Andy Caponetti

🚗🔌 **Exciting Updates in the Rivian R1 Platform!** 🚀 As a technical trainer, I'm thrilled to share the latest developments in Rivian's R1 platform. Buckle up, because this is more than just a facelift—it's a quantum leap forward. 🌟 ## 1. Autonomous Sensory and System: The Rivian Autonomy Platform Rivian's revamped R1S and R1T now come equipped with the cutting-edge Rivian Autonomy Platform. Picture this: The system integrates inputs from 11 internally developed high-resolution cameras. These cameras provide a comprehensive view of the vehicle’s surroundings, capturing critical data for safe navigation. Additionally, the platform utilizes five advanced radars, enhancing its ability to detect objects, pedestrians, and other vehicles. All working in harmony, capturing an uninterrupted 360-degree view even in dark tunnels. ##2. Streamlined Zonal Architecture: Less Is More Rivian’s move to a zonal architecture is akin to decluttering a busy workspace. Here’s how it works:- In the previous generation, Rivian relied on 17 electronic control units (ECUs) scattered throughout the vehicle. Now, they’ve consolidated these into just 7 strategically placed units. The zonal architecture enables efficient communication between ECUs within specific zones. Each zone handles related functions, reducing the complexity of wiring and improving reliability. Thanks to Nvidia Drive Orin processors, this system is 10 times more powerful than its predecessor. The entire system processes an astonishing 250 trillion operations per second, ensuring real-time responsiveness and accuracy. And guess what? streamlining efficiency and reducing wiring by 1.6 miles per vehicle. Safety features like blind spot monitoring and highway assist are standard, with even more advanced capabilities coming soon. 📸🛣️ ## 3. Battery Evolution: Adaptive Range Tracking and LFP Cells Rivian isn't playing games when it comes to batteries. Their adaptive range tracking ensures optimal performance, dynamically adjusting based on driving conditions. The new Large and Max battery packs feature redesigned modules and more efficient packaging. The pack enclosure now utilizes large high pressure die castings to not only dramatically simplify manufacturing but to also reduce mass. Plus, they've embraced LFP cells (lithium iron phosphate) for their Standard battery pack. These cells enhance longevity, safety, and affordability. Imagine the possibilities—longer drives, fewer worries! 🔋🔍 ##4. Motor Technology: Silent Powerhouses Rivian is designing, engineering and manufacturing all motors in-house. There’s a new Tri Motor option, combining a single front motor with two rear-mounted units, generating 850 horsepower and 1103 pound-feet. The Quad Motor models now deliver a whopping 1025 horsepower and 1198 pound-feet of torque.. 🚀⚡ Source : https://lnkd.in/dDUYT3Q8 🚗🔌 #Rivian #innovation #ElectricVehicles #ElectricCar #electricalarchitecture #zonalecu #nvidea🌐🔗

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***Lucid Surges Past Expectations: Price Cuts Fuel Revenue Beat in Q1*** -Lucid Group is proving that aggressive maneuvers can pay off. The luxury EV maker announced a significant revenue beat for the first quarter of 2024, exceeding analyst expectations. This success is directly attributed to strategic price adjustments that boosted sales of its flagship Air sedan earlier in the year. -The Upshot: Lucid's stock initially dipped in after-hours trading, likely due to expected losses, but the revenue win signals resilience in a competitive EV market. Investors are weighing this positive news against ongoing concerns about slowing demand. Context is Key: In February, the automaker cut Air sedan prices by up to 10% to gain an edge and attract buyers who might otherwise favor hybrid vehicles in a high-interest rate environment. -The Bigger Picture: Lucid's strong deliveries last month already hinted at the success of this pricing strategy in an arena where Tesla also reported a recent dip in deliveries. -Key Figures: Lucid reported $172.7 million in Q1 revenue, up from the estimated $156.99 million. It successfully narrowed its net loss compared to the same period last year. Closing: Lucid maintains its 9,000-vehicle production goal for 2024. The company's next major milestone is the launch of its highly anticipated Gravity SUV, slated for late 2024. It is on track for production and garnering positive attention from the automotive press. Source: CNBC/REUTERS #automotiveengineering #manufacturingengineering #automotivenews #engineering #lucidair #automotivemanufacturing

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So what has gone wrong for Rivian, Lucid Motors, Nikola Corporation and other EV startups? How about product delays, questionable distribution strategy, bad timing, terrible risk assessment/risk management, irrational initial BEV uptake forecasts, to name just a few reasons. Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Tesla, others all committed similar, serious mistakes. Only Toyota Motor Corporation seems to have avoided the industry-wide overreaction and irrational exuberance. How did their "high-priced talent" miss ALL of this, while plenty of others saw it coming for years now :) :) Stellantis, Group Lotus, Nissan Motor Corporation, Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz AG #automotive #automotiveindustry #sales #innovation #ecommerce #branding #ai #ev #electricvehicles #technology #business #leadership #disruptor

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A simple but useful new feature. Reducing time to route navigation. #FSD #Autopilot #Tesla https://lnkd.in/gsddT_pU

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Tesla's Supercharger Network is in Jeopardy After Surprise Team Axing. In a move that has the EV world buzzing, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently laid off the entire Supercharger team - despite the profitable network being a key selling point for the company's electric cars. 🔋 The Supercharger division, once tasked with ambitious expansion goals, had around 500 employees responsible for building and maintaining Tesla's over 50,000 charging stalls worldwide. But in April, they were all suddenly let go. According to an ex-employee: "We built the best network in the world. We were minding the ship. Nothing was frivolous." (see: https://lnkd.in/ddgJF39P ) Yet it wasn't enough as Musk went for deep cuts with a "chainsaw" approach amid slowing sales growth and price wars denting profits. The Supercharger network's widespread, reliable and high-speed charging was instrumental in overcoming "range anxiety" for EV buyers. But now: ✅ Dozens of new Supercharger sites are stuck in limbo or may not open at all ✅ An advanced V4 hardware rollout appears stalled ✅ Tesla may struggle to win federal funding for charging expansion While Musk pledged $500M for Supercharger growth, hitting that goal sans a dedicated team will be extremely difficult according to insiders. The layoffs are even more puzzling given the profitability of the network and its future money-making potential by opening to other EVs. All major automakers have now adopted Tesla's charging standard (see my previous posts about it here: https://lnkd.in/dFRE4B3D ) With the Supercharger brain trust gone, can Tesla maintain its crown jewel charging advantage? Or will the network's perceived dominance slowly erode? The company's strategic path for its "linchpin" project is now surrounded by question marks. What are your thoughts on this surprise move? Do you think "Superchargers on wheels" like my https://lnkd.in/de27ZaQ could come to the rescue in areas with new EV offers? Share your insights in the comments! #tesla #polestar #nacs #supercharger #abb

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Is Tesla's Charging Network the Answer to the Country's Infrastructure Problem?? Given the recent Tesla Supercharger layoffs (and rehires), it might be a whole new ballgame! On Friday May 31st, I'll be on a panel at the Electrify Expo Long Beach Industry Day speaking on the topic: "Is Tesla's Charging Network the Answer to the Country's Infrastructure Problem?" with Tom Bowen of Qmerit and Laycee S. (Miss GoElectric), and moderated by Emily Dreibelbis of PCMag. I will also be doing the intro key note speech. Make sure to come by, watch the panel and say if you're in LA. Do you think that Tesla's Supercharger network and NACS is the answer to charging infrastructure problems? Let me know your thoughts below. Thanks to Malory Van Guilder, Allie Potter, BJ Birtwell For 25% off tickets use code: EE24MSGO25 or use this link: https://lnkd.in/gPcBSATT

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There’s a lot of talk about development of low-cost EVs (sub-$25k). That segment of the automotive market has nearly disappeared in the post-Covid limited-supply push to more profitable nameplates. Question for market observers/future-guessers: say there is latent demand for a $25k BEV; would there not be even more demand for a $20k ICE or a $21k hybrid? Edit: talking US market specifically.

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Is Tesla cutting its own throat by firing the entire Supercharger team? "Astoundingly, the rest of the auto industry that was getting ready to partner with Tesla on charging seems blindsided as well today, leaving them with countless questions about what's next. "We were surprised as anyone, and have no additional information than what’s been reported," one automaker official told me. There's no two ways about it: this move is utterly baffling." In the last 10 years, after some excellent strategic moves, it appeared that Musk and Tesla were playing chess, while all other OEMs were playing checkers. One of those was the widespread roll out of the Supercharger network. It was, and remains, a massive competitive advantage. So much so that every other OEM signed up for Tesla's NACS charging standard in North America. This huge network allowed Tesla to capitalize on future EV rollout, and secure huge amounts of federal funding Yet, now Musk has fired the ENTIRE team!! Why would you kill your own competitive advantage? Perhaps Musk is so focused on robotaxi he doesn't see a need for Superchargers. Apart from cost savings, I see no upside for this, and MAJOR downside. It's a shocking end to one of the best infrastructure rollouts in decades. What do you think the reason for laying off the entire Supercharger team is? Will Tesla invest in truck Megacharging? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below #automotive #batteries #climatechange #electricvehicles #innovation #sustainability #cleanenergy #renewableenergy More here: https://lnkd.in/gi7cEibF

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Rivian R1T: A Two-Year Retrospective Join me as I take a deep dive into my two-year ownership experience with the Rivian R1T, exploring the highs, the lows, and everything in between! https://lnkd.in/exVAYV2F

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Article on NHTSA's struggle to keep up with Tesla AutoPilot (and FSD) regulation. Many angles covered in the story worth a read, including quotes from me and Missy Cummings. Also Rob Heilman, who was at NHTSA/DOT for many years "said that senior officials lack familiarity with automated systems and that the country was lacking federal leadership." Hopefully the new office funded by Congress mentioned in the article will help with that. Making a new rule for FMVSS is a heavy lift, and kudos to NHTSA for doing that for AEB/PAEB recently. There are even more comparatively simple things that can be done right now. What NHTSA can do right now: - Push forward with new AEB rule, which will take care of many of the Tesla crashes we're seeing (e.g., into stopped vehicles) - Make a policy statement that any investigation will specifically consider operation outside the ODD to be a relevant factor when considering undue risk. - Make a policy statement that any investigation will specifically consider gaps in driver monitoring ability (e.g., no infrared illumination at night, or no camera-based monitoring) to be a relevant factor when considering undue risk. - Work with IIHS and EuroNCAP to incorporate ODD limits and driver monitoring into future NCAP tests as the next heavy lift What US DOT can do right now: make a statement that they consider the manufacturer of an automated driving system to have a duty of care (via their driving computer) for the safety of other road users when that driving system is controlling steering. https://wapo.st/44pn3tX (gift link)

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Here is a question for everyone to consider: Assuming Tesla does actually launch a #robotaxi service in August, who is liable when the vehicles break traffic laws, stop on the roadway, or crash into other vehicles or road users? Other robotaxi providers have shown the need for various forms of remote guidance and assistance, but will Tesla offer that? Ultimately, is Tesla liable for robotaxi operation, or is it the vehicle owner? Please add your thoughts in the comments below. https://lnkd.in/emvvkj-t

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Tesla has several V4 Supercharger posts installed in the U.S. but apparently the touch screen/payment reader hasn't been activated on many of them. This one that I tested in Rockland, ME won federal funding through the #NEVI Formula program, so the touch screen and regular card payment option was required from day one (opened April 3rd, 2024). The full session overview is below via Plug & Play EV but here's a closer look at the payment terminal and touchscreen performance: ⏱ Payment authorized within 10 seconds, up to full power within 46 seconds. Still the fastest activation time I've seen for a CPO (ChargePoint is usually close). 📲 Limited menu options. Can change language and possibly dive into charging data sub-menus, but the latter threw me a "Data Verification Error" when I tried. No screen guidance re. CCS adapter release or app start. ⚡ Power display and time/cost clear. $0.51/kWh (for non-members), max power was 97 kW for around 16 kWh in a 10-minute session. 😎 Partially protected from the sun/inclement weather by the side-mounted location and charge cable/connector holster position. What do you think... satisfyingly minimalist design or too bare bones for new users? #Tesla #TeslaSuperchargers #evcharging

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The 2406 release of Simcenter Mechanical products is out now!! Here are some of the highlights with links to related content. This is my first time posting from canva, if the links don't work I'll add them in the comments below. #Simcenter #Simulation #engineering #CAE

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Digital Twin, Hybrid Engineering, Model Updating...so many fancy buzzwords to keep up with 😉 So what makes this article worth your 🕰 to read? How about an oft overlooked topic in simulation...tying your simulation to what your customer actually hears (and not just dBSPL or noise radiation but actually 'what they hear')? Can that be done? TLDR; yes! Take 5 mins and read more about estimating psychoacoustics from simulations 👇

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When Tesla laid off the entire team working on its Superchargers, some took it as a bad omen for the charging industry overall. Why would Tesla, which arguably dominated the EV-charging landscape and built nearly 6,000 Supercharging stations around the world in 2023 alone, pull the plug on this part of its business? Especially in an election year when Republicans are attacking electric vehicles, the team’s disintegration could be seen as a sign that the EV revolution isn’t really working. “But that’s not the reality of it,” says Hooman Shahidi, cofounder and CEO of EVPassport. For Fast Company, I explored how this news is actually a chance to rethink EV charging—both what it looks like and our behavior around it. It's a chance to get away from the gas station mindset that Superchargers keep drivers in, to focus on Level 1 and Level 2 chargers, and to open room for more competition and innovation. What are your thoughts on this moment for the EV charging landscape?

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