tops Tesla in Consumer Reports' automated driving tech tests
8:23 AM ET Thu, 4 Oct 2018 | 03:52

Consumer Reports rated Nissan's ProPILOT Assist as the third-best system and Volvo's Pilot Assist as the least effective of the four it tested. Nissan says ProPILOT Assist is a “hands-on” driver-assist system rather than a “self-driving” feature. Volvo echoed that response.

“Pilot Assist is not an autonomous driving system. It is a driver assistance system designed to keep the driver in the loop at all times with hands on the wheel, eyes on the road and the mind on driving,” said Johan Larsson, a Volvo spokesman.

The systems were evaluated at Consumer Reports' test track and on public and highways. The reviews are based on five criteria: capability and performance, ease of use, if the systems made it clear when it was safe to use, whether they kept the driver engaged, and how they alerted or handled an unresponsive driver.

Consumer Reports is not warning people to avoid using any of the automated driving systems it tested, but it wants drivers to better understand the limits of the technology.

Ever since Tesla unveiled Autopilot in 2015, it's been controversial technology. When it first came out in “beta” mode, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, “It is important to exercise great caution at this early stage.”

Not everyone got the message. Within months of rolling out, Tesla owners posted videos on YouTube showing themselves driving hands free and not always paying attention.

In 2016, a Tesla driver was killed when his Model S in Autopilot mode crashed into a semi-truck in Williston, Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded limitations in Tesla's Autopilot system played a major role in the crash. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt bluntly summarized the case saying, “System safeguards were lacking.”

Two years later, as more vehicles and more automakers develop automated driving systems, Consumer Reports is worried drivers will become too complacent and not be ready to grab the steering wheel if their car or truck steers itself into trouble.

“The big concern is putting too much trust in these systems,” said Fisher of Consumer Reports. “Drivers are not always paying attention when these systems are in use.”

WATCH: GM demonstrates its hands-free 'Super Cruise' system

General Motors shows off new hands-free ’Super Cruise’ system in highway demo
12:08 PM ET Wed, 28 June 2017 | 05:10

UPDATE 2-Tesla worried by China even as deliveries surge

(Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) announced record quarterly car production numbers on Tuesday but warned it was facing major problems with selling cars in China due to new tariffs that will force it to accelerate investment in its factory in Shanghai. FILE PHOTO: A row of new Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles is seen at… Continue reading UPDATE 2-Tesla worried by China even as deliveries surge

Ford wants ‘certainty’ in any U.S. trade deals -chairman

DEARBORN, Mich. (Reuters) – As the Trump administration negotiates new trade pacts with Canada, China and other countries, Ford Motor Co (F.N) Executive Chairman Bill Ford said on Thursday the automaker wants deals that allow it to plan and invest with “certainty.” FILE PHOTO: Newly assembled Ford 2018 F1-50 pick-up trucks are loaded on to… Continue reading Ford wants ‘certainty’ in any U.S. trade deals -chairman