G. David Felt

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.

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

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!!!

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

A good laugh for the day! Idiot Crazy the number of idiots over the years that have hit this low railroad crossing. I would think the city would realize they need to make a change more than a sign and radar saying your over height.

For gear heards that love all things ICE, enjoy. An interesting video for sure. Man I would love to see some of these here being driven.

Kia continues to get awesome reviews on their EV6 and now especially the EV6 GT. 2023 Kia EV6 GT First Drive Review: 576-HP Electric Thrill Ride - CNET

Cool Video

Seems VW is even tweeting about the new production site.

Scout, originally was a product line of International Harvester, which merged into Navistar International and then via the purchase of Navistar International by Traton Truck division, part of the Volkswagen family. Ownership of the Scout product line has given VW the ability to bring back a focused EV division of desire by North American Consumers. The Scout product line started in 1961 with the Scout 80 pickup truck and continued with Scout products till 1980. 1961 Scout Pickup International Harvester created the Scout product line as a competitor to Jeep. This started with the above 2-door pickup truck with fold down front windshield. International Harvester started with production of commercial trucks and pickups in 1907 with the company adding an actual 1953 people hauler called the International Travelall, a competitor to the Chevrolet Suburban. In the 1950's International Harvester began a focused design of a competitor for the 2-door Jeep CJ 4x4 which had great success due to GI's returning form WWII buying them for personal use supporting Jeep's transition from a War manufacturer to a retail seller of 4x4s. After the pickup truck, it did not take International long to expand into the SUV side also. History overview of the International Harvester Scout can be had by visiting the following webpage, SCOUT. Fast forward to 2016 when VW purchased a $2.9 billion dollar stake in Navistar to compete in the North American heavy truck market. VW continued over the following few years to buy additional stock till on January 30th, 2020 with a 16.8% holding of Navistar, VW offered $35 per share to purchase Navistar and fold it into the Traton Commercial Truck division. This gave VW the rights to the Scout name and all associated product that was still kept under the control of Navistar. Fast Forward to May 2022, the Volkswagen Group announced that it was incorporating Scout Motors and Scott Keogh was to be the president and CEO along with a Scout board of directors as they would be creating an EV portfolio for the U.S. market. Today, Scout Motors has an online presence with social media, and a brand-owned community forum. Scout Motors Scout has announced that with a nod to the past and a focus on the future, they will communicate with an honest style and intuitive user interface that will allow all those interested to navigate with ease the upcoming world of SCOUT! Scout Motors Community Forums Scout built this forum site to give an online meeting place for members of past and future Scouts to engage with the Scout Motors team , offering feedback, suggestions and inspiration for the future of Scout. With these feedback, Scout Motors has released the following teasers of the soon to be revealed Scout SUV and Pickup Truck EVs. A true nod to the history of Scout while embracing the future of the Automotive world. Many might think that Scout Motors will use the VW MEB platform that is also being used by Ford, VW, Audi and Porsche. Scout Motors has not committed to using this platform and has stated that they are looking at a more rugged platform for long term EV production. Scott Keogh, CEO of Scout Motors had this to say: "The Scout enthusiast community has preserved Scout heritage. Since 1980, these owners and fans have kept Scout alive. We're excited to be a part of the community and want to foster interaction and exchange as we reimagine this American icon." "We started this forum to nurture an open dialogue with our community members, to hear what they expect in all-new Scout vehicles, and to build a central location where past, present, and future Scout enthusiasts can come together as one." Scout Motors has created a Scout Registry to chronicle vehicle history, ownership and unique builds. This allows Scout owners to create their own Scout Registry Entry with the ability to upload a description of their Scout and photos, share personal Scout stories and welcome new Scout owners as Scout's all-new, all-electric truck and SUV begins. Scout Motors has the following company-focused message: To honor where we've come from. To unlock the potential of what lies ahead. To show our land the respect it deserves. To lift up our communities and haul their heaviest burdens. To lead the charge into the great unknown. Scouts go first, Scouts go farther, Scouts always come back to lead the way. We are carrying on the everlasting spirit. We are Scout Motors! We're making the next generation of all-electric trucks and rugged SUVs for American drivers. With this statement from Scout Motors, released a major press release on Friday March 3rd, 2023. South Carolina has been chosen for Scout Motors first EV production site. Columbia, South Carolina, USA will be Scout Motors Inc. first EV production site building next-generation lifestyle trucks and rugged SUVs. This is a $2 billion dollar investment that will create up to 4,000 or more permanent jobs with a full capacity of more than 200,000 vehicles annually. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster had the following statement: “Scout Motors will provide thousands of South Carolinians with previously un-imagined opportunities and prosperity for generations to come. The Palmetto State, with its rich history, superior people, and sterling automotive manufacturing reputation, is the perfect place to re-start this iconic American brand.” The Scout Motors Inc. site is approximately 1,600 acres, with the plant itself occupying 1,100 acres. Bordered by the I-77 and Blythewood Road, with a strategic location that is less than 20 miles north of Columbia, near major cities and talent hubs such as Charleston, Sharlotte, Greenville, and Atlanta. This site gives Scout unrivalled access to major highways, ports for movement of materials and finished products while also providing access to universities focused on automotive engineering and software development. Groundbreaking is to commence 2023 with production to begin by the end of 2026 if not sooner. Scout Motors is an independent U.S. company, backed by the Volkswagen Group, with an experienced Board of Directors, including Dr. Gernot Doellner, Head of Group Strategy at Volkswagen AG, and Peter Bosch, member of the Bentley Motors Board for Manufacturing. Scout Motors is headquartered in Tysons, Virgina. Retail sales of the Scout Truck and SUV will occur soon as the company moves forward with setting up sales for pre-orders. Scout motors can be followed at the following online sites: Scout Motors, (2) Scout Motors Inc.: Overview | LinkedIn, Scout Motors | Facebook, Scout Motors Inc. (@scout_motors) • Instagram photos and videos View full article

Ya sure that is a parking lot? Never seen so much broken up asphalt before.

Trail Boss EV Pickup Truck Commercial

Do we really know what Chicken tastes like?

Spring will be here before you know it and we all love our autos to look sharp, great write up on buffing your auto to a top notch shine. Here's How To Buff A Car | The Drive

Agree, I also did not see a few plants that have been announced, so not sure if it is just a delay since this map was originally done end of last year or what. I also thought that was confusing and wondered why one team would not use the top level approved calipers. Very weird for sure unless that one team feels they can use a lighter version to make their auto faster due to less weight. But I would have to think breaking power of going into curves would also increase crash risk.

Cool Read, great way to build the workforce you need of the future. Auto companies partner with state and schools to build EV workforce (freep.com)

@oldshurst442 @ccap41 Since ya guys were talking F1 racing. I have to say I love the look of these F1 Brembo Brakes. Jewelry for an Auto and I can clearly see these on Cadillac V editions, Corvette and Camaro's especially on the EV versions to ensure stopping. Brembo continues to be the leader in Formula 1 braking systems | Brembo - Official Website

Ford wins USPS contract for electric vans to be used as Delivery Vans. USPS Selects Ford to Electrify Nation’s Largest Federal Fleet, Purchases 9,250 E-Transit Vans | Ford Media Center

Very cool, ahead of the reveal this month, Kia has dropped a teaser of the EV9.

WOW, from a meer 55GWh of battery production in 2021, the U.S. is expected to produce 1,000 GWh of battery cells by 2030 now. Expansion Of EV Battery Manufacturing Capacity In North America Amazes (insideevs.com)

The last and finale special edition model of Dodge will be revealed March 20th at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Roadkill Nights is the focus of the commercial for this "Last Call" special edition dodge. Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas The Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas one-day performance festival will not only reveal the final Dodge “Last Call” special-edition vehicle, but also spotlight the electrified future of the brand with the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept also on display in Las Vegas. Enthusiasts can purchase general admission tickets and view information for the Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas event at www.Motortrend.com/DodgeLastCall. A Livestream feed of the reveal will be available for viewing at DodgeGarage.com, the Dodge YouTube channel, MotorTrend YouTube channel, as well as at MT+. Event activities will include Small Tire and Big Tire drag racing on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dodge Thrill Rides and simulators, a car show and sponsor/vendor midway areas, a post-event concert/afterglow and more. As with previous Roadkill Nights events, the Roadkill Nights Vegas performance fest will be packed with celebrity appearances — highlighted by a special performance by Grammy-winning superstar Diplo. 2023 Dodge Charger/Challenger “Last Call” Highlights The seventh and final 2023 "Last Call" special-edition model commemorates the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, which are coming to an end in their current HEMI-engine-powered forms at the end of 2023. Six Dodge "Last Call" models have already been introduced: the Dodge Challenger Shakedown, Dodge Charger Super Bee, Dodge Challenger and Charger Scat Pack Swinger, Dodge Charger King Daytona and Dodge Challenger Black Ghost. In addition to the seven “Last Call” special-edition models, Dodge is also celebrating its 2023 model lineup by bringing back three beloved heritage exterior colors, B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green, and one popular modern color, Destroyer Grey. 2023 Charger and Challenger R/T models will also feature new “345” fender badging, a callout to the 345-cubic-inch HEMI® engine under the hood, and all 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger models will carry a special commemorative “Last Call” underhood plaque. Dodge also launched a new Horsepower Locator online tool to help Brotherhood of Muscle members make the “Last Call” for the model of their choice. The Dodge Horsepower Locator tool, as well as information on the brand's 24-month Never Lift plan, is available at DodgeGarage.com. Stellantis Media - ‘Last Call’ Countdown: Teaser Video No. 1 — ‘Runnin’ Hyde’ (stellantisnorthamerica.com) @oldshurst442 @surreal1272 @ccap41 @riviera74 @Drew Dowdell @Robert Hall So what do you guys think the final 7th version will be called and how much power over the 840HP Demon do you think it will have? Could this have the rumored 1,000HP big block V8 as a final send off? Seems Stellantis released last night the following press release: Stellantis Media - Stellantis Announces $155 Million Investment in Three Indiana Plants to Support North American Electrification Goals (stellantisnorthamerica.com) The basics of the press release: Company to localize production of new electric drive module (EDM) in Kokomo EDM provides all-in-one solution for electric-vehicle powertrains, delivering improved performance at competitive cost Investments to be made at Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission and Kokomo Casting plants More than 265 jobs retained Total investments in Indiana since 2020 to support electrification goals grow to nearly $3.3 billion, including gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI Announcement aligns with company’s long-term strategy to reach 50% U.S. battery-electric vehicle sales by 2030, starting with the first fully electric Ram vehicles from 2023 and Jeep® from 2024 Since 2020, Stellantis has invested nearly $3.3 billion in Indiana to support its transition to electrification. This includes recent announcements of $643 million to produce a new engine for conventional and PHEV applications, a next-generation eight-speed transmission and a gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI.

Cool News World first! Charging a Chevy Bolt EV on a Tesla Supercharger using Magic Dock | Electrek Leased 2020 Chevy Bolt EV Worth More Than Residual Value (gmauthority.com) Have to say I like the Buick Electra E5 interior from the Chinese market. All-New Buick Electra E5 Interior Design Revealed In China (gmauthority.com)