AD #4198 – Rivian Rolls Out Impressive AV Tech Stack; Ford JV With SK On Is Off; Renault Kills Off Car Sharing Service

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

RIVIAN ROLLS OUT IMPRESSIVE AV TECH STACK
Rivian showed off impressive tech yesterday, including a microprocessor and AI platform for autonomous driving that was all developed in-house. Rivian says that the vertical integration of its hardware, software and data will accelerate the rollout of advanced driver-assistance and full autonomous driving. This is actually the company’s third-generation autonomy compute platform and it’s powered by a chip called Rivian Autonomy Processor, or RAP1. Rivian said it will also add LiDAR to future R2 models for redundant sensing. Like Tesla, Rivian will use a self-improving AI architecture to learn human driving behaviors, so its AV stack gets better over time. The company will launch the hands-free driving software updates to Gen2 R1 models and the R2 in just a few months, for fifty bucks a month, or a $2,500 lump sum. And yet Rivian’s stock dropped sharply on the news. We think investors are worried that the AI effort will be an enormous expense for the company, and coming at a time when the financial markets are worried about a possible AI bubble. But we think the Volkswagen Group is going to be very interested in using this tech and that puts Rivian in a much stronger position to compete with the likes of Tesla and the top Chinese automakers.

     

FORD JV WITH SK ON IS OFF
Due to weaker than expected EV demand, the loss of subsidies and to help cut costs, South Korean battery maker SK On is ending its joint-venture with Ford. In 2022, the companies invested $11.4 billion to build battery plants in the U.S., two in Kentucky and one in Tennessee. A Ford subsidiary will now take full ownership of the Kentucky plants, while SK On will take control of the plant in Tennessee. SK On says its turning its focus to energy storage systems to help offset the soft demand for EVs.

RENAULT KILLS OFF CAR SHARING SERVICE
Renault is killing off its Mobilize car-sharing service in Europe. The business was created in 2021 and offered car sharing in Milan and Madrid which will end shortly. The brand also offered a quadricycle called the Duo for urban mobility and car sharing and was the successor to the Twizy. Production of the Duo will now be phased out as well. Mobilize was also responsible for developing EV charging solutions for Renault but those operations are now being integrated into its commercial operations. The automaker says it’s making these changes because they offered limited profitability or they don’t fit into its strategic priorities.

  

DAIMLER TRUCK LAUNCHES “SEMI PUBLIC” CHARGING NETWORK
Daimler Truck has come up with an interesting solution to expand the charging network for electric trucks in Europe, while generating extra revenue for fleet operators. It’s introducing what it calls a “semi-public” charging network under the TruckCharge brand. By partnering with the network, fleet operators can open their own charging spots to other operators when they’re not in use. Daimler started pilot projects in October in Germany, which it says have been successful. The official rollout of the network starts in Germany and Austria early next year with more markets to follow throughout 2026. Daimler Truck is aiming to have more than 3,000 charging points across Europe by 2030.

MERCEDES SHOWS OFF SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
Mercedes says it’s started a new program to decarbonize all the parts and materials it uses. It’s currently showing off 40 examples that are in the works and here’s a couple that caught my eye. Instead of gluing headlight assemblies together, Mercedes wants to use screws. Part of the reason is to make recycling easier, but the part I like is that you can replace individual components of the headlight. So, if you crack or break the lens, for instance. You don’t have to replace the entire headlight, which can be very expensive. Another example is a new brake pad concept that uses around 40% recycled friction material that comes from old brake pads. That friction material is then applied to a steel backing that was produced with less CO2 emissions. And the last thing I’ll highlight is Mercedes’ effort to recycle old airbags, which it’s turning into new engine mounts and a housing for its thermal management system. The company says some of the 40 solutions are in the early stages of development, while others are close to series production, but didn’t provide any other details.  

FORD AIMS TO CLOSE GLOBAL PICKUP GAP WITH TOYOTA
Ford wants everyone to know how well it’s doing in the global mid-size truck market with the Ranger, though strangely, Ford will not say how many Rangers it sells. Online sources suggest it’s about 380,000 units a year. The truck is made in the U.S., Argentina, South Africa and Thailand and sold in 180 countries. That puts it well behind Toyota, which sells about 700,000 Hilux and Tacoma mid-size pickups globally. Ford clearly wants to close the gap. As we reported earlier this year, it’s adding a PHEV version of the Ranger that will be sold in Europe and a Super Duty version that will be sold in markets outside of North America. The Super Duty version doubles the cargo and towing capacity of the regular Ranger, and will appeal to a larger group of commercial customers.

Here’s a fun factoid that you can use to win a bar bet. What is the second largest pickup market in the world after the U.S.? Are you ready for the answer? It’s Thailand.

GEELY PROTOTYPE FEATURES 90-DEGREE STEERING
Geely wants to make it easier to park and navigate narrow streets. CarNewsChina has a video that it says comes from Geely of a prototype that can turn all four wheels to nearly 90-degrees. It features electric motors at each corner and a special steering system, but, unfortunately, Geely blurs some of that out. We’ve seen other automakers and suppliers show off similar tech, but Geely is developing this in-house. However, no word if it will ever make it into production.

AUTOLINE RFQ WEBINAR TODAY!
If you work at an automotive supplier and are involved in writing RFQs or requests for quote, then we’ve got a webinar on YouTube at 2 pm eastern time today that you’ll want to watch. We’ll have Edgar Faler from the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, and Ted Mabley from the consulting firm UHY, presenting their findings on the problems with the RFQ process and how to do it more efficiently. Do you realize that suppliers are writing hundreds of more RFQs now then they did 20 years ago and that it takes an average of 157 labor hours to write one RFQ? This is why it’s critical to learn how to do it more efficiently. There’s no charge for the webinar and anyone can watch.   

But that brings us to the end of this show. Thanks for tuning in and I hope that you have a great weekend.