World's First Off-Road EV Race
“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.”
-Steve Jobs
Let’s get into the news.
Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already done so and have an amazing day!
Quiz
When will Elon Musk unveil the third Master Plan?
- April 1, 2023
- March 1, 2023
- May 4, 2023
- July 4, 2023
EV Headlines
Autel Energy, a trailblazer in the realm of residential and commercial EV charging stations, has taken the wheel in providing a groundbreaking solution for the world's first off-road race for electrified vehicles. At the 2023 King of the Hammers (KOH) off-road race and rock crawling event, Autel's MaxiCharger DC fast chargers will offer a robust and efficient power source for all EVs, allowing drivers to participate in the highly-anticipated "Superbowl of off-road racing" with less noise and emissions.
With up to 260 kW of power, Autel's chargers located in Hammertown - the campground that houses KOH guests - can produce 62 miles of range in just five minutes. And the best part? Attendees can enjoy the fast and efficient chargers for free. Destination Hammertown.
In other EV News- With the largest nickel reserves in the world and a ban on the export of nickel ore, Indonesia is positioning itself as a crucial player in the electric vehicle industry, with 21 million tonnes in proven nickel reserves, which is nearly a quarter of the world's reserves.
- Australia is close to reaching the milestone of 100,000 electric vehicles on its roads, with approximately 83,000 light EVs currently on the road.
- The House in Mississippi has passed a bill that could make it difficult for EV companies such as Tesla to sell vehicles in the state by limiting EV sales to only involve local dealerships.
- Georgia is looking to regulate and tax EVs as the state seeks to become the "electric mobility capital of America."
- The North Carolina Department of Commerce's Economic Investment Committee has approved incentives to bring Kempower Inc. to Durham to build a manufacturing facility for electric vehicle charging stations. Kempower is a subsidiary of a company based in Finland and will invest $41.25 million by December 31, 2027, and create 306 jobs in Durham by 2028 with an average annual salary of $85,376 in 2024-25.
Ned’s Corner
This test EV is just a liiiiittle smaller than the Rivian R1T we had last time. I think I like it though. the R1T feels ready for an adventure or the apocalypse; the Mini feels ready for getting places in a city and not paying a mint for it. It's fun to drive and has neat British-flag tail lights, although with German ownership of Mini now, I am unsure if I should be having tea or lager.
Range is appropriate for a city car (114mi) and it's more comfortable going over potholes…
About Ned
Ned is an EV professional with experience with chargers from 1 to 500kW and EVs ranging from unicycles to buses and class 8 trucks. An EV owner since 2014, he is currently a Technical Solutions Manager with Electrada. He develops and refines charging solutions for fleets using his engineering experience to drive for high uptime, reliability, and efficiency.
AV Corner
Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta v11 update, which was expected to be released in November 2022, has been delayed several times. CEO Elon Musk now says it may ship at the end of this week. The update is significant as it merges Tesla's FSD Beta software for roads and city streets with its Autopilot software for highways, which is used as a level 2 driver assist system. There are over 400,000 Tesla owners in the FSD Beta program in North America, however, most have yet to receive a significant update. The v11 update includes new neural networks and a significant re-architecture of the current system.
In Other AV News
- A Chicago-based start-up named Sabanto is releasing a hardware-software kit to retrofit most modern tractors for autonomous operation in the coming months. The technology enables the farmer to control the tractor from a remote location, freeing the tractor from human intervention.
- A UK consortium led by Hydrogen Vehicle Systems has received $8.07 million in government funding to develop the world's first autonomous hydrogen-powered heavy goods vehicle. Trials will begin with two prototype vehicles in 2024 and start with the British supermarket chain ASDA.
- Foxconn and Nvidia have partnered to develop automated and autonomous vehicle platforms. As part of the deal, Foxconn will manufacture ECUs based on Nvidia Drive Orin, which serves as the central computer for autonomous vehicles and can deliver 254 trillion operations per second.
- NC State University researchers have proposed the use of AVs to improve traffic flow at intersections by using a "white phase" in conjunction with conventional red, yellow and green traffic lights. The white phase would be activated when enough AVs approach the intersection, allowing the AVs to coordinate their movement and improve traffic flow.
- RoboSense, a leading provider of smart LiDAR sensor systems, has announced a partnership with Toyota, to produce multiple models using RoboSense's LiDAR technology.
- German start-up Vay has become the first firm to deploy an autonomous vehicle without a human driver on a European public road, marking a significant milestone.
Answer
Elon Musk announced that he will unveil Tesla's third "Master Plan" on March 1st during the company's Investor Day event. This plan will outline a path towards a sustainable energy future for the Earth and will include updates about Musk's other companies, SpaceX and The Boring Company. The first "Master Plan" was published in 2006 and focused on moving from a niche electric sports car maker to a mainstream automaker. The second plan, released in 2016, focused on selling integrated energy generation and storage, expanding into other forms of ground transportation, and autonomous driving technology. During the third plan presentation, Musk is expected to cover robotaxis and the next-gen platform, the long-promised $25,000 EV, and the Full Self-Driving system.
