Tag: Tesla

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

Circular economy: Magnets from old hard drives could wind up in EV motors

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Axial motor with recycled rare-earth material – ORNL
As some of the world’s largest automakers ramp up production for a generation of electric vehicles, the supply of one of the most important ingredients—rare-earth elements—is surely a cause for concern.

Rare-earth elements—especially neodymium—are in short supply because of their limited production locations, much of them in China. They're needed for the compact, power-dense permanent-magnet motors in many of today's EVs, and increasingly for green-energy sector uses like wind farms.

Now, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratories are experimenting with mining one of our best sources of rare-earth materials—used computer hard drives—for what can be repurposed in an axial gap motor, a type of permanent-magnet synchronous motor that could be used in electric vehicles or industrial machinery.

DON'T MISS: Rare-earth metals in magnets for electric-car motors: what you need to know

It’s just a demonstration so far, but it shows how magnets from devices that are otherwise destroyed could be recycled and reused as part of a circular economy.

Efforts to reduce rare-earth element use, as well as efforts to reuse and recover rare-earths, are frequently mentioned in sustainability reports. Toyota recently announced a way of cutting the neodymium in motor magnets by 20 percent (or up to 50 percent eventually) by substituting cerium and lanthanum, rare-earths that are processed simultaneously but aren’t as high-demand. And Nissan has, with its e-Power hybrid system slated for more models soon, boasted that it’s cut rare-earth elements by 70 percent.

READ MORE: Limits On Rare-Earth Metals To End After China Loses Global Trade Case

Meanwhile, the appetite for rare-earth elements isn’t showing any signs of cooling. While Tesla went with AC induction motors for its Model S and Model X, it’s moved to a permanent-magnet design to power the rear wheels of the Tesla Model 3. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions of the Model 3 get an AC induction motor at the front that’s free of additional rare-earths. Likewise, Volkswagen has said that it’s planning to use permanent-magnet motors for rear motors in millions of new-generation electric vehicles arriving in the U.S. starting in 2020. Audi stands as an outlier, as at both axles it’s using a current-excited synchronous motor design that needs no rare-earths.

Volkswagen MEB platform architecture

The supply pinch is nothing new. Two decades ago, the U.S. was a significant producer of rare-earth elements, as was Australia. Eventually China inched into the market and corporations went out of business as they couldn’t match the prices on the Chinese-sourced material. That’s left China with an uncomfortable monopoly on the world’s supply, especially as the electronics and automotive sectors have been increasingly dependent on these materials.

CHECK OUT: Al Gore Versus the Rare Earth Metals

The fragility of the situation was demonstrated in 2011 when China cut off supply of rare-earth elements after a political tiff with Japan. Prices skyrocketed, sending users rushing to stockpile the materials initially, before prices tanked and set off some vicious volatility in recent years.

The researchers say that by simply recycling the 35 percent of hard drives that currently are destroyed, about 1,000 metric tons of magnet material could be recovered per year. While they made no statement about how many vehicle motor magnets that might support, every little bit will surely help.

Electric cars are clean, but can they be profitable? New report casts doubt

Volkswagen MEB platform architecture
A flood of new electric-car models is washing into the market in the next year as automakers scramble to meet regulatory demands for electric cars around the world—not to mention scrambling to compete with Tesla.

The challenge, as with Tesla, is whether they can sell those cars at a profit.

A new report by AlixPartners, a worldwide business consulting firm, shows the transition to electric cars is coming at a steep cost to automakers.

DON'T MISS: VW plans 27 electric cars by 2022 on new platform

The company pegs the cost of building new electric cars at almost $9,000 more than conventional cars, and plug-in hybrids at an additional $5,700.

Worldwide, the report says, established and startup automakers are spending $255 billion to develop more than 200 new electric models that are expected to hit the market by 2022.

Many of these will be low-volume models that will not make a significant dent in the development costs for new powertrains, the report says.

CHECK OUT: Tesla sells 200,000th car, starting phaseout of federal tax credits

Further, the number of new models is likely to exceed customer demand, the report says, meaning that intense competition among these new electric cars may force automakers to sell them at a discount. This hit to automaker profits could be exacerbated by ride-sharing and autonomous car fleets, which would buy cars at fleet prices.

As if to confirm the report, BMW cheif executive Bernhard Kuhnt told Bloomberg Friday, “Tesla is now ramping up their volumes, and it’s putting pressure on that market segment.”

At the same time, the study notes, the overall car market in the U.S. is beginning a cyclical downturn from its record sales of 17.2 million new cars and trucks in 2017.

That's not to say the study expects electric cars to be unsuccessful. AlixPartners forecasts that by 2030, electric cars will make up 20 percent of the U.S. market, 30 percent of European car sales, and 35 percent of car sales in China.

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC

In a consumer survey conducted as part of the study, AlixPartners found that 22.5 percent of Americans say they plan for their next car purchase to have plug-in capability.

A Reuters report on the study notes that auto executives generally concur that the transition to electric cars will be expensive, and that R&D and development costs for electrics may not be paid off any time soon. “What everyone needs to realize is that clean mobility is like organic food—it’s more expensive,” Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel manufacturer PSA told Reuters.

Last month, BMW warned investors that investments in electric-car development and meeting cleaner emissions rules would erode profits. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz also each warned separately that developing electric cars will cost more than they initially budgeted.

So far tax incentives from many governments, such as the U.S. federal $7,500 tax credit, are designed to offset these higher costs. As automakers begin to sell millions of electric cars, however, these tax incentives may become unsustainable.

READ MORE: 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC specs revealed (Updated)

The hope is that by then battery prices will equal the cost of internal combustion powertrains, but that's not guaranteed. Batteries currently account for 40 percent of the cost of building an electric car, Reuters reports.

AlixPartners reports that commodity costs are up 70 percent the last year compared with 2015, at $884 per car, a six-year high.

“Industry players are sort of caught between a rock and a hard place,” said Shiv Shivaraman, co-head of AlixPartners' American automotive and industrial practice. “If they don’t participate in some way in the ‘new-mobility’ revolution that’s coming, they stand to lose out on what might be the biggest thing ever in this industry. If they do participate, as so many are, they have the chance of benefiting from first-mover advantages, but they also face the possibility of going broke in the process.”

Daimler starts building electric car batteries in Tuscaloosa

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Daimler (DAIGn.DE) on Friday said it will start building a battery plant as part of its planned $1 billion investment to upgrade its factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which has also started to produce a new sports utility vehicle, the GLE. FILE PHOTO: The Daimler logo is seen before the Daimler annual shareholder… Continue reading Daimler starts building electric car batteries in Tuscaloosa

Porsche Claims It Can Cut In Half Tesla’s Charging Times

1 H BY MARK KANE Porsche sees its competitive advantage in ultra-fast charging. In one of the most recent interviews, Klaus Zellmer, president and CEO for Porsche Cars North America, stated that the upcoming Porsche Taycan will separate itself from the competition through ultra-fast charging (to 80% in 15 minutes – “which is almost the same… Continue reading Porsche Claims It Can Cut In Half Tesla’s Charging Times

Bosch supplies Byton

Chinese startup Byton has teamed up with Bosch to build its vehicles. The startup company Byton out China was one of the eye-catchers on the past CES 2018 in Las Vegas. There one imagined his vehicle, above all Tesla To make competition. For the production of the Byton models one has now a cooperation with… Continue reading Bosch supplies Byton

Volvo’s Polestar brand is assembling prototypes of its first plug-in hybrid sports car

Polestar has started assembling verification prototypes of its upcoming plug-in hybrid sports car as Volvo’s standalone electric performance brand prepares to produce customer cars next year. Verification prototypes of the Polestar 1 vehicle, which are built largely by hand, mark the first testing phase for production. The vehicles will be crashed and driven through different kinds of… Continue reading Volvo’s Polestar brand is assembling prototypes of its first plug-in hybrid sports car

Despite Higher Upfront Costs, Electric Cars Can Save Money Over Time

DRIVING AN EV CAN PUT CASH BACK INTO AN OWNER’S WALLET IN THE LONG RUN. Despite having higher sticker prices than comparable conventionally-powered models, owning an electric vehicle can still save an owner money over time. For starters, the cost to run an electric vehicle can be considerably less than fueling a gas-powered ride. On… Continue reading Despite Higher Upfront Costs, Electric Cars Can Save Money Over Time

Elon Musk mocks SEC as ‘Shortseller Enrichment Commission’ days after settling fraud charges

Musk trolls the SEC
2 Hours Ago | 05:31

Tesla CEO Elon Musk mocked the Securities and Exchange Commission in a tweet Thursday, calling the agency the “Shortseller Enrichment Commission,” days after settling fraud charges brought against him by the agency.

The tweet, which is missing a word and appears to take a sarcastic tone, says “the Shortseller Enrichment Commission is doing incredible work” and commends the SEC on a name change that did not occur.

Musk doubled down on the remark when another Twitter user said Musk needs a “a social team that can get attention without typos and without enraging the Shortseller Enrichment Committee.”

The Tesla CEO asked, “Why would they be upset about their mission? It's what they do.”

Shares of the automaker fell more than 2 percent after hours following the tweet. The stock was already down 4.4 percent during regular hours.

Late last week, Musk reached an agreement with the SEC to settle fraud charges in connection with an Aug. 7 tweet about taking the company private. Musk claimed at the time the necessary funding had been secured — a claim the SEC alleged was “false and misleading.”

Three experts on the future of Tesla after Elon Musk settled with SEC
5:55 PM ET Mon, 1 Oct 2018 | 01:35

That settlement hit a snag earlier Thursday when a federal judge ordered the agency and the billionaire CEO to justify the agreement as “fair and reasonable.”

Musk has often been outspoken about short sellers, investors who are betting against Tesla, accusing them of spreading “negative propaganda.” Last year he called them “jerks who want us to die.”

Later on Thursday, Musk responded to someone else's tweet suggesting that short selling should be illegal by agreeing and describing short sellers as “value destroyers.”

The SEC's complaint, filed last week, suggests Musk tweeted the take-private proposal, in part, to lift the company's stock and punish short sellers. Investors betting against Tesla lost about $1.3 billion immediately following that tweet.

The proposed settlement, should it be approved, would require Tesla to “establish a new committee of independent directors and put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications.” That oversight would only take effect 90 days after the settlement takes effect.

Elon Musk is bringing Trump-style tweeting to the corner office
4:11 PM ET Fri, 10 Aug 2018 | 04:39

$3.6 million Aspark Owl electric supercar preorders begin

Japan’s Aspark is taking preorders for its battery-electric Owl at the Paris Motor Show, promising deliveries starting in mid-2020 for the supercar, first revealed a year ago in Frankfurt, that promises a sprint time of less than 2 seconds. Bloomberg reports the Japanese engineering firm is taking nonrefundable deposits of 1 million euros — about… Continue reading $3.6 million Aspark Owl electric supercar preorders begin