SOUTHFIELD–American automakers are wrestling with issues of safety systems and distracted driving, while American drivers are in love with their phones and still skeptical about self-driving cars. That was the word Thursday from a panel of experts on automotive safety, at a WWJ Newsradio 950 “Leaders and Innovators” business breakfast held in partnership with Lawrence
SOUTHFIELD—Tier 1 auto supplier Lear Corp. announced an undisclosed investment in Menlo Park, Calif.-based Autotech Ventures to support startups developing new mobility technologies. The investment is being made through Lear Innovation Ventures, which was launched a year ago, to identify advanced development teams and early stage technologies and provide direct capital to innovation initiatives. Autotech
FERNDALE—Bollinger Motors announced it has filed for patent protection for its all electric, all-wheel drive, Class 3 vehicles. The scope of the patent includes the entire vehicle, and gives particular emphasis on the specific arrangement of major components and subsystems. “Our team has created a vehicle that’s engineered and packaged unlike anything ever built,” said
LANSING – PlanetM, in partnership with the North American International Auto Show’s mobility showcase, AutoMobili-D, Powered by PlanetM, announced submissions are now open for the 3rd Annual PlanetM Awards, which will take place on June 10. “As the global automotive and tech communities converge in Detroit for 2020 NAIAS, there is no better time to acknowledge companies that
DETROIT - Automakers around the world are investing tens of billions of dollars to electrify their line-ups, but there are still a number of obstacles limiting mainstream acceptance — such as range and cost. But Phoenix-based Nikola Motors may have found what its CEO describes as the “Holy Grail of batteries,” an alternative to today’s
LANSING - Public or private organizations can apply for up to $70,000 each toward the cost of installing direct current fast chargers for electric vehicles under a request for proposals announced by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The rebates are aimed at encouraging the buildout of an EV fast charging network
SAN FRANCISCO - Tesla filled a patent on a new chemistry for better, longer-lasting and cheaper batteries in late December. Earlier in 2019, Tesla’s battery research partner, Jeff Dahn and his team at Dalhousie University, unveiled the impressive results of tests on a new battery cell that could last over 1 million miles in an electric
AUBURN HILLS—The future of intelligent transportation has been installed at three intersections in Auburn Hills by the United States unit of the German auto supplier Continental. Continental officials this week announced the establishment of a new technology proving ground, the Smart City Mobility and Transportation Hub in Auburn Hills. The hub includes the installation of
TROY—J.D. Power, the Troy-based provider of data analytics and consumer intelligence, announced the acquisition of Trilogy Automotive, the automotive software division of Austin, Texas-based Trilogy Enterprises. Terms were not disclosed. Trilogy’s software-as-a-service-based lead management software will be integrated into the auto dealer software system marketed by J.D. Power’s Autodata Solutions division, expanding the capabilities and
NEW YORK – An eCommerce platform partially funded by Detroit billionaire Dan Gilbert announced Friday that it has closed a $254 million Series H funding round that will be used in part to expand and staff up its Detroit engineering hub. “Detroit is ground zero for all things automotive,” said Vroom CEO Paul Hennessy in
