Tesla very close to level five autonomous driving tech: Elon Musk

"I'm confident that we will have the basic functionality of L5 autonomous driving this year," Musk said. "There are no fundamental challenges."

Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc is “very close” to developing fully autonomous vehicles and could work out the basics of that technology as soon as this year, he said in a prerecorded video played during the World AI Conference in Shanghai.

Musk reiterated that the electric vehicle maker has solved most of the essential challenges toward achieving Level 5 autonomy, or a fully self-driven automobile that needs no human behind the wheel. The Tesla and SpaceX chief was reaffirming a goal first expressed in 2019.

“I’m confident that we will have the basic functionality of L5 autonomous driving this year,” Musk said. “There are no fundamental challenges.”

Tesla is racing against the likes of Alphabet’s Waymo and General Motors’ Cruise to attain the pinnacle of industry: The first 100 per cent driverless car. Covid-19 has both strengthened the case for robot drivers — by making social distance essential — and shuttered labs and factories where the technology is being refined.

Musk has argued autonomous-driving will be transformative for Tesla. At stake are billions of dollars in potential revenue and a global change in traffic systems. BloombergNEF expects 27 million robotaxis on the road globally by 2040, while Cruise CEO Dan Ammann has claimed there will be a $1 trillion addressable market in the US for autonomous ride hailing. Waymo, a front-runner to pioneer a commercial service, has been valued at over $100 billion.

Concept cars gleam, but executive dread clouds Frankfurt Auto Show

A global downturn, technology shifts putting unprecedented pressure on automakers.

Business Standard : Car executives are paid to be optimists, but behind the pomp and salesmanship at the Frankfurt International Motor Show this week lurked an unmistakable sense of angst.

The talk among industry insiders at the show, one of the auto industry's biggest events, reflected the existential threats that carmakers face.

The European and global auto markets are in decline. Carmakers are betting their futures on electric vehicles whose marketability is untested. Manufacturers are under intense public and regulatory pressure because of the role that vehicles play in climate change. The global trade war has disrupted supply chains.

Even auto shows are under threat. Many manufacturers scaled back their presence in Frankfurt this year or skipped the show altogether. Companies like Toyota and Fiat Chrysler decided the benefits didn't justify the millions of euros it takes to put on a display.

"It's an unprecedented situation we are in," said Wolf-Henning Scheider, chief executive of ZF Friedrichshafen, a German transmission maker that has an extensive network of factories in the United States, Europe and China.

Mr. Scheider noted that carmakers must invest vast sums in electric vehicles and autonomous driving at the same time they are coping with a trade war. "All these at the same time is new," Mr. Scheider said in an interview. The Frankfurt show was as good a place as any to find out how auto executives plan to survive the tsunami. Here are some of the main takeaways.

Sustainability has become a matter of survival

Protests by environmental groups were especially intense this year, as carmakers increasingly take the blame for climate change. Volkswagen alone accounts for more than 1 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, according to the company's own calculations.

This week Greenpeace activists stood on the roofs of SUVs on display at the Frankfurt exhibition grounds with signs that chided, “Climate Killer.”

The militant group Attac planned to blockade streets and bring traffic to a standstill on Saturday, the day the show opens to the public. Carmakers are desperate to show that they get the message. Ola Källenius, chief executive of Daimler, said in Frankfurt that the company's Mercedes-Benz factories will be carbon neutral next year.

Planning to buy e-vehicle? EV firms trim prices after GST breather

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a reduction in GST on EVs from 12 per cent to 5 per cent in her maiden Budget.

Owning an electric car and two-wheeler will now be easier on the wallet. With a steep reduction in the GST (goods and service tax) rate taking effect, manufacturers of EVs have reduced prices of their models — up to Rs 80,000 for e-cars and up to Rs 9,000 for e-two-wheelers.

In a bid to spur the EV demand, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a reduction in GST on Electric Vehicles from 12 per cent to 5 per cent in her maiden Budget.

Sohinder Gill, director general at Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), said EV makers, which mainly include eight two-wheeler makers, carmakers and three-wheeler makers, have passed on the benefit of the reduced GST rate.

“While it may not have much impact on the demand as the benefit from affordable two-wheelers will only be Rs 4000-5000, it will boost sentiment,” said Gill. Hero Electric, too, has reduced prices across its range, he added.

Tata Motors that sells the electric version of Tigor has reduced prices by up to Rs 80,000 across its variants, with effect from August 1. Tigor EV, which was earlier priced between Rs 12.35 lakh and Rs 12.71 lakh (ex-showroom price in Mumbai) and will now be available to customers between Rs 11.58 lakh and Rs 19.20 lakh.

“In light of the recent announcement made by the government to slash the GST rate for all electric-powered vehicles from 12 per cent to 5 per cent, the price of Tata Motors’ EVs will be reduced by up to Rs 80,000, starting 1 August 2019,” said Shailesh Chandra, president –Electric Mobility Business and Corporate Strategy, Tata Motors, in a statement. These prices, he added, do not include the FAME subsidy and TCS (tax collected at source).

Mahindra Electric, the EV-making arm of Mahindra & Mahindra, also announced price cuts. “Mahindra will pass on the benefits to customers across our entire product range with immediate effect. This tax cut, along with the strong FAME II policy, will see the adaption rate in EV going up drastically with a boost to India’s last- and first-mile mobility,” said Mahesh Babu, CEO Mahindra Electric.

Business Standard

Hyundai launches fully electric Kona SUV in India at Rs 25.3 lakh

The company claims that the Kona EV delivers a range of 452 km in one single charge under standard testing conditions.

South Korean auto major Hyundai Tuesday launched its full-electric SUV Kona in India priced at Rs 25.3 lakh, and sought government support for electric vehicles (EVs) for personal usage, not just for fleets.

The company, which is present in the country through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), is also planning to develop a mass market EV for India to add to its newly launched full-electric SUV Kona.

"We have seen some positive development in the form of tax incentives on purchase of EVs as provided in the Budget, but we think more can be done by the government to accelerate adoption of EVs in India," HMIL MD and CEO S S Kim told PTI in an interview.

He said currently EVs are extremely expensive which require economies of scale to make them affordable for mass adoption.

Referring to the FAME II scheme, which provides incentives to four-wheeler EVs only for fleets and public transportation, Kim said, "Our desire is that such incentives should also be extended to personal usage too for the market to develop."

Commenting on the Kona EV, he said, "This will be the game changer in the Indian EV market. We are addressing range anxiety which is one of the biggest issues that consumers have in mind when buying an EV."

The company claims that the Kona EV delivers a range of 452 km in one single charge under standard testing conditions.

"As we embark on the journey of India's future mobility, the launch of country's first fully-electric SUV Kona will be a revolutionary and a definitive forward move to change the perspective towards electric cars altogether," Kim said.

Globally, the Korean firm aims to have 44 environment-friendly models in its lineup, including 23 full-electric models, by 2025, he added.

The model comes with different driving modes, infotainment features, 136 PS of power with an ability to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 9.7 seconds.

Business Standard

Tesla just made it harder to buy its cheapest $35,000 electric car

The Model 3 with the so-called Standard Plus battery range used to cost $37,500, plus $3,000 for Autopilot. It now costs $39,500 with Autopilot included.

Tesla Inc. announced changes to its vehicle lineup and pricing, including making it tougher to buy the bottom-of-the-range $35,000 car, in an effort to drive demand after disappointing first-quarter deliveries.

All Tesla vehicles now come with the Autopilot driver-assistance feature as standard, the company said in a blog post late Thursday. The Model 3 with the so-called Standard Plus battery range used to cost $37,500, plus $3,000 for Autopilot. It now costs $39,500 with Autopilot included.

ALSO READ: How Tesla CEO Elon Musk lost $1 billion in just 2 minutes

And a standard Model 3 costing $35,000 just became harder for customers to actually order. Deliveries of that version of the vehicle, which was the big promise of the Model 3 when it was first unveiled in March 2016, are just beginning this weekend. Now Tesla’s taking that model off the online menu.

Tesla’s constantly shifting approach to its lineup and retail strategy has rattled investors and stoked confusion. Ten days after signaling an almost complete withdrawal from physical stores, the company backtracked and said more locations would stay open than planned. If a customer wants to buy the low-end Model 3, they will now have to call the company or visit a store.

“This latest announcement is further evidence that 2019 will be a bumpy year for Tesla,” said analyst Gene Munster of Loup Ventures. “They’ll eventually get the formula right.”

Customers in the US will now be able to lease the Model 3, but will not have the option to own the car at the end of the lease because Tesla plans to use the cars in a forthcoming "Tesla ride-hailing network," Tesla said in its blog post. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk first talked about his vision of a Tesla fleet for sharing when he unveiled his Master Plan Part Deux in July 2016.

Business Standard

Tata Power, HPCL partner to set up electric vehicle charging stations

The two companies will also explore other opportunities for collaboration in renewable energy.

Private power producer Tata Power and state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) on Thursday announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at HPCL retail outlets and other locations across India.

The two companies will also explore other opportunities for collaboration in renewable energy.

"Tata Power and HPCL, through this new landmark MoU, have agreed to collaborate in planning, development and operation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (e-cars, e-rickshaws, e-bikes, e-buses, etc.), at suitable locations across India.

Both the entities also intend to explore areas of opportunities and collaboration in related fields like renewable energy," Tata Power said in a statement today.

ALSO READ: 87% Indians would buy electric vehicles if that reduced pollution: survey

Rajnish Mehta, Executive Director, Corporate Strategy Planning & Business Development, HPCL said, " Tata Power with its focused approach towards sustainable and clean energy and wider outreach across the power value chain, provides an excellent opportunity for an integrated Oil and Gas company like HPCL to collaborate for promoting the e-mobility initiative.

We intend to leverage on our vast marketing infrastructure network in the form of Retail Outlets and other locations for setting up of electric vehicle charging stations on pan India basis”.

Business Standard

Lexus ES 300h hybrid luxury sedan arrives in India at Rs 5.91 million

The all-new ES 300h delivers a fuel economy of 22.37 kmpl.

Japanese carmaker Toyota's luxury vehicle arm, Lexus, Monday launched all-new version of its hybrid electric car, ES 300h in India priced at Rs 5.913 million (Rs 59.13 lakh ) (ex-showroom all India).

The seventh generation ES 300h is powered by a 2.5 little petrol engine coupled with Lexus' fourth generation hybrid system.

"Our country is going through the problem of pollution and we strongly believe that hybrid electric vehicles are a solution for it," Lexus India President PB Venugopal told reporters here.

With enhanced riding comfort and driving dynamics, the all-new Lexus ES 300h delivers a fuel economy of 22.37 kmpl, the company said.

The model is equipped with 10 airbags and other safety features such as vehicle stability control, hill start assist besides anti-theft system with break-in and tilt sensors.

When asked about the company's plans for India for future mobility, Lexus India President N Raja said, "For us, all technology will co-exist. While electric vehicles are the future, hybrids will be the bridge."

"We are working on several technologies, including hybrids, EVs and fuel cells and we will come up with the appropriate technology," he added.

Lexus began its India journey in March last year. It has a presence in eight cities covering 80 per cent of the luxury car market in India, Venugopal said.

Out of its six models available in India, four are hybrid vehicles.

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