Autoline This Week

Autonomy is a startup that provides subscriptions to a Tesla Model 3. Customers can learn firsthand whether an EV meets their driving needs, without a big, long-term financial commitment. And it’s cheaper than renting a car. Scott Painter, the CEO of Autonomy, explains the advantages, and also warns that the shortage of inventory in the used car market is about to get a lot worse.

You cannot believe how many laws regulate the auto industry. So many that it’s almost impossible to keep track of. But two legal eagles, Kevin McDonald from VW Credit and Karl Hochkammer from Honigman LLP, have compiled a very complete catalog of laws and they explain what they’re about in plain English that anyone can understand. They’ve managed to take a boring topic and make it very interesting.

You’ve heard of the chip shortage that crippled automotive production. But you probably haven’t heard about the critical shortage of headlamp engineers. And you also probably didn’t know that thanks to consolidation in the industry, there aren’t many headlamp manufacturers left, either. All automakers are struggling with this problem, but that’s especially true for the EV startups. They can’t get the lamps they need. Klaus Matauschek from Forvia HELLA, Wolfgang Huhn from Driving Vision News and Michael Pickholz from MagWerks Vision, talk about how the industry got into this mess.

Lordstown Motors changed its business plan. Instead of building electric trucks, it’s going to have Foxconn build them for it—in the plant that Lordstown used to own. It raised the money it needs to launch its truck by selling the plant to Lordstown. That truck, called the Endurance, will start production in Q3, 2022. But Lordstown is already working on other commercial models that will use a skateboard chassis. Edward T. Hightower, the President of Lordstown Motors, explains the new direction the company is going in.

Automotive suppliers have strong opinions about the automakers they sell parts and services to. Some automakers have great relations with their suppliers, others not so much. Plante Moran, the consulting company, does an annual supplier survey that captures what suppliers are saying. Dave Andrea and Mark Barrott from Plante Moran go through their latest findings.

Powered roads, where EVs pick up electric power from the road as they drive, is a dream that goes back decades. But now a convergence of technologies could turn it into reality. Prefabricated road sections with embedded sensors and inductive charging are the game changing technologies. By collecting data that can be monetized and by selling electricity, private industry wants to build these roads—at no cost to taxpayers. Tim Sylvester from Integrated Roadways, Jeremy McCool from HEVO and Michele Mueller from the Michigan Department of Transportation, talk about the latest developments.

Every year the SAE Foundation chooses a recipient for its Leadership Award. This year it chose GM President Mark Reuss. At the awards banquet, Reuss sat down with Autoline to talk about his career, GM’s transition to electric vehicles, and the challenges that lie ahead for the automotive industry.

Five years ago, foreign automakers saw China as an unending source of growth and profits. Not anymore. Today, companies like Volkswagen and General Motors are seeing sharp drops in sales and profits. And Chinese automakers are emerging as world class competitors. So, are foreign automakers in trouble in China? Michael Dunne, CEO of ZoZo Go and Tu Le, the head of Sino Auto Insights, provide their insight and analysis.

In addition to the terrible loss of lives, the tragic lines of refugees and brutal war crimes, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is upending the auto industry. Automakers and suppliers felt the impact immediately, and the long term implications could take years to resolve. Joe McCabe, the CEO of AutoForecast Solutions, and Justin Cox, the director of Global Production at LMC Automotive, go through the details of what we’re likely to see.

It takes a certain type of person to be an entrepreneur. But even those people need to know their strengths and weaknesses and how to avoid common pitfalls. Three start-up experts discuss what sets entrepreneurs apart from everyone else: Khanjan Desai, CEO and Co-Founder, Alchemy; Adrien Cote, Executive Director, Velocity; and Helge Seetzen, CEO, TandemLaunch.