So Much

Happy Thursday. It’s hard to believe that there are only two more newsletters after this one until we hit 2022. I’ve been drinking through a fire hose lately with all of the EV news. We have news about Toyota, Mercedes Level 3 capabilities, the truck of the year, self-driving mining equipment, and much more.  

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How many EV chargers would the Biden administration like to see in the U.S.?
  1. 400,000
  2. 450,000
  3. 500,000
  4. 750,000

EV Headlines

How many?
Toyota
Just this week, the reliable Toyota announced a massive plan for 30 BEV models by 2030 and teased 15 upcoming EVs. The company has broadcasted 3.5 million BEVs globally by the end of the decade and believes the Lexus brand will be all electric in Europe, North America and China by that time.  Give me an electric Tacoma and an LFA inspired EV and I am good to go.  What else do you need?


In other EV News

  • The Rivian R1T won the MotorTrend Truck of the Year.  In other Rivian news, Rivian plans to open a plant in Georgia near Walton and Morgan counties, about an hour from Atlanta and along I-20. The facility would be Rivian’s second U.S. manufacturing site and Georgia’s largest economic development project ever. The multibillion dollar factory will produce 200,000 vehicles a year with around 8,000 employees by 2030.
  • GMC teased us with a picture of its full-sized Sierra pickup truck that will be electric.  Expect a full unveiling next year.  
  • Harley-Davidson’s electric vehicle sub-division Live Wire plans to go public through a merger valuing at $1.77 billion. Lately, motorcycling interest has faded in younger generations, so Harley’s EV division hopes to catch the eye of newer generations.
  • ElectricFish EV chargers use large batteries that obtain excess renewable energy throughout the day when available.  Instead of you plugging in your EV to the grid, you are plugging into the ElectricFish battery. It’s able to store energy then detach the EV charging load from the grid. Each charger can be used for up to 10 minutes for a charge of up to 100 miles of range depending on your vehicle.
  • EV manufacturer Proterra is opening a 327,000 sq. ft. battery systems manufacturing site in Greer, South Carolina, right outside of Greenville, S.C. The new factory will bring in about 200 jobs and will be fully operational by 2025. Protera already has a bus manufacturing factory in the region, and the company plans to open their new factory across the street from Greenville International Airport and BMW’s facility.
  • A smaller battery capacity version of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, with 220 miles of EPA range, a 125 kW electric motor, and a starting price of $39,700, will launch in Spring 2022. The low price has made it one of the least expensive EV crossovers.
AV Corner

Level Up
Mullen
Mullen Automotive plans to showcase the FIVE EV crossover alongside Level 5 autonomous vehicle technology at the consumer electronic show (CES). The FIVE is a unique design build on a crossover skateboard platform with multiple powertrain configurations. Definitely a vehicle we’re excited about!

In other AV News
  • Mercedes-Benz is the first company ever to get Level 3 autonomous driving approval from the UN-R157. Customers should keep an eye out for the technology in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Mercedes-Benz EQS. Mercedes will maintain the autonomous driving within a speed of 60 kmph in congested areas and implement LiDAR within the Level 3 AV driving.
  • Newmont Corporation, the world’s largest gold-mining corporation, plans to team up with Caterpillar to create an automated mining system, backing the agreement with $100 million. This zero-emissions plan hopes to launch by 2026, with its first battery electric underground truck. Deployment will eventually feature 10 electric haul trucks.
  • Ericsson Routes, an autonomous GPS map system, allows users to test drive AVs on designated routes with the right wireless connectivity. Currently, beta access is only available for its Basic Service, but will open up to premium service in the latter half of 2022.
  • Autonomous driving companies have been deliberately throwing dirt at their sensors to better train AV sensors to navigate through dirt and debris. Through this technique, companies can perfect what cleaning technology is best for their vehicles to properly navigate on roads and in traffic.
  • Long gone are the days where Michael Scott could run a forklift into a wall, ruining Dunder Mifflin’s entire warehouse. Enter: Vecna Robotics’ autonomous forklifts. Many companies are making the switch to self-driving forklifts to increase throughput, improve workflows and efficiency, increase workplace safety (looking at you,fele Michael), and respond with ease to increase intensifying demand. The AV forklifts boast multiple, top of the line sensors and simple user interfaces to promote easy and safe usage for all employees. 
Podcasts, Videos & More

RIMAC
Giphy
Answer
The Biden administration released details for their EV charging plan earlier this week. To achieve these bold efforts, the current administration will establish a joint Office of Energy and Transportation in order to ease the transition between gas powered vehicles to EVs.  The goal is 500,000 chargers and to dedicate $5 billion to get this done.

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