Technology choices in auto industry

Issue #118, Nov 17th, 2021

The automotive industry continues to face questions and seek answers for them. Ford has decided to put Artificial Intelligence in the hands on non-IT professionals too to solve its problems. Toyota continues to insist on choices other than Electric Vehicles (EVs) for emission control. Daimler Truck also feels that fuel cells are a better option than battery driven vehicles, for trucks that are heavy duty. Cummins sees alternate fuel driven vehicles such as natural gas for trucks, instead of battery driven vehicles. Skill sets required for EV repair will be quite different from that for combustion engine vehicles, requiring significant investments for talent development. Will dealers go for it? Ride-hailing scooter services have become privacy concerns in LA. Here are some recent question and answer situations seen in the auto industry and reported in media.

AI in Ford

Ford is putting artificial-intelligence development tools in the hands of engineers, designers and other non-IT professionals in an effort aimed at helping the auto maker harness the technology for a range of pressing issues, including supply-chain challenges. The auto company has trained more than 1,000 employees over the last year on a platform housing home-grown and purchased AI development tools, said Gil Gur Arie, Ford’s chief data and analytics officer. - WSJ

Decarbonization beyond EVs

EVs are a good fit for countries with high incomes and a built-out charging infrastructure, as well as the ability to make and charge batteries with electricity derived from renewable sources, Shigeru Hayakawa, vice chairman of Toyota Motor Corp said in an interview. In addition to EVs, hybrid cars will play a crucial role in decarbonizing global transportation, particularly in regions outside Europe and the U.S., said Hayakawa. - Bloomberg

Fuel cells for trucks

In an interview with CNBC, Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum spoke about the current situation when it came to the cost of electrified trucks, emphasizing that a number of factors were in play. “The first truth is, in heavy duty commercial vehicles you need such a huge amount of energy, meaning you need such large batteries, that such a truck always will cost significantly more than a combustion engine powered truck,” he said. Alongside battery electric vehicles, Daimler Truck is also focusing on what it describes as “hydrogen-based fuel cell electric vehicles.” - CNBC

Skill sets for EV repair

Reparable batteries are good news for?EV?owners, but for garages they mean investing in specialist equipment, and also training technicians to do the work. Some of this investment is necessary to carry out even routine work on?EVs. But as the skills required have more to do with electrical engineering, computing and software than wielding a spanner, there are other industries competing for this talent. - Economist

Alternates to BEVs

Cummins sees batteries as a better option for smaller, lighter types of vehicles that don’t need to travel particularly long distances, but not as practical for users in remote areas or who require heavier types of applications. Even as electric power train technologies advance, other options shouldn’t be overlooked in the near term, says CEO Tom Linebarger.?“We should start even on technologies that we have today, like lower carbon fuels, natural gas, renewable natural gas in (internal combustion) engines, because we are running out of time. It’s just that simple,” he said. - Forbes

Honda's net zero plans

Honda Motor has asked its main auto parts suppliers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions annually by 4% versus 2019 levels. The Japanese automaker aims to accelerate decarbonization efforts in its value chain and seeks to have its parts suppliers achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Honda will also request its suppliers to submit a timetable for how they plan to become net-zero emitters by 2050. The range of CO2 cuts and the base year for calculation will be used as a guideline, and the reduction will be encouraged according to the type of parts produced and the size of the company. - Nikkei Asia

Ride-hailing and privacy concerns

Every time someone rides a shared scooter in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, or in any other city, whatever company operates the vehicle takes note of where they went and how they got there, then sends that information to local officials. The idea is to allow cities to keep tabs on how well scooter companies are adhering to regulations. Critics immediately raised privacy concerns. Broad tension remains over who should handle data unleashed by sensor-equipped vehicles and devices, according to Molly Turner, a lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. - Bloomberg