10 Jan 2022 | Microsoft Finally Gets Into Electric Cars

Episode 1337,   Jan 10, 2022, 12:00 PM

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Today’s big EV stories:
• Sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids break records in Denmark
• Report: No AMD Ryzen Retrofits For Older Tesla Model 3/Y
• Tesla Model Y Will Deliver to First UK Customers in February, Delivery
• Tesla Giga Texas could start Model Y production in 7-10 days
• Kenworth Debuts Its First Class 8 Battery-Electric Truck
• New French Law Requires Car Ads to Encourage Viewers Not to Drive
• British Lithium extracts lithium from granite in Cornwall
• Microsoft wiggles into electric cars
• The Dakar Rally Will Feature Its First Hydrogen Car In 2024
• Lessons From Norway About How to Switch to Electric Vehicles
• Coming son! Master’s in electric vehicles at IIT Madras

Show #1337

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Monday 10th January. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.

Welcome (back) to a new Patreon Executive ProducerRAJ BADWAL

This story was sent to me by listener Brian Kristensen in Denmark, driving a Polestar 2.

SALES OF ELECTRIC CARS AND PLUG-IN HYBRIDS BREAK RECORDS IN DENMARK

- Sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids have broken records in Denmark.They exceeded those of petrol and diesel cars last month, according to the Danish Car Importers Association (DBI).

- There were 10,274 electric or plug-in hybrids sold in December, representing 57.8 per cent of total car sales in the country.

- Mads Rørvig, CEO of DBI."Electric car sales have increased by 75 per cent compared to 2020, while plug-in hybrids have grown by over 120 per cent. However, we expect that the proportion of plug-in hybrids will fall in 2022, as the tax on these particular ones increased.


REPORT: NO AMD RYZEN RETROFITS FOR OLDER TESLA MODEL 3/Y

- The list of updated features includes:  AMD Ryzen processor (accelerates the entire infotainment/navigation) lithium-ion auxiliary battery (replaces 12 V lead-acid auxiliary battery) heated wiper park (at the lower section of the windshield) 13 speakers (down from 14) plus subwoofer ("no appreciable difference in sound quality")

- Tesla notes that they have NO plans to offer any of these options above as service retrofits. That includes the AMD processor."

- Trailer Auxiliary (tow hitch enabled vehicles): It's been disabled. New 12 LV Li-ion battery requires a new power conversion adapter to be compatible with 12-volt trailer power. Adapter will be available in Mid-2022 & owners can retrofit then. Trailer lights/brakes not impacted


Phil Roberts (@philroberts) / Twitter

- Anyone else had the get ready for your @tesla Model Y Performance delivery email? I wasn’t expecting it until June and got the email this morning

- Picked up a 3LR a couple of weeks ago for one of staff and seemingly that “get ready” email came about 2 weeks before the final delivery email, kinda surprised


TESLA MODEL Y WILL DELIVER TO FIRST UK CUSTOMERS IN FEBRUARY, DELIVERY

- The first deliveries of Tesla Model Y to the UK are expected in February. The order holders received emails asking them to complete the pre-delivery tasks, indicating the expected delivery time.

- Until the production of cars begins at Giga Berlin, Model Ys will be shipped from Giga Shanghai, which requires a longer delivery time to the UK. Obviously, cars for the country are being manufactured in late December-early January and will soon be or have already been shipped. Usually, carrier ships deliver cargo from China to the UK in 36 to 45 days, which means that the first vehicles can reach the coast as early as early February.


TESLA GIGA TEXAS COULD START MODEL Y PRODUCTION IN 7-10 DAYS

- Wedbush Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst Dan Ives recently posted a rather interesting estimate for Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas project. According to the Wall Street veteran, Giga Texas may very well be capable of starting Model Y production over the next 7-10 days. If Wedbush’s estimate proves accurate, Tesla could see some serious momentum this Q1 2022.

- Based on our analysis of Giga Austin it appears paperwork is now clearing the way for Model Y production starting over the next 7-10 days. We believe the stamping machines for Model Y and testing is already in place and mostly completed, green light for Tesla to kick off Austin


KENWORTH DEBUTS ITS FIRST CLASS 8 BATTERY-ELECTRIC TRUCK

- For decades, Kenworth made a name for itself building rugged semis designed to last for years. Of late, however, the company started making strides in the zero-emission department

- Kenworth's drive towards creating green-powered fleets included developing electric batteries resulting in the automaker building its new T68OE cab

- Weighing in at 82,000 lbs, the T68OE boasts an electric-powered engine capable of churning 670 horsepower and 1,623 pound feet of torque. While being able to register a top speed of 65 mph "depending on applications," the model is flexible enough to operate as a tractor or a "straight truck" courtesy of a 6x4 axle configuration, designed to deliver power to more wheels.

- The state-of-the-art cab's battery can run for 150 miles before recharging, achievable via a standard SAE XXS1 port


NEW FRENCH LAW REQUIRES CAR ADS TO ENCOURAGE VIEWERS NOT TO DRIVE

- France has taken a unique step to remind people cars suck. In December, the country passed a law requiring the creators of car commercials to encourage viewers to try not driving a car—at least, whenever it’s possible.

- Advertisements must now include reference to travel alternatives, such as walking or biking, taking public transportation or, at the very least, carpooling.

- Under the new law, commercials aired in the country will  be obligated to include one of the following phrases in their ad copy:  “For short journeys, walk or cycle,” “Think about carpooling,” and “On a daily basis, take public transport.” (In French, of course.) In some cases, the ads will also be required to sport the hashtag #SeDéplacerMoinsPolluer, meaning “Move without pollution.”

- The legislation, which applies not just to TV  but also to print, web, and radio ads, mandates that the messages be presented in an “easily readable or audible manner” and that they be made “clearly distinguishable from the advertising message and from any other obligatory mention.” Companies that fail to meet such requirements will be subject to stiff fines


BRITISH LITHIUM EXTRACTS LITHIUM FROM GRANITE IN CORNWALL

- In order to still be competitive in terms of costs, British Lithium has developed what it claims is a particularly efficient process to process the raw material. The process is said to work at lower temperatures, which saves energy. The use of chemicals was also reduced.

- The company British Lithium says it has extracted lithium from granite for the first time – initially on a pilot scale. The pilot plant is expected to produce five kilogrammes of lithium carbonate per day from the beginning of this year.

- British Lithium plans to build a large plant to produce 21,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate per year. This plant is to be built in close proximity to the granite quarry. On the one hand, to keep the transport routes short, on the other hand, to create jobs in the region of Cornwall.


MICROSOFT WIGGLES INTO ELECTRIC CARS

- The new EV virtual butler of XPeng will use Microsoft's Azure cloud to offload the processing tasks from the cars' chipset and provide unsurpassed life-like voice command experience inside XPeng's electric cars

- Microsoft has partnered with one of the most promising electric car makers, XPeng, to provide its Azure AI-powered voice that scored the highest of any in-car virtual assistant on the MOS voice quality scale.

- The new Azure-processed voice will go to XPeng's virtual butler that can be tasked to do things around the car like roll down the windows or adjust the AC and infotainment systems while driving. Processing the voice commands via Microsoft's Azure AI offloads the car's processing power and achieves unparallelled life-like performance of the virtual butler.


THE DAKAR RALLY WILL FEATURE ITS FIRST HYDROGEN CAR IN 2024


LESSONS FROM NORWAY ABOUT HOW TO SWITCH TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES
 

COMING SOON! MASTER’S IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES AT IIT MADRAS


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