Self Driving Cars Now Approved For Sale In Michigan

Self driving cars are a hot topic in the automotive world. After Joshua Brown was killed while operating his Tesla Model S in Autopilot mode last May, many groups involved with the automotive industry advised regulators to go slow when approving rules for autonomous driving vehicles. Consumer Reports in particular has called upon Elon Musk and Tesla Motors to stop calling their suite of driver assistance features Autopilot. CR thinks that name suggests to drivers that the system is capable of performing more tasks than it actually can, giving drivers a false sense of security.

Several states — California, Florida, and Texas among them — permit companies to test self driving cars on public roads, provided there is a human driver on board who can take over the controls if necessary. Google has been working for years on a small two passenger electric car with no steering wheel, accelerator or brake pedal. But even California, which is usually out in front on all things dealing with new technology, restricts those cars to private test facilities. The ones that Google operates on public roads must have the a steering wheel and pedals installed.

Last week, Michigan became the first state to allow car companies to sell fully autonomous cars with no steering wheel or pedals for use on its public roads.  The legislation was approved by the Michigan senate last September, but took this long to wend its way through the state’s house of representatives and reach governor Rick Snyder’s desk. The legislation was backed by General Motors and Ford, plus Google and ride sharing services Uber and Lyft. “The new laws mean autonomous vehicles can operate on any road in the state, at any time, and by anyone. Or no one,” reports Autoblog.

“By establishing guidelines and standards for self-driving vehicles, we’re continuing that tradition of excellence in a way that protects the public’s safety while at the same time allows the mobility industry to grow without overly burdensome regulations,” Gov. Snyder said.

The package of legislation also approved funding for the American Center for Mobility, a closed research campus where companies can develop and test autonomous driving technology without subjecting the public to undue risk. Michigan is anxious to shift the center of gravity for automotive innovation away from California and Silicon Valley.

Michigan senator Mike Kowall, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, said the new laws would turn “the eyes of the world once again on Michigan for its engineering and its research. It’s a different kind of car building but car building nonetheless,” according to a report in Crain’s Detroit Business.

Source: Autoblog

Next-Generation Chevy Volt Nationwide Availability To Be Delayed

Update: The limited 2016 Volt rollout has apparently been officially confirmed. GM spokesperson, Kevin Kelly, delivered the following official statement: “Chevrolet has a shortened model year for the 2016 Chevy Volt that will have a limited distribution network. The 2016 Volt will be sold in our strongest EREV markets. The 2017 Chevrolet Volt will begin production early this spring and will be available throughout the country.”

Word on the internet is that full production for the next-generation Chevy Volt (2016 Chevy Volt) may be delayed until February or March. A rumor about this began a few days ago when some Chevrolet dealers who are big supporters of the Volt program complained on Facebook that their cars were being delayed.

At first, the GM-Volt.com forum dismissed this as an unsubstantiated rumor, until the picture you see above made its way onto the internet. It shows an internal GM document called the Timeline, a way that Chevy uses to keep its dealers informed about when to expect new models. The acronym DSOP stands for “dealer standard operating procedure” and it clearly shows production of the 2016 Chevy Volt began on August 26, but only for cars destined for dealers in California and the other 10 states that adhere to the emissions standards prescribed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Those other states are Connecticut, Massachussetts, Maryland , Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Look over on the right of the photo and you will see that production of cars intended for the other 39 states (and Canada?) is now scheduled for February and March of next year. The Timeline indicates those states will receive no 2016 cars at all. When they do get cars — in the Spring of 2016 — they will be designated as 2017 models. [Editor’s Note: I tried to get a 2016 Volt media loaner or late October when I will be in Florida presenting at the EV Transportation & Technology Summit, and despite a lot of work on the part of my contact, it turned out I couldn’t get one because Chevy wouldn’t have any in the Florida fleet by that time.]

Why is that? No one knows and Chevrolet is not saying. Representatives of Inside EVs and Hybrid Carshave reached out to GM for confirmation but have received no response. Unfortuanately, a lack of information always leads to speculation, some of it plausible and some of it ridiculous. Some people at the Volt forum have suggested there is a serious problem with the cars, but if that were true, Chevy would not be building any of them for any markets.

The more likely explanation is that Chevy is waiting for production of the all-new aluminum engine for the next-generation Volt to shift from Mexico, where the engine is built today, to the company’s engine plant in Flint, Michigan. Chevy announced that move some time ago. Perhaps it wants to be able to talk about how the car is mostly American made when it begins its advertising campaign to introduce the new car. That would make some sense.

Whatever the reason, a delay of a few months is not all that unusual in the car business. The Tesla Model X has been delayed for two years (and counting) and the new Toyota Prius was supposed to be here a year ago. Will there be any discernible difference between the early and the later Gen-2 Chevy Volts? No one knows at this point. We will keep you informed as more information becomes available.

The one thing this kerfuffle makes clear is that cameras are everywhere today and keeping company secrets is getting tougher and tougher. The dealers who started all this by posting on Facebook are probably surprised that anyone paid any attention to their posts, but they shouldn’t be. Using Facebook for anything is like sending an e-mail directly to every person on earth. Why more people don’t realize that is a great mystery.

Of course, maybe the dealers knew exactly what they were doing.

How Tesla is getting around Michigan's 'no sales' law

A fully-charged Tesla Model S can get from Detroit to Toronto if the driver doesn't have a lead foot. A more important US-Canada city tour would be from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, which is only a two-mile journey through the Detroit Windsor Tunnel. This is key, because Tesla is thinking some Michigan folks will make that trip to check out the all-electric Model S, perhaps rattling some political cages as well.

The California automaker recently drummed up some Detroit/Windsor-area exposure by holding Model S test rides in Windsor, according to CBC News. While the act itself isn't that brazen, it's a not-so-subtle dig at the state that the Big Three US automakers call home and which recently joined the ranks of states that take a hardline approach against Tesla legally selling its vehicles directly to customers. Michigan joined states like Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and Arizona requiring the automaker to work through third-party dealerships. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said that House Bill 5606, "doesn't change current law at all," but if Canada all of a sudden gets a lot of positive attention for being more open and Tesla's online sales rise, perhaps some minds will change.

News Source: CBC News

Michigan EV maker GGT Electric wins South Carolina state contract for LSVs

Michigan-based low-speed electric vehicle manufacturer GGT (GreenGoTek) Electric has been awarded one of South Carolina’s first statewide contracts to bring low-speed electric vehicles (LSVs) to the state’s automotive fleet.

The E-Dyne van. Click to enlarge.

The initial target of the contract calls for GGT to deliver 10 of their E-Dyne all-electric passenger vans to the state of South Carolina for the first year, with the option for a second year renewal for another 10 vans.

The vans will be used for a multitude of potential purposes, including, but not limited to, campus supervision, grounds maintenance, parking meter enforcement, personal transportation, light hauling, and others.

The E-Dyne van is powered by a 72V or 96V Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM)battery pack. SPeed is 25 mph (40 km/h). Range is 30+ miles (48+ kilometers) with the 72V battery and 40+ miles (64 km) with the 96V option.

Source: Green Car Congress

State of Michigan to Invest $543.5 Million in Battery Manufacturing

As a resident of the State of Ohio, I am bred with an innate loathing of all things Michigan. However, knowing the economic crunch that both Ohio and Michigan currently find themselves, I am somewhat awed by the bold steps that State up north are taking.

Michigan is awarding more than one-half billion dollars in tax credits to four companies; Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions LLC, KD Advanced Battery Group LLC, A123Systems Inc., and LG Chem-Compact Power Inc. for the express purpose of having their production facilities in state. In return, the companies will invest more than $1.7 billion to bring their plants to fruition.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand this means more jobs, more local taxes and more state taxes as the businesses mature. This is very forward thinking on the part of Michigan politicians and I wish I could say that Ohio was doing likewise, but I cannot. The hope is that the US automakers survive and then can choose a battery company to supply their needs for hybrid and EV models in the future. Currently, the Chinese have taken the lead in battery production, especially Li ion varieties.

The state refundable tax credits will help the companies in their quest for some of the $2 billion in federal grants for advanced-battery research and development. Facility locations will be determined pending final site selection decisions by the companies, but you can rest assured they will not be located far from Detroit.

Today marks a defining moment for Michigan's future as we see a new industry begin to take root and grow new jobs. Thanks to the most aggressive economic strategy of any state in the country, Michigan, the global center of automotive research and development, is positioned to lessen the nation's dependence on foreign oil and become the advanced battery capital of the world.

—Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm