Autoline This Week

Gill Pratt, Toyota’s Chief Scientist, says we’re going to hear a lot more about the company’s move into electric cars. Up to now Toyota’s public statements have focused on hybrids and fuel cells. But it’s been quietly developing EVs behind the scenes. And now it’s ready to talk about them. Gill Pratt lays out Toyota’s strategy on solid state batteries, recycling, EV platforms, EV manufacturing and more.

Batteries for electric cars are extremely expensive. But Tal Sholklapper, the CEO of Voltaiq, a battery design consultancy, says that cost is coming down fast, and will soon reach $50-60 per kilowatt-hour. That’s about half of what it is now, and that would give EVs cost parity with piston powered cars and trucks. He also talks about battery recycling, a potential raw material shortage and other topics. Chad Kirchner from EVPulse.com also joins the discussion.

Despite the perception that auto shows are losing their appeal, Foresight Research says the public is just as interested in auto shows as it ever was. Moreover, people are hungry to learn more about electric vehicles and auto shows are the perfect place to learn more about them–especially when that includes ride-and-drives. Auto shows are an effective way to reach consumers without the sales pressure they’ll run into at a dealership.

Multimatic, PEM Motion and Ettractive are three Canadian companies with expertise in turning ideas into reality. Here’s their advice on what startups need to keep in mind, from the typical kinds of problems they’ll run into, to how to meet the standards set by the automotive industry.

General Motors is jumping into online retailing with both feet. It’s launching a web portal called CarBravo to sell used cars, including non-GM brands and models. Dan Ahearn, the senior manager in charge of CarBravo, explains why they’ll happily sell you a car that was made by a different automaker.

They used to call it the Rust Belt. But Midwest states like Michigan are actually at the leading edge of a revolution in new mobility. Smokestack factories are giving way to modern manufacturing facilities and R and D centers. Garlin Gilchrist, the lieutenant governor of Michigan, gives a detailed account of the initiatives going on in the stat

The public is hyper aware that a wave of electric cars is about to hit the market. But the public doesn’t know a lot about the public EV charging infrastructure. And in many cases what it knows is flat out wrong. Mark LaNeve, the president of Charge Enterprises, and Sarah Nielsen, the executive director of Transportation, Renewables and Storage from Consumers Energy, set the record straight.

CES is renowned for being a mecca for tech companies. Even so, for 2022 it’s attracting a record amount of automotive exhibitors and speakers. One out of three attendees will be coming from automotive and mobility companies. Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association which runs CES, talks about why automotive companies are so devoted to the show and why they want to be there. Also joining the discussion are Pete Bigelow from Automotive News and Sam Abuelsamid from Guidehouse Insights.

There is a critical shortage of automotive technicians in the US. Car dealerships, body shops and automotive repair facilities can’t find the people they need. But a high school and community college in North Carolina have figured out how to get students excited about working on cars. In fact, they have a waiting list of students who want to enroll. Roy Jennings and Dustin Ford from the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, as well as Erik Mortensen from Watauga High School, explain why the program is so successful.

The auto industry is learning how to slash the time it takes to develop new cars and components with a technology called Digital Twins. By simulating a product or a process, automakers and suppliers can perfect the design before it’s actually used in the real world. Digital Twins are revolutionizing the product development process. Prith Banerjee from Ansys and Ashish Naik from NI discuss the impact it’s having.