F-150 Lightning Buyers Get Augmented Reality Intro | 09 Nov 2021

Episode 1272,   Nov 09, 2021, 01:00 AM

Today’s big EV stories:
• Tesla FSD early adopters get Autopilot Camera Upgrade invites
• VW launches pre-series production of the ID.4 in Emden
• BMW begins full production of its futuristic 75 mph electric scooters
• Rivian will start selling electric vans to non-Amazon companies in 2023
• F-150 Lightning Buyers Get Augmented Reality Intro
• AC Aion model First In China With 1,000 km Range
• Geely to launch 5 EV models with battery swapping tech by 2023
• EVgo expands deal with Uber, growing EV charging network with GM
• BP partners with battery-swapping company Aulton for joint business
• Terra 360’s EV charging speed unmatched, but is it a good thing?
• Most Electricity in Industrialized Nations Could Be From Wind And Solar, Study Shows
• BorgWarner to supply new 800V SiC inverter to German OEM

Show #1272

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 9th November. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

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TESLA FSD EARLY ADOPTERS GET AUTOPILOT CAMERA UPGRADE INVITES

- Tesla has started sending out Autopilot Camera Upgrade invites to Model S and Model X owners who purchased Full Self-Driving when it was initially launched years ago. As per the communication, Tesla is now poised to start camera retrofits for its older cars, which would allow Model S and Model X vehicles with FSD to access the full suite of features currently offered by the company.

- A screenshot of the communication has been shared online, and it reads as follows: “As an owner with Full Self-Driving Capability and early production cameras, you are eligible for complimentary Autopilot Camera Upgrade. Camera replacements are required to access a continuously expanding suite of Full Self-Driving Capability features. To arrange your complimentary camera replacements, schedule a new appointment from the Service menu in your Tesla App,” the message read.

- Tesla also updated its official webpage for its Full Self-Driving Computer Installations. A new section titled “Camera Replacements” has now been added to the page. The section outlines which customers are eligible for the retrofit, when the service will be available, which camera units will be replaced, how long the hardware update would take, and how early FSD adopters could schedule an appointment for the Autopilot Camera Upgrade.


VW LAUNCHES PRE-SERIES PRODUCTION OF THE ID.4 IN EMDEN

- The conversion of the Emden site into Lower Saxony’s first plant for electric cars is on the home straight, according to VW. The first pre-series vehicles of the ID.4 are already being produced in the body shop, the paint shop and soon in assembly. Volume production is scheduled to start in spring 2022.

- the final decision to build MEB vehicles in Emden from 2022 onwards was taken in summer 2019. The conversion work started in July 2020 – parallel to the production of the Passat. In May, VW announced that the conversion work was still on schedule.

- The ID.4 is to be built in Emden first, followed by two more MEB models from 2023 – a Passat-sized saloon and the accompanying estate. According to VW, a total of six additional production halls and logistics buildings will have been built on the 4,300,000 square metre factory site by then.


BMW BEGINS FULL PRODUCTION OF ITS FUTURISTIC 75 MPH ELECTRIC SCOOTERS

- BMW has just entered full series production of its CE 04 electric motorbike, a futuristic model that could be a taste of what’s to come from the German manufacturer.

- The CE 04 was first unveiled nearly a year ago, when many dismissed it as an overly ambitious futuristic concept vehicle

- BMW followed up by announcing the CE 04 would actually enter production. And now that day has come, as the bike begins serial production at the company’s Berlin Motorrad plant. The CE 04 falls somewhere between a maxiscooter and a light electric motorcycle. The peak-rated 31 kW (42 hp) frame-mounted electric motor puts it in the same power class as several electric motorcycles from leading manufacturers.

- Pushed to the max, the CE 04 is rated for a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).

- The internal battery in the higher spec model provides 8.9 kWh of capacity and is rated for up to 130 km (81 miles) of range.

- the CE 04 will start at USD $11,795.


RIVIAN WILL START SELLING ELECTRIC VANS TO NON-AMAZON COMPANIES IN 2023

- Rivian says it will start taking orders for its electric delivery vans in 2022 and will deliver them to fleet customers in “early 2023,” calling into question the status of Amazon’s exclusive rights to the vehicle.

- It also said it will sell fleet versions of its R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV, meaning it will compete with Ford’s commercial version of the F-150 Lightning, as well as a fleet management platform called FleetOS and a charging infrastructure solution.

- Rivian’s ability to make vehicles at scale is still unproven; it has only just started making and delivering the R1T and is still preparing the delivery van for mass production.

- The new section of Rivian’s site, which was tweeted by communications director Amy Mast, says customers will be able to use an “online fleet configurator to plan and place your fleet order” in “early 2022,” and that “[d]eliveries of the [van] are scheduled to begin in early 2023.”
 
 

MOST F-150 LIGHTNING BUYERS GET AUGMENTED REALITY INTRO

- Ford already has more than 160,000 reservations for its 2022 F-150 Lightning electric pickup, due for deliveries starting in 2022. Yet of the retail reservation-holders in that crowd, a recent survey suggested that nearly 80% have never owned a battery electric vehicle before.

- Ford is launching an augmented reality (AR) experience that it says “will offer these knowledge-hungry customers an immersive, informative experience on the all-new F-150 Lightning.”

- it’s powered by Google Cloud and takes the form of thirteen interactive animations about everything from the frunk and battery range to charging—and the ProPower Onboard power takeoff plus, perhaps, the Lightning’s potential as home power backup. Visitors also have the ability to select a color and trim—base, XLT, Lariat, and Platinum—for the truck and place it “anywhere in their own environment,”

- Ford also says that its survey results suggest that 56% of F-150 Lightning reservation-holders haven’t ever owned a Ford vehicle.


GAC AION MODEL FIRST IN CHINA  WITH 1,000 KM RANGE

- Longer range is the quest of electric vehicle (EV) companies, and now GAC Aion brings the competition to 1,000 kilometers. The Aion LX Plus from GAC's new energy vehicle subsidiary recently made it to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) product announcement in China with a 144.4 kWh battery pack, an energy density of 205 Wh/kg, and an impressive NEDC range of 1,008 km.

- Entering the MIIT product announcement is the last major regulatory process for a model to become available in China, meaning local consumers are only a few months away from having an EV with a range of over 1,000 km.

- The Aion LX Plus is an upgraded version of the currently available Aion LX, with a length, width and height of 4,835/1,935/1,658mm, a permanent magnet synchronous motor with 180 kW of power and a top speed of 170 km/h.

- The Aion LX Plus is expected to be unveiled during the Guangzhou Auto Show on November 19, and its price information is currently unknown. For reference, the price range of the Aion LX is RMB 229,600 ($35,900) -349,600.


GEELY TO LAUNCH 5 EV MODELS WITH BATTERY SWAPPING TECH BY 2023

- The Smart Geely 2025 strategy presented by Geely Auto Group outlined several initiatives aimed at increasing the automaker’s sales, and among them is the plan to have 5,000 battery swapping stations deployed across 100 cities by 2025, the company said in a statement.

- At present, the Geely Technology Group has already established approximately 100 battery-swapping stations across China, and these can swap batteries from vehicles in just 59 seconds with the use of automated technologies which allow for safe operation, says Geely. With this system, the driver of the electric vehicle simply drives into the station for the swap, and leaves the station without having to exit their vehicle.

- Battery swapping will be for selected vehicle platforms in the Geely product line, and currently will not include models built on the SEA (Sustainable Experience Arhcitecture) platform as they have been designed with integrated battery technology with the aim of producing the lightest vehicle architecture possible.


EVGO EXPANDS DEAL WITH UBER, GROWING EV CHARGING NETWORK WITH GM


BP PARTNERS WITH BATTERY-SWAPPING COMPANY AULTON FOR JOINT BUSINESS


TERRA 360’S EV CHARGING SPEED UNMATCHED, BUT IS IT A GOOD THING?


MOST ELECTRICITY IN INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS COULD BE FROM WIND AND SOLAR, STUDY SHOWS


BORGWARNER TO SUPPLY NEW 800V SIC INVERTER TO GERMAN OEM


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