Happy Thursday. Holly was out this week, so I had to recruit some additional help for the newsletter this week. Shout out to Rebecca. We have some great news this week including a giant solar farm, the Genesis GV60, Embark Trucks, the Autobahn, and much more.
Have an amazing day and don’t forget to share this newsletter so we can grow and improve.
EV News
Electrify America and Terra-Gen are partnering for a 15-year agreement to build a solar farm in Southern California. The project has been dubbed “Electrify America Solar Glow 1” and is set to produce more power through solar than is currently needed on the EV charging network. Electrify America also has plans to grow its charging network in the U.S. and Canada. The goal is 1,800 charging stations making up 10,000 charging points.
In other EV News
- Subaru plans to add an EV assembly plant in Japan by 2027 in Oizumi. The EVs manufactured at this plant will be completely produced by Subaru, while the first all-electric Subaru Solterra was developed in conjunction with Toyota.
- Volkswagen originally anticipated profit margins from EVs would match its ICEs within two to three years, but now thinks that will happen sooner according to the chief executive, Herbert Diess. VW delivered 452,000 BEVs globally last year and is targeting half of its vehicle sales to be all-electric by 2030.
- Experian reported that in Q1 of 2022, there were 158,689 new EV registrations, accounting for a record of 4.6% of all new vehicles, shooting up 60% from Q1 2021. Among the top 10 spots, were 4 Tesla models, 3 models of Kia and Hyundai, and Ford, Nissan, and VW each took one spot.
- The Northeast Texas Community College is offering one of the first EV technician certification programs in the nation. The program will offer a comprehensive hands-on program that will be part of its larger Carroll Shelby Automotive Program. The curriculum will be in five parts and feature EV history, technology, motors, batteries, chargers, and converters.
- EVolve EV Rentals is a new Tesla rental company in Las Vegas. The company has 25 Teslas in its fleet. You can rent a Tesla starting at $199/day.
- Last December, Rivian announced its plans for a 2,000-acre EV and battery plant in Georgia. CEO R.J. Scaringe is staying positive amidst pushback from a local grassroots opposition effort with concerns about the potential environmental impacts from the factory including wildlife destruction and groundwater contamination. Rivian plans to host a series of community events over the next 6-12 months on workforce development, local business partnerships, and sustainability.
- If you are visiting a state park in Michigan, you will soon have better access to EV charging. Starting this summer, Michigan will be installing 30 new charging stations at state parks.
- If finalized by the state, residents of Illinois could be eligible for up to a $4,000 rebate if they purchase an EV starting in July. The rebates will be prioritized for households making less than 80% of the state’s median household income of $52,700.
EV of the Week
With the specs and pricing for the Genesis GV60 being released this week, we are going to have to choose this SUV as the EV of the Week. AWD is important for snowy winters, and both models offer that. I can envision myself sitting in those quilted seats with my 3 year old throwing hot wheels at me. Sounds like the dream
-Rebecca @ Mobility EVo
- Starting price of $58,890 ($67,890 for the Performance version)
- 248-mile range on a single charge
- 314 HP (Performance version offers 429 HP, with up to 483 HP in Boost)
- Heads up display
- Facial Recognition - lock and unlock your car securely with your face
- Free 30-minute charging from Electrify America for three years
AV Corner
Can AVs be witnesses to crimes? With the number of images and data stored by AVs, the San Francisco Police Department thinks so. In an SFPD training guide, the guide states that "Autonomous vehicles are recording their surroundings continuously and have the potential to help with investigative leads.". Some are concerned about privacy in the data being gathered. How will AVs be used in other markets and how will the Police ensure privacy is not compromised?
In other AV News
- Earlier this month, Embark Trucks announced the completion of on-road testing with snowy testing conditions in Montana. Embark began the testing earlier this year and demonstrated a 90% success rate through snowy conditions with its Vision Map Fusion technology.
- If an ICE crashes, it will rarely make headlines. If autonomous vehicles crash, they will most definitely make the headlines. As the technology evolves, AVs will only become safer and some think they’ve reached a point where they are safer. Aria Babu, a senior researcher at the Entrepreneurs Network, recently noted that there are AVs testing in the UK currently and there have been 0 accidents. Is it so rare for an AV to crash and that’s the reason for the attention when they do?.
- Take a journey with Car and Driver on the Autobahn in Mercedes EQS. In order to use the Level 3 automation, you have to have dry conditions, be on the autobahn, travel no more than 37 mph, and be away from tunnels and construction zones. Find out what it’s like to play sudoku while your EQS drives you around.
- Solo AVT unveiled its electric-powered beast dubbed the Solo AVT. The Class 8 truck uses aerospace technology and can deliver an amazing 500 miles of range. No timeframe has been set for when we can expect a Solo AVT on the road.
- What does an autonomous truck do in an emergency? Kodiak Robotics demonstrated its fallback system if one of its trucks were to be presented with an emergency. In an emergency, the truck will evaluate the situation and safely pull over. Check out the video below of the demonstration.
- Uber Eats announced two pilot programs with Motional and Serve Robotics in LA. Customers in these pilot program zones will have the option to have food delivered autonomously and can track their orders. They’ll then be given a passcode to unlock the Serve cooler or the door from the Motional car. Unfortunately for you in these test zones, you still have to leave the couch to get your food. For now…
- Wayve and Microsoft are collaborating to develop AI-based models for AVs on a global scale. Wayve currently has vehicle testing in the UK and aims to be the first company to have vehicles in 100 cities.
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