Important Innovations

  Geely's Vision Starburst Car Concept from China                                                              Source:  Geely Vision Starburst Concept Car Concept Inspired by the Cosmos & the Stars Vision Starburst is China based, global automaker Geely's design inspiration for future electric vehicle models.  The inspiration comes from deep space and the nebulae and other stellar phenomena that come together and burst into new stars.  Geely owns Volvo, Lotus, Terrafugia, Polestar and the London Electric Vehicle Company, plus a slew of brands in China.  Geely's Shanghai design team, in creating the Vision Starburst concept car, worked to "create unity between exterior and interior, color and materials, as well as car and user". Star Quality Exterior The surface of the concept car is curved and inspired by "stellar rays and waves in the folding and crossing of lines and surfaces", according to Geely.  The headlights of the car are the "eyes of th

GM Is Pouring Billions of Extra Dollars into EVs, AVs, Fuel Cells & Battery Plants               Source: GM Electric Hummer & Self-Driving Cruise CEO Mary Barra's Electric & Autonomous Road GM is pouring billions of extra dollars into electric and autonomous vehicles.  The company is increasing spending by 75% or $35 billion by 2025.  CEO Mary Barra's goal is to build and sell 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025. These developments have just been disclosed. The $35 billion will also be used to build an additional two US battery plants on top of the two previously announced.  CEO Barra said that GM is aggressively investing in a "comprehensive and highly integrated plan to make sure that GM leads in all aspects of the transformation to a more sustainable future".  The investments are across a range of new technologies including EVs, autonomous vehicles (AVs), battery plants and GM's Hydrotec hydrogen fuel-cell system. GM Will Have All Electric Mod

  President Biden Declares EVs Are the Future of Driving Source:  Ford F-150 E-Plant, Dearborn, Michigan, President Biden Biden on the Future of Automotive Industry at Ford Electric F-150 Plant US President Joe Biden is an ardent supporter of electric vehicles and alternative green forms of transportation and energy.  Today, he went to Ford's new, electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck manufacturing facility. The F-150 truck has been Ford's and the US' most popular selling vehicle for years. It is now going electric and it is a huge electric initiative for Ford.  President Biden said that there is no turning away from the fact that the future of the automotive industry is electric and the global race to sell those EVs is getting a lot more competitive.  Ford's electric Lightning pickup truck fits right into the future of EV competition.  It is a much anticipated new vehicle against a global wall of huge EV competition, including from Tesla, GM, VW, Rivian and more. Globa

  Project Trinity Electric Vehicle                                            Source:  VW Project Trinity Coming in 2026 - All Electric & Autonomous  Volkswagen is working on a revolutionary new vehicle.  The development is called VW's Project Trinity EV and it will serve as VW's technology flagship when it hits the market in 2026. For VW, the vehicle will lead the way in the next generation of zero emissions and autonomous cars, which can serve as living spaces and entertainment venues on wheels. It is all electric with a bold new architecture that blends the designs of a crossover, hatchback and a sedan.  VW says it will manufacture the vehicle with a radical new production approach. The EV will also be autonomous. "Over-The-Air Updates" VW intends to sell the EV in a standardized form at a starting price of $42,415.  Customers can obtain existing features through software updates.  New features will be offered at additional prices through "over-the-air upd

  World's Most Intelligent Cars                                             Source:  Tesla Artificial Intelligence & Autopilot Driving Tesla is rolling out its vision of the future of driving and it is amazing. Tesla just unveiled a highly advanced and innovative steering wheel for its new Model S and Model X 2021 vehicles.  This is the world's most anticipated steering wheel and perhaps the new Tesla vehicles are the world's most intelligent cars.  The steering wheel has autopilot sensor-based drive modes and force touch buttons for Park, Reverse, Neutral & Drive modes at the base of the phone charger on the center console. Importantly, the steering wheel has no driving mode stalk (P, R, N, D).  The plan is to replace them in the future with AI and autopilot, making the vehicles autonomous when regulations permit.  Tesla's latest technology, such as updated battery packs and powertrains, are also included in these new vehicles.  Tesla is calling them the world&

New Driver Assist Technology Source:  Ford Driving a Ford with Tech Breaking, Steering, Accelerating Ford surprised many business journalists and investors this week by unveiling its new drive assist technology.  The tech is called Active Drive Assist and it can control a vehicle's speed, breaking and steering.  It contains a driver monitoring system to determine the driver's level of distraction, for instance, if texting.  And, at the moment, it works on 100,000 miles of divided highways that Ford has mapped out over the US and Canada.  That certainly will be expanded by Ford. Launch in 2021 The system will be available in the second half of 2021.  It will start with Ford's much anticipated electric Mustang Mach-E SUV.  Another likely candidate is the redesigned Ford F-150 truck.  The F-150 is the best selling vehicle in the US and an all-electric version will roll out in 2022. Intense Autonomous Competition Ford faces a lot of stiff competition in

Tesla Roadster SpaceX Package Source:  Tesla Roadster "Full-On James Bond" SpaceX & Tesla CEO Elon Musk has combined the best technologies from his space company and from his electric car company and is incorporating them into his next generation Tesla Roadster.  The electric sportscar is equipped with rocket thrusters including the main one behind the license place.  Musk calls the Roadster's SpaceX package: "It's like full-on James Bond."  Part Car - Part Rocket The SpaceX Tesla Roadster is due out in 2022.  The SpaceX package option include cold air thrusters.  In Musk's words, he's using ultra high pressure compressed air. "It's a cold gas thruster.  The main thruster is behind the license plate.  For acceleration, it drops the license plate and behind the plate is a rocket thruster." Specs Musk has been saying that the new Roadster will go 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds with a battery range of 620 miles.  He is worki