AD #4198 - Rivian Rolls Out Impressive AV Tech Stack; Ford JV With SK On Is Off; Renault Kills Off Car Sharing Service
Autoline Daily
AD #4198 - Rivian Rolls Out Impressive AV Tech Stack; Ford JV With SK On Is Off; Renault Kills Off Car Sharing Service
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Speaker 1: This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Rivian showed off impressive tech yesterday,
including a microprocessor and AI platform for autonomous driving that was all developed in house. Rivian says the vertical integration
of its hardware, software and data will accelerate the rollout of advanced driver assistance in full autonomous driving. This is
actually the company's third generation autonomy compute platform, and it's powered by a chip called Rivian Autonomy Processor or WRAP one.
Rivian said it will also add LDAR to future R two models for redundant sensing. Like Tesla, Rivian will use
a self improving AI architecture to learn human driving behaviors so it's AV stack gets better over time. The company
will launch the hands free driving software updates to Gen two R I models and the R two in just a few months for fifty bucks a month or a twenty five hundred dollars lump sum, and yet Rivian stock drops sharply on the news. We think investors are worried
that the AI effort will be an enormous expense for the company and coming at a time when the financial markets are worried about a possible AI bubble, but we think the Volkswagon group is going to be very interested in using this tech and that puts Rivian in a much stronger position to compete with the likes of Tesla and the top Chinese automakers. Due to weaker than expected
EV demand, the loss of subsidies, and to help cut costs, South Korean battery maker Skon is ending its joint venture with Ford in twenty twenty two. The company's invested eleven
point four billion dollars to build battery plants in the US, two in Kentucky in one in Tennessee. A Ford subsidiary
will now take full ownership of the Kentucky plants, while Skon will take control of the place in Tennessee. As
Kon says it's turning its focus to energy storage systems to help offset the soft demand for eves, Renault is killing off its mobilized car sharing service in Europe. The
business was created in twenty twenty one and offered car sharing in Milan and Madrid, which will end shortly. The
brand also offered a quadricycle called the Duo for urban mobility and car sharing, and it was the successor to the Twizzy. Production of the duo will now be phased
out as well. Mobilized was also responsible for developing ev
charging solutions for Renault, but those operations are now being integrated into its commercial operations. The automaker says it's making
these changes because they offered limited profitability or they didn't fit into its future plans.
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Speaker 1: Daimler Truck has come up with an interesting solution to expand the charging network for electric trucks in Europe while generating extra revenue for fleet operators. It's introducing what it
calls a semi public charging network under the Truck Charge brand.
By partnering with the network, fleet operators can open their own charging spots to other operators when they're not in use.
Daimler started pilot projects in October and Germany, which it says have been successful. The official rollout of the network
starts in Germany and Austria early next year, with more markets to follow throughout twenty twenty six. Daimler Truck is
aiming to have more than three thousand charging points across Europe by twenty thirty. Mercedes says it started a new
program to decarbonize all the parts and materials that it uses, currently showing off forty examples that are in the works, and here's a couple that caught my eye. Instead of
gluing headlight assemblies together, Mercedes wants to use screws. Part
of the reason is to make recycling easier. But the
part that I like is that you can replace individual components of the headlight, so if you crack or break the lens, for instance, you don't have to replace the entire headlight, which can now be very expensive. Another example
as a new brake pad concept that uses around forty percent recycled friction material that comes from old brake pads.
That friction material is then applied to a steel backing that was produced with less CO two emissions. And the
last thing a highlight is mercedes effort to recycle old airbags, which it's turning into new engine mounts and a housing for its thermal management system. The company says some of
the forty solutions are in the early stages of development, while others are close to series production, but it didn't provide any other details. Ford wants everyone to know how
well it's doing in the global mid sized truck market with the Ranger, though strangely, Ford will not say how many Rangers it sells. Online sources suggest it's about three
hundred and eighty thousand units a year. The truck is
made in the US, Argentina, South Africa, and Thailand, and is sold in one hundred and eighty countries, but that still puts it well behind Toyota, which sells about seven hundred thousand high Lux and Tacoma mid size pickups globally.
Ford clearly wants to close the gap. As we reported
earlier this year, it's adding a pH version of the Ranger that will be sold in Europe and a super duty version that will be sold in markets outside of North America. The super Duty version doubles the cargo and
towing capacity of the regular Ranger and will appeal to a larger group of commercial customers. And here's a fun
factoid that you could use to win a bar bet.
What is the second largest pickup market in the world after the US? Are you ready for this? It's Thailand
and Gilie wants to make it easier to park and navigate narrow streets. Car News China has a video that
it says comes from GILI of a prototype that can turn all four wheels nearly ninety degrees. It features electric
motors at each corner and a special steering system, but unfortunately Gili blurs some of that out. We've seen other
automakers and suppliers show off similar tech, but Gili is developing this in house. However, no word if it will
ever make it into production. If you work at an
automotive supplier and are involved in writing RFQs or requests for quote, then we've got a webinar on YouTube at two pm Eastern time today that you'll want to watch.
We'll have Eggar Fowler from the Center for Automotive Research in ann Arbor and Ted Maby from the consulting firm UHY presenting their findings on the problems with the RFQ process and how to do it more efficiently. Do you
realize that suppliers are writing hundreds of more RFQs now than they did twenty years ago, and that it takes an average of one hundred and fifty seven labor hours to write just one RFQ. This is why it's critical
to learn how to do it more efficiently. And there's
no charge for the webinar and anyone can watch. But
that brings us to the end of this show. Thanks
for tuning in and I hope that you have a great weekend.
Speaker 3: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by Bridgestone Solutions for your journey CSP, the Composites Solution partner Intrepid Control Systems over the year engineering boost your game and thanks to the following YouTube and Patreon.
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Speaker 4: At CSP, we work with OEM engineers across the country on their journeys to lighter, safer, and more eco friendly vehicles.
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Speaker 3: Wards is the industry leader for news, data and analysis.
That's why companies across the globe subscribe to our premium service.
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About this episode
Rivian unveiled its third-generation autonomous driving tech, featuring an in-house AI platform and a proprietary chip, aiming to compete with Tesla and Chinese automakers despite investor concerns. Ford ended its joint venture with South Korean battery maker SK On due to weak EV demand, while Renault discontinued its Mobilize car sharing service and urban quadricycle. Daimler Truck launched a semi-public charging network for electric trucks in Europe, and Mercedes showcased innovative recycling efforts for vehicle parts. Ford highlighted its global Ranger truck sales and upcoming models, and Gili demonstrated a prototype with four-wheel steering for tight urban navigation. A webinar on improving RFQ processes for suppliers was also announced.
Original notes
- Rivian Rolls Out Impressive AV Tech Stack - Ford JV With SK On Is Off - Renault Kills Off Car Sharing Service - Daimler Truck Launches “Semi Public” Charging Network - Mercedes Shows Off Sustainability Efforts - Ford Aims to Close Global Pickup Gap with Toyota - Geely Prototype Features 90-Degree Steering - Autoline RFQ Webinar Today!
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