This week in Automotive: Auto players invest into charging infrastructure, while R&D teams present a roadmap for climate-neutral mobility
Latest Industry Insights from Draup Braindesk
Top automotive companies collaborate with autonomous vehicle startups to promote automated driving with advanced safety solutions using sensing technologies like LiDAR and RADAR.
Bosh and pony.ai joined forces to develop and test fleet maintenance solutions for commercial Robo-taxi programs.
Porsche leverages TriEye’s SWIR1 camera and infrared sensors to detect objects on the road with limited visibility.
Navistar and tusimple are working together to develop self-driving technology for tractors and integrate the solution for mass production.
Toyota and Aurora partnered to integrate ‘Aurora Driver’ into its future models and enable autonomous driving capabilities.
Tech giants are collaborating with autonomous driving startups to launch startup accelerator programs and acquire self-driving technologies.
Google launched Waymo, which develops autonomous driving technology and operates a commercial self-driving taxi service, “Waymo One.”
Microsoft invested in Cruise in a new equity round of USD 2 Bn to accelerate the development of self-driving vehicles using Azure and edge computing platforms.
Apple acquired Drive.ai to develop autonomous vehicle technology by leveraging its self-driving car software for driverless mobility
Amazon has acquired Zoox to design self-driving ride-hailing vehicles to deliver safe, clean, and autonomous mobility.
Latest Reports Published in Draup
Renault account intelligence report: Renault strengthens its electric business by partnering with Veolia, Solvay, and Uber by enhancing its technological capabilities. Product Engineering Services is the highly outsourced segment, holds approximately 68% of the total outsourcing headcount. Read More>>
Asia automotive industry analysis: India has emerged as the most preferred country for services providers catering to Asia’s automotive industry. Considering the adoption of electric vehicles across the regions covered in this study, solution/service providers are posing massive opportunities to cater to the EV market. Read More>>
Key Funding Alert
Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit Waymo announces a new USD 2.5 Bn funding round
Waymo is building the most advanced technology stack for urban driving. The company is also working on self-driving trucks for highway freight delivery with its business unit Waymo Via. Waymo plans to launch the Waymo One, a public ride-hailing service. Read More>>
Startup Spotlight
Company – Ion Mobility HQ Location – Singapore Total Funding – USD 3.3 Mn About: Ion Mobility is a tech-driven all-electric Southeast Asian mobility company tackling a challenging and complex space. It designs, builds, and supports next-generation EV motorcycles. Southeast Asia is the third-largest motorcycle market after India and China. Read More>>
Key Insights and Signals in Automotive
Centre set up and expansion Porsche Engineering opens second tech location in Romania
The new location extends and complements the digital competencies of Porsche Engineering at its other Romanian site in Cluj-Napoca, founded in 2016, where more than 250 employees are already working on various high-tech automotive projects. Read More>> Garrett Motion to expand production facility in Wuhan, China
The expansion will increase the size of the state-of-the-art facility by approximately 50%. They plan to roll out the first high-speed production line with variable geometry technology for gasoline engines upon expanding the plant. Read More>> Giant Jaguar Land Rover depot to open near Ashby
A vast warehouse stocking parts for Jaguars and Land Rovers are a step closer to opening after choosing Unipart Logistics to run the site. Unipart Logistics will run parts distribution and the related packing and customer support roles. Read More>> Kia Canada powers up buyer knowledge with an all-new EV experience center in Vancouver
The first-of-its-kind by Kia, the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre educates Canadians on the benefit, opportunities, and future of electric vehicles. Read More>> Plastic Omnium breaks ground in China
Passionate about hydrogen mobility, Plastic Omnium offers a range of products to address hydrogen storage needs while also working on advanced solutions for fuel cell integration. Read More>>
Volvo Group breaks ground on state-of-the-art vehicle propulsion lab in the U.S
Volvo’s VPL will be the first facility in North America to allow comprehensive testing of current and future products for Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks, Prevost, and Volvo Bus to meet evolving government regulations and ensure high performance on the diverse North American roadways. Read More>>
Deals BYD receives orders for 195 electric buses for UK operator RATP Dev London
According to the manufacturer, this is the largest order of electric buses ever made in the country. In London alone, more than 400 BYD ADL electric buses have zero-emission of more than 32 million kilometers, and 300 vehicles are in the queue, including the latest entry for RATP Dev London. Read More>> Hankook to supply OE tires to e-tron GT, Audi’s first all-electric sports car
Hankook is fitted on the Audi e-tron GT ex works with its Ventus S1 evo 3 ev, specially developed for electric vehicles’ needs. The company is now represented on several premium models in the electric sports car segment, including the Audi e-tron GT. Read More>> Air taxi: Honeywell supplies components for and participates in Lilium
In addition, Honeywell is to contribute an avionics system to the air taxi, which is to offer pilots a simplified user interface. The two companies tailored this system to the jet. It should shorten the training time and support the operation by a single pilot so that more passengers could find space in the jet. Read More>> General Motors, Wabtec sign deal to electrify locomotives
The car giant’s Ultium battery technology and hydrogen fuel cell system would allow Wabtec to run its locomotives with battery power. GM’s work on the Ultium battery technology as part of its joint venture with LG Energy Solution, which is currently constructing the battery cell plants at its plants in Ohio and Tennessee. Read More>> Sinopec signs charging infrastructure deal with Evergrande
China’s real estate giant Evergrande Group is driving its EV ambitions further as it signs a new deal with the state-run oil firm Sinopec. The strategic partnership includes the construction of EV charging and battery swapping facilities. Read More>>
Mergers and Acquisitions BMW and Ford-backed Solid Power will go public via SPAC merger in a USD 1.2 Bn deal
Solid Power, a solid-state battery developer backed by Ford and BMW, is going public. Ford Motor Company and BMW AG have made it clear they’re bullish on Solid Power’s ability to deliver. Read More>> Faurecia acquires DesignLED
The company has acquired designLED, a Scottish company specializing in backlighting technology. DesignLED has a rich intellectual property portfolio as well as advanced modeling and simulation capabilities. Read More>> BorgWarner completes tender offer for 89% stake in AKASOL
AKASOL designs and manufactures customizable lithium-ion battery systems for buses, commercial, rail, and industrial vehicles, as well as for ships and boats. The company has paid approximately EUR 648 Mn (USD 772.69 Mn) from its current cash balances to settle the tender offer. Read More>> Ashok Leyland wing acquires electric vehicles maker Switch Mobility Automotive
Ashok Leyland’s subsidiary Switch Mobility fully acquired its Indian subsidiary, Switch Mobility, India. Switch Mobility was incorporated to carry on the business of manufacture and sale of electric vehicles. Read More>>
Partnerships Valeo and Navya strengthen their technological and industrial collaboration
Valeo will provide Navya with the sensors and associated algorithms to enable the vehicle to perceive its surroundings closely, and Navya will share the technical and functional data collected during experimentations. Read More>> TVS signs MoU with CESL to set up EV charging stations
This partnership will entail setting up public EV charging infrastructure, adopting better technology for charging, exploring best practices and business models, and examining the availability of potential customer segments for demand augmentation. Read More>> Hitachi and Arrival team-up for e-bus solutions
Together, both companies say they will work with operators to deploy integrated end-to-end solutions that incorporate all aspects of owning and operating Arrival vehicles; this includes items such as charging infrastructure and digital tools. Read More>> Audi to extend partnership with energy providers
The company wants to become a provider of carbon-neutral mobility and is partnering with energy providers to support the expansion of renewable energy sources. They will work with different partners to build new wind and solar farms in various European countries by 2025 to generate around five terawatt-hours of additional green power. Read More>>
Executive Movement Amy Stokes joins Volvo Trucks as Head of E-mobility
Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland has appointed its first Head of e-Mobility, weeks after opening the order books for its all-new Volvo FH, FM, and FMX Electric heavy-duty trucks to meet the demands from society and customers for dramatic cuts in CO2 emissions. Read More>> Mercedes-Benz USA appoints new leaders
The company has appointed Tobias Rist to VP and chief financial officer. Frank Diertl was appointed as VP, retail network development and special projects. Rist succeeds Christian Struwe, who was appointed Head of sales controlling at Mercedes-Benz Cars Europe. Diertl assumes responsibility for the company’s retail network development team, adding to his existing duties. Read More>> Mahindra Appoints Pratap Bose to lead its new Global Design Organization
The new Global Design organization renews Mahindra’s commitment to reshaping the future of mobility by designing and developing dynamically engineered next-generation authentic products with global appeal. Read More>> Human Horizons appoints Kevin Zhang as new Chief Digital Officer
Kevin will be working alongside founder and CEO Ding Lei. The executive team has grown Human Horizons into a world-class car manufacturer within a few years. The company has recently welcomed Michael Li as new Co-President and Chairman of Sales and Services, and Co-Founder Kevin Chen has changed his role to become the company COO. Read More>> Ferrari turns to the tech industry to find a new boss
The Italian brand has named Benedetto Vigna as its new CEO. He has worked for chipmaker STMicroelectronics since 1995. Vigna will start in September, and his appointment fills a six-month vacancy. Read More>>
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