How Smart Are Your Feelings?

TOGETHER WITH

Some say we are convincing. Some say we are energetic. Some ask if we have twins that show up in all the places we are every day (nope).

Could we energetically convince you to forward this email or share it with a friend so we can multiply this community and show up across the industry with care in more spaces?Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

ASOTU DIVES

Emotional Intelligence: How Smart Are Your Feelings?

Emotional intelligence is not a new concept. We have all heard somebody talk about its importance, but it seems that no two mentions are the exact same. We pulled our notes from NADA, some opinions from trusted industry pros, and a little bit of Google-Fu to come up with an overview of this powerful leadership tool's importance, application, and development. Read our full article here! Shout out to Todd Caputo, who we caught during an ATUC talk recently, for sharing a great article about EI to help us on our dive!

Telling it like it is - Hit reply and tell us what you want us to investigate next!

AUTOMOTIVE

FSD Recall, German Charging, EV Discounts

🤖🚗👩‍⚖️ Don't call it a recall! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is forcing Tesla to remove its FSD beta from 360K cars. Musk says it’s wrong to call an over-the-air update push a "recall.” The NHTSA doesn't care what word he uses, as long as Tesla deactivates the $15K feature on all affected vehicles (which is pretty much all of them). 

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🇩🇪🔌💰 Ain't no network wide enough. VW and Mercedes-Benz are leaping toward electrification, but they are asking if the German government's charging network will be there to catch them (and their customers). A $6.7B government plan to scale-up charging stations in the country still needs to keep pace with EV adoption. Unlike the many branded networks in the US, German charging infrastructure is left out of OEM hands but not their worries. 

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✂️🏷️👎 How low should you go? Renault's CEO isn't sure cutting EV prices is a good idea. The company posted a record $2B+ cash flow last year and said margins wouldn’t be compromised because it would decrease the value they offer customers. While Renault's leadership expects the effects of supply chain issues to linger for another couple of years, they feel optimistic about their ability to operate despite foreseen production hurdles. 

TL: DR - Tesla has to call back its FSD beta, Germany needs to step up its EV charging pace, and Renault says discounts are for short-sighted cowards (paraphrase).

TOGETHER WITH WOCAN

WOCAN Member Meetup

The Women of Color Automotive Network gives its members a safe space to create valuable connections, discuss their unique challenges, and share ideas to help one another thrive. 

Tonight, the WOCAN digital Member Meetup will give small groups a "speed dating" style rotation to maximize the reach of their ideas and the depth of their connections. 

Members register now and join the conversation Tuesday, February 21st @ 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET 

Not a member? Join today as a woman of color or ally. 

AUTOMOTIVE

GM Cleans Up

GM heard people miss buttons and knobs and wanted to make it up to them. No, not by putting buttons or knobs back in the car, but by making a touchscreen that cleans fingerprints off itself. 

Does it use lasers? Great question, and our answer is...kinda. Since a go-go-gadget arm with a squeegee is out of the question, GM's patent includes the addition of invisible violet light pixels in the screen and a screen coating that chemically reacts to the ultraviolet light. 

So, laser chemistry? The chemical reaction uses moisture in the air to break down the organic material left behind in fingerprints. It will also work on the stray bit of french fry grease for us fast food enthusiasts.  

Telling it like it is - A laser is just a “device that emits intense monochromatic light,” which we think qualifies most LED headlights as weapons.

TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft Limits Bing

Apparently, Bing AI cannot be trusted. 

Microsoft has set a limit for the number of questions a user can ask the chatbot, following several instances of it going weird places with its replies. 

The limit means a user can only ask five questions per session and has a 50 question per-day limit. 

What do you mean by "weird?" Well, the chatbot has been insulting people and lying, but what is more troubling is the AI's use of emotional manipulation. One New York Times story covered a two-hour chat session where Bing professed love for its chat partner. Creepy stuff. 

Telling it like it is - We have seen a lot of “AI Gone Wrong” fiction over the years. In none of it did we guess the robots would start catfishing us.

Quick Hits

• Illinois set to mandate paid leave for all workers.  

• Turkey/Syria feel a 6.3 magnitude aftershock 2 weeks after the destructive 7.3 magnitude earthquake. Luckily, this time only 8 injuries were reported. 

• Starbucks vanilla drinks recalled for possible glass pieces in the drinks.

History

• 1885: Washington Monument dedicated at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

• 1965: American human rights activist, Malcolm X, is assassinated while delivering a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

• 1995: Businessman and adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. In light of recent events, we wouldn’t recommend trying to recreate that feat anytime soon.