In News Today:
Audi offering access to several available charging solutions for e-tron GT customers
Cruise secures a new $5 billion line of credit
Nissan has launched Note Aura in Japan
Continental and EB enable deployment of customized voice experience for digital cockpits
FedEx and Nuro announce a multi-year, multi-phase agreement
Solid Power a publicly listed company now
BorgWarner releases Sustainability Report, “Evolving For All”
Sense Photonics develops a system which delivers high resolution long-range and mid-range capability
Volkswagen Group, BASF, Daimler AG and Fairphonehave setup “Responsible Lithium Partnership”
India: GoI raises incentives on Electric Two Wheelers
Audi offering access to several available charging solutions for e-tron GT customers
Audi has announced that for customers taking delivery of the 2022 Audi e-tron GT, it will be offering access to several available charging solutions. The offering includes three years of complimentary DC fast charging sessions powered by Electrify America. The carmaker will also provide customized in-home charging solutions through sustainable solutions provider Qmerit. The customers will have to enroll through the myAudi app post purchase to avail the services.
The access to Electrify Americas 270 kW charging speed can add approximately 180 miles of range in about 22 minutes. Electrify America plans to have about 800 charging stations with approximately 3,500 chargers by the end of 2021. For home charging facility, with Qmerit, a customer can install a NEMA 14-50 outlet on a dedicated 240V/50A circuit to use the 2-in-1 mobile charger that comes standard with the vehicle. The Level 2 charger ensures a customer can wake up every day to a fully charged vehicle.
Audi e-tron GT is to go on sale this summer along with RS e-tron GT.
Nissan launches Note Aura in Japan
Nissan has launched Note Aura in Japan, with sales planned to start soon. The ‘compact car’ comes exclusively with Nissan’s e-POWER electrified powertrain, a key part of the company’s electrification strategy under the Nissan NEXT global business transformation plan.
The e-POWER system offers full electric motor drive, meaning that the wheels are completely driven by the electric motor. It is comprised of a high-output battery and the powertrain which is integrated with gasoline engine, power generator, inverter and a motor.
For the Note Aura, the second-generation e-POWER electrified powertrain has been enhanced to provide maximum system output of 100 kW and maximum torque of 300 Nm, said the company in a Press Release. This delivers more powerful acceleration and an even smoother driving experience from the 100% electric motor driven system.
Continental and EB enable deployment of customized voice experience for digital cockpits
Continental and Elektrobit (EB) have announced the first in-vehicle integration of Alexa Custom Assistant. The companies consider this as a significant advancement in automotive embedded voice experiences as this lets automakers access Alexa’s advanced AI to create their own branded, intelligent assistants. The collaboration brings together Continental’s automotive electronics and EB’s software expertise, integrating Alexa Custom Assistant into Continental’s Cockpit High Performance Computer with software and integration services provided by EB.
The integration of Alexa Custom Assistant into a production vehicle will give automakers better insights into the solution‘s in-vehicle value proposition and enabling the discovery of novel use cases. Automakers can even customize their brand’s assistant with a unique wake word, voice and capabilities – providing customers the benefits of an intelligent assistant that is their product and services expert, while seamlessly coexisting and cooperating with Alexa.
FedEx and Nuro announce a multi-year, multi-phase agreement
FedEx and Nuro have announced a multi-year, multi-phase agreement to test Nuro’s next-generation autonomous delivery vehicle within FedEx operations. The exponential growth of e-commerce has accelerated the demand for reliable, autonomous solutions throughout all stages of the supply chain. FedEx believes that continued innovation and automation will improve safety, efficiency, and productivity for the company. The collaboration between the companies was launched in April with a pilot program across the Houston area.
Solid Power a publicly listed company now
Solid Power, a producer of all-solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, and Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: DCRC) today announced a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in Solid Power becoming a publicly listed company. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named “Solid Power, Inc.”
Solid Power claims its all-solid-state batteries could provide a near 500-mile vehicle range on a single charge, which is 50 to 75 percent greater than any commercially available lithium-ion battery today. Ford and BMW had recently participated in previously announced approximately $135 million Series B financing in Solid Power. These automakers also expect to integrate the company’s batteries in future electric vehicles.
Cruise secures a new $5 billion line of credit
Cruise, a majority-owned subsidiary of General Motors, has secured a new $5 billion line of credit by GM’s automotive financing arm. The company plans commercialization of an autonomous ride-hailing business. The new credit is will be used for the purchase of Cruise’s self-driving Origin shuttles. Cruise was acquired by GM in 2016 and has got investments Honda Motor, SoftBank Vision Fund, Walmart and Microsoft.
BorgWarner releases Sustainability Report, “Evolving For All”
BorgWarner, a company focused on mobility solutions recently released its 2021 Sustainability Report, “Evolving For All.” The company has said in the report that in 2020, it earned 85% of its revenue from electric and emissions-reducing hybrid and combustion products.
The strategic acquisition of Delphi Technologies expanded the company’s power electronics offerings and enhanced the company’s goal of maintaining the majority of revenue from clean energy technologies.
By 2030, BorgWarner projects it will receive 45% of its revenue from products for electric vehicles. In addition, the company also expects combined research and development (R&D) and capital spending for eProducts to be greater than $3 billion over the next five years, with eProducts approaching 50% of R&D spend before acquisitions by 2025.
The company has also taken its commitment to the environment a step further by committing to its operations being carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2035.
Sense Photonics develops a system which delivers high resolution long-range and mid-range capability
Sense Photonics, an automotive flash Lidar solutions provider, have developed a system which delivers high resolution long-range capability and a mid-range capability. With a wider field-of-view (FoV) simultaneously in a single shot using a single sensor, the MultiRange capability allows a vehicle to detect the road profile, road debris, and lane markings at long distances and also detect traffic in adjacent lanes without requiring multiple sensor heads.
To accomplish this performance, it relies on combination of its proprietary VCSEL laser array, which houses tens of thousands of lasers on a single substrate, paired with its proprietary CMOS SPAD silicon receiver, which can detect single-photon-level detail with every return. Similar to a car’s headlights, Sense’s emitter technology uses a diffused beam to simultaneously illuminate the entire FoV. Global shutter acquisition allows for a consistently high-resolution point cloud across the FoV without motion artifacts.
This capability is currently being tested by leading automotive OEMs and autonomous vehicle solutions provider.
Volkswagen Group, BASF, Daimler AG and Fairphone have setup “Responsible Lithium Partnership”
India: GoI raised incentives on Electric Two Wheelers
The Government of India has increased demand incentives on electric two-wheelers. The step was taken following a weak response to the subsidy scheme FAME II. Now under the scheme FAME India Phase II, demand incentive has been raised to Rs 15,000 per KWh from Rs 10,000 per KWh for electric two-wheelers. Also, the cap on incentives for electric two-wheelers has been raised to 40% of the cost of the vehicle from 20%. Post this decision the prices of the electric two wheelers have been reduced by several automakers.
(Based on Media Releases by the companies )
