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Everything posted by G. David Felt
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Spoken like a true car person, but for me as a Truck/SUV person, this engine is great. One you put in a hot crank and turbo or better yet supercharged, this thing would rock in a full size truck or SUV. Reminds me of the 454 Pickup Truck that Chevrolet built and sold.
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Very cool read about the 6.6L L8T V8 engine coming to trucks, suvs and crate solutions near you. Here’s What We Just Learned About GM’s New 6.6-Liter L8T V8 Crate Engine https://www.hotcars.com/gm-l8t-v8-crate-engine-facts/ 403 cubic inches 401 hp / 464 ft-lbs of torque on 87 octane gas. 4,000 rpm peak torque, 5,200 peak horse power, 5,600 recline rpm. Wire harness, ecu and emission capable sold separately unless you buy the connect and cruise package.
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Alfa Romeo CEO Hints At The Return Of The Alfetta As A Compact EV Hatch | Carscoops 2025 Kia Mid-Size Truck: What We Know About The Pickup For Global Markets, Except The USA | Carscoops That’s A New One: Illegally Parked Mercedes Loaded Onto Tow Truck With Forklift | Carscoops Full video here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpbFictDD65/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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Interesting reading on this 6 Hellcat stolen and then to find out that this happened only 6 months earlier from the same dealer. How does one dealer get so many Hellcats when others cannot get any. Very weird allocation system for Dodge. Watch Thieves Steal Six New Dodge Challenger Hellcats In Under 45 Seconds (Updated) | Carscoops Amazing the idiots driving every day, glad the guy was not hurt. Cannot find anything on Hyundai's global or European site but CarScoops says Hyundai will have an electric Mini Cooper like crossover to sell in Europe and the Asian rim next year. Hyundai’s Future EV Lineup: Mini Electric Crossover Geared For Europe Coming By 2024 | Carscoops
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I have always liked the Hatchback look as long as I could fit inside. One of the things I like about the mid 80's Monte Carlo SS Areo.
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Makes me want to
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Industry News: LIGHTSHIP, The EV Answer for Camping Trailers!
G. David Felt replied to G. David Felt's topic in Industry News
In writting this up, I felt the Tesla minimalist approach to the interior had taken hold and to me that is a major failure for me. This is so cold and steril that it is a major blockage for me buying this trailer. Agree with you that the powered trailer concept is a great one in helping get around with minimal drag on either EV or ICE trucks/suvs. I do love the solar roof. The window approach does make it nice to watch sunsets when your inside. -
I would say actual available models is like a 15% EV - 85% ICE roughly. Expect this to change big time over the next 24 months due to the large onslaught of EVs coming out. Going to be a very busy next couple of years as new EVs come out. Next one to be revealed and opened for preorder is the EV9 on the 15th of March.
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Moving road trips to the electric age. — Lightship (lightshiprv.com) Preserving the planet while exploring new corners of the planet is the bold vision of Lightship RVs. Lightship first RV is the L1 travel trailer. The company was launched March 8th, 2023, to the public, by co-founders Ben Parker and Toby Kraus who both worked for Tesla on various projects till the Pandemic. Taking time off to explore the U.S. in an RV, they discovered the opportunity to take the RV industry into the 21st century in an electrified manner. Ben Parker and Toby Kraus both saw opportunities much like the early days of Tesla for the RV industry. Here is an industry that has stagnated with little genuine innovation, the result is a market dominated by just a couple of large companies. The research showed some amazing statistics and according to Ben Parker, Lightship Co-Founder and CEO: “One in 10 American families own an RV, but the RV industry hasn’t experienced innovation for decades.” “Inefficient, unreliable product designs and a power experience that relies on smelly, noisy, gas or propane generators fundamentally hinder the amazing experience of traveling in the outdoors.” Lightship Co-Founder and President, Toby Kraus had the following to say: “With 90% of the market comprising of towable RVs, we began by creating an all-electric travel trailer that is unlike any RV available today and that is just the beginning.” “We are leveraging our expertise in automotive EV development and design to build a brand that creates delightful outdoor travel experiences for everyone and brings even more people into the pastime of RVing.” Lightship has taken a clean-sheet approach to building an all-electric RV trailer. The lightship team is made up of alumni from Rivian, Proterra, Lucid and Zoox in addition to Tesla. This wide range of electric vehicle experiences has allowed them to deliver on the following: A hyper-efficient design that is three times more aerodynamic than a traditional travel trailer for longer range and greater efficiency, which means a 300-mile range electric vehicle (EV) used to tow it remains a 300-mile range EV, and a 25-mpg gas truck remains a 25-mpg gas truck. An electric powertrain with up to 80kWhof onboard battery capacity allowing the trailer to propel itself and achieve near-zero range or efficiency loss for the tow vehicle. A no-compromise battery system that can provide a week of off-grid power without charging. Coupled with up to 3kWof solar power, the RV can power the living needs of its occupants and eliminates the reliance on propane and other fossil fuels. An ecosystem of all-electric appliances, connected features, and modern amenities for a seamless camping experience. The Lightship L1 has a starting price of $125,000 or $118,400 after an available tax credit and is available now for a $500reservationatwww.lightshiprv.com. Production is expected to begin in late 2024. Lightship L1 Travel Trailer specifications: Length: 27 feet Width: 8 feet 6 inches Height: 6 feet 9 inches (road mode); 10 feet (camp mode) Interior height: 7 feet 6 inches Gross Vehicle weight: 7,500 lbs (fully loaded) Sleeping capacity: 4-6 depending on configuration Solar roof is the key to allowing the RV to not need fossil fuels. The LT1 Lightship Travel Trailer has the following electrical features: Drive Motor: All-electric (L1 Long Range Version) Battery Capacity: 40 kWh, 80 kWh options Towing Range: Up to 300 miles Solar Generation Capacity: Up to 3kW Off-grid power: 7 days (while running appliances) L1 Lightship is a premium level RV and while today you can find many 27 foot long travel trailers from the mass market that is under $50,000, the premium segment has continued to show growth. Lightship is focused on the lifestyle folks that want to go and explore the world while treading as careful as possible. A $500 deposit is all it takes to reserve a Lightship travel trailer. There are two options at launch: L1 Essential, All-electric Camping - Starting price of $125,000 ($118,400 after tax credit) L1 Long Range, All-electric camping + drive motor - Starting price of $151,500 ($139,600 after tax credit) L1 Lightship Reservation Link Lightship Product Video.mp4 View full article
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LIGHTSHIP, The EV Answer for Camping Trailers!
G. David Felt posted an article in Automotive Industry
Moving road trips to the electric age. — Lightship (lightshiprv.com) Preserving the planet while exploring new corners of the planet is the bold vision of Lightship RVs. Lightship first RV is the L1 travel trailer. The company was launched March 8th, 2023, to the public, by co-founders Ben Parker and Toby Kraus who both worked for Tesla on various projects till the Pandemic. Taking time off to explore the U.S. in an RV, they discovered the opportunity to take the RV industry into the 21st century in an electrified manner. Ben Parker and Toby Kraus both saw opportunities much like the early days of Tesla for the RV industry. Here is an industry that has stagnated with little genuine innovation, the result is a market dominated by just a couple of large companies. The research showed some amazing statistics and according to Ben Parker, Lightship Co-Founder and CEO: “One in 10 American families own an RV, but the RV industry hasn’t experienced innovation for decades.” “Inefficient, unreliable product designs and a power experience that relies on smelly, noisy, gas or propane generators fundamentally hinder the amazing experience of traveling in the outdoors.” Lightship Co-Founder and President, Toby Kraus had the following to say: “With 90% of the market comprising of towable RVs, we began by creating an all-electric travel trailer that is unlike any RV available today and that is just the beginning.” “We are leveraging our expertise in automotive EV development and design to build a brand that creates delightful outdoor travel experiences for everyone and brings even more people into the pastime of RVing.” Lightship has taken a clean-sheet approach to building an all-electric RV trailer. The lightship team is made up of alumni from Rivian, Proterra, Lucid and Zoox in addition to Tesla. This wide range of electric vehicle experiences has allowed them to deliver on the following: A hyper-efficient design that is three times more aerodynamic than a traditional travel trailer for longer range and greater efficiency, which means a 300-mile range electric vehicle (EV) used to tow it remains a 300-mile range EV, and a 25-mpg gas truck remains a 25-mpg gas truck. An electric powertrain with up to 80kWhof onboard battery capacity allowing the trailer to propel itself and achieve near-zero range or efficiency loss for the tow vehicle. A no-compromise battery system that can provide a week of off-grid power without charging. Coupled with up to 3kWof solar power, the RV can power the living needs of its occupants and eliminates the reliance on propane and other fossil fuels. An ecosystem of all-electric appliances, connected features, and modern amenities for a seamless camping experience. The Lightship L1 has a starting price of $125,000 or $118,400 after an available tax credit and is available now for a $500reservationatwww.lightshiprv.com. Production is expected to begin in late 2024. Lightship L1 Travel Trailer specifications: Length: 27 feet Width: 8 feet 6 inches Height: 6 feet 9 inches (road mode); 10 feet (camp mode) Interior height: 7 feet 6 inches Gross Vehicle weight: 7,500 lbs (fully loaded) Sleeping capacity: 4-6 depending on configuration Solar roof is the key to allowing the RV to not need fossil fuels. The LT1 Lightship Travel Trailer has the following electrical features: Drive Motor: All-electric (L1 Long Range Version) Battery Capacity: 40 kWh, 80 kWh options Towing Range: Up to 300 miles Solar Generation Capacity: Up to 3kW Off-grid power: 7 days (while running appliances) L1 Lightship is a premium level RV and while today you can find many 27 foot long travel trailers from the mass market that is under $50,000, the premium segment has continued to show growth. Lightship is focused on the lifestyle folks that want to go and explore the world while treading as careful as possible. A $500 deposit is all it takes to reserve a Lightship travel trailer. There are two options at launch: L1 Essential, All-electric Camping - Starting price of $125,000 ($118,400 after tax credit) L1 Long Range, All-electric camping + drive motor - Starting price of $151,500 ($139,600 after tax credit) L1 Lightship Reservation Link Lightship Product Video.mp4 -
Very cool and far more proper in charging by the kW rather than time on the machine. @oldshurst442 you should be happy to see this happening in Canada. Charged EVs | Canada allows DC fast chargers to bill by energy usage instead of charging time - Charged EVs At the bottom, it seems a bill in Georgia is moving forward to allow the same thing rather than time. Interesting read about battery plants in the U.S. and why European auto companies are quickly moving forward with local battery plants due to section 45X in the IRA passed bill. Charged EVs | Automakers are shifting battery plant plans from Europe to the US. Does the European Commission have a solution? - Charged EVs Finally, the USPS is moving forward with the right idea, 9,250 Ford E-Transit vans for postal delivery and a change to the bulk program with OshKosh where 45,000 of the 60,000 postal vehicles will now be EV. Charged EVs | US Postal Service finally places an order for EVs—but there’s a catch - Charged EVs Interesting read and now proof that Toyota is at least half a decade behind the rest of the world in bringing quality EVs to market. Charged EVs | Tesla Model Y teardown shows Toyota what it’s up against - Charged EVs Very cool read on the future of EVs next-gen motors. Charged EVs | Tesla’s chief motor engineer discusses the potential of next-generation motor technologies - Charged EVs
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Seems one of the German companies, BMW or Mercedes is finally updating to 800V. BorgWarner has announced a major global auto OEM that has been producing 400V EVs will now use their updated 800V silicon carbide (SIC) inverters as they move to 800V EVs while still producing 400V EVs. Sadly, they say the OEM will use the 800V 250 kW version in passenger cars and AWD crossovers and the 350-kW version will be in their top end luxury autos / performance autos. Interesting is that upon rereading this press release, I see production of the new 800V inverter version is slated for 2025 with an annual volume of 400,000 units. So clearly the German Company BorgWarner as well as the OEM is not seeing a need to make all EVs fast 800V, as they will have slow 800V and clearly continue to build many 400V version EVs. BorgWarner Expands Silicon Carbide Inverter Business with Major Global OEM - BorgWarner
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Guess my battery on my laptop is dying as it was showing only 10% charge and so I turned off my laptop, undocked it and then reseated the battery. Once I attached it to the dock and plugged it back in, the battery now says the following:
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A very interesting and well-done review. Frozen: Sorting F-150 Lightning cold-weather fact from fiction (greencarreports.com) The conclusion at the end is probably one of the best clearly stated objective looks at EVs. Nearly everything laid out above isn’t unique to Ford’s electric pickup truck. A lot of it could be about a Mustang Mach-E, a Tesla, a Lucid, or a Hyundai Ioniq 5. Where things are different is the fact, the Lightning is a pickup truck that is advertised to do truck things. Today, big electric pickups are not ideal for towing long distances or taking road trips in cold weather. Both of these facts say more about today’s battery technology and infrastructure than they do about the F-150 Lightning. Two key differences help put this all-in perspective. The first is the fact that a gallon of gasoline is by volume 13 times more energy dense than the best lithium-ion batteries today. However, electric cars are far more efficient at using the energy they do have. The most efficient gas engine in production is at about 40% whereas electric motors operate near 90% efficiency. The overarching question for truck buyers: Do you honestly need to be able to drive 300 or 400 miles at any time with a moment’s notice? A recent study showed F-150 owners frequently use their trucks to run errands 87% of the time and only frequently tow 7% of the time. Seems for a large swath of consumers buying pickup trucks, if you’re honest with yourself, the F-150 Lightning will be more than adequate for Starbucks runs, soccer practice, and hitting up Home Depot, if there’s time. I bolded the final paragraph above as I think this is a very honest question many of us even auto enthusiasts have to ask ourselves about any auto we own or buy. Yes, if you have the money, then by all means buy what you want. Most people do not have this luxury and as such have to honestly ask themselves what works to get their life needs done versus what one desires. FYI - How big is big when it comes to EVs? @Drew Dowdell @Robert Hall @surreal1272 @ccap41 @smk4565 @riviera74 @trinacriabob @oldshurst442 Sorry for those I am drawing a blank on adding to this that might actually find this interesting. Charged EVs | April 2023 Conference Sessions - Charged EVs Charged is an EV Engineering Conference Free to all who are interested. A Virtual Conference on EV Engineering: April 17-20, 2023. All live webcast sessions are free to attend and will be recorded and available to watch on-demand after the event. Register for a session below and reserve your spot to watch it live or on-demand. This is just a few of the many events one can attend to learn about specific technologies of focused learning.
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Interesting comparison, they give the win to BMW unless you go offroad or play anywhere but in the suburbs to city, then the Rivian is the one to get. LifeStyle EVs. Edmunds: Edmunds Compares: 2023 BMW iX vs. 2023 Rivian R1S | AP News
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@Drew Dowdell @oldshurst442 I see both sides here and while I am a tech lover, I for local driving have no use for the autonomous driving part as I enjoy driving, Love to handle my own auto and enjoy pushing the limits of the auto on a great road trip. The flip side of this, is that sadly, we have way more Lemmings that do not want to be responsible for driving from point A to point B. These are the ones that really need this tech as they are terrible dangerous drivers. I cannot tell you how many Tesla especially but all manners of EV or ICE autos that have damage due to the stupidity of the drivers/owners who just do not pay attention to what is around them. Just today, I almost got hit in the Costco parking lot due to an oblivious person gets in their auto, starts up and starts backing out without looking. I leaned on my horn as I was behind their auto and they finally stopped and just looked at me and the wife with a blank expression on their face. Autonomous driving is for the idiots that cannot seem to think about responsible driving. For the rest of us that enjoy driving, we will ignore it except for two clear points. Eating on a road trip as Drew points out, perfect case for Ultra Cruise. Long road trips where you need to keep going and need a break from the actual driving. I see value in this, especially for long haul truckers where a Level 5 driving over the long interstates makes total sense to me.
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News Worthy, Sorry folks no time to write up full stories, but here is a quick coverage: Mercedes EQE SUV- Mercedes-Benz USA Announces Pricing and Packaging Structures for Alabama Built EQE SUV (mbusa.com) Magna has become the primary Tier 1 vendor for GM's Ultium Battery enclosure and will first be used on the Chevrolet Silverado. Magna Wins Battery Enclosures Business on First-Ever Chevrolet Silverado EV Hyundai just released Version 2.0 of the Hyundai Kona EV. All-new KONA Upscaled Multiplayer Accelerates Hyundai's Electrification Vision with Extended Range and Advanced Features - Hyundai Newsroom Why Hyundai has even higher expectations for the new Kona EV | Automotive News Europe (autonews.com) Hyundai says the new Kona electric will outsell gas, hybrid variants (electrek.co) Hyundai CEO expects the Kona to outsell the Hybrid and ICE versions as Version 2.0 Kona EV was built as a true EV with big input from existing customers and global group studies to deliver on bigger interior space, better rear opening plus more. There is also available N-Line Performance version. 304 miles battery pack on the U.S. market Kona 215 HP / 188 lb-ft of torque Available Colors Exterior: Abyss Black Pearl, Atlas White, Serenity White Pearl, Shimmering Silver Metallic, Cyber Gray Metallic, Ecotronic Gray Pearl, Ecotronic Gray Matte, Engine Red, Ultimate Red Metallic, Soultronic Orange Pearl, Jupiter Orange Metallic, Neoteric Yellow, Mirage Green, Amazon Gray Metallic, Cypress Green Pearl, Meta Blue Pearl, Denim Blue Pearl, Denim Blue Matte and Sailing Blue Pearl, with the last three scheduled to start mass-production in November 2023. Interior: Black Mono, Grey Two-tone, Black and Sage Green, Black and Beige, Black and Red point (N Line variant only), Dark Gray Mono (Eco pack only)
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OUCH, 1,063 total Ariya, all that has been produced to date is being recalled for steering wheel coming off issue. 2023 Nissan Ariya Recalled for Steering Wheel That Might Fall Off (motortrend.com) Seems the Ariya had their steering wheels replaced at the port before delivery to dealers. No reason why, but this seems to have led to some of the bolts being loose and so Nissan out of caution after having two found with loose or no bolts in place is recalling all Ariya to double check and properly torque and set. Interesting, NHTSA has also opened an investigation into Tesla for the Steering wheel coming off on the model 3 & Y.
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Right, not only the speed, but unlike Tesla that says they can do Level 5 with cameras only, seems cameras, radar, lidar and 20 plus sensors will be in play to ensure safety for the occupants that cover 95% of North American roads. Will be interesting to see who is next to get where GM is, but I do not expect anyone soon.
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This story started back in January 2022 at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, where GM CEO Mary Barra revealed that the Cadillac CELESTIQ, the Halo top-of-the-line car for Cadillac, would debut the next generation of Super Cruise, Ultra Cruise. To ensure maximum coverage of its surroundings, vehicles equipped with Ultra Cruise would use the following: High-resolution cameras Short and Long-range radar Sonar Lidar Super Cruise a less sophisticated system is already available on almost all GM vehicles allowing for hands free driving on over 400,000 roadways that GM has mapped out. GM is claiming that with Ultra Cruise, it will handle 95% of roadways, including those in dense urban settings. Ultra Cruise sensor Suite at the time of the announcement at CES. With this information, GM announced today, March 7th, 2023, that Ultra Cruise will debut with a unique sensor suite, providing the system with a 360-degree view of the vehicle's surroundings. Per the GM press release: How Ultra Cruise’s sensor suite works: GM is developing Ultra Cruise software in-house with a team of highly skilled software engineers worldwide. The company also works with suppliers who are experts in their relative spaces and integrates their sensing technologies with its homegrown software to bring Ultra Cruise to life. Driver attention system: This small camera, located on the top of the steering column, uses infrared light to help monitor the driver’s head position and/or eyes in relation to the road to help ensure driver attention. Compute platform: This is the physical hardware that enables Ultra Cruise. The system will be powered by a scalable compute architecture featuring system-on-chips (SoCs) developed by American semiconductor company Qualcomm Technologies. Long-range cameras: These seven, eight-megapixel cameras are located on the front, corners, back and sides of the vehicle, providing expanded fields of view for Ultra Cruise. They help the system detect objects such as traffic signs, traffic lights, other vehicles, and pedestrians. Short-range radars: Placed on the four corners of the vehicle, these radars help sense a radius of up to 90 meters, like pedestrians crossing the street or vehicles in surrounding lanes. Long-range radars: The three 4D long-range radars on the front and back of the vehicle allow for Adaptive Cruise Control speeds and lane change maneuvers at highway speeds by helping to detect an object’s location, direction and elevation relative to the speed of the vehicle. They also help the system determine safe stopping distances. LiDAR: The LiDAR, located behind the windshield, helps produce an accurate three-dimensional view of the scene, enabling more precise detection of objects and road features such as vehicles and lane markings, even in inclement weather conditions. Combined with other sensors, it can help create a robust perception of the environment around the vehicle for Ultra Cruise, increasing the system’s functional domain and performance. GM chief engineer for Ultra Cruise, Jason Ditman stated the following: “GM’s fundamental strategy for all ADAS features, including Ultra Cruise, is safely deploying these technologies.” “A deep knowledge of what Ultra Cruise is capable of, along with the detailed picture provided by its sensors, will help us understand when Ultra Cruise can be engaged and when to hand control back to the driver. We believe consistent, clear operation can help build drivers’ confidence in Ultra Cruise.” GM's philosophy for the company is safely deploying advanced driver assistance (ADAS) technologies as a guiding strategy. The destination-to-destination hands-free system will use more than just cameras to “see” the world. Ultra Cruise uses a blend of cameras, short- and long-range radars, LiDAR behind the windshield, an all-new computing system, and a driver attention system to monitor the driver’s head position and/or eyes in relation to the road to help ensure driver attention. These systems work together through “sensor fusion” to provide Ultra Cruise with a confident, 360-degree, three-dimensional representation of the vehicle’s surroundings. The all-new computing system GM mentions is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Automotive Platform. This is a power-efficient and customizable system designed for incredible speed for lightning-fast responses. Qualcomm built this system to be a connected, intelligent, aware platform that can be upgraded over the air (OTA) and grow as a company needs. The Snapdragon system has the following features: Optional integrated super-fast LTE Advanced connectivity Automotive heterogeneous compute processor with machine learning 64-bit Qualcomm® Kryo™ CPU architecture – high performance with support for ARM V8/Hypervisor Qualcomm® Adreno™ 530 GPU with improved performance for advanced graphics and 4K resolution Support for multiple camera sensors and high-resolution 4K displays Zeroth Machine Intelligence Platform supporting cognitive computing and computer vision for real-time recognition of potential hazards on the road Scalable platforms allowing integrated driver assistance features such as turn-by-turn navigation overlaid on live camera data. Those that are tech-focused and want to learn more can click here for additional information on the Snapdragon Automotive Platform. While Super Cruise, GM's first hands-free driving system, was a Level 2 autonomous driving system, Ultra Cruise will be moving forward to be a full-functioning Level 3 and above system as GM pushes out OTA updates to the system. Debuting on the Cadillac CELESTIQ in 2024, Ultra Cruise will be offered to start in 2025 on all top-of-the-line EV models, with Super Cruise covering the rest of the automaker's portfolio. GM's Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise autonomous technology is developed and field-tested through their Cruise subsidiary. This unit is the first company authorized to serve ride-hailing customers in San Francisco. View full article
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This story started back in January 2022 at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, where GM CEO Mary Barra revealed that the Cadillac CELESTIQ, the Halo top-of-the-line car for Cadillac, would debut the next generation of Super Cruise, Ultra Cruise. To ensure maximum coverage of its surroundings, vehicles equipped with Ultra Cruise would use the following: High-resolution cameras Short and Long-range radar Sonar Lidar Super Cruise a less sophisticated system is already available on almost all GM vehicles allowing for hands free driving on over 400,000 roadways that GM has mapped out. GM is claiming that with Ultra Cruise, it will handle 95% of roadways, including those in dense urban settings. Ultra Cruise sensor Suite at the time of the announcement at CES. With this information, GM announced today, March 7th, 2023, that Ultra Cruise will debut with a unique sensor suite, providing the system with a 360-degree view of the vehicle's surroundings. Per the GM press release: How Ultra Cruise’s sensor suite works: GM is developing Ultra Cruise software in-house with a team of highly skilled software engineers worldwide. The company also works with suppliers who are experts in their relative spaces and integrates their sensing technologies with its homegrown software to bring Ultra Cruise to life. Driver attention system: This small camera, located on the top of the steering column, uses infrared light to help monitor the driver’s head position and/or eyes in relation to the road to help ensure driver attention. Compute platform: This is the physical hardware that enables Ultra Cruise. The system will be powered by a scalable compute architecture featuring system-on-chips (SoCs) developed by American semiconductor company Qualcomm Technologies. Long-range cameras: These seven, eight-megapixel cameras are located on the front, corners, back and sides of the vehicle, providing expanded fields of view for Ultra Cruise. They help the system detect objects such as traffic signs, traffic lights, other vehicles, and pedestrians. Short-range radars: Placed on the four corners of the vehicle, these radars help sense a radius of up to 90 meters, like pedestrians crossing the street or vehicles in surrounding lanes. Long-range radars: The three 4D long-range radars on the front and back of the vehicle allow for Adaptive Cruise Control speeds and lane change maneuvers at highway speeds by helping to detect an object’s location, direction and elevation relative to the speed of the vehicle. They also help the system determine safe stopping distances. LiDAR: The LiDAR, located behind the windshield, helps produce an accurate three-dimensional view of the scene, enabling more precise detection of objects and road features such as vehicles and lane markings, even in inclement weather conditions. Combined with other sensors, it can help create a robust perception of the environment around the vehicle for Ultra Cruise, increasing the system’s functional domain and performance. GM chief engineer for Ultra Cruise, Jason Ditman stated the following: “GM’s fundamental strategy for all ADAS features, including Ultra Cruise, is safely deploying these technologies.” “A deep knowledge of what Ultra Cruise is capable of, along with the detailed picture provided by its sensors, will help us understand when Ultra Cruise can be engaged and when to hand control back to the driver. We believe consistent, clear operation can help build drivers’ confidence in Ultra Cruise.” GM's philosophy for the company is safely deploying advanced driver assistance (ADAS) technologies as a guiding strategy. The destination-to-destination hands-free system will use more than just cameras to “see” the world. Ultra Cruise uses a blend of cameras, short- and long-range radars, LiDAR behind the windshield, an all-new computing system, and a driver attention system to monitor the driver’s head position and/or eyes in relation to the road to help ensure driver attention. These systems work together through “sensor fusion” to provide Ultra Cruise with a confident, 360-degree, three-dimensional representation of the vehicle’s surroundings. The all-new computing system GM mentions is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Automotive Platform. This is a power-efficient and customizable system designed for incredible speed for lightning-fast responses. Qualcomm built this system to be a connected, intelligent, aware platform that can be upgraded over the air (OTA) and grow as a company needs. The Snapdragon system has the following features: Optional integrated super-fast LTE Advanced connectivity Automotive heterogeneous compute processor with machine learning 64-bit Qualcomm® Kryo™ CPU architecture – high performance with support for ARM V8/Hypervisor Qualcomm® Adreno™ 530 GPU with improved performance for advanced graphics and 4K resolution Support for multiple camera sensors and high-resolution 4K displays Zeroth Machine Intelligence Platform supporting cognitive computing and computer vision for real-time recognition of potential hazards on the road Scalable platforms allowing integrated driver assistance features such as turn-by-turn navigation overlaid on live camera data. Those that are tech-focused and want to learn more can click here for additional information on the Snapdragon Automotive Platform. While Super Cruise, GM's first hands-free driving system, was a Level 2 autonomous driving system, Ultra Cruise will be moving forward to be a full-functioning Level 3 and above system as GM pushes out OTA updates to the system. Debuting on the Cadillac CELESTIQ in 2024, Ultra Cruise will be offered to start in 2025 on all top-of-the-line EV models, with Super Cruise covering the rest of the automaker's portfolio. GM's Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise autonomous technology is developed and field-tested through their Cruise subsidiary. This unit is the first company authorized to serve ride-hailing customers in San Francisco.
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Scout Motors, A New Beginning for the 21st Century
G. David Felt replied to G. David Felt's topic in Scout
Agree, this might actually do better than VW SUV and if they ever do a truck. No VW baggage. -
Interesting, it would seem that LG has maxed out in regards to personel and ability to build GMs 4th battery plant and as such, Friday Yonhap News Agency reported that Samsung SDI and GM would be building the 4th plant together and this plant will build both pouch and cylinder battery cells for various GM autos depending on brand. Samsung SDI to build battery plant with GM -Yonhap | Reuters What makes this interesting even more is that some news agencies are reporting that this will be announced on March 8th 2023. Yet all my searching even in Korean is coming up blank for the actual Yonhap News Story. While I think it is good for GM to have multiple battery cell suppliers, I do have to wonder what all is really going on with battery cell production for GM. Interesting times we live in!!!
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VW did their world release of the updated ID3 compact EV. While the U.S. will not get this auto, they listened to customers who complained about certain things in regard to the ID3 such as material quality and attention to detail. Enhanced quality, likeable, digital: world premiere of the new ID.3 | Volkswagen Newsroom (volkswagen-newsroom.com) Video of ID3 V2023NR0020_1080p.mp4