Fast Food Faster🍔

Over the weekend, we made a pit stop at Tesla to explore the 7-seater Model Y after grabbing a burger. The friendly 6-foot-tall staff member went above and beyond, even braving the challenge of sitting in the back row. Eventually, we opted for a non-7-seater Model Y for a test drive, and it turned out to be a great experience—our 4-year-old particularly delighted in the amusing fart noises it emitted. Now, we're faced with the decision of whether or not to purchase one. Decisions decisions.

Let’s get to the news

“The most successful businessman is the man who holds onto the old just as long as it is good, and grabs the new just as soon as it is better.”

– Lee Iacocca

Fast/er Food

This fast food company is introducing an underground autonomous robot system to bring you faster food.

McDonald’s
Jack in the Box
Chick-fil-A
Wendy’s

The answer is here.

Top EV/AV Stories

China's Wuling Motors announced that it has reduced the starting prices of its Mini EV electric vehicles to as low as 29,800 yuan ($4,300), with certain models experiencing price cuts of up to 13,000 yuan, in an effort to make electric vehicles more affordable.
The Chrysler Airflow Concept, which was initially seen as a potential electric vehicle, will not be produced for sale, and instead, Chrysler plans to introduce a new large crossover in its place as part of their brand revitalization and future direction towards connected clean mobility.
Holcim, a Swiss-based global manufacturer of building solutions, has partnered with Volvo Trucks to deploy 1,000 electric Volvo trucks across its European operations by 2030. The agreement aims to reduce CO2 emissions, with the replacement of diesel trucks potentially saving up to 50,000 tons of CO2 annually.
Prieto Battery, a leader in lithium-ion battery technology, has revealed a prototype of its 3D interdigitated battery, showcasing remarkable performance. The battery charges hyper-fast, reaching a full charge in just three minutes and achieving a 50% charge in only 90 seconds, regardless of size.
Cummins Inc. and Heliox have signed an agreement to provide sales and service of EV chargers in North America, introducing a mobile 50 kW DC charger and a stationary 180 kW DC charging system to the market, aiming to offer reliable and flexible charging solutions for fleets transitioning to battery electric vehicles.
Autoliv China and Nio Inc. have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement to develop safety technologies and sustainable solutions for electric vehicles, including the development of innovative airbag concepts and the use of biology-based materials for airbag cushions and seatbelt webbing, aiming to reshape the future of mobility with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and improved driving experiences.
Wiferion has introduced its new inductive etaLINK 1000 charging system to the US market, offering wireless charging technology to smaller robots for the first time, with advantages including a compact size, high positioning tolerance, maintenance-free operation, and fast power transfer, addressing the demand for efficient power supply in small goods-to-person robots.
Komatsu and Toyota have joined forces to develop an autonomous light vehicle that will operate on Komatsu's Autonomous Haulage System, aiming to enhance safety and productivity in mines by integrating ALVs with autonomous haul trucks controlled by the AHS, addressing the challenge of improving operating efficiency while ensuring collision avoidance between autonomous haul trucks and manual light vehicles.
RoboSense, a leading provider of smart LiDAR sensor systems, has announced its integration with the NVIDIA Omniverse ecosystem to accelerate the development and testing of its sensor technology. By joining the ecosystem, RoboSense enables access to high-fidelity sensor simulation and offers developers the ability to create realistic road environments for testing autonomous driving systems using its LiDAR model on the NVIDIA DRIVE Sim platform.
General Motors' Cruise and Alphabet's Waymo are moving closer to approval for 24/7 autonomous robotaxi rides in San Francisco, with proposed extensions to operating hours and service areas.
Three Idaho state agencies are working on a project, funded by $29 million from the federal government, to build a network of electric vehicle charging stations along major highways every 50 miles, with the aim of meeting the growing demand for electric vehicles, allowing for longer trips, and involving public input for station placement.