Photocredit: GettyGetty Will the future of driverless cars rhyme with the history of the Segway? The Segway personal transporter was also predicted to revolutionize transportation. Steve Jobs gushed that cities would be redesigned around the device. John Doerr said it would be bigger than the Internet. The Segway worked technically but never lived up to its backers’ outsized hopes for market… Continue reading 15 Hurdles To The Industrialization Of Driverless Cars (Part 1 Of 3) – Forbes
Tag: Uber
Uber fined £385,000 for losing UK data
Uber has been fined £385,000 for letting hackers steal data on 2.7 million UK customers. The full names, addresses and phone numbers of users went astray in the 2016 attack. The data had been stolen thanks to “avoidable data security flaws”, said the Information Commissioner’s Office. Uber has also been fined 600,000 euros (£532,000) by… Continue reading Uber fined £385,000 for losing UK data
Uber fined nearly $1.2 million by British and Dutch authorities for 2016 data breach
Original Article
Congress considers extending electric vehicle tax credits, approval of self-driving cars
Congress considers extending electric vehicle tax credits, approval of self-driving carsWashington — With Congress returning to Washington on Tuesday for a flurry of legislative activity before the end of the year, transportation advocates are hoping to win support for pair of measures that would allow carmakers to sell thousands of self-driving cars and extend tax credits for electric vehicles.
Supporters of a U.S. Senate bill championed by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, that would allow automakers to sell more than 80,000 self-driving cars each per year are hoping to finally pass the measure in the upcoming so-called lame duck session after a year-long wait. They note that the current Republican-led House passed a similar measure with relative ease in 2017.
Additionally, General Motors Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Tesla Inc. have joined forces with environmental groups to form a new coalition that is pushing to remove a cap on a federal tax credit that provides up to $7,500 to buyers of electric cars. GM, Nissan and Tesla, makers of the Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf and Tesla's electric-fleet, are among the biggest electric car producers in the U.S. Current rules allow automakers to offer credits for up to 200,000 electric vehicles per manufacturer.
Republican senators may be more likely to compromise with their Democratic colleagues on the self-driving legislation instead of waiting to have to negotiate a new deal with the House after Democrats take control of that chamber in January.
A spokeswoman for Peters said he “continues to work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle” to get the bill signed into law before the end of the year, noting that major companies have already begun testing autonomous vehicles at several sites around the U.S., including at the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township.
“As companies move forward with their self-driving vehicle plans, Sen. Peters is focused on ensuring there is a federal regulatory framework in place to oversee the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles,” Peters' office said.
But critics of the bill argue that not enough attention is being paid to safety concerns, and that there isn't enough oversight on the road-readiness of the technology.
The picture is slightly more complicated for supporters of lifting the cap on electric car tax credits. A measure by U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wy., would eliminate the tax credit for electric cars and institute a new tax on electric cars and alternative fuel vehicles to boost the coffers of the federal Highway Trust Fund that pays for construction projects.
A separate measure by U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., would keep the electric vehicle tax credit in place and lift the cap. A similar measure was also introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.
Heller lost his seat in last week's election to Democratic U.S. Rep. Jackie Rosen, who has also co-sponsored legislation in the House to extend the electric car tax credit for 10 years. Nevada is home to Tesla's Gigafactory 1 lithium-ion battery factory.
When carmakers hit the 200,000-vehicle ceiling, they face a phasing-out process of the $7,500 tax credit offered to buyers of full-electric vehicles — reducing that credit by half every six months. At least one automaker, Tesla, has already hit the limit, and GM is also expected to hit the mark during the fourth quarter of 2018.
GM sold 23,297 all-electric Chevrolet Bolts and 20,349 plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volts in the U.S. in 2017.
Dan Turton, vice president of public policy at GM, said in announcing a new group known as the EV Drive Coalition that includes GM, Nissan and Tesla: “A federal tax credit to help make electric vehicles more affordable for all consumers is integral to reaching a zero-emissions future and establishing the U.S. as the leader in electrification. We feel that the tax credit should be modified so all customers continue to receive the full benefit going forward.”
Advocates for the self-driving bill are hoping for favorable action. Scott Hall, director of communications and public affairs of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, which lobbies for major U.S. and foreign-owned automakers, said automakers “remain optimistic the Senate will take action on this bipartisan legislation, given the tremendous promise of this technology to make our roadways safer and provide greater mobility options to persons with disabilities and seniors.”
But critics of the self-driving bill are on high alert.
John Simpson, privacy and technology project director at the Los Angeles-based Consumer Watchdog group, which has raised concerns about the safety of self-driving cars after recent high-profile crashes, said he is “concerned there will be a mad rush to try to slam it through” now that the contentious election season has passed.
“It's simply insanity to rush through a bad bill just to say you've got a bill,” Simpson said, adding that Congress has done little to address concerns that have been raised by safety groups about giving automakers wide latitude to sell self-driving cars.
Groups that represent trial lawyers have complained about a lack of protections that would ensure the right to sue if someone is hurt or killed in a self-driving car.
Peter Knudsen, director of communications for the Washington, D.C-based American Association for Justice, which lobbies for trial lawyers who typically represent plaintiffs, added that his group is also still “strongly opposed” to the Senate's self-driving bill.
“We remain hopeful that proponents of AV START will adopt the vital changes necessary to ensure that the bill brings transparency and accountability to the driverless car industry,” Knudsen said.
The arguments appear to have held sway with some U.S. senators thus far. At least five have publicly expressed concerns about the measure, pointing to accidents this year that involved Uber and Tesla vehicles that were operating autonomously or semi-autonomously. The opposition prevented the self-driving bill from being quickly passed in the notoriously deliberate upper chamber.
klaing@detroitnews.com
(202) 662-8735
Twitter: @Keith_Laing
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Top Automotive Industry News for Week of November 19 – November 25, 2018
Here is the most important news associated with the automotive industry
identified by the AEA for the week of November 19, 2018 -November 25, 2018.
We hope it helps you stay up to speed on the key developments in our
industry:
-Automotive Manufacturing News-
Ford, VW could announce electric, driverless-car collaborations:
analyst
(MarketWatch)
Ford wants to get rid of that new-car smell. Here's why.
(USA Today)
General Motors buyouts likely to fall short and layoffs loom
(USA Today)
German court rules Volkswagen must reimburse owner full price of car
(Reuters)
Ghosn scandal could trigger a series of crises for Nissan, Renault,
Mitsubishi
(CNBC)
GM under investigation for faulty brake vacuum pumps
(Detroit Free Press)
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing kicks off construction on $1.6B Alabama
plant
(Made In Alabama)
Nissan board votes to remove Carlos Ghosn as chairman
(CNBC)
Renault taps interim chairman, COO to replace Ghosn: sources
(Reuters)
Tesla will cut prices in China in response to import tariffs; Reuters
(MarketWatch)
These are the best cars we tested in 2018
(CNBC)
-Automotive Evolution News-
AEye Raises $40M To Build Autonomous Car Sensor That Sees Better Than
Humans
(Forbes)
China Is Leading the World to an Electric Car Future
(Bloomberg)
Congress considers extending electric vehicle tax credits, approval of
self-driving cars
(The Detroit News)
Electric vehicle sales to 'see a big lift' over the next 2 to 3 years,
BlackRock says
(CNBC)
Needing Growth, Uber Returns to Germany. This Time on Best Behavior.
(The New York Times)
-Automotive Retail News-
3 straight quarters of more than 10 million used-car sales
(Auto Remarketing)
Analysts Expect First November Car Sales Slide in 9 Years
(The Detroit Bureau)
AutoNation and Scott Painter patch things up
(Automotive News)
Black Friday is breathing life back into the 0% auto loan
(Automotive News)
Digital Crystal Ball Gives Auto Dealers A View To Future Sales
(Forbes)
Every Plug-In-Hybrid Vehicle Available in America Today
(Car and Driver)
What's the Best New-Car Deal for Black Friday?
(Cars.com)
Where the deals are for Black Friday car shopping
(CNBC)
-Automotive Wholesale News-
J.D. Power’s wholesale price projection through 2019
(Auto Remarketing)
Update on late-model auction volume
(Auto Remarketing)
Used cars with the least depreciation in 2018
(Autoblog)
-Automotive Enthusiast News-
23 hot cars we can't wait to see at the 2018 LA Auto Show
(Business Insider)
-Automotive Servicing News-
Citing Brake Concern, Feds Investigate 2.7M Pickups, Sport Utes
(Forbes)
-General Business & Executive News-
An early holiday gift: Lower gas, oil prices could boost spending,
economy
(USA Today)
Billionaire threatens to tackle the nation’s most expensive auto
insurance
(Insurance Business)
On Black Friday, more U.S. shoppers chose the computer over the mall
(Reuters)
PureCars launches an attribution platform just for car dealerships
(MarTech)
Tesla is turning to partners to help with a growing used-car business
(CNBC)
U.S. retail sales rebound, but consumer spending slowing
(Reuters)
-AEA Reminder-
Did we miss something? Let us know via our
Contact Us Page >>
. If you have specific important news going public soon that you would like
to share with your fellow AEA Members, submit your
PR Distribution Request >>
Have a great week,
Member Services
memberservices@automotiveexecutives.com
Automotive Executives Association
www.automotiveexecutives.com
Ride-hailing app Gett seeks buyers
Ride-hailing app Gett seeks buyersGett Inc., the ride-hailing app valued at more than $1 billion and backed by Volkswagen AG, is looking for buyers in a bid to compete with larger rivals, people familiar with the matter said.
The Israeli tech company has approached potential bidders including other car-hire firms, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions were private.
Gett may sell its entire business or offload regional operations outside of its home market, said two of the people. The company may also weigh a listing, partnership or sale of a minority stake to raise capital, another person said.
Deliberations are preliminary and there’s no guarantee Gett will go ahead with a sale or initial public offering, the people said.
“As Gett is on a clear path towards profitability globally, including the U.S.,” in the first half of 2019 “it should not be surprising that Gett may receive inbound inquiries from strategic partners,” a spokesman for Gett said.
Gett had a promising start, attracting more than $300 million from Volkswagen in 2016 as the carmaker looked for a viable challenger to Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. This year Gett has raised $80 million from investors including Swedish fund manager Vostok New Ventures Ltd.
However, the business has been struggling in the face of growing competition.
Vostok cut the value of its stake by 14 percent so far this year, according to its third-quarter report. That puts its 4 percent holding at $55.5 million, giving Gett a value of about $1.39 billion. Volkswagen has also decided to funnel resources into a home-grown ride-sharing unit called Moia.
Facing intense competition in the U.S., Gett has also weighed an exit from the country just over a year after spending $200 million on an acquisition to enter the market, people familiar with the matter said in July.
Gett isn’t the only ride-hailing company struggling to maintain growth. Uber’s sales are dramatically slowing even as the firm spends more to expand. Lyft’s losses increased to $254 million in the third quarter from $195 million last year after spending more on research and development, a person familiar with the matter said. The two companies are also considering IPOs next year.
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Didi Chuxing Launches DiDi Labs in Toronto
Didi Chuxing, a mobile transportation platform, officially launched its DiDi Labs in Toronto, Canada. This marks the second major research facility founded by DiDi in North America, following the establishment of DiDi Labs in Mountain View, California, in March 2017. Since its inception, DiDi Labs in Mountain View has invested in product development and safety… Continue reading Didi Chuxing Launches DiDi Labs in Toronto
Meituan, China’s ‘everything app’, walks away from bike sharing and ride hailing
A major player in the race to transport Chinese people around is losing steam. Meituan Dianping, the Tencent-backed all-encompassing platform for local services, continues to put the brakes on bike-sharing and ride-hailing, the company said on its earnings call on Thursday. The eight-year-old firm is best known for competing with Alibaba-owned Ele.me in food deliveries… Continue reading Meituan, China’s ‘everything app’, walks away from bike sharing and ride hailing
Ford Considering use of Customer’s Personal Data as a Revenue Stream
Yahoo. Adult Friend Finder. ebay. Target. Ashley Madison. Uber. What do they all have in common? They’ve all had massive data breaches which put the population, or at least some of it, into a tizzy worrying about the safety of their personal data. The reality of life today is that just about everything we do… Continue reading Ford Considering use of Customer’s Personal Data as a Revenue Stream
Driven to safety — it’s time to pool our data
Kevin Guo Contributor Kevin Guo is the CEO and co-founder of Hive. For most Americans, the thought of cars autonomously navigating our streets still feels like a science fiction story. Despite the billions of dollars invested into the industry in recent years, no self-driving car company has proven that its technology is capable of producing mass-market autonomous vehicles… Continue reading Driven to safety — it’s time to pool our data