#642 - 🚗 Tired Tires

TOGETHER WITH

Today’s email is some news and then some more news.

We hope you enjoy reading it even more than we enjoyed making it.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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BUSINESS

Happy Friday Eve

We live in somebody else’s uncertain future and clumsy past.

Henry Ford may never have imagined we’d be making L-shaped batteries and teaching our cars to parallel park themselves.

At the same distance in the future, people are looking back and wondering why we haven’t discovered that donuts are the ideal battery shape and that horses will always be the best self-driving tech.

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The Shape of Batteries to Come

General Motors is experimenting with unique-shaped battery cells in an attempt to make them cooler. Not cool like a unique haircut; cool like "not catching on fire." 

The Tetris-shaped design could solve battery degradation by allowing for more effective cooling. While the production and implementation of the design are still in the dream phases, it shows that GM is willing to try anything to establish itself as an authority in the battery sector.

Volkswagen Software Goals

VW is joining the slew of automakers who want people to love their cars so much that they don't actually drive them. A partnership with Mobileye will put some automated driving features in VW's brands, including Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche. 

It isn't full self-driving tech, but it promises features like automated overtaking, automatic stopping at red lights, and intersection support. This initiative marks a significant step in VW's ambition to develop a comprehensive in-house software system for future vehicles.

Tired Tires

The EV "sales boom" isn't quite what the automakers planned. It's tires that are selling like hotcakes (which is a funny cliche since, in our lifetime, we've never seen hotcakes "sell like hotcakes" 🤔)

• EVs are heavier and accelerate faster

• They wear out tires 20% faster

• And require tires that are about 50% more expensive. 

• Tires account for 10-15% of an EVs range.

• Reducing tire noise is a big factor in designing EV tires since the vehicle runs so quietly. 

Some say we may soon experience a "gold rush" of tire innovation as the EV market share grows. 

Hybrids, EVs, and Hydrogen

Jokes Aside...US EV & hybrid sales did experience a surge in February.

BEV and PHEV sales increase 11.4% year-over-year in February, accounting for nearly 9% of total light-duty vehicle sales. About 4.9M plug-in electric vehicles, including both plug-in hybrids and battery EVs, have been sold in the US in total. 

Currently, BEVs are ahead of PHEVs, but hybrids gain popularity every day as EVs are showing growth but slowing.

So far, Hydrogen fuel cell EVs are finding their groove, with only 135 units sold so far this year.  

Cars-n-Bots

The worlds of Automotive and Technology are inching closer to one another each day. Only time will tell if a collision or a handshake will come of it. Here are a few pieces of automaker news regarding robots. Some are making robots, some are hiring robots, and some are befriending robots. 

1. Mercedes-Benz adopts Apptronik's humanoid robot Apollo for assembly lines, aiming to automate tasks like logistics and inspections, enhancing industrial robotics use.

2. BMW partners with robotics startup Figure to introduce humanoid robots in its Spartanburg plant, focusing on body shop and warehouse tasks, indicating a shift towards adaptable automation.

3. Toyota Research Institute's Punyo, a soft robot for home assistance, focuses on handling objects with precision and flexibility, illustrating advancements in safe, user-friendly robotics.

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EVs are so heavy they are changing the way roads, tires, and highway safety are thought about. Just wait until an EV owner decides to take his three personal assistant robots to Vegas for the weekend.

It’ll be like a double-bladed-plow drove down the road.

TOGETHER WITH SPACE AUTO

Never a Dull Moment

At Space Auto, they think testimonials are “f@*!ing boring.”

Thankfully they don’t believe in boring, something you’ll see for yourself by watching their fun-totally-not-boring testimonial video. Or, even better, visit their special booth at ASOTU CON!

You know what else is boring? Having to buy different pieces of software that don’t work together just to reach people who want to buy a car.

Space Auto makes all the software you need to sell more cars and make customers happy. It all works together smoothly, and THAT is the opposite of boring!

Visit them online or in person at ASOTU CON — they can’t wait to meet you!

DATA & INSIGHT

From Proposals to Policy

The EPA's locked in its plan for cutting emissions from 2027 to 2032, and it looks like we're gonna see a big boost in electric vehicle sales as the rules on car exhaust get tighter through the rest of the decade. Plus, the Department of Energy dropped its own update this week on how electric cars stack up in terms of miles per gallon.

Both sets of rules got a bit of a chill pill from what was first thrown out there, something many automakers and dealers alike are counting as a major win after expressing concerns the pace and penalties were far too aggressive.

The rule sets up emissions goals that might push electric vehicles to make up 60% of new car sales by 2030, and even bump that up to 67% by 2032.

But here's the thing — it's not demanding a fixed EV quota. It's more like setting the bar for cleaner air, which nudges us towards needing that many electric rides on the road to hit those targets.

Though they've dialed down the accelerated timeline from the EPA’s original proposal, they expect the end goals for 2032 to remain the same.

👉 Click here to keep reading. 👀

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Next Week: More Than Cars Episode 3

Grab your popcorn! The release of Episode 3 for our More Than Cars docu-series featuring West Herr Automotive Group will premiere on Wednesday, March 27th at 1:00 PM EST!

🔥 RSVP NOW 🔥

Quick Hits

• Russia says the U.S. is using SpaceX satellites for spying, and that makes them a target. 🕵️‍♀️

• The Fed may back off the three rate cuts once projected for this year since the economy is growing despite the extra burden. ✂️

• X-Men 97’ is bringing back Saturday morning cartoon vibes and kinda nailing it. 💥

• Tired of the impersonal rush of working in somebody else’s gig economy, a former Uber Eats driver created his own delivery service — Tony Delivers. 📦

History

• 1923: The one millionth Buick. 🏆

• 1980: President Carter tells U.S. Olympic athletes that the U.S. will be boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. 🚫

• 2006: The social media site X (formerly Twitter) is founded. 🐦 

Thanks for reading, friend! That’s what we have for the morning, but we will have plenty going on throughout the day on LinkedIn, so use the link below and join the conversation. We don’t like talking to ourselves. 😄