Driverless Tractor
Happy Thursday. Who thinks we should move to a four-day work week? Me too. This week we have news on GM, Ferrari, USPS, Jaguar, Mercedes, Cruise, and more.
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EV News
General Motors has secured cathode materials from LG Chem for 5 million electric vehicles. Cathodes are a crucial ingredient in car batteries, and GM plans on needing 950,000 tons of cathode active materials. The automaker will receive shipments from late 2022 until 2030. GM hopes that the large shipment will boost its chances of taking down Tesla as the top dog in the EV world. This at the same time that GM and LG Chem’s joint venture, Ultium Cells, received a $2.5 billion loan to build battery manufacturing facilities in OH, TN, and MI.
In more GM news, GM announced a method to encourage EV adoption, a new website called EV Live. People can interact one-on-one with EV specialists to have any questions about EVs answered. Users can book a tour with a specialist to learn more about home and public charging and battery technology. More from GM? Sure, why not? Late last week, GM also unveiled its $300k luxury sedan. The Cadillac Celestiq. What do you think?
- The U.S. Postal Service is upping its EV game. The USPS announced its intention to increase EV delivery vehicles after the Biden administration said their original goal fell short of governmental climate change goals. Now, 50% of its mass delivery truck order will be EVs, instead of the original goal of 20%.
- The US Army will test GMC’s Hummer EV to see if electric vehicles are a realistic option for the military moving forward.
- Jaguar expects 60% of its sales to be from EV units by 2030 and expects that EV sales will make up 27% of its total sales by 2025.
- Rivian wants to expand its range of commercial EV vehicles and hopes to build millions of EVs in multiple plants after the end of the decade. This comes after Rivian unveiled the EDV-700 electric delivery van last week.
- Ferrari’s CEO is not worried about rumors that the company’s upcoming EV will compromise on power and performance.
- California EV company Faraday Future has delayed the launch of its first EV, citing a need for more funds.
- Chattanooga's Volkswagen factory has begun ID.4 EV production. Volkswagen plans to produce 7,000 EVs per month until December 2022 and then ramp up production in 2023.
- New Jersey is offering residents a $4,000 incentive to purchase or lease electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
EV of the Week
This vehicle recently completed a European journey of almost 750 miles on a single charge, making it the most efficient Mercedes ever built. The journey started in Stuttgart and ended up at Silverstone, with the journey taking 14.5 hours. If you look around the vehicle there is something different everywhere. Whether it's the vegan leather interior made from mushrooms or cactus fibers, the active diffuser on the exterior to reduce drag, or the bionic structure itself to reduce weight, it's a spectacle to behold and the reason we picked the EQXX for the EV of the Week.
- 100-kWh battery
- .17 drag coefficient
- 920-volt system
- 241 horsepower motor
- Avg of 7.5 miles/kWh
John @ Mobility EVo
AV Corner
Imagine one farmer controlling multiple driverless tractors at the same time on their farmland. It is happening. Driverless tractor company, Monarch, plans to deploy self-driving tractors throughout California by the end of 2022. Monarch is working on changing CA laws that require an operator to be at the controls when the tractor is in motion. The Monarch tractor will obviously reduce emissions, detect crop issues and water stress, and hopefully offer a safer option for farmers.
In other AV News
- Mercedes-Benz will introduce Level 3 autonomous driving technology in the United States, nicknamed “Drive Pilot.” The company has begun a beta version of the software and will include it in the EQS and S-Class.
- Cruise has begun preparing for its 2030 robotaxi launch by mapping Dubai’s streets. Two of its autonomous Chevrolet Bolt EVs are mapping public roads. Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority expects 4,000 AVs on city streets by 2030.
- According to financial records, General Motors is pouring millions into its startup division, Cruise, while the company is losing money. However, GM’s CEO says that the level of expenditure is “consistent with the run rate.”
- Cruise Origin’s self-driving shuttle has begun testing at General Motors’ test center in Michigan.
- In more General Motors news, Ford and GM are partnering to test vehicles with no steering wheels.
- Shenzhen now allows unmanned driverless cars on roads.
- Baidu’s newest AV comes with a removable steering wheel. The Apollo RT6 has 8 LiDAR sensors capable of Level 4 driving.
- Watch out for more updates on Apple’s AV journey. Apple has filed for multiple patents to ramp up efforts for an autonomous vehicle.
EPG and Mobility EVo
Mobility EVo is brought to you by EPG. EPG is an electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle recruiting and staffing company. We created Mobility EVo to bring you the latest news on the Electric Vehicle and Autonomous Vehicle industry through our newsletter. Whether it’s Tesla, Ford, Mobileye, Cruise, Waymo, GM, Rivian, we bring it to you. We also have some electric vehicle merch too. Check out our EV hats, EV Shirts, EV Hoodies, etc… We have something for everyone.
