Scott Colosimo

General Motors has announced it will be scrapping Cruise self-driving car due to "regulatory issues". Read the full article below. #electricvehicles #mobility #evcharging #smartcities #evbatteries #sustainabletransport #electriccars #electrification #charginginfrastructure #autonomousvehicles #microgrids #fleets #cruise #generalmotors #sanfrancisco

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Drivers of gas-powered cars may experience range anxiety as their numbers continue to decline. EVs are outselling gas-powered cars. With fewer gas cars, gas stations will face tough times staying in business since they rely on high traffic for refills to cover fixed costs. This creates a domino effect: gas stations will either shut down or convert to charging stations, making it harder and less convenient for gas car drivers to refuel. The result? More and more drivers will begin to switch to EVs.

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🚗 Big news from the auto industry and a huge step forward for electric vehicles (EVs)! VP Kamala Harris has just announced a thrilling $3 billion investment from the DOE to bolster EV component production. Here’s why this matters: American Axle & Manufacturing, a Michigan-based supplier, is set to utilize these funds to build a new facility in Detroit, bringing 1,300 new job opportunities to the community. The initiative is a key part of the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, which allocates a whopping $7 billion towards expanding EV and battery production capabilities. 🔋 As someone who has closely followed the transformation of the automotive industry, this milestone resonates deeply. I remember a colleague consulting with an auto parts manufacturer years ago, where transitioning to EV was more a distant plan than an impending reality. Seeing such substantial government backing now solidifies the shift towards sustainable transport as a national priority. This development is poised to reduce reliance on foreign parts, reinforcing the US EV supply chain. It's an exciting time, but some critics fear it may spike inflation or increase taxpayer burdens. 🤔 What are your thoughts on this boost for EVs? Will the benefits outweigh potential economic downsides? Share your insights or stories about how shifts in industry standards have impacted your sector! #ElectricVehicles #SustainableEnergy #ManufacturingJobs #InflationReductionAct #EconomicDevelopment #JobCreation #USAutoIndustry https://lnkd.in/gwdbnUnV

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Love it or loathe it. China has become a leader of battery and EV manufacturing. Every automaker will form some type of relationship with them. I see it as good and bad. They will have more control of the industry as a whole. If it goes bad it could go very bad. But there is the possibility that it could go well and accelerate adoption of EV’s. But one very important thing to remember. China is the biggest polluter of the planet and the majority of their energy generation comes from coal. 🤔

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The good Prof makes some interesting comments. I will add mine. I don't believe that VW have addressed the fundamentals in their business to save them. Wages. Cost of materials. Speed of product development and turnaround. In these the Chinese have them beaten and I'd be far happier seeing them do a deal with the Chinese focussing on these three aspects than on purely expensive tech development at this stage. Interestingly I did read a post about the lingering after effects of Dieselgate on company culture, weighing down on their ability to make quick decisions. A case study for MBAs on how to handle corporate disasters perhaps - do exactly what VW didn't? Ouchies. Sorry. #notsorry

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There is a difference between cars surviving crashes and occupants surviving. At this point, Teslas are not competent to drive themselves, nor do they enable safe driving by humans. A large part of the problem is poor user interface: Lack of effective manual control forces the driver to peer at a central flat screen, distracting attention from the road. The instruments cannot be grasped, initiating a game of whack-a-mole as the driver, moving out of sync with the arm’s length screen, pokes at images. There are several layers of instruments, and after software updates, they may no longer be where you expect them. There is also the issue with occupants being trapped in floods or fires. Electric door latches are disabled, so doors can’t be opened from outside. Panicking rear occupants must know how to partially disassemble the doors to access the latches. This post echoes Tesla’s charges of driver error in response to complaints or lawsuits. Tesla has a bad reputation for both front and rear wheels breaking free of the suspensions. When a wheel fell off a new car the same day it was driven off the lot, Tesla insisted the driver had abused it. Charles L Mauro CHFP Brian Berthold

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Renault may finally understand that people are not just buying evs, they r buying a life style: a look, an ideal and a technology There are 2 types of evs, functional utility ev to go from A to B, and an All New Life style of EV segment, the dreamer EVs- this is why car manufacturers can’t just “convert current models to become ev” à la Ford or a la VW - u ought to be retro life style or new life style ;) #ev #lifestyle https://lnkd.in/e2wAt7M9

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Once again, Tom Voelk (who is not me) was gracious enough to include me in a Driven Car Reports video. This time we're talking about the Super Cruise hands-free driving capability in the Chevy Silverado #EV RST. (NOTE: My review of the Chevrolet Equinox EV drops tomorrow on Green Car Reports.) #electricvehicles #electriccars #gm #supercruise #autoindustry #automotive https://lnkd.in/eKDXW7eM

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Oh, look. EV power plug hostage taking benefiting Tesla sales and stock market valuations, right as a new hype cycle begins. On August 10, 2023, Tesla licensed its NACS connector to Volex, a UK based power equipment manufacturer. [1] Volex lists the NACS connector on its site as “now available to all electric vehicle manufacturers from Volex.” [2] Except they are not available. Both Ford and GM have said NACS supercharger adapters are delayed. [3, 4] All this occured just after the 2024 shareholder meeting promising extra income for Model 3 buyers and a media campaign predicting $1T market valuations. [5, 6] On June 17, Tesla and the IRS confirmed the Model 3 Long Range All Wheel Drive was eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit; Tesla the scrapped promotional financing on the model, raising its cost to the consumer by $2500. [7] So. No other automotive manufacturer can get supercharger connectors from the sole supplier. But Tesla will let new buyers keep $5000 of their federal tax credit for buying a new Model 3 right after marketing those buyers an as yet undelivered revenue stream for the new car based on provably unsound autonomous technologies. The consumer has no choice. To top this off, the stock market media hype machine is going full speed to support and further this blatantly obvious scam of many scams and fraud of many frauds. The companies involved are not even trying to hide the Tesla/Volex monopoly play causing Ford and GM to lose customers to available Model 3 stock while simultaneously picking customer and USG pockets via tax credits, to say nothing of probable stock market shenanigans by major shareholders (mostly impacting pension funds and retirees). There is a trap, of course (a well designed one) and the crooks will take the bait, because that is what people who only love money do…. But you just can’t make this sh*t up. “It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.” ~ N. Machiavelli Let’s see what happens.

US commits to $7.54 billion loan for Stellantis venture to build 2 electric vehicle battery plants. DETROIT (AP) — A Stellantis joint venture with Samsung SDI has won a commitment from the U.S. government for up to a $7.54 billion loan to help build two electric vehicle battery plants in Kokomo, Indiana. The project being built by StarPlus Energy LLC is expected to create at least 2,800 jobs at the plants and hundreds more at a nearby park for parts supply companies, the Energy Department said Monday in a statement. https://lnkd.in/eqJ2ipR5

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Rivian's latest production forecast and financial results are drawing attention in the EV market. Despite a wider than expected first quarter loss and a cautious 2024 production outlook, Rivian remains optimistic about its guidance. The company's shift in production strategies, including upgrades to reduce costs and introducing more affordable vehicle variants, highlights its commitment to innovation and sustainability. This is of course an interesting space as Rivian and many other OEM's navigate the evolving landscape of electric vehicles and consumer demand. #Rivian #ElectricVehicles #EVs #automotivenews #automotive #autonews

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An important read for anyone following the #EV transition: "Trump promised to erase Biden tailpipe rules that are designed to get carmakers to produce E.V.s. Detroit wants to keep them." "Trumpworld is a weird mix of grievance, instinct and transactional outlook. Despite what he says on the campaign trail, everything he says is written in pencil." “The worst thing of all for the automakers, even worse than a difficult regulation, is a back-and-forth swing every four years.” (Stephanie Brinley) #electriccars #electricvehicles #autoindustry #automotive # https://lnkd.in/gz6yTqzk

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An excellent piece by John Voelcker. PHEVs are just another counter-productive half-measure from the "anything but EVs" crowd. I own a 2014 Prius Plug-in, which has a measly 11 miles or so of elecric range. I estimate that every time I plug it in, I save about 40 cents. I only bought it because it has a Li-ion battery instead of the NiMH battery in the regular Prius. BTW, this Prius will be my last Toyota, and my last gas-burning car. I'm buying a Hyundai Ioniq 5.

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The zonal architecture of Rivian's EV platform reduces the number of ECUs needed from 17 to seven, which eliminates 1.6 miles of wiring from each vehicle. #Rivian #VW #EVs

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GM has sold over 300,000 electric vehicles in the United States in lass than a decade. There is an opinion by an EV enthusiast Mark Ostrander, who comments, "II personally think that GM has a better lineup styling-wise than Tesla. With the exception of the Tesla Cybertruck, pretty much all of their vehicles are variations of the same jellybean design. While Tesla’s technology is strong, and is the reason EVs have come as far as they have, their styling dept has a lot to be desired. It makes sense that that Tesla and GM are the leaders in the EV game though; Tesla’s aforementioned tech, and GMs work on the EV1."

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Insightful report from RMI on the role of supply-side policies can impact sales of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), including battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. "Decisions made today will influence how people and goods are produced and move for decades to come. The development of customized supply-side policies can accelerate the ZEV transition, providing economic and environmental benefits for countless people around the world." The "Factbook: Zero-Emission Vehicle Policy – How Supply-side Policies Can Impact Zero-emission Vehicle Investment" covers eight key markets: Australia, Brazil, China, the EU, India, Indonesia, the US, and South Africa. #ev #policy #supplyside #evpenetration #evadoption #india #china #brazil #southafrica #zev #zevtransition #rmi https://lnkd.in/ewN4KGQu

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[NEWS] VW is ramping up its Rivian investment to $5.8B: But the EV startup has to meet some big milestones first. Test # 1? By 2025, Rivian needs to show two quarters of solid gross profits to unlock $1B in equity from VW. Then in 2026, VW will put in another $1B — if Rivian’s tech passes a critical test in real vehicles. And the stakes keep climbing… By 2027, VW will invest another $460M if Rivian successfully launches its first vehicle using the joint venture’s technology. But VW’s support doesn’t end there — Until 2028, VW will cover 75% of the joint venture’s shared platform costs, easing Rivian’s path to growth. Zooming out: Through this partnership, Rivian gets a powerful backer in a risky market, and VW strengthens its foothold further in the EV space. Read today’s top automotive stories, presented by Edmunds: https://lnkd.in/egUyudWA (Data source: Volkswagen / Rivian)

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