Journalist Vince Patton demonstrates its possible to play video games while driving his Tesla Model 3.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it is investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 that allow those seated up front to play games on the infotainment touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion.
The formal safety investigation, which was announced Wednesday, covers 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles. NHTSA opened the investigation “based on reports that Tesla gameplay functionality, which is visible on the front center touchscreen from the driver’s seat, is enabled even when the vehicle is being driven.”
Tesla made the software more dangerous
The 2021 Tesla Model S gets an all-new interior, a yoke-style steering wheel and the updated software being investigated by NHTSA.
The feature, known as “Passenger Play,” increases the risk of a crash. Since December 2020, the feature can be used while driving. Prior to that, it could only be used when the vehicle was in Park. The agency said that it is evaluating aspects of the feature, including how frequently it’s used and when.
NHTSA is concerned about distracted driving, an increasing risk as automakers bring increased online connectivity to infotainment touchscreens. Distracted driving caused 3,142 deaths in 2019, all of them preventable.
While Passenger Play does have a warning stating the game is meant solely for passengers. Although it asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger and not the driver, there is nothing preventing the driver from playing while driving.
Other Tesla safety issues
Consumer Reports criticized the performance of Tesla’s latest version of Autopilot.
It’s not NHTSA’s only Tesla safety investigation, nor Tesla’s only safety issue.
In August, the agency opened a formal safety investigation of 765,000 Teslas equipped with its Autopilot driver-assistance system after 11 crashes involving parked emergency vehicles killed one person and injured 17. The inquiry covers 2014-2021 Models S, X, Y and 3.
In October, Tesla had to roll back full self-driving, or FSD, with Musk revealing that the company is “seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily.”
And in November, Tesla issued a recall for 11,704 vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2017. The recall covers Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles and came about as a result of an over-the-air firmware update of the automaker’s “Full Self-Driving Beta,” its advanced driver assistance system.
The company identified a software communication error that could cause the forward-collision warning or automatic emergency brake system to falsely activate, possibly leading to a rear-end collision.
Other OEM infotainment issues
The new Mercedes-Benz EQS was recalled after it was found that its MBUX system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving
Other automakers are far more concerned over distracted driving than Tesla. On November 29, Mercedes-Benz recalled 227 vehicles in the U.S. after the company discovered that its MBUX infotainment system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving.
The recall affected 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580, 2022 EQS450, EQS580, and S500 models. Mercedes-Benz has already corrected the problem, and no deaths or injuries seem to have resulted from the problem.
Musk pays billions to satisfy tax bill
In other Tesla news, Reuters is reporting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 10% of his own company stock, 13.5 million shares, 8.06 million of which were sold to pay taxes. The billionaire said he is paying more than $11 billion in taxes this year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed California over its tax policy.
“California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is … becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation,” Musk told Reuters, adding his combined federal and state tax rate tops 50 percent.
The company has submitted all the documentation required to get its factory approved near Berlin, Germany. Approval of Tesla’s newest manufacturing facility has been delayed by environmental concerns and red tape due to Tesla’s decision to add a battery factory to the site. That has delayed the approval process. It remains unclear when the new plant is expected to open.
Sure, you might think that dear old Santa Claus is just some jolly gift giver. But look closer, and it’s hard not to be impressed.
This is a guy who runs a major distribution operation at the North Pole, a privately held enterprise that procures goods year ‘round, listens to customers and fulfills their requests in one short night. And you thought Amazon Prime was quick? Yeah, right.
And just try parallel parking eight reindeer and a sleigh without any automated driver assist systems. Good luck.
But it begs the question, what does this much beloved, highly placed, international executive drive? No one really knows, but here are some possibilities.
The new Grand Wagoneer is powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 putting out 471 horsepower, making it a great daily driver
Jeep Grand Wagoneer: Given Santa’s advancing years, his comfort is a priority. But there’s work to be done, so ol’ Saint Nick needs a lot of utility and the ability to go anywhere at any time no matter what the weather. Few vehicles do it as well as the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, especially on unimproved roads.
Santa values the Grand Wagoneer’s Quadra-Drive II with active low range, rear electronic limited slip differential, terrain management system, its 48:1 crawl ratio, and ability to ford up to 24 inches of water yet tow 10,000 pounds. Yet its cabin possesses artisan-levels of craftsmanship, something unexpected yet welcome.
But it’s more than capability or its opulent interior. This is one high-tech sled, with a full 45 inches of video screens on the instrument panel. And having such a large vehicle at the North Pole is comforting when driving in bleak weather and Rudolph is playing reindeer games.
The Ford F-150 Hybrid is good source of power should it go out at the North Pole.
Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid: Eight reindeer eating lots of Reindeer Chow leads to a lot of — ahem — mess to clean up. A pickup makes for the perfect polar workhorse, especially the 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid.
Its twin-turbocharged and intercooled 3.5-liter overhead-cam V-6 mated to an electric motor that generates 430 horsepower and 570 pound-feet of torque and returns an EPA-rated of 24 mpg. And it can tow 12,700 pounds, enough to haul a trailer with all eight reindeer and their chow. It also boasts an integrated generator, with 7.2 kilowatts of power, enough to help power key appliances when the power goes out.
And when Santa needs his truck to be his office, there’s a 400-watt outlet for running office equipment, and a center armrest that converts to a flat work surface, with a storage bin beneath it large to hang file folders. And the front seats fold flat to create a bed that’s perfect for the quick nap away from Mrs. Claus. Ho, ho, ho.
The new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid can travel up to 30 miles in electric-only mode, and carry a whole pack of elves.
Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid: When you need to move a mess of elves, few vehicles can handle it with the aplomb of the 2022 Chrysler. Sure, Santa needs a minivan to schlep his staff, and the Pacifica proves the ideal solution. There’s more legroom than many full-size SUVs, and abundant cargo space.
To keep them all occupied, there’s Amazon Alexa, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and for 2022, Amazon Fire TV streaming for rear-seat passengers. Powering the Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid is the corporate 3.6-liter double-overhead cam V-6, albeit modified for hybrid duties, working in concert with two electric motors to deliver 260 horsepower to the front wheels.
It run 33 miles solely on electric power, enough to quickly pop across town. And the EPA says that you can save $800 annually in fuel costs compared to the standard Pacifica minivan.
Mrs. Claus loves the Genesis GV80’s understated opulence
Genesis GV80: The lavish GV80 is an all-new model for Genesis, one that guarantees Santa’s other half will be wearing the latest in bold automotive fashion, and enjoy the latest in seamless technology including all-wheel drive.
Mrs. Claus loves the extensive suite of driver-assistance safety features and helpful technology such as the head-up display and a huge 14.5-inch touchscreen. The quilted leather upholstery, and rear seats that adjust with heated and cooled cushions seem positively lavish.
And when it comes to indulgence, the same can be said of its performance, thanks to its 375-hp twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6. It’s a sweet ride for the missus.
Mercedes-Maybach S 680: A night on the town calls for a righteous ride, one that’s appropriate of Santa’s station. Is there another executive shuttle to match the technology, ability and finely crafted interior of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class? The Maybach trim level turns up the luxury to 11, while retaining the sort of convenience features essential to older drivers.
When all the gifts have been delivered, and every stocking stuffed, Santa enjoys a good rip behind the wheel of the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
One such feature, Night View Assist Plus, ensures the driver doesn’t hit any wildlife. ANd its quilted leather and hushed ambience, makes every ride a special occasion. And let’s not forget its 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12; it propels this massive Merc to 60 in just 4.4 seconds. And considering how much Santa has given others, this bit of indulgence is worth it.
Mazda MX-5 Miata: The stockings are stuffed, the presents placed under the tree, and now it’s Miller time. Even Santa needs to let his hair down to enjoy a few ho, ho, hos in warm weather.
You can almost see him zipping around Palm Springs in the Mazda MX-5 Miata. It’s a modern-day classic with great looks, light weight and crisp handling.
Nikola Corp. agreed to pay $125 million to settle civil charges levied against the company by the Securities and Exchange Commission claiming it defrauded investors by making false claims about its vehicles.
Nikola’s settlement with the SEC still holds the company accountable for statements made by founder Trevor Milton.
The deal is separate from the civil and criminal charges against Trevor Milton, the company’s founder and now-former Chairman. In fact, the company’s agreed to cooperate with any current investigation and litigation, however, it didn’t admit or deny the SEC’s findings in the settlement.
The agency contends the company misled investors about the capabilities of its hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles, suggesting they were further along in development than they were. The focal point being a video of its Nikola One appearing to be driving under its own power, when it was actually rolling down a slight decline.
Nikola agreed to pay the $125 million in five installments over two years. The first payment comes by the end of this year, with the remainder being paid in semi-annual installments in 2022 and 2023. The company previously disclosed Nov. 4, 2021 it took a $125 million reserve in its third quarter earnings to account for the expected settlement.
Nikola Motor’s former Chairman Trevor Milton is facing civil and criminal charges in court.
Milton not off the hook
Nikola “is responsible both for Milton’s allegedly misleading statements and for other alleged deceptions, all of which falsely portrayed the true state of the company’s business and technology,” said Gurbir Grewal, the SEC’s enforcement director, in a statement.
Milton saw civil and criminal charges filed against in July, claiming he used social media to repeatedly mislead investors about the company’s technology, netting “tens of millions of dollars” in the process. Milton’s repeatedly denied wrongdoing and is in the midst of a court battle.
Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said during a press conference in late July, Milton deliberately set out to deceive what she described as “retail investors” by making claims he knew were false about Nikola products.
While Nikola’s settled up with the SEC, it’s now focused on its former leader.
The company’s attempting to move on from the problems. In fact, it delivered its first battery-electric Tre Class 8 rigs last week.
“The company has taken action to seek reimbursement from its founder, Trevor Milton, for costs and damages in connection with the government and regulatory investigations,” the company said in a release.
Moving forward
“We are pleased to bring this chapter to a close as the company has now resolved all government investigations,” the company said in a statement.
“We will continue to execute on our strategy and vision to deliver on our business plan, including delivering trucks to customers, expanding our manufacturing facilities and our sales and service network, and building out our hydrogen infrastructure ecosystem including hydrogen production, distribution and dispensing stations.”
This is already happening as it delivered the first Nikola Tre battery-electric pilot trucks to Total Transportation Services Inc. (TTSI), a Southern California’s port trucking company, to expedite zero-emission transportation solutions at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The company is engaged in a four-truck pilot program with the trucking company, involving two battery electric trucks with a range of 350 miles and two fuel cell-electric trucks with a range of 500 miles. If the vehicle trials go well and TTSI obtains government funding, the company will provide 30 BEVs in 2022, and 70 FCEVs are anticipated to start in 2023.
Who would have thought you could make the Rolls-Royce Ghost look so sinister?
Rolls-Royce revealed a new addition to the Rolls-Royce Ghost line-up in Miami Thursday — the Black Badge — during a North America dealer meeting that saw about 100 retailers meet with the automaker’s top executives.
The automaker revealed the new model to dealers at the Mad nightclub in the hip and trendy Wynnewood section of Miami, and will do the same for customers later this week.
“We just felt this was very Black Badge,” said Richard Carter, director of communications for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “It’s very, noir; It’s very alternative; and that’s the essence of Black Badge.”
The Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge expands a line-up that began with the Wraith coupe, followed by the Phantom sedan in 2016, the Dawn cabriolet in 2017 and the Cullinan SUV in 2019. The murdered-out Black Badge models now account for more than 27% of Rolls-Royce sales worldwide, including 40% of Cullinan sales.
The darker side of opulence
To realize the Ghost Black Badge’s menacing demeanor, the company uses 100 pounds of the industry’s darkest black paint. The Spirit of Ecstasy and Pantheon Grille are darkened using a chrome electrolyte applied during chrome plating. The new model wears exclusive 21-inch wheels with as many as 44 layers of carbon fiber.
The 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge can be had in more that 44,000 different hues, although most Black Badge customers choose black.
As you’d expect, interior components are darkened including air vents and the wood veneer, along with Black Badge badging and other unique interior touches, although clients are free to specify any number of colors and trim to be used on the car’s interior.
Engineers also contributed, fitting larger air springs to alleviate body roll during assertive cornering. There’s also roughly 29 additional horsepower and a revised transmission to make the Black Badge a bit more athletic. They also reduced brake pedal travel.
A quick turn behind the wheel of pre-production prototypes revealed a car that can be driven more aggressively than your average Ghost. Grip is impressive while cornering, staying firmly planted despite some noticeable body roll. Body motions never become excessive, and rebound over bumps is very well controlled. Yet its agility doesn’t come at the expense of the brand’s legendary comfort.
An idea born in Beverly Hills
The idea of Black Badge occurred in 2014 in Beverly Hills.
“This whole notion of the alter ego of Rolls Royce, the slightly noir, naughty, edgy side of Rolls Royce is something that we were thinking about. We were looking at ways and means of lowering the age profile of our brand,” Carter said.
The Pantheon Grille and Spirit of Ecstasy also receive the Black Badge treatment.
At the time, the brand had one model, the Phantom, and an average buyer’s age of 57. “We were selling one model to a dying set of customers, and there was no future in that,” he said.
At the time, the company was about to release the first-generation Ghost, followed by its two-door spinoff, the Wraith, both of which would attract younger buyers. But the company needed more. They were searching for an idea, but hadn’t settled on anything yet.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, was waiting for a car to pick him up at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills when a murdered-out Phantom Coupe pulled up. Ötvös was stunned, and asked the owner why he modified his Phantom.
“He told me over the weekend, that he wants to be a different kind of character,” Ötvös said. “For some of the week, he is friendly and nice. But over the weekend, he wants to be something different. He enjoyed playing a different role; how he was dressed, looked and talked.”
A couple weeks later, Ötvös had similar experiences particularly in the United States, particularly in California. This led to the creation of Black Badge at a time where murdered-out cars weren’t mainstream.
A surprising success
The Ghost Black Badge is revealed for the first time at the Mad nightclub in Miami.
Initially, executives expected Black Badge models to have a 10%-15% take rate. But they were mistaken. It turned out to be a stunning success, with a far higher take rate. Currently, Black Badge represents 40% of Cullinan sales. Black Badge, along with new models like Ghost, Wraith and Cullinan, have brought the average Rolls-Royce buyer’s age down to 43, quite a large drop in a little less than a decade.
“We are even younger than Mini as a brand in the BMW Group,” Ötvös said, who then explained that the type of wealthy car buyer has changed.
“When you look into ultra-high net worth individuals, those people who are our target group worldwide, they became younger and younger over time because the way to generate wealth is very, very different from what it used to be 15-to-20 years ago.”
Rolls-Royce sees its Black Badge line as one that appeals to iconoclasts, a type of buyer that the brand has always attracted, particularly during the pre-World War II years, when all coachwork was custom built.
“Black Badge was the most instrumental piece we had in an all-new brand strategy to massively decrease the average age and illuminate the brand in a significant way,” Ötvös said.
Mission accomplished.
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When the Mercedes-Benz EQS rolls into showrooms later this month it will become the luxury brand’s first all-electric vehicle targeting the U.S. market. But it certainly won’t be the last. If anything, Mercedes plans to roll out a broad line-up of battery-powered products, from the little EQB crossover to an all-electric version of the big G-Class SUV.
Mercedes-Benz Cars CEO Ola Källenius is leading the company through one of its biggest transitions in its history. He talks with TDB.
Until a few years ago, Mercedes put its primary focus on diesel, but it changed direction in the wake of an embarrassing emissions scandal — and in the face of increasingly stringent global emissions standards. By 2025, the goal is to have plug-in hybrid and all-electric models account for 50% of the company’s worldwide sales. By 2030, CEO Ola Källenius announced in July, the target is 100% BEVs “where market conditions allow.”
The Swedish-born executive — the first non-German to helm Mercedes since it was founded — is a true believer in electrification, as he made clear during a virtual interview with TheDetroitBureau.com and a handful of other journalists.
TheDetroitBureau: From your perspective, how has the (industry’s) approach to electrification changed? It appears things are ramping up at a faster and faster pace. Why is that happening?
Källenius: If we look back in history, when one technology replaced another … for the longest time, it seems like nothing is happening. Then, it happens all at once and the whole market flips. It goes very fast. If you miss that point that can be very unfortunate for your business with the development cycles we have in the auto industry. From the first stroke of a pen to have the first vehicles from a completely new architecture (is) usually a four- or five-year process. So, we are now upping the bet.
TDB: But why such a big investment?
Källenius: I’m ever so slightly biased but I think the EQS is a phenomenal vehicle and can imagine what the electric car will look like 10 years from now. I think there’s optimism in terms of the technology, with better energy density on the battery side. Cost are scaling (down) and we’re pushing to an inflection point where the new technology will be superior to what we have now.
Källenius with an assortment of new and upcoming EVs and PHEVs.
Drivers of change and acceptance
TDB: Is the shift being driven by new regulations?
Källenius: Partly, it is regulatory driven, but it’s through one common purpose we have as mankind, to solve the CO2 problem. It’s not going to go away. Climate change is real and the Paris Agreement is the right thing to do. It’s a Herculean task for humanity, a complete paradigm shift over to new energy sources. A company like Mercedes, in the luxury car (market), can be on the forefront of such a shift.
TDB: What is the key obstacle to consumer acceptance? Is it the lack of a solid charging infrastructure?
Källenius: Something that could make this happen a little faster or a little slower is the infrastructure. People aren’t going to (drive) less. In fact, we believe people are going to (drive) much more 10 years from now. So, here, industry and government need to work hand-in-hand to put in (a charging) infrastructure. The quicker that happens, the quicker the shift. In markets that don’t do this, it will be an obstacle that makes the transition to EVs go slower.
TDB: It certainly appears investors want automakers to shift to electric.
Källenius: Every conversation that we have with investors, even rating institutes like Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s, the financial markets have made up their minds. It’s going to be increasingly difficult to find capital to invest in (internal combustion) technology, and everybody is betting on the new technology so in a way the market economy and allocation of capital is pushing this forward.
The EQS is leading Mercedes move into the all-electric future, signifying the company’s commitment to that path.
New set of competitors
TDB: Not only do you have to compete with legacy automakers but you have to now start competing with this wave of EV startups, what’s the unique challenge there when it comes to competing with nascent EV makers? How do you compete with them?
Källenius: It’s natural that new players look at a market and enter and so the competitive intensity in this decade will likely be higher than what we have experienced in the past. We are taking the usual suspects seriously, as well as the new kids on the block. You cannot run around like a headless chicken chasing this that or the other company, you’ve got to know who you are. In this situation you cannot rest on your laurels, you have to look forward. So, what we need to do is to double down on technology, primarily electric drive and software and the connected vehicle and autonomous driving. But, at the same time, (we must) deliver what everybody expects from a Mercedes, you know this sublime ride and drive the equation to detail this superior aesthetic quality. If we hit the spot (and) deliver on both innovation and the luxury aspects of the Mercedes brand, that’s how we think we can win the competition.
TDB: You have been a powerhouse in the all-electric Formula-E series. What are your future plans?
Källenius: We won the championship this year and we’re going to have one more season, but beyond that season, we’re focusing everything on Formula One. We’re going to turn to synthetic fuels so we can run the whole race carbon neutral. I’ve been to a few Formula E races myself and enjoyed it as a racing fan, but if you would take one of those cars and go to Spa, you would maybe do a lap and a half and then it would be over. So for those who are, you know, hardcore racing fans at heart, you can’t replace (traditional racing cars with electric).
The new EQE is the battery-powered alternative to the marque’s classic E-Class sedan.
TDB: Can you talk about the role of electrification in motor sports?
Källenius: I actually had the privilege back in 2008 to develop the very first performance hybrid for Formula One. And now we are (more than) 10 years later, and you can’t win the world championship, unless you have the best performance hybrid system. And what we’re now launching in the AMG GT is the first road version of that technology. It will be on many of the AMG cars that we’re going to launch in the next two to three years. Formula One is the most sophisticated high performance Lab in the world.
TDB: This raises the subject of EV performance. It appears that one of the things drawing people to EVs is the great performance they offer.
Källenius: The great thing about an electric motor is that the torque is instantly available, and you have a lot of torque. So, at a red light, we all feel like we’re driving an AMG GT, right. You have this instant punch. Maybe you saw that we bought the UK company, Yasa, that is developing an electric motor with an absolutely phenomenal power-to-weight ratio. So there will be there will be a performance dimension beyond just being quick at the red light.
Advanced technology pros and cons
TDB: You’ve introduced the Hyperscreen in the EQS (which covers virtually the entire instrument panel with video screens). Do you think they’ll ever be a move back towards more simplification for an older demographic that can’t take advantage of most of what it can do?
Källenius said the the future of vehicles is going to look a lot more like the Hyperscreen than with knobs and buttons.
Källenius: I read an article the other day in a Swedish supercar magazine and the chief editor wrote an article where he says I hate screens. Give me the knobs back, the buttons and the knobs. But I’m afraid that’s probably not going to happen. And it’s not specifically tied to the electric car and we’re not doing some different level of digitization in our combustion based vehicles and our electric vehicles, per se. We need to make (technology) more intuitive and easy to use, but we’re not going back and put 50 different knobs and buttons in the car. I just don’t see that.
TDB: Who is the most difficult person to convince (about) electrification?
Källenius: People that buy a G Wagen, an S-Class, or maybe an E … they usually are technology and innovation-minded, and also appreciate luxury aesthetics. They are naturally going to drift to whatever is the next level technology. I think there is some skepticism, but I think it will recede.
TDB: What are you going to do about recyclability of materials?
Källenius: Next to the challenge of CO2 for us, as an industry, is the circular economy, what we call resource preservation. It’s hugely important. Our vehicles, already today, are 95% recyclable. That doesn’t mean we already use 95% of the material. But we put in in our books to raise the amount for every new vehicle, and for beyond the usual candidates like steel. Recycling has to get into the polymers and other things inside the battery cells, no doubt about it.
TDB: One last question. You have the new EQS sedan, but you’ll also have an EQS SUV next year. And the same with the EQE. Won’t that create some branding confusion?
Källenius: Yeah. There are probably PhD thesis documents in marketing talking about nomenclature on the part of Mercedes. When I was in marketing and sales we said let’s clean this up once and for all, and we thought we did. Could we have done a GL QS or something like that (instead of EQS SUV)? We thought it was so obvious when you see the vehicle, you know whether you’re buying an SUV or a sedan. But maybe we didn’t succeed.
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As far as Corey Williams is concerned, we’re walking on “hallowed ground.”
Model A sedans roll down the line at the old Rouge Assembly Plant, one of the first factories with a moving assembly line.
A year ago, there was nothing but a dusty parking lot where Ford Motor Co.’s new Electric Vehicle Center now stands. But dig deeper into the past and you realize this was the site of the original Ford Rouge Assembly Plant where generations of blue-collar workers built everything from Model A sedans to Mustangs to F-Series pickups — as well as armor, engines and tanks as part of the “Arsenal of Democracy” during World War II.
Starting next spring, this new factory will begin building the new Ford F-150 Lightning, the all-electric pickup truck has so far garnered over 150,000 advance reservations since it was unveiled in May. That’s part of a $30 billion electrification plan Detroit’s second-largest automaker has in play.
Rolling out the first battery-powered version of Ford’s iconic pickup — the nation’s top-selling truck for 44 years — might be significant enough on its own. But the new Electric Vehicle Center is also functioning as a research lab that could radically change the way cars and trucks are built all over the world.
“This is hallowed ground. This is history,” said Williams, the plant manager. “This is where we are going from the past to the future.”
Where’s the assembly line?
Automated Guided Vehicles, or AGVs, replace the moving assembly line at the Electric Vehicle Center.
Take a tour of the center, which is slowly launching early prototype production, and you can’t help but notice something missing. The moving assembly line that was originally introduced by company founder Henry Ford 108 years ago is gone. The assembly line is a fixture at all but the lowest-volume plants building cars virtually by hand — and slowly, very slowly.
That’s not the case here. With the $250 million expansion Ford announced on Thursday, the Electric Vehicle Center will be capable of producing as many as 80,000 Lightnings annually. That’s not quite as fast as the plant next door where traditional, gas and diesel trucks or built, but quickly enough that this is a radical departure.
Instead of a fixed line, partially assembled pickups are loaded onto AGVs, or Automated Guided Vehicles. These are, essentially, robotic pallets that creep along the shop floor, guided by thin magnetic ribbons carved into the concrete. Sonar sensors help make sure they don’t collide with one another or with the hundreds of workers who’ll soon populate the plant.
It’s not the first time AGVs have shown up in factories. General Motors started using them in the 1980s, primarily to deliver parts to workstations along the line. This is the first time they’ve been put to use in such a high-volume operation completely abandoning Henry Ford’s movable assembly line.
Getting workers plugged in
An F-150 Lightning body is “married” to a chassis containing its electric drive system.
A major change, yes, but as far as Williams is concerned, one of the real hallmarks of the Center is the way workers become active, intelligent parts of the production process. Reaching their post, they log in at one of three tablet-style screens and can check on what happened during earlier shifts, then report in during their own.
Among other things, that will help Ford track and quickly resolve problems, explains Christopher Skaggs, who oversees Ford’s EV planning and implementation.
The AGVs not only move vehicles from workstation to workstation but they recognize the operators at each point, rising or lowering to maximize ergonomics, reducing stress and strains.
As is today’s norm, even in traditional assembly plants, there’s a high dependence on robots, including Transformer-sized beasts that can weld, glue and handle jobs like mounting windshields.
Robots and cobots
Cobots — “collaborative robots” — check out a partially assembled Lightning
The center also introduces what Ford has dubbed “cobots,” or collaborative robots. Rather than being isolated and fenced off, they operate right alongside human workers. They can do tasks like sanding or, in this case, help their flesh-and-blood colleagues examine bodies for minor dings or damage using artificial vision.
The production process isn’t entirely unique. It still proceeds one workstation at a time and, as Lightning bodies follow their serpentine path they’re eventually snagged by an overhead conveyor, carried to the point where they are “married” to the chassis that contains each Lightning’s battery pack, motors and other drivetrain components, as well as wheels and suspension.
As the final assembly tasks are completed, the now operative electric pickups enter a series of inspection stations. One uses a massive robotic arm to press down on each Lightning’s cargo bed. Sensors built into the truck are designed to tell the driver how much weight it’s carrying. The test confirms that system is accurate to within a percent or so, explains manufacturing manager Liza Currie.
One last look
A final check for dings or paint problems and the F-150 Lightning is ready to go — though this is just a prototype to be used for testing.
Finally, each truck will roll into a blindingly bright booth featuring dozens of carefully positioned lights. Human and robotic vision work together to ensure some exterior flaw — a ding, perhaps, or a chip in the paint — doesn’t get passed on to a consumer without being repaired.
As he surveys the new plant, Williams said he’s confident, “We’ve incorporated the latest and the greatest.”
Many of the new features will reappear in other Ford plants. But Williams hesitates when directly asked whether the conventional F-150 plant next door will switch to AGVs, abandoning it fixed line, when the truck goes through a makeover around 2025. That’s for higher-ups to decide, he defers, but it’s clear he sees the Electric Vehicle Center as the high profile test for a radical new system that could replace what Ford Motor Co.’s namesake gave to the manufacturing world a century ago.
“I believe what you’re seeing here,” Williams said, “is the beginning” of a massive transformation in the manufacturing process.
Tesla made its splash into the car world with the first Tesla Roadsters more than a decade ago, and now deliveries of the second-generation of the 2+2-seater are likely going to be pushed back to 2023.
CEO Elon Musk said the second-generation Roadster, when it comes out, will be the best sports car in the world.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed the new timeline via Twitter when asked about details of the Roadster, which was supposed to get a push toward production once the Model S Plaid hit the market.
“2021 has been the year of super crazy supply chain shortages, so it wouldn’t matter if we had 17 new products, as none would ship,” he tweeted. “Assuming 2022 is not mega drama, new Roadster should ship in 2023.”
Musk suggested earlier this year the already once-delayed 2+2-seater — it was originally slated to arrive last year — would arrive at the end of next summer. However, it appears the chip issue, which is expected to continue into next year, sunk the 2022 timeline.
Revised arrival time
Delayed due dates are nothing new to Musk, who’s cracked several jokes about missing his “overly ambitious” deadlines before. The Semi and the Cybertruck have also been pushed back at least once each, with some observers now expecting the latter to not arrive until 2023, though the official word, according to the configurator, is that it will arrive in 2022.
Part of the issue is that demand for the Model Y and Model 3 — Tesla’s best sellers — require the resources that could be used to bring the others to the market. Ensuring there is cash going into the corporate coffers is what makes the other vehicles possible, Musk has also noted in the past.
Tesla’s also not alone when it comes to supplier issues these days with GM, Ford, Stellantis, Honda, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and more all forced to shut down plants due to the shortage of chips.
In June, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hailed the new Model S Plaid as the fastest and safest car built today.
Happy campers once it arrives
Despite the delay, the Roadster — which at one point Musk said would use rockets borrowed from SpaceX — will be the fastest production car on the road, or so Musk claimed when he revealed the next-gen model.
“The new Tesla Roadster will be the fastest production car ever made. Period,” the South African-born entrepreneur declared in November 2017. “The purpose of this is to give a hardcore smackdown to the gasoline car.”
The title will remain in-house, at least of nothing changes. The Tesla Model S Plaid currently gets there in 1.99 seconds. The Roadster, Musk said, will do it in 1.9 seconds — unless the rockets come into play. He said at the time it will race from 0 to 100 mph in just 4.2 seconds, and top out at more than 250 mph.
Just as importantly, the $200K model will do all of that while getting more than 620 miles on a single charge — the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The United Auto Workers netted $1.1 million from the sale of the property located adjacent to the UAW’s Black Lake educational center, which figured prominently in the recent scandal, leading to prison sentences for two former UAW presidents.
The UAW sold the “cabin” built for expelled former President Dennis William on its Black Lake property in northern Michigan.
The lakefront property near Onaway, Michigan includes the 1,900-square foot residence that was supposed to the part-time retirement home of former UAW President Dennis Williams, who was sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in the scandal after he pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy.
The $1.1 million earned from the sales of the home will go into the UAW’s general fund, UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg said in an email to TheDetroitBureau.com.
Home approved during UAW convention
The union’s Constitutional Convention in 2018 rubber-stamped a motion to build the retirement cottage for Williams without any dissent or discussion from the convention floor, which was tightly controlled by Williams’ allies.
The UAW sold the property as part of the deal struck with federal prosecutors.
The resolution authorizing construction of the “cabin” relied on the precedent set when the UAW’s 2002 Constitutional Convention, authorizing construction of a house at Black Lake for UAW President Steven Yokich, who was retiring after seven years as the union’s leader.
“In tribute to his tireless efforts to invest in and expand the educational and recreational opportunities available to UAW leaders at the great facility, the cottage shall be available for his use whenever he visits the center, for the use of others when he isn’t visiting the center, and for the display of special memorabilia of his choosing,” according to the resolution included in a book on the proceedings from the union’s convention in Las Vegas.
Golf course and “cabin” almost sold earlier
Former UAW Ron Gettelfinger tried to sell the Black Lake golf course in 2010.
Yokich, who also directed to construction of a new championship-style golf course at Black Lake, died two months after leaving office but the resolution authorizing construction of a house remained while the property the UAW acquired at Yokich’s direction remained vacant.
Ron Gettelfinger, who was the UAW’s president from 2002 to 2010, tried unsuccessfully to sell the golf course and to minimize the cost of operating Black Lake during a deep recession that decimated the UAW’s membership rolls.
Gettelfinger, who was quite familiar with the center’s financial problems declined to have any kind of house built for him and his successor, Bob King, simply used a cabin at Black Lake that had been used by other former UAW officers such as Doug Fraser, according to people familiar with Black Lake’s operations.
Black Lake is a special place to the UAW as iconic leader Walter Reuther is buried there.
Williams took an interest in the Black Lake project while serving as the UAW’s Secretary-Treasurer from 2010 to 2014. He managed to shore up the center’s finances with help from the UAW’s strike fund and as his term as UAW president ended, he began talking up with aides and colleagues he idea of building a new home the property owned by the UAW adjacent to Black Lake even though federal investigators were already probing the conduct of UAW officials.
Black Lake special for UAW
Black Lake holds a special place in union lore. It was planned by Water Reuther, who led the UAW in the years after World War II. Reuther died in 1970 in plane crash when he was on his way north to inspect its construction. He is now buried at Black Lake, where hundreds of union members go each year for conferences and meetings.
As the scandal continued to unfold, the Williams retirement home at Black Lake became emblematic of the corruption among the UAW top officers that has now led to prison sentences for a dozen former officers and officials.
Williams, like former UAW president Gary Jones, also has been expelled from the union.
The UAW put the cottage up for sale last year but the pandemic and questions about an easement and a possible federal claim to the property delayed the move. All of the issues, including the potential for forfeiture to the U.S. government have been resolved, union officials said. “This sale rights a wrong from the past, and I want each and every one of you to know that we continue to implement ethics reforms throughout the organization,” new President Ray Curry wrote in a note to members last week.
A prototype Rivian SUV played a cameo role in today’s launch of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and three other astronauts into space.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, second from left, rode to to the launch pad in a Rivian R1S.
The R1S is one of several battery-electric SUV and pickup prototypes used by Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket company at its launch site in Texas, and it “assist(ed) with launch-day transportation,” Rivian spokesperson Tanya Miller confirmed in an e-mail to TheDetroitBureau.com.
While the R1S may have played a secondary role in the events of the day, it was nonetheless a high-profile breakthrough for Rivian, which plans to put its first retail models into production this year. While Bezos’s launch got off on time, Rivian’s plans have been put on temporary hold.
A battery-electric car in the space race
The founder of online retail giant Amazon — and, until July 5, its CEO, Bezos is one of a small group of billionaires launching their own manned rocket companies. Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s SpaceX already serves as a taxi service for NASA astronauts and is planning a mission to Mars. British entrepreneur Richard Branson was one of several passengers on a hybrid Virgin Galactic rocket-plane to reach the edge of space earlier this month.
Bezos’s flight was shorter, but higher — at just 10 minutes, but a peak altitude of 66.5 miles — than Branson’s. Now Amazon’s executive chairman, he was joined by brother Mark Bezos, as well as Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk, and teenager Oliver Daemen, lifting off from a Texas launch pad atop Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. They eventually reached an altitude of just over 66 miles during their 10 minutes in space. At 82, Funk became the oldest person ever to earn astronaut wings, with 18-year-old Daemen the youngest.
Bezos drove a Rivian R1T back to the landing site later in the day.
The four, in their spacesuits, squeezed into a Rivian R1S for the drive from Blue Origin’s mission control to the pad where a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket waited for liftoff at 9 a.m. EDT.
More than serendipity
The use of the Rivian SUV wasn’t just serendipitous. Amazon is one of the startup’s biggest investors — as well as a major customer. A handful of all-electric Rivian vans are now being field-tested by Amazon Prime. The delivery service expects to field 100,000 this decade.
The R1S, along with the similarly sized R1T pickup, ride on a skateboard-like platform with batteries and motors mounted under the floorboards. Several different versions of the two models will be offered. The top-end R1S will use a 180 kilowatt-hour battery pack capable of up to 400 miles range per charge. Four electric motors, one driving each wheel, will deliver up to 800 horsepower and will be able to launch the battery-SUV from 0 to 60 in about 3 seconds. Prices will start at around $67,000.
They were supposed to go into production this month, but while the factory is slowly rolling out prototypes, volume production has now been pushed back until at least September, company sources confirmed.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says issues related to the pandemic has pushed back the production starting time of the R1T and R1S.
Looking forward
“The cascading impacts of the pandemic have had a compounding effect greater than anyone anticipated,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wrote to customers who have placed orders for the vehicles.
The auto industry, as a whole, has been hammered by the pandemic. The entire North American automotive manufacturing network closed for about two months in spring 2020, creating a huge shortage of not only fully assembled vehicles but automotive parts and components. The situation has grown even worse in recent months due to short supplies of semiconductors. That’s a particularly serious problem for electric vehicles that use even more microchips than conventional vehicles.
Along with the R1S, R1T, and the Amazon delivery van, Rivian is expected to launch a line-up of other products. It is also working with other investors, notably Ford Motor Co. The Detroit automaker had planned to develop a Rivian-based SUV for its Lincoln brand. That project has been scrapped but Ford and Rivian have signaled that they will jointly bring other products to market in the future.
The “Voltswagen” April Fool’s Day prank has led to an investigation by the SEC.
What started out as a “humorous” advertising and marketing ploy could land German automaker Volkswagen in serious trouble with the federal government.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is apparently looking into VW’s “Voltswagen” marketing stunt to determine if it hurt company stock prices and may have broken any U.S. securities laws, according to German news outlet Der Spiegel.
The incident in question dates back to March 29. As a sort of early April Fool’s Day prank (and marketing ploy), VW “accidentally” released a rough draft of a press release declaring the company was going to change its name to “Voltswagen” as part of a larger effort to promote its ever-growing line-up of electric vehicles (EVs).
This action was picked up by the worldwide automotive press and on March 30 VW issued an official press release to several news outlets, including the Associated Press, confirming the leaked statement from the day before.
This action resulted in VW’s stock price going up. At one point it was 12.5% above its price before the whole incident.
SEC looking at jump in stock price
VW of America President Scott Keogh took responsibility for the poorly received April Fools’ prank that wasn’t on April 1.
This is what caught the attention of the SEC, taking what many considered a fairly unfunny publicity ruse to a possible federal offense.
After the April Fool’s stunt failed in the eyes of the media and the public, VW issued a press statement saying the releases were actually part of a larger tradition in which companies often issue prank statements.
This one just meant to also focus the world’s attention on VW’s growing EV portfolio.
But public statements that affect stock prices usually don’t get an “April Fools” immunity. An SEC investigation could result in charges against the company.
Several news organizations, including The New York Times and Reuters, have asked for a comment from VW. So far, the company has declined to issue one.
Just one of many VW legal scandals
This is not the first time VW has gotten into trouble for the way it conducts its business.
Oh those wacky Germans!! As quickly as it got here, VW took it away: Voltswagen is the company that never was.
In October 2015, as Volkswagen struggled to deal with its diesel emissions scandal, new data raised questions about whether the automaker properly reported death and injury claims to U.S. regulators during the past decade.
A study by the financial advisory firm Stout Risius Ross Inc., found that Volkswagen of America reported nine times fewer deaths and injuries than the average of the 11 largest automakers operating in the U.S. market. Significantly, VW reported less than half as many incidents as either Fiat Chrysler or Honda, both of which have been fined for underreporting their own death and injury data.
Back in September 2015, the EPA accused the German maker of using a so-called “defeat devices,” software designed to fool government emissions tests, on a variety of luxury models from the Audi and Porsche brands. The feds charged VW took steps to cover up excess emissions on 482,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. during a 7-year period.
The end result was VW paying billions of dollars in fines to various governments around the world. The company also faced numerous consumer lawsuits that further cost the company money.
