Tag: Tesla

Morgan Stanley: An electric pickup from Tesla or Rivian is a ‘serious problem’ for Detroit

With competition heating up, is Tesla losing its dominance?
15 Hours Ago | 09:06

The auto industry's electric vehicle revolution has only just begun, Morgan Stanley told investors in a note on Thursday, and the highly profitable pickup truck market is next.

“An electric pickup truck successfully launched by a new player (i.e. Rivian or Tesla) could be a serious problem for the Detroit based [traditional automakers],” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in a note to investors. Jonas is widely known on Wall Street for being one of the first to recognize the significance of Tesla and electric vehicles to the auto industry.

Jonas called reports that General Motors and Amazon are in talks to invest in Rivian, if true, “the biggest news in US autos so far this year.” Without such investments, he said, GM and Ford are losing the opportunity for a “first mover advantage” in producing all electric pickup trucks. Jonas also says Rivian has a competitive advantage from building its truck from the ground up, with little prior conception of an internal combustion engine truck to cloud its view.

“Both GM and Ford have the technical capability to develop and produce and all electric pickup … but we believe design, software, electrical architecture, and brand may be best coming from the 'outside,'” Jonas said.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley said “investors may find it surprising that nearly 9 years after Tesla's IPO there are only 2 pure play EV manufacturer stocks trading publicly in the US market.” The other electric vehicle company that Jonas is referring to is Nio, a Chinese company that listed shares on the New York Stock Exchange in September.

Tesla may unveil an electric pickup truck this summer, CEO Elon Musk said during the company's fourth-quarter conference call. In December, Musk talked extensively on Twitter about what he would like to include in a pickup truck design, including all-wheel drive with “crazy torque & a suspension that dynamically adjusts for load.”

Phillip Faraone | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe attends and speaks at Rivian unveiling of R1T All-Electric Truck.

Rivian showed off prototypes of its R1T electric truck and its seven-passenger R1S sport utility vehicle in November. Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe said the R1T and R1S will deliver 400 miles of range, with four individual motors allowing for all-wheel-drive. The R1T will be able to hit 60 miles per hour in 3 seconds and tow up to 11,000 pounds.

Morgan Stanley had already featured Rivian twice this week: once as “the next serious competition for Tesla” and again when reports of Amazon and GM's investment surfaced. If GM does invest, Jonas said, it would be “another sign of GM's prescient strategic vision.”

“From an industrial strategy perspective, while many other [traditional automakers] are playing checkers, GM seems to be playing chess,” Jonas said.

Finally, even without the possible investment, Morgan Stanley believes Rivian represents one of the top challengers to Tesla's dominance in the global electric vehicle market.

“The increased legitimacy and capitalization of new/startup EV firms, like Rivian, pose a compounding competitive threat to Tesla. All else equal, a potential GM-Amazon-Rivian tie up could be a clear negative for Tesla in our view,” Jonas said.

Sentry Mode Keeps Watch Over Your Tesla While It’s Parked

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Cars Published on February 14th, 2019 | by Kyle Field
Sentry Mode Keeps Watch Over Your Tesla While It’s ParkedTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 14th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Tesla has been under fire for a rash of break-ins to the Tesla Model 3, but now the company is firing back with an upgrade to the security system that will be pushed down to the deployed fleet by way of a software update.
The new Sentry Mode taps into the existing exterior cameras on the vehicle to continuously monitor its surroundings for threats in Standby mode. If the system detects a threat, like someone leaning on the car, it moves from a passive standby state into Alert mode. The increase in security level triggers the car to display a message on the in-car display that notifies people near the car that the cameras are rolling.
Intruder alert! Grayson attempting to make off with a Model S from the Santa Barbara Service Center. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica
If any other actions are taken, like a window being broken or a thief attempting to steal the car, the car goes full on bananas over the event and turns everything up to 11 in a bid to ward off the attackers. For starters, the car does indeed have a recording of footage from the car. It saves the last 10 minutes of footage prior to the event onboard, which can be extracted by the owner by inserting a USB drive into the car.
As would be expected, the alert sets off the car alarm and sends a notification to the owner via the Tesla app. To increase the visual profile of the car, it cranks up the brightness on the center console (imagine a bright phone in a dark movie theater) to brighten up the space. This also provides some nice studio lighting for whatever miscreants are in the car attempting to remove your valuables as they are caught on camera.
The icing on top comes from the audio system as the car cranks the volume up to 11 and blasts music. I’m hoping that it blasts the “Cops” theme song, or maybe just some outrageously aggressive Pantera to really scare the pants off whoever is in there. Bonus points if the song makes the intruders pucker up just a bit before they roll out of the car. I’m sure 9 times out of 10 the alarm goes off in my car, it will be me setting it off after waking up from a power nap.
The new Sentry Mode adds a very dynamic and active safety system that will give owners more peace of mind as they run errands, grab a meal, or get a night’s rest. I know I will appreciate the extra layer of security when I’m out and about in my car.
It will be interesting to see if the feature increases the vampire drain on the car. It is clearly incremental power usage, but will it be noticeable? Also, the capability to upload the video to the cloud would make the solution much more durable in the event that the car was actually stolen.
The Tesla Model 3 just keeps getting better as Tesla keeps pushing more features out to the car. When I picked mine up ~7 months ago, it did not have a dashcam, Sentry mode, video games, a fireplace, or Fart Mode for that matter.
The full release from Tesla’s Blog about Sentry Mode is below. It will not show up on cars overnight, but expect it to trickle down to owners over the next few days or weeks.
Sentry Mode: Guarding Your TeslaThe Tesla Team
February 13, 2019
According to federal statistics, there was an estimated one motor vehicle theft or attempted theft every 40.8 seconds in the United States in 2017 — and that doesn’t even include the vast number of car break-ins that happen nationwide. To further enhance the security of our vehicles and give our customers additional peace of mind, today we’re starting to roll out a new safeguard — Sentry Mode — to protect against break-ins and theft.
Sentry Mode adds a unique layer of protection to Tesla vehicles by continuously monitoring the environment around a car when it’s left unattended. When enabled, Sentry Mode enters a “Standby” state, like many home alarm systems, which uses the car’s external cameras to detect potential threats. If a minimal threat is detected, such as someone leaning on a car, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alert” state and displays a message on the touchscreen warning that its cameras are recording. If a more severe threat is detected, such as someone breaking a window, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alarm” state, which activates the car alarm, increases the brightness of the center display, and plays music at maximum volume from the car’s audio system.
If a car switches to “Alarm” state, owners will also receive an alert from their Tesla mobile app notifying them that an incident has occurred. They’ll be able to download a video recording of an incident (which begins 10 minutes prior to the time a threat was detected) by inserting a formatted USB drive into their car before they enable Sentry Mode.
Sentry Mode must be enabled each time a driver wants to use the feature by going to Controls > Safety & Security > Sentry Mode. The feature will begin rolling out today to U.S. Model 3 vehicles, followed by Model S and Model X vehicles that were built after August 2017.
While no alarm system can prevent against all vehicle thefts, break-ins and threats, we hope that with Sentry Mode and our other security features, your Tesla will be even more secure.

About the AuthorKyle Field I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.

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Waymo Tops Self-Driving Car ‘Disengagement’ Stats As GM Cruise Gains And Tesla Is AWOL – Forbes

A Cruise self-driving car doing a test route in San Francisco in January 2019.Getty Images It’s tough to know for sure which companies really have the best self-driving car technology, though Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo and General Motors Cruise can point to the only public data available in the U.S. that compares dozens of programs testing… Continue reading Waymo Tops Self-Driving Car ‘Disengagement’ Stats As GM Cruise Gains And Tesla Is AWOL – Forbes

Two ways GM and Amazon can make money on Rivian’s electric pickups

Why Rivian may be a threat to Tesla
2 Hours Ago | 02:28

The reported investment automaker General Motors and online giant Amazon made in an electric pickup truck major could yield two very different payouts for such different companies, say two auto industry analysts.

Neither Amazon nor General Motors commented on reports on Tuesday that each company had taken a stake in the Michigan-based startup that wants to be the first automaker to bring an electric pickup to market. GM and Amazon each may have its own unique uses for Rivian's electric platform. Their investments together would value the company between $1 billion to $2 billion, Reuters reported.

Investing in Rivian Automotive's planned electric pickup could help GM rapidly bring an electric powertrain into its top-selling and profitable pickup truck line, giving the automaker a better chance at selling an electric vehicle that can lure buyers and yield profits, said Edmund's analyst Jessica Caldwell.

Pickup trucks are one of the most successful types of vehicles in the market right now. Sales are growing and transaction prices are typically higher than those of cars and rising. In January, average pickup truck transaction prices were just below $50,000, Caldwell said.

“That's a lot of money,” she said. “So I think companies think there could be margins. We've seen electric vehicles not take off on the small vehicle side, so maybe the solution is something bigger, something we know that people will pay a lot more for.”

Meanwhile Amazon could use the company's platform for its extensive logistics needs, said Michelle Krebs, an analyst for Autotrader, an online marketplace for vehicles.

“We know that Amazon wants to reinvent its delivery system,” she said.

Pickup trucks are not a typical vehicle used for deliveries — cargo vans or heavier trucks are far more common. But underpinning the Rivian truck is a kind of “skateboard” platform that can carry a variety of different body shapes, she said.

“They could put any kind of body type on it,” Krebs said. “So it could be a van, a sport utility vehicle. They've talk ed about that. So it has a lot more flexibility in terms of body style.”

Qualcomm sells wireless charging patents to WiTricity

2018 BMW 530e iPerformance wireless charging
It's one of the worst nightmares for electric-car drivers: They go out to jump in their car, and somebody forgot to plug it in.

Automakers and technology companies have talked for years about developing wireless charging, but it hasn't developed in part because of disagreements over standards, and, some would say, patents.

CHECK OUT: How much does wireless charging matter for electric cars? Poll results

Last week, one of the largest patent holders in wireless charging, electronics company Qualcomm, sold its wireless charging business, Qualcomm Halo, along with 1,500 different wireless charging patents and patent applications, to a rival MIT technology startup, WiTricity.

In a statement to Green Car Reports, Qualcomm spokesman Clare Conley said: “In efforts to focus investments on core business and growing adjacent businesses that leverage our core technologies, we have made the decision to divest Qualcomm Halo to WiTricity.”

The sale sparks optimism among observers who hope that bringing the companies' disparate standards together can knock down roadblocks to wireless charging.

Wireless charging for electric cars could be a big deal, because it could allow electric cars to charge virtually wherever they go. Not only could drivers install a charging pad in their garage to ensure that no one ever forgets to plug it in, but charging pads could be installed in public parking spaces and even along roads to give electric cars a charge as they go about their business.

READ MORE: BMW 530e will be first “plug-in” car with wireless charging this summer

Qualcomm has staged several demonstrations of dynamic charging. Last year, BMW released a wireless charging system in Europe for its then-new 5-Series. Plugless Power sells aftermarket (stationary) wireless charging stations for the Tesla Model S, the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf, and the BMW i3.

Perhaps with this new deal, we'll see more such efforts.

Autonomous truck startup TuSimple hits unicorn status in latest round

Another autonomous-vehicle unicorn has joined the herd. TuSimple, a self-driving truck startup running daily routes for customers in Arizona, has raised $95 million in a Series D funding round led by Sina Corp. as the company prepares to scale up its commercial autonomous fleet to more than 50 trucks by June. The startup, which launched in… Continue reading Autonomous truck startup TuSimple hits unicorn status in latest round

Electric Cars: Paris Unlocks 700 Million for “Airbus Batteries”

Starting signal. This time, the Airbus battery is on track. In the wheel of Germany, France has concretized its support for the creation of a European industry for the design and manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles. The French government will mobilize 700 million euros in five years, while his counterpart in Germany has promised… Continue reading Electric Cars: Paris Unlocks 700 Million for “Airbus Batteries”

Morgan Stanley: Why GM and Amazon may be investing in ‘the next Tesla’

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A person places items into the front trunk cargo area of the Rivian Automotive Inc R1T electric pickup truck during a demonstration at a reveal event at AutoMobility LA ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show.

General Motors and Amazon are reportedly in talks to invest in Detroit startup Rivian Automotive and that indicates a massive shift in the “next and potentially imminent” electric vehicle market of pickup trucks, Morgan Stanley said on Wednesday.

“The highly lucrative and US-dominated pickup truck market” is “an important area of investor focus” due to the “culmination of battery cost reduction, architecture, duty cycle, and price point,” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said. Jonas earned a wide following on Wall Street due to his early calls on Tesla and the rise of electric vehicles.

Morgan Stanley featured Rivian earlier this week as the “next serious competition” for Tesla. The startup's “clean sheet” approach could make it “the next Tesla,” Jonas said.

“We have focused considerable research effort on the theme of electric pickup trucks in recent days,” Jonas said. Rivian emerged as the firm's top pick to challenge Tesla in the coming years, due to Rivian's “access to talent & capital focused on the fastest growing segments of pickup trucks & SUVs,” he said.

America is falling back in love with trucks and SUVs, and that's causing big changes at big car companies
10:38 AM ET Tue, 5 Feb 2019 | 04:45

Rivian previewed its R1T electric truck prototype in November. Rivian CEO R.C. Scaringe said the R1T will deliver 400 miles of range, with four individual motors allowing for all-wheel-drive. The R1T will be able to hit 60 miles per hour in 3 seconds and tow up to 11,000 pounds. Rivian is also building the R1S, an electric seven-passenger SUV. Rivian says the R1S will also have a range of over 400 miles.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
RJ Scaringe, founder and chief executive officer of Rivian Automotive, speaks after unveiling the R1S electric sports utility vehicle (SUV).

The Amazon and GM deal would value Rivian between $1 billion and $2 billion, according to Reuters on Tuesday.

Morgan Stanley believes Amazon's involvement represents the e-commerce giant seizing the opportunity to use its own technology “to shape electric delivery vehicles to support its own logistics efforts,” the firm said.

“Amazon has spent the last few years building out and expanding its logistics network and recently invested in autonomous driving startup Aurora,” Jonas said.

As for GM's involvement, Morgan Stanley pointed to comments from GM CEO Mary Barra on electric pickup trucks. Barra said GM believes “in an all-EV future,” while GMC VP Duncan Aldred said an electric pickup truck is “certainly” an opportunity the company is considering.

In full, Morgan Stanley is very bullish on the future of electric pickup trucks.

“EV powertrains have yet to be applied to the most profitable segments where established US automakers generate profit and cash flow,” Jonas said. “We estimate the full sized pickup truck segment accounts for well over 100% of global auto profit for GM and Ford and the majority of [Fiat Chrysler]'s global profit.”

T esla's pickup truck plans

Tesla may unveil an electric pickup truck this summer, CEO Elon Musk said during the company's fourth-quarter conference call. In December, Musk talked extensively on Twitter about what he would like to include in a pickup truck design, including all-wheel drive with “crazy torque & a suspension that dynamically adjusts for load.”

The buzz Jonas has seen about Tesla's pickup truck “suggests there may be greater excitement around the” pickup than for Tesla's anticipated Model Y. Based on the luxury Model X SUV, the Model Y is an “entry-level” crossover that would be comparable in price to Tesla's Model 3.

Elon Musk plans a truck he says looks like something out of 'Blade Runner'
3:05 PM ET Fri, 2 Nov 2018 | 01:11