After several fixes done via software, Tesla is now physically recalling about 24,000 Model 3s in the US for potentially improperly fastened seat belts. In addition, an investigation has been launched by the Department of Justice over autopilot claims.
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Tesla announced today that it is moving away from using ultrasonic sensors in its suite of Autopilot sensors in favour of its camera-only ‘Tesla Vision’ system.
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The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reopening an investigation into Tesla’s ‘Autopilot’ driver assistance system. It refers to eleven incidents between January 2018 and July 2021 in which Tesla models hit emergency vehicles parked on the side of the road. This resulted in 17 injuries and one death.
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The lawsuit filed by the German competition authority against Tesla for allegedly misleading ‘Autopilot’ advertisements has been under trial at the Munich Regional Court since this week.
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The German Centre for Protection against Unfair Competition (Wettbewerbszentrale) is again taking action against Tesla. After being warned for false advertising, the focus is now on the driver assistance system “Autopilot”.
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A group of ten Model 3 owners blocked Tesla’s European factory in Dutch Tilburg out of protest over Tesla’s price fluctuation, and the failure to deliver promised features such as an Autopilot update.
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While Tesla fan videos are almost as popular as cat content, an amateur video has made ‘Tesla’ the most searched term on – Pornhub. The sex clip was filmed whilst the car was driving on autopilot and prompted Elon Musk to comment on the story in his usual dry manner.
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Being a “nerd” or “geek” is not so much about loving the newest or future tech, sci-fi or fantasy fiction games, but about being obsessive about your interest and preferably finding others with the same passion. Now check out the video below of the “World’s Biggest Tesla Summon Race”.
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A Tesla driver in the UK has to surrender his driving license for 18 months and perform 100 hours of community service, as well as paying a 1,800 pound fee. The reason was that another driver filmed him on a highway with an activated Autopilot.
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Half of Porsche’s line-up electrified by 2023? In less than six years, Porsche intends to make half of its overall sales with electric powered models, Manager Magazin has learnt. One or two years after its debut EV Mission E due by 2019, the German carmaker wants to launch an electric crossover coupe and from 2022 the next-gen Macan will be available solely with electric power. Besides that, Porsche obviously plans to abandon diesel vehicles earlier than expected.
manager-magazin.de
Fresh impressions of the upcoming Leaf: New photos have emerged that show the next-gen Nissan Leaf better than ever before including the interior. Nissan has scheduled the official presentation for September, 6 and wants to bring the updated bestseller into the stores before the year’s end.
insideevs.com, autoblog.com
New head for Autopilot: Just half a year after Tesla convinced Chris Lattner to lead its Autopilot team, the former Apple expert has left again. His successor is Andrej Karpathy, who comes from Elon Musk’s OpenAI and now joins Tesla as Director of AI and Autopilot Vision.
electrek.co, engadget.com
Toyota’s new Camry: Later this summer, Toyota wants to launch the eight generation of its Camry that is particularly popular in the States. The new model sits on the TNGA platform just as the present Prius and will again be offered as hybrid version for a base price of 27,800 USD.
carscoops.com, greencarreports.com
Tesla Model 3 in HD: Those that cannot wait for the official presentation of Tesla’s new model in July, now got the option to check 29 top quality photos of a Model 3 trio recently spotted. Some of the pictures show also the interior space in quite fine resolution.
imgur.com via insideevs.com
Financing for the Gigafactory in Sweden that Northvolt plans may come from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The company seeks to raise 4bn euros to complete its battery production facility by 2023. New plans outline construction in three phases with the first stage costing about 1.5bn euros to go on-line around December 2020 and to produce 8 GWh of batteries annually. Northvolt also said it looked at 18 locations in Sweden and 2 in Finland and will require at least 500,000 square metres of land for the plant with access to significant power supplies and transport lines.
greentechmedia.com
Mahle strengthens e-mobility: The supplier plans to take over Spanish Nagares, that makes electronics for the automotive industry, including power converters for electric vehicles. The purchase price will not be disclosed and the deal still awaits approval by the antitrust authorities.
mahle.com
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Electric Formula 3 racer: The Formulino E for racy juniors is a converted Formula 3 race car by Dallara, with Punch Powertrain signing responsible for the new electric drive. With its 600 kilo and 120 kW is reaches 100 kph in less than 4 seconds and got a top speed of 200 kph. 20 units of the little racers may form a feeder series for the Formula E or Electric GT from next year.
electricautosport.com
Better insurance with Autopilot: Startup insurance company Root wants to offer discounts to Tesla drivers using Autopilot. The insurer said it tracks its clients driving habits with a mobile app and set prices based on performance. In reality though, it is unclear, how they would measure Autosteer, instead “Autosteer eligible highway miles” are counted.
electrek.co
Coast-to-coast in autonomous Tesla: A self-driving prototype may drive from L.A. to New York on its own already by the end of next year, Elon Musk announced. The Tesla would also park and charge itself, probably with one of those snaky charging robots.
techcrunch.com
If Tesla’s plan works out, such cross-country trips on Autopilot could soon be offered as ride shares. But the EV maker points out, that doing so for commercial reasons would only be allowed via the yet to be opened Tesla Network – basically catapulting the EV maker into the semi-public transport realm.
elektrek.co
Semitrailer with range extender: Dutch Emoss, that retrofits trucks, presented an electric tractor unit boasting 320 kW. Its 120 kWh battery and a range extender that runs on natural gas accumulate for a range between 500 and 900 kilometres, depending on the size of the CNG tank.
logistra.de
Accelerated EV production: Hewlett Packard will support National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) to set up global manufacturing IT platform. The end-to-end solution will streamline production in both Sweden and China. NEVS will start making its first EV in 2017 and aims to roll out 250,000 units.
greencarcongress.com, edie.net
Diesel mild-hybrid: The Renault Scénic and Grand Scénic diesel variants will be equipped with Continental’s 48-volt hybrid drive by the end of this year. The move is hoped to reduce exhaust emissions and fuel consumption at moderate cost.
continental-corporation.com
Audi to exit WEC? The 13-time Le Mans winner may withdraw from the World Endurance Championship altogether by the end of 2017, Autocar reports. In the light of news of Audi and Porsche working ever closer together (see above) pitting them against each other on a race course is indeed counterproductive. Rumours also suggest a stronger Audi engagement in the Formula E.
autocar.co.uk
Germany warns of Autopilot: A letter warning German Tesla drivers to keep “unrestricted attention at all times” when driving in Autopilot was sent out by KBA. It follows the Transport Ministry’s view that the semi-autonomous function is a “considerable traffic hazard.” Testing resumes.
reuters.com, autoblog.com
Electrolyte JV: Mitsubishi Chemical and Ube Industries will merge their electrolyte operations in China by April next year in a 50:50 joint venture. Mitsubishi Chemical specialises in electrolyte for car batteries, while Ube mainly makes electrolyte for smartphones. Together, they hold 20% of the market.
asia.nikkei.com
BYD reaches for the sky, or for monorail as it opens the first SkyRail line at its HQ in Shenzhen. The first track is 4.4. km long but BYD says more than 20 cities have expressed interest in monorail for public transport. First is Shantou in Guangdong province, where BYD is to build a 250-km SkyRail.
chinadaily.com.cn
Reading tip: Joshua Neally was cruising home on Autopilot when he suffered a pulmonary embolism. Rather than pulling out and calling an ambulance he decided it was quicker to go to the next hospital, leaving the Tesla Model X to drive. He reached the hospital safely.
slate.com
Video tip: Consumer Reports gives the Toyota Prius Prime a quick drive ahead of the market launch. The watchdog finds it improved, esp. in terms of pure electric range – they managed to get 28 instead of 22 miles “without trying” out of it.
youtube.com, consumerreports.org (written report)
Tesla truck: The announced semi is apparently already at a testing stage and could be unveiled as early as next year. This might be unknown territory for Tesla, but project manager Jerome Guillen, who was in charge of developing trucks at Daimler, brings enough experience to the team. Some media are still a little sceptical about Tesla’s trucking ambitions.
electrek.co, insideevs.com, businessinsider.de
Exclusive E-Morgan: The British automaker and high-end department store Selfridge are working together on a special edition of the three-wheeler. In honour of the year 1909, in which both companies were founded, only 19 units will be available. The electric motor stays the same, but bronze features are said to make it unique.
carscoops.com, youtube.com
China “pays court” to battery makers: The government wants to lure in more investments and know-how from international battery makers and suspends the need to form joint ventures in the free trade zones of Shanghai, Guandong, Tinjian and Fujian. Other sectors are hoping for a similar relaxation of rules.
automobil-produktion.de, insideevs.com
Battery JV for Leo Motors: The supplier has founded a Chinese subsidiary together with Zhong Ji Well Parking System. The goal is to enter the field of battery production and electric boats. Leo Motors contributes its know-how about electric drivetrains, e-boats and networks.
baystreet.ca
Renault-Nissan promotes sustainability: The alliance is the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Other automotive OEMs already include BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota and Ford.
greencarcongress.com
Autopilot saves life: One driver from Washington, DC, was more than happy that he had the Autopilot activated. So was the pedestrian that he would have otherwise run over. Tesla confirmed that the system had saved the pedestrian’s life or prevented injury through the vehicle logs.
electrek.co
Reputation reparation: VW is talking to U.S. authorities about establishing two funds as punishment for its rigged diesel cars, Bloomberg reports. A national remediation fund could be run by EPA and be used to promote clean transport, while a separate fund for California would promote ZEV in the state. No sums have been disclosed and only some of VW’s liability in the States would be resolved.
bloomberg.com
No electric Phaeton: Volkswagen’s brand chief Herbert Diess says there will be no electric version of the luxury sedan, German Manager Magazin reports. Apparently, a Phaeton EV would be too expensive and is not a suitable representative of the future path VW wants to take. It is all about volume, not exclusivity.
manager-magazin.de (in German)
Tesla loses its voice: Ricardo Reyes, Tesla’s head of global communication, has quit his job two weeks before the arrival of the Model 3. Reyes would not comment on his departure, neither did the EV maker.
bloomberg.com, insideevs.com
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On Wednesday 13 April, Amsterdam will briefly be the EV-centre of the world. Leading speakers and interested visitors will come together during the Avere E-Mobility Conference.
www.aec.amsterdam
Earth loving EV: China has a new car brand called Kissun, which derives its name from “kiss the sun” or “kiss the future.” The Shanxi Auto backed company will focus on new energy vehicles. Its first concept EV will be unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show next month, and launch later this year.
carnewschina.com
NSX to roll out: Honda’s hybrid version of its iconic Acura NSX is set for production start by the end of April with deliveries to commence shortly after. For the start, Honda plans a limited run of 800 units annually. The vehicle will be produced at one the manufacturer’s most modern facilities in Marysville, Ohio.
abcnews.go.com, hondanews.com
Autopilot approved – globally: Tesla’s self-driving software has finally been approved in Hong Kong. It the last market after Japan to accept all features of the Autopilot, which has now gained global acceptance.
forbes.com
Video tip: A Tesla driver posted a video of the new Autopilot truly saving the day as a car pulls out very unexpectedly, while he was busy driving – sorry, filming.
youtube.com via geekwire.com
Reading tip: Incentives work, or at least it is clearly demotivating if they seize to exist as this example from Georgia illustrates. Once the state scrapped the 5,000-dollar subsidy in July, EV sales shrunk substantially from 1,338 in June to 776 in July until in August only 148 EVs were sold.
watchdog.org
Events for the upcoming week: SEMA Show (Nov 03-06; Las Vegas, USA) ++ FIA Formula E Championship, Round 2 (Nov 07; Putrajaya, Malaysia)
You can find a complete list of upcoming industry events at electrive.com/calendar
A Tesla was 96 percent of the time in Autopilot mode as Carl Reese, Deena Mastracci, and Alex Roy drove from LA to New York. It took them, or better their Model S, 57 hours and 48 minutes. If confirmed, the ride will go down as the fastest time to cross the States in an autonomous and electric vehicle.
wired.com, insideevs.com
While DragTimes were having a great time testing the Tesla autopilot function cruising through Miami, things got a little bit out of control. The driver got a ticket because the autopilot was speeding, 75 mph in a 60 mph zone. All too human, we’d say!
youtube.com via insideevs.com
