Tesla is working on an important new product that it claims will enable them to bring full self-driving capability to its vehicles: a new AI chip, or “neural net accelerator’, to be released in the Autopilot Hardware 3.0 computer upgrade. We have now uncovered a series of new patent applications from Tesla about this new computer. As… Continue reading Tesla applies for series of patents for new AI chip in Autopilot Hardware 3.0
Tag: Apple
Chrysler Pacifica Named ‘Family Car of the Year’ by Cars.com for Second Consecutive Year
January 24, 2019 , Auburn Hills, Mich. – Cars.com editors announced today that the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica is once again its ‘Family Car of the Year.’ This is the second year in a row that the Chrysler Pacifica has earned the ‘Family Car of the Year’ title, building on its 2017 model-year introduction win of Cars.com’s ‘Best of’… Continue reading Chrysler Pacifica Named ‘Family Car of the Year’ by Cars.com for Second Consecutive Year
Apple cuts 200 staff from its Project Titan autonomous car division
Apple’s secretive efforts to develop a self-driving car — its so-called ‘Project Titan’ — have taken a hard turn in 2019 after it emerged that the iPhone-maker has reassigned 200 employees previously involved in its development. That’s according to CNBC which, citing sources, reported that a portion of the 200 staff were moved to other… Continue reading Apple cuts 200 staff from its Project Titan autonomous car division
Apple shrinks autonomous vehicle team by 200 employees
Apple has dismissed as many as 200 people from Project Titan, its secretive autonomous vehicle project, reports CNBC. In a statement Apple confirmed the change, and said that the affected employees would be moved on to projects in other parts of the company. The changes are relatively small, given that as many as 5,000 people… Continue reading Apple shrinks autonomous vehicle team by 200 employees
Apple just dismissed more than 200 employees from its autonomous vehicle group
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
Apple dismissed just over 200 employees this week from Project Titan, its stealthy autonomous vehicle group, people familiar with the matter told CNBC.
An Apple spokesperson acknowledged the lay-offs and said the company still sees opportunity in the space:
“We have an incredibly talented team working on autonomous systems and associated technologies at Apple. As the team focuses their work on several key areas for 2019, some groups are being moved to projects in other parts of the company, where they will support machine learning and other initiatives, across all of Apple,” the spokesperson said.
“We continue to believe there is a huge opportunity with autonomous systems, that Apple has unique capabilities to contribute, and that this is the most ambitious machine learning project ever,” they added.
In August 2018, Apple enlisted a Tesla engineering vice president and Apple veteran, Doug Field, to lead the Titan team alongside Bob Mansfield. This week's dismissals from the group were seen, internally, as anticipated restructuring under the relatively new leadership.
Other employees who were impacted by the restructuring of Project Titan are staying at Apple, but moving to different parts of the company.
Of late, Apple CEO Tim Cook has touted his company's initiatives in health as the key to its future growth. “I believe, if you zoom out into the future, and you look back, and you ask the question, “What was Apple's greatest contribution to mankind?” it will be about health,” Cook told CNBC's Jim Cramer.
Tim Cook teases new Apple services to come in 2019
12:15 PM ET Thu, 10 Jan 2019 | 01:08
Meanwhile, Apple executives have remained mum in recent months on the company's car prospects, which appear to have been scaled back from the initial rumored vehicle to a focus on software. In 2016, Apple laid off employees from the same group, shifting its strategy. Fully self-driving cars remain experimental, even for major players in the field such as Waymo, Cruise and Tesla.
Venture investors and strategic investors from the traditional automotive world have poured billions into start-ups developing self-driving vehicles including: Zoox, Pony.AI, Aurora, May Mobility, Embark and others.
— Paul Eisenstein and CNBC's Jordan Novet contributed to this report.
Tesla may use new battery supplier for cars made in China factory
Tour of Tesla battery gigafactory for invited owners, Reno, Nevada, July 2016
Tesla is reportedly exploring the idea of buying local batteries for its factory in China, from a supplier other than Panasonic.
Panasonic has been Tesla's partner in creating batteries for its electric cars from the outset of Model S production and co-owns the Nevada battery-production Gigafactory that produces far more electric-car batteries any other.
According to a new Reuters report, Tesla has signed a preliminary agreement with Chinese battery manufacturer Lishen to supply batteries for the Model 3 sedans that will be made at Tesla's new Chinese factory as soon as later this year. The report cites two people familiar with the agreement, speaking Chinese, which could indicate anything from a preliminary agreement, as the U.S. business community might understand it, to a mere formal acknowledgement.
READ THIS: Tesla breaks ground on China factory for Model 3 and Model Y
One said it was a preliminary agreement, while the other indicated that Lishen and its batteries still have to go through Tesla's lengthy supplier certification.
Both companies denied to Reuters that they had signed such an agreement, though Tesla acknowledged it gathered a quote from Lishen to supply batteries for the Chinese Model 3.
Tour of Tesla battery gigafactory for invited owners, Reno, Nevada, July 2016
In a tweet in November, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company would source batteries locally for cars made in China and that it planned to diversify its supply sources, including batteries.
One of the Reuters sources said that Lishen was still working out what size cells Tesla would need, and neither knew how many the company might order.
Lishen currently produces batteries for some Hyundai hybrid and electric cars, as well as for Apple and Samsung electronics.
CHECK OUT: Tesla Model S catches fire—twice—after flat tire in California
Tesla's batteries, up until now supplied exclusively by Panasonic from the Nevada Gigafactory, have become known for their performance and longevity, if also for their occasional flammable properties in accidents and sometimes otherwise.
When he announced the groundbreaking for the new Chinese factory, Musk said it would produce lower-end, more affordable versions of the Model 3 there, and eventually the company's upcoming Model Y smaller SUV.
If the cars are to be more affordable, more affordable batteries may be in order too.
DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss
One way to gain ground on a competitor is to poach their best executives. We’ve seen it time and time again, from high-level Tesla employees fleeing for Lyft or Apple stealing Google’s AI talent. DoorDash, a well-funded food delivery unicorn, is familiar with this method of staffing. The company announced this morning that it has poached… Continue reading DoorDash poaches Uber Eats engineering boss
Exclusive: Tesla holds battery supply talks with China’s Lishen
BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has held talks with China’s Tianjin Lishen to supply batteries for its new Shanghai factory, and two people with direct knowledge of the matter said the pair signed a preliminary agreement. FILE PHOTO: Visitors are seen at the booth of Lishen Battery at a… Continue reading Exclusive: Tesla holds battery supply talks with China’s Lishen
Exclusive: Tesla says it received battery quotes from China’s Lishen but no deal agreed
BEIJING (Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) said on Tuesday it had received quotes from Tianjin Lishen to supply batteries for its new Shanghai electric car factory but had not signed any agreement with the Chinese firm. FILE PHOTO: Visitors are seen at the booth of Lishen Battery at a new energy expo in Beijing, China… Continue reading Exclusive: Tesla says it received battery quotes from China’s Lishen but no deal agreed
Aston Barclay launches digital tools to help dealers process used cars
Aston Barclay has launched Cascade, a suite of digital tools to help dealers process used cars. Cascade includes a vehicle appraisal App, which helps dealers to more accurately appraise incoming vehicles using cap used car data or customers’ own pricing data. All data captured, including inspection reports and images, is saved in a back-office platform,… Continue reading Aston Barclay launches digital tools to help dealers process used cars