Electronics
Ford To Build $3.5B Electric Vehicle Battery Plant In Michigan
DETROIT, MI — Ford Motor Company wants to build a factory in Michigan that will cost $3.5 billion and employ at least 2,500 people. This factory will make cheaper batteries for electric cars, both new and old.
The plant, which would be built on industrial development land about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Detroit, would begin producing batteries in 2026. According to Ford, it would produce 35 gigatonnes of batteries per year, enough to power 400,000 vehicles.
The factory near Marshall would produce lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, which are less expensive than the current nickel-cobalt-manganese chemistry used in many EV batteries.
Customers could then choose between a battery with a lower range and a lower cost and a battery with a higher range and power. Prices have yet to be determined by the company.
“The goal here is to make EVs more affordable and accessible to customers,” said Marin Gjaja, Ford’s electric vehicle chief marketing officer.
Ford Will Contact Out Some Of The Work And Machinery To Chinese companies.
According to Ford, the factory would be owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary. However, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited, or CATL, a Chinese company known for its lithium-iron-phosphate expertise, would provide technology, some equipment, and workers.
The announcement comes at a time when relations between the United States and China are strained, and the Biden administration is offering tax breaks to businesses that establish a U.S. supply chain for electric vehicle batteries. To qualify for the full $7,500 per vehicle tax credit, EV batteries cannot contain metals or components from China.
Ford hopes that the structure of the plant will keep people from saying bad things about spending state tax incentives on a joint-venture factory that a Chinese company will partly own. Virginia dropped out of the race for the same Ford plant last month after Gov. Glenn Youngkin described it as a “front” for the Chinese Communist Party that would raise national security concerns. At the time, Virginia had not offered Ford any incentives.
Because the vehicles are manufactured in North America, the company expects to take advantage of U.S. factory tax credits, with buyers initially receiving at least $3,750 in tax credits. Gjaja stated that depending on the source of battery minerals, they could receive the full $7,500 credit over time.
Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries would be used in standard-range Ford EVs. For example, the cheapest Mustang Mach-E electric SUV would have an LFP battery and be able to travel 247 miles per charge. The long-range Mach-E will have a nickel-cobalt-manganese chemistry that will allow it to travel 310 miles per charge.
The New Plant Was Unveiled At A Fund Meeting
The plant was unveiled Monday at a Michigan Strategic Fund meeting, which approved a large tax incentive package for the project near Interstates 94 and 69.
Ford’s director of economic development, Gabby Bruno, stated that “there is no lack of competition for this project.” She said that Michigan “competed against numerous states and countries” to secure the investment.
The Ford plant received approximately $210 million from Michigan’s Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund, or SOAR, which was established to attract industry and jobs to the state. However, the total value of the incentive package was not disclosed.
Since its inception in December 2021, the SOAR Fund has received nearly $1.8 billion from the state’s general fund.
A tax-relief bill passed by the Michigan House last week could send up to $1.5 billion to the SOAR Fund over three fiscal years, in addition to the $800 million one-time deposit outlined by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her budget proposal last week.
Republicans have heavily criticized the tax-relief bill, which still needs to be approved by the state Senate, where Democrats hold a two-seat majority, for giving too little to taxpayers and too much to large corporations.
SOURCE – (AP)
Dyson, a vacuum cleaner company, will slash approximately 1,000 positions in Britain as part of a global restructuring.
Dyson | NY Times Image
Dyson To Axe Around 1,000 Jobs In Britain
James Dyson, the inventor of the bagless cleaner, founded the company, which employs 3,500 people in Britain, including at its R&D facility in Malmesbury, West England.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Hanno Kirner stated, “We have grown quickly and, like all companies, we review our global structures on a regular basis to ensure we are prepared for the future.” As a result, we are suggesting organizational modifications that may lead to redundancy.
Dyson | Joe Graham Image
Dyson To Axe Around 1,000 Jobs In Britain
“Dyson works in highly competitive global marketplaces where innovation and change are fast. We understand that we must always be entrepreneurial and adaptable – characteristics that Dyson has long valued.
SOURCE | AP
TOKYO — Sony, a Japanese electronics and entertainment company, says it will focus on innovation in movies, animation, and video games rather than traditional gadgetry.
Its CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, described the company’s plan Thursday, saying Sony was assisting creative workers in delivering what he called “kando,” a moving experience.
Yoshida would not comment on claims that Tokyo-based Sony and Apollo Global Management are interested in acquiring Paramount Global.
Sony | Pixa Bay Image
Sony Says Focus Is On Creativity, With Games, Movies, Music, Sensors, IP, And Not Gadgets
Yoshida stated that the business now focuses on the creative process rather than valuing prior items such as the Walkman portable music player and Trinitron color televisions. He stated that “synergies” are no longer defined by entertainment and electronics but by intellectual property encompassing animation, music, gaming, and films.
In an online briefing, he stated, “We will continue to support people’s creativity through our technology.”
Sony is adapting to harsher circumstances, as competitors produce cheaper but competitive gadgets. According to critics, pursuing careers in film, music, and other forms of entertainment can be financially difficult.
Beginning with the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing in 2018, Sony has invested over 1.5 trillion yen ($10 billion) in the last six years to boost its content creation.
Sony | Pixa Bay Image
Sony Says Focus Is On Creativity, With Games, Movies, Music, Sensors, IP, And Not Gadgets
In 2021, it bought Crunchyroll, which has over 13 million paid customers and distributes Japanese cartoons worldwide. Another was Yoasobi, a Japanese music duet that uses Vocaloid technology, or singing voice synthesizer software, and has gained a global following.
Sony’s real-time computer technology, which records “this moment,” as Yoshida called it, is employed in sports cameras because it can catch fast-moving subjects without distortion
According to Yoshida, it is also utilized for news coverage and editing, 3D video and computer graphics, including successful movies like “Godzilla Minus One” and games based on human athlete movements
Sony | AP News Image
Sony Says Focus Is On Creativity, With Games, Movies, Music, Sensors, IP, And Not Gadgets
Sony recently recorded a quarterly profit of 189 billion yen ($1.2 billion), up from 141 billion yen the year before. The PlayStation gaming machine manufacturer’s quarterly revenue increased 14% to 3.48 trillion yen ($22 billion).
However, for the fiscal year ending March 31, Sony’s profit fell 3% to 970 billion yen ($6.2 billion) due to poor performance in its financial services sector, which will be largely split off next year.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
DETROIT — The US government’s highway safety department is looking into Amazon’s self-driving robotaxi company after two vehicles braked unexpectedly and were rear-ended by motorcyclists.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Monday that it will assess Zoox’s automated driving system.
Both accidents occurred during the sunlight, and the riders sustained minor injuries. In all cases, the agency established that the Amazon vehicles operated in autonomous mode before the crashes.
AP – VOR News Image
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
According to the government, the investigation will focus on the performance of the company’s automated driving system during the crashes and how it operates in crosswalks near pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
A message was left early Monday requesting a response from the company.
Zoox reported the crashes by a requirement granted to automated vehicle firms in 2021.
Zoox – VOR News Image
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
According to estimates, Amazon paid more than $1 billion for Zoox in June 2020. In 2023, the Foster City, California-based business announced that one of its unique-looking four-person shuttles would automatically transport personnel on public highways along a mile-long (1.6-kilometer) route between two facilities.
The corporation then planned to develop an exclusive shuttle service for its employees. Analysts believe Amazon will deploy the system for autonomous deliveries.
The cars feature no steering wheel or pedals. The interior is carriage-style, with two benches facing each other. It is a little under 12 feet (3.7 meters) long, about a foot (a third of a meter) shorter than a conventional Mini Cooper, and can reach 35 mph (56 km/h).
Zoox – VOR News Image
Amazon’s Self-Driving Robotaxi Unit Zoox Under Investigation By US After 2 Rear-End Crashes
The company was already under investigation by the NHTSA. In March 2022, the government began investigating the company’s certification that its car fulfilled federal safety standards for motor vehicles.
The agency stated at the time that it would investigate if Zoox used its testing techniques to establish that certain federal criteria did not apply due to the robotaxi’s unique configuration.
SOURCE – (AP)
-
World2 weeks agoFormer President Trump Survives Being Shot at Pennsylvania Rally
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Huawei Launches 5G-A Pioneers Program at MWC Shanghai 2024: Paving the Way for a Connected Future
-
Tech4 weeks ago
ChatGPT Answers Undiscovered Questions and Outperforms Students.
-
Sports4 weeks ago
NBA Draft: Kyle Filipowski Withdraws Unexpectedly From The First Round
-
News4 weeks ago
US Supreme Court Rejects Drug Deal that Protects the Sackler Family
-
Health4 weeks ago
US Health Agency Issues Dengue Virus Infection Warning
