Mobility On The Go: 10/16/2024
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AUTOBODY NEWS STAFF 10-14-2024
General Motors’ self-driving subsidiary, Cruise, faced a $1.5 million fine by the NHTSA for not disclosing complete details about a 2023 pedestrian accident. Cruise must implement a corrective action plan with enhanced reporting for at least two years. This incident involved a pedestrian, initially hit by another car, being dragged 20 feet by a Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco. The NHTSA’s review, spurred by this omission, led to further investigations into other Cruise-related accidents. Consequently, Cruise must improve its incident reporting processes for better compliance. Following the investigation, Cruise faces scrutiny from the Justice Department and the SEC. Amid safety concerns, Cruise recalled 1,200 robotaxis and its CEO resigned, leading to a strategic funding reduction in GM's self-driving initiatives. The California Public Utilities Commission also fined Cruise $112,500 for delayed information.
JENNIFER MOSSALGUE 10-16-2024
CEO of BMW Group, Oliver Zipse, told reporters at the Paris Auto Show that the EU needs to abandon its plan to ban ICE vehicles in 2035. Despite growing EV sales for BMW and Mini, overall global electric vehicle sales are down and reliance on China’s battery supply chain is too high. “A correction of the 100 percent BEV target for 2035 as part of a comprehensive CO2-reduction package would also afford European OEMs less reliance on China for batteries,” Zapse stated in a Reuters report. The 2023 law passed in Europe currently requires all new cars sold in the EU to have CO2 emissions limited to 95 grams, 93.5 grams for new cars starting in 2025, and eventually a full ban on CO2 emissions on new cars in 2035. Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni has called the ICE ban “self-destructive,” and France’s auto association PFA is trying to revise the carbon emissions targets. If emission limits aren’t reached, carmakers will be forced to pay steep fines, potentially as high as $16.4 billion.
JAMES OCHOA 10-13-2024
Tesla’s highly anticipated “We, Robot” event focused on Elon Musk’s vision for autonomous mobility, showcasing innovations like the “CyberCab” with butterfly doors and no manual controls, expected to be available by 2026, and the spacious “Robovan,” which can transport up to 20 people. However, the event notably lacked any mention of the rumored “Model 2,” an affordable car expected to be essential for Tesla’s long-term profitability. Analysts like Dan Ives suggest that the omission avoids discouraging current Model 3 purchases. Despite future-focused product announcements, Tesla remains an EV company, delivering significant vehicle numbers last quarter amid competition from legacy automakers like Ford and General Motors, who are also rolling out affordable EVs. Musk insists Tesla should be viewed as an AI-focused entity, urging investors to understand autonomy as the company’s primary future. Nevertheless, competition in the affordable EV space is intensifying, influencing Tesla’s market performance and share prices.
PYMNTS 10-13-2024
Apple officially canceled its self-driving car project known as Project Titan after facing ongoing setbacks. The company had spent billions on creating an autonomous electric vehicle with luxury features. “Facing ongoing setbacks, the company’s most recent approach to salvage its EV division was pushing back the car’s eventual launch to 2028 and reducing the self-driving benchmark from Level 4 to Level 2+ technology, turning the car into more of a standard EV than a truly autonomous machine,” PYMNTS wrote at the time. “But even with those concessions, it was not to be.”
In contrast, Tesla debuted its long-awaited robotaxi (see left) with CEO Elon Musk's ambitious plans for autonomous vehicles at an event in Los Angeles. Musk promised a future with self-driving cars, cyber vans, cyber cabs, and fully autonomous robots. The event also included details about Tesla's plans to build a fully autonomous “Cybercab” by 2026 or 2027 and sell it for under $30,000.
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THEO BURMAN 10-11-2024
Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, raised concerns over Chinese-made autonomous vehicles and announced that he wants to prevent foreign-made AVs from driving on American roads.? On the same day as Trump’s announcement of this ban, Tesla revealed its robotaxi, the “Cybercab” (see above). Musk has recently joined Trump on several of his campaign stops, and fully endorsed the former president back in July.
The ban on Chinese AVs would reduce Tesla’s competition, giving more room for Tesla to sell its autonomous vehicles, and could be a huge boon to Musk. “I will continue my first-term efforts to protect America from the threat of Chinese automobiles. I will stop Chinese and other countries produced automobile and autonomous vehicles,” Trump stated last week at the Detroit Economic Club.
KATE GIBSON 10-10-2024
?In the wake of Hurricane Milton, Florida's fire marshal, Jimmy Patronis, warned that storm surges could pose a significant fire hazard to electric vehicles (EVs) and other products containing lithium-ion batteries. Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, causing widespread power outages in Florida. Previous incidents have shown that floodwaters can cause EVs to burst into flames, even weeks after exposure. Both federal officials and local authorities emphasized the importance of moving devices with lithium-ion batteries out of surge zones to prevent potential fires. Geico also issued a warning to policyholders about the increased risk of EV fires after water damage. Recommendations included relocating EVs to higher ground to avoid flooding and potential fire hazards. It is crucial to follow specific manufacturer guidelines in handling flooded EVs, hybrids, or alternative fuel vehicles to minimize risks.
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Contributors: Dirk Pastorick, Traci Atkinson, and Kimberly Gross
Editor: Kimberly Gross
Nelson Law LLC
New York, NY ? Washington, DC ? Cleveland, OH
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