WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday that Tesla Inc’s Autopilot feature was engaged during a fatal March 1 crash of a 2018 Model 3 in Delray Beach, Florida, in the latest serious crash reported involving the driver-assistance system. The NTSB’s preliminary report said the driver engaged Autopilot about 10 seconds… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Tesla’s Autopilot system was engaged during fatal Florida crash in March – NTSB
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Volvo announces battery suppliers for upcoming EV lineup, including Polestar
Polestar 2
Volvo, one of the first automakers to announce it would add electric power to its whole lineup, on Wednesday took the unusual step of formally announcing who will supply the batteries for all those electric cars.
The company stated that it will source $1 billion worth of lithium-ion batteries from two suppliers, LG Chem and Contemporary Amex Technology (CATL).
READ MORE: Polestar will qualify for $7,500 electric-car credit separately from Volvo
While the supply contract with Chinese CATL may have been predictable (Volvo is owned by Chinese automaker Geely, and CATL is one of the biggest players on the global stage). As competition for battery supplies heats up among automakers, it's also logical to name two suppliers. LG Chem supplies batteries for Volvo's current plug-in hybrids.
“With today’s agreement we effectively secured our battery supply for the upcoming decade,” said Martina Buchhauser, senior vice president for procurement at Volvo Cars in a statement. “By having two suppliers available in each region we also ensure that we have flexibility in our supply chain going forward.”
DON'T MISS: Volvo’s US Polestar electric-car plans are in flux over China tariffs
The batteries will go into Volvos based on two of the company's platforms: The Compact Modular Architecture that underpins the Polestar 2 and the Volvo XC40, will be the first. Those are the first two electric models from the company, with online preorders for the Polestar 2 already open and deliveries expected to begin next year. The XC40 electric is expected to debut late this year with deliveries following the Polestar 2.
Beyond that, Volvo's Scalable Product Architecture 2 that underpins the XC90 and XC60 SUVs will get the new batteries sometime after 2020.
CHECK OUT: Volvo taking on Tesla with Chinese-built Polestar 2 electric car: details and photos
The company is building its first battery assembly line at its existing auto factory in Ghent, Belgium. Volvo has said fully-electric cars will account for 50 percent of its sales by 2025. Volvo also announced that it is opening a new electric-car engineering center for Polestar in Coventry, England, to take advantage of engineering expertise there, the company said.
“The future of Volvo Cars is electric, and we are firmly committed to moving beyond the internal combustion engine,” said Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson in a statement. “Today’s agreements with CATL and LG Chem demonstrate how we will reach our ambitious electrification targets.”
UPDATE: Tesla Officially Acquires Maxwell Technologies
The offer expired at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 15, 2019 and the deal was sealed. Tesla announced the final offer for the acquisition of Maxwell Technologies, known manufacturer of ultracapacitors and developer of new dry electrode technology for batteries. ***UPDATE – May 16, 2019 – Tesla has officially acquired Maxwell. Press release from… Continue reading UPDATE: Tesla Officially Acquires Maxwell Technologies
Tesla Completes Acquisition of Maxwell Technologies
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Tesla Completes Acquisition of Maxwell Technologies
May 16,2019
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Tesla Completes Acquisition of Maxwell Technologies
PALO ALTO, Calif., May 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) today announced the successful completion of its previously announced offer to exchange all outstanding shares of common stock of Maxwell Technologies, Inc. (“Maxwell”) for 0.0193 of a share of Tesla common stock, together with cash in lieu of any fractional shares of Tesla common stock, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes.
The exchange offer expired at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Wednesday, May 15, 2019. As of the expiration of the exchange offer, a total of approximately 36,764,342 shares of common stock of Maxwell were validly tendered in the exchange offer and not validly withdrawn, representing approximately 79% of the aggregate voting power of the shares of Maxwell common stock outstanding immediately after the consummation of the exchange offer. All shares of Maxwell common stock that were validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the expiration of the offer have been accepted by Tesla for payment in accordance with the terms of the exchange offer.
Following to the completion of the exchange offer, Tesla completed the acquisition of Maxwell by consummating the second step merger contemplated by the previously announced merger agreement between Tesla and Maxwell. As a result of this merger, all shares of Maxwell stock that were not tendered in Tesla’s exchange offer were cancelled in exchange for the right to receive the same consideration paid for Maxwell stock in the exchange offer.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and forecasts, as well as the beliefs and assumptions of Tesla’s management, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated, including: risks and uncertainties discussed in this communication and those matters described under the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of Tesla’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and Tesla’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2019, subsequent Reports on Form 8-K, the Schedule TO relating to the offer and other filings Tesla makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Source: Tesla, Inc.
On the radar: Nissan stays cool on lidar tech, siding with Tesla
YOKOHAMA (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co Ltd said on Thursday it would, for now, stick to self-driving technology which uses radar sensors and cameras, avoiding lidar or light-based sensors because of their high cost and limited capabilities. FILE PHOTO: A Nissan logo is displayed at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland March… Continue reading On the radar: Nissan stays cool on lidar tech, siding with Tesla
Tesla rolls out new software following Asia vehicle fires
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UPDATE 1-Tesla to update battery software following car fires
FILE PHOTO: A Tesla logo is seen at a groundbreaking ceremony of Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo (Reuters) – Tesla Inc will update its battery software after two recent fires involving its Model S electric vehicles (EV) in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the U.S. automaker said on Thursday,… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Tesla to update battery software following car fires
Tesla’s communications chief is leaving the automaker
Dave Arnold, Tesla’s senior director of communications, is leaving the company after two-and-half years, according to sources familiar with the move. Tesla confirmed to TechCrunch that Arnold was leaving in June. “We’d like to thank Dave for his work in support of Tesla’s mission, and we wish him well,” a Tesla spokesperson said in a… Continue reading Tesla’s communications chief is leaving the automaker
Tesla issues battery software update after Hong Kong vehicle fire
Tesla has started pushing out a software update that will change battery charge and thermal management settings in Model S sedans and Model X SUVs following a fire in a parked vehicle in Hong Kong earlier this week. The software update, which Tesla says is being done out of “an abundance of caution,” is supposed… Continue reading Tesla issues battery software update after Hong Kong vehicle fire
UPDATE 2-Tesla’s New York solar factory making other products in bid to boost jobs
(Reuters) – Tesla Inc on Wednesday said its solar factory in Buffalo, New York, would become the “manufacturing home” for its electric vehicle Supercharger cabinets and other energy storage products as it seeks to meet employment targets tied to state subsidies. FILE PHOTO: A worker is seen outside the Tesla Inc. Gigafactory 2, which is… Continue reading UPDATE 2-Tesla’s New York solar factory making other products in bid to boost jobs