Author: Ersin Kara

BMW, Intel, and Mobileye Are Making a Big Bet on Driverless CarsThe companies will release their own autonomous car platform in 2021 — but they’ll face fierce competition from other technology companies. As if the driverless car market couldn’t get any more crowded, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Mobileye (NYSE:MBLY), and BMW (NASDAQOTH:BAMXF) announced last week that the companies are working together to bring a fully autonomous car platform to market by 2021. The companies are specifically targeting the fleet market, likely because most of the initial growth in driverless cars is expected to come from this automotive segment (along with farming and mining vehicles), according to McKinsey&Company. The three plan to have a working platform prototype in BMW’s iNext model soon and release a test product for automakers some time next year. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in a press release:This partnership between BMW Group, Intel and Mobileye will help us to quickly deliver on our vision to reinvent the driving experience. We bring a broad set of in-vehicle and cloud computing, connectivity, safety and security, and machine-learning assets to this collaboration enabling a truly end-to-end solution.The open platform will allow for varying levels of automation, from Level 3 to (eventually) Level 5, which means the vehicles will be able to drive themselves around without a driver in the car.   It’s worth mentioning that the U.S. currently doesn’t allow Level 5 automation on public roads, even for testing. The ambitions for both Mobileye and Intel are pretty clear, here. They want to be at the forefront of a new, open driverless car platform so hardware sales will increase. But they’ll face plenty of competition. Intel and Mobileye’s strategy and competitionIntel will, of course, power the brains behind this new, and so far nameless, platform. The company said it’ll use its Atom and Xeon processors for the platform, and will also integrate its cloud platform and machine learning systems.   Intel says its processors will be used to compute the data-heavy environments like urban driving, where there’s lots of data points to calculate. The company claims its processors can efficiently handle a huge amount of data without losing performance. Intel is looking to the automative segment of the broader Internet of Things market to boost its revenues. In Q1, the company posted $651 million in IoT revenue, but it faces stiff competition from graphics processing unit-maker NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA). The company’s Tesla GPUs are used in its Drive PX 2 supercomputers, which are favored by 80 automakers and Tier 1 suppliers.NVIDIA earns about 8.6% of its total revenue from its automotive segment, which includes GPUs for in-car infotainment systems, but the company has made the automotive market a clear focus lately. NVIDIA recently released a new cloud-based supercomputer called DGX-1, which the company will use in tandem with Drive PX 2 to process driverless car data in the cloud.   For its part, Mobileye will provide its EyeQ 5 system-on-a-chip for the new platform, along with machine learning algorithms and other sensing hardware. Mobileye is already a growing leader in semi-autonomous systems, and its technology is used by 90% of automakers, as well as key semi-autonomous players like Tesla. Both Mobileye and Intel will face competition from NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) as well. NXP is now the largest supplier of processors to carmakers after its deal with Freescale Semiconductor closed earlier this year. NXP earns about 36% of its total revenue from the automotive market, and its chips account for about 14.5% of all in-car processors.NXP also just released its own off-the-shelf driverless car solution for automakers, called BlueBox. The company says automakers can implement BlueBox in nearly any new vehicle to bring semi-autonomous systems to market quickly. Investor takeaway BMW’s place in this mix appears to be the least consequential. It’s not uncommon for automakers to work with technology companies to develop autonomous features, but in the long term, automakers will end up using whichever technology is best, or build a system on multiple technologies from several companies. BMW may be working with Mobileye and Intel now, but it’s in no way married to either.   The platform is a big deal for Intel, though. Intel is looking for new ventures to drive profits, and driverless cars are part of that. Still, I wouldn’t bet on the company’s ability to take other semiconductors on in the automotive space just yet.Intel clearly has extensive processor experience, but NVIDIA’s GPUs are quickly becoming a standard in machine learning, and NXPI is already cornering the processor market as well.I think Mobileye has a lot to gain from the deal because it gives the company more experience in being part of a major driverless platform (as opposed to selling hardware).   Tesla is already a key customer for Mobileye, as are 90% of automakers, but integrating the company’s hardware into a fleet platform should help ensure that this small company plays a key role in autonomous technology going forward. I wouldn’t buy or sell Intel or Mobileye simply based on this recent news, but I think both companies are putting themselves in a good position to benefit from this $42 billion driverless car market. AUTHOR Chris Neiger (TMFNewsie) Chris Neiger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Nvidia, NXP Semiconductors, and Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool recommends BMW and Intel. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Source: BMW, Intel, and Mobileye Are Making a Big Bet on Driverless Cars — The Motley Fool

Tesla signs $9 billion agreement to build factory in China, report says BY NICK JAYNES Tesla Motors has reportedly signed a non-binding agreement with Chinese government-owned company Jinqiao Group to construct a Tesla production plant in the city of Shanghai. All told, the investment could cost $9 billion, a person close to the matter told Bloomberg. This report comes six months after company CEO Elon Musk revealed that Tesla intended to choose a production facility site in China by the middle of 2016. Both companies would invest $4.5 billion toward the project, according to the report. Bloomberg points out, this would be substantially larger than Walt Disney Co.’s Shanghai theme park, which cost $5.5 billion. That said, it’s unlikely the assembly plant would include a theme park attraction (Tesla Land, anyone?). Then again, it is Elon Musk we’re talking about, so I won’t mark it as out of the question. What we know a Chinese Tesla factory will do for the company, however, is allow it to avoid the 25% import tax it currently pays for each electric vehicle it ships to the country. Since there’s been no public announcement of the deal, there is no timeline for the rumored project. However, two other Chinese cities, Suzhou and Hefei, are currently courting the upstart electric vehicle maker to be the location of its assembly plant in Asia, according to the report. Given those factors, the deal might not yet be set in stone, so to speak. http://mashable.com/2016/06/24/tesla-factory-china-9-billion/#AHsHWVJi5Sq1

Japan has made another technological leap – Toyohashi University of Technology and Taisei Corp has unveiled the first electrical car in the world that will run without a battery, receiving its charge from an electrified road. Japanese unveil electric car that doesn’t need battery © Toru Hanai / Reuters Japan has made another technological leap – Toyohashi University of Technology and Taisei Corp has unveiled the first electrical car in the world that will run without a battery, receiving its charge from an electrified road. The unveiling on Friday was in the form of a test drive in Toyohashi, in the Aichi Prefecture. The small vehicle moved over the electrified surface, which had two rail-like steel paths spaced to match the car’s special tires. The charge is derived from steel wires embedded in them, which serve as a conduit. The drive lasted for 30 meters at a speed of 10km/h, and, according to Professor Takashi Ohira, as cited by Kyodo:“Acceleration was smooth, and the ride was comfortable.” Electric cars are beginning to experience a rise in popularity, so it’ll be a while until fair comparisons to their traditional counterparts can truly be made. However, where others currently fail, the Toyohashi/Taisei Corp. vehicle excels: it can drive long distances without the battery expiring, so running out of juice is never an issue. The downside is, of course, that the new vehicle can only run on special roads – and who knows when that technology will truly takes off worldwide. However, Ohira says it’s not a matter of changing entire roads, rather fitting existing ones with the new technology. Apparently, the new EV will have a battery for those situations where an electrified road isn’t around. In future Ohira hopes to “reduce the size of batteries for non-expressway driving.” It is not clear at this point when the university and Taisei envision the new cars and roads will take off in earnest. Source: Japanese unveil electric car that doesn’t need battery — RT News

BMW is accelerating plans to acquire technology expertise in a race with the likes of Apple and Google to make cars smart enough to react like human drivers. BMW seeks partners in race to build self-driving car’s brain June 21, 2016 @ 6:32 am Elisabeth Behrmann Bloomberg Froehlich: “There’s a power play going on with other companies buying up software competencies at a fast clip. We definitely need partners in this area, and we massively need to build out in-house resources too.” MUNICH — BMW is accelerating plans to acquire technology expertise in a race with the likes of Apple Inc. and Google to make cars smart enough to react like human drivers. The German automaker is pushing to acquire startups, partner with tech companies and hire talent to build an electronic brain for next-generation vehicles, Klaus Froehlich, BMW AG’s head of development, said in an interview in Munich. At stake is billions in potential profit as value in the auto industry gradually shifts to autonomous taxis. “There’s a power play going on with other companies buying up software competencies at a fast clip,” Froehlich said. “We definitely need partners in this area, and we massively need to build out in-house resources too.” BMW is positioning itself for a future when profit comes more from providing transport than selling vehicles. The luxury-auto market leader faces a particularly tough challenge because it has built its identity around driving performance. Robo-taxis will make up 40 percent of automotive profits by 2030, the biggest single source of money to be made, according to consulting company Roland Berger. Underscoring these prospects, Uber Technologies Inc. is valued at $62.5 billion, more than BMW’s 46.7 billion euros ($51 billion) despite the carmaker’s global factory network, some 122,000 employees and more than 2 million vehicles built last year. ‘Worth billions’ The company that manages to offer driverless ride sharing cheaply and first “will dominate this market,” said Froehlich. “It’s a business proposition worth billions in profits that will cost billions to develop.” The next level of driverless technology needs to process the world more like human brains do, decoding data from sensors, cameras and radar to react to surprises and avoid collisions. BMW’s cooperation with tech companies will probably focus on startups. One example is the minority stake BMW iVentures took in RideCell, its partner for a ride-booking service getting started in Seattle this year. Some of the key players in the field of sensor-interpreting software for cars include Autoliv AB and Nvidia Corp, and Froehlich noted Mobileye NV’s strong reputation for cameras and software to evaluate visual data. Maps consortium BMW acquired another important piece in the puzzle last year, the real-time maps unit HERE. BMW, Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG’s Audi bought HERE from Nokia Oyj for 2.8 billion euros and are seeking more partners. The consortium will probably finish adding members by the end of the year, Froehlich said. HERE needs partners with cloud-based and analytical skills, he said, while other companies in industries, including consumer electronics and logistics, would be “highly welcome.” “We have a large number of parties expressing interest,” Froehlich said. Source: BMW seeks partners in race to build self-driving car’s brain

Germany could be about to become one of the first European countries to set a date by which to ban all petrol-powered cars.The European nation has made a pledge to cut their carbon dioxide missions by 80-95% by 2050.   Germany could be about to become one of the first European countries to set a date by which to ban all petrol-powered cars. The European nation has made a pledge to cut their carbon dioxide missions by 80-95% by 2050. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, State Secretary of Economy and Energy Rainer Baake has now said that the government only has until 2030 to get all petrol vehicles off the road. Speaking at a climate forum in Berlin, Baake said: “The fact is there has been no reduction at all in CO2 emissions by transport since 1990.” The minister has not yet specified if there is a concrete plan in place, or when this might be implemented. However his comments bring in to question just how tangible the environment goal might be for Angela Merkel’s government at the current rate. Baake added: “We don’t have any answers to cut truck emissions right now but we do have answers for cars.” If the proposition were to go ahead then all cars registered in Germany would need to be completely emissions free in fourteen years time. Currently, according to a study by Best Selling Cars, in the whole of 2015 only 12,363 electric cars and 33,630 hybrid cars were sold in Germany, which has a population of 80.68 million. Norway and Denmark recently said they are also examining the possibilities. According to Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv, politicians from both sides of the political spectrum have reached a concrete agreement that 100 per cent of Norway’s cars should be powered by green energy by 2025. Source: Germany ‘Needs To Ban’ All Petrol-Powered Cars By 2030 To Meet Target

Türkiye İhracatçılar Meclisi tarafından düzenlenen 2015 yılı İhracat Şampiyonları Ödül Töreni’nde Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye, 61 bin ihracatçı firma arasında 8’inci sırada yer alarak ödülün sahibi oldu. 2015 yılında 1 milyar 184 milyon USD değerinde ihracat yapan Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye, bir önceki yıla göre  listedeki yerini korudu. Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye’ye İhracat Ödülü Türkiye İhracatçılar Meclisi tarafından düzenlenen 2015 yılı İhracat Şampiyonları Ödül Töreni’nde Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye, 61 bin ihracatçı firma arasında 8’inci sırada yer alarak ödülün sahibi oldu. 2015 yılında 1 milyar 184 milyon USD değerinde ihracat yapan Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye, bir önceki yıla göre  listedeki yerini korudu. Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye Genel Müdür ve CEO’su Hiroshi Kato, Türkiye genelinde en fazla ihracat yapan ilk 10 firmadan biri olarak ödülünü Cumhurbaşkanı Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’ın elinden alırken, “Üretim merkezi olarak gerek bölgeye, gerekse ülkemize sağladığımız ihracat payında ilk 10 firma içinde yer almaktan dolayı büyük mutluluk duyuyoruz. Bu yılın sonunda Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye üretim bantlarından inecek üçüncü modelimiz olan C-HR gelecek dönemde ihracat rakamlarımızı daha yukarıya taşırken,  Türkiye’nin gurur kaynağı olacaktır. Tüm enerjimizle çalışarak, mücadelemizi sürdüreceğiz, Sakarya’ya ve Türkiye ekonomisine katkıda bulunmaya devam edeceğiz” ifadelerini kullandı.   Source: Toyota Otomotiv Sanayi Türkiye’ye İhracat Ödülü

Tesla And The Future Of Automotive Summary Mobility is changing, as ride services (Uber, Lyft) expand, governments mandate lower car emissions, EVs gain traction and technology companies eye automotive. As the only meaningful pure-play in the emerging EV space, Tesla offers investors exposure to potential market share gains of electric vehicles. Despite many false starts, today there are several EVs or plug-in hybrids available and Tesla, the best-selling brand, seeks to make EVs a mainstream automotive choice. Industry in Transition “Mobility” is changing rapidly, with the dramatic growth of car services such as Uber and Lyft, as governments mandate lower car emissions, and as technology companies look to enter the automotive space. Electric vehicles have been around for a very long time, at least in concept. However, after many years and many set-backs, they are finally becoming a real – albeit small – part of the overall automobile sector. As the only meaningful pure-play in the space, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) offers investors exposure to their potential market share gains. Tesla is an emerging company leading an emerging industry, in our view. For Tesla, this involves not only continued innovation, but also developing a nationwide recharging infrastructure, building a network of company owned Tesla dealers and investing in battery R&D directed at making the car affordable for mass adoption. Tesla supporters are bullish on the shares not because of an expected bump in revenue in 2016, 2017 or even 2020. Nor are they bullish because of the potential for improving operating metrics over the same period. We believe the bulls are looking down the road to: if EVs become a mass market item AND Tesla lowers costs through its initiatives including the Gigafactory AND its operating metrics improve with production cost reductions and scale AND it retains a leading position in a significantly larger EV market. These are a lot of “ifs” but if the company is successful, it will likely validate the bulls’ belief in the company and the shares, we believe. source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/3979922-tesla-future-automotive

The concept vehicle is designed to float above the clogged-up streets of some of the country’s biggest cities China unveils ‘straddling bus’ design to beat traffic jams The concept vehicle is designed to float above the clogged-up streets of some of the country’s biggest cities Bus that moves above traffic jams: model unveiled in China A Beijing company has unveiled spectacularly futuristic designs for a pollution-busting, elevated bus capable of gliding over the nightmarish mega-jams for which urban China has become notorious. Plans for the so-called Transit Explore Bus or TEB were showcased earlier this month at a technology expo in the Chinese capital. The “straddling bus”, which owes more to Blade Runner than China’s car-clogged highways, is supported by two legs that run along rails laid along the roadside. Those legs allow the TEB’s giant frame to glide high above the gridlock at speeds of up to 60km per hour. Equally, vehicles that are less than two metres high will be able to drive freely underneath the bus, even when it is stationary. “The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space,” Song Youzhou, the project’s chief engineer, told Xinhua, China’s official news agency. Song claimed his buses, capable of transporting up to 1,400 commuters, could be produced for 20% of the price of an underground train and rolled out far more quickly since the supporting infrastructure was relatively simple. One TEB could replace 40 conventional buses, he said. A prototype will reportedly be deployed on the streets of Qinhuangdao, a coastal city about 300km east of Beijing, this summer. The project has been greeted with anticipation in China, where traffic jams have grown as the country overtook the United States to become the largest car market on earth in 2009. Last year alone 21.1 million passenger cars were sold here. However, excitement over the innovation was tempered by the fact that a virtually identical contraption was unveiled at the same expo in 2010 without catching on. Its designer? A Chinese engineer by the name of Song Youzhou. Source: China unveils ‘straddling bus’ design to beat traffic jams