Volvo's Next-Gen EVs Could Charge Up to 30% Quicker
Volvo Cars, which vows to go all-electric by 2030, seeks to solve a major pain point for electric vehicle owners: the time it takes to charge the battery. To do so, the Swedish automaker has invested an undisclosed amount through its corporate venture fund in London's Breathe Battery Technologies. According to Automotive News, the startup has developed battery management software it says can reduce the time to recharge an EV battery from 10 to 80 percent by 15 to 30 percent. Breathe's software uses adaptive charging, which adjusts the charging current in real time and increases the charging speed. "Adaptive charging pushes the battery harder when it's new and capable, and dynamically adapts as the battery ages to protect battery health," Breathe Battery said on its website. Breathe said its software manages the charging process to avoid the risk of lithium plating, a phenomenon that occurs when a lithium ion battery cell is stressed when consistently charged at high power. Nanoscopic needle-like formations called dendrites grow, and over time they can puncture the separator, causing a short circuit in batteries that use conventional, liquid-based electrolytes. Click here for the full story.
Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits
In today’s high-tech, high-stakes auto industry, fortunes can change quickly, and there’s no better example of that right now than Toyota Motor. According to The New York Times, not long ago, it looked as if Toyota had fallen dangerously behind in electric vehicles. Tesla, the electric car pioneer, has grown rapidly and become the world’s most valuable automaker. Seeing Tesla’s success, other companies, such as General Motors and Ford Motor, concluded that large numbers of consumers were poised to switch to battery-powered cars and trucks and began investing tens of billions of dollars to catch up. Toyota, however, was more deliberate. It has introduced just two fully electric models in the United States so far, betting that its gas-electric hybrids and plug-in hybrid vehicles, would remain popular and were sufficient to address climate change for now. Amid all the enthusiasm for electric vehicles in the last few years, it seemed Toyota just didn’t get it. But in the last six months, sales of electric vehicles have slowed, and American car buyers looking to cut their fuel bill and tailpipe emissions have been flocking to hybrids. Now Toyota’s sales are booming, and the company is reporting huge profits. Click here for the full story.
AI's Inability to Determine Cause and Effect Holds Back AVs
Autonomous vehicles use artificial intelligence to perceive surroundings, predict how tracked objects will move and generate vehicle instructions. But while AVs can be trained to recognize and respond to known objects, some analysts and engineers say AI's inability to make cause-effect connections to process novelty is at the root of the autonomy industry's challenges to scale the technology safely, reports Automotive News. "It's that 2 to 3 percent of the time when the human intuition plays a role in kind of understanding why something is happening," said Alex Oyler, director of SBD Automotive, North America. That's "why all of the corner cases," or infrequent situations, "are such a problem for autonomous vehicles," he said. AI's failure to understand causality has restricted the decision-making of AVs in these unusual corner or edge cases, exacerbating concerns that have prevented the widespread deployment of AV technology such as robotaxis. In general, handling edge cases using algorithms is difficult because while AVs have solved the rote aspects of driving using data, human intelligence in novel situations — intuition, good sense, and deductive reasoning — has yet to be replicated. Click here for the full story.
Balancing Growth to Maximize Dealership Competitiveness — Jeff Dyke | Sonic Automotive
In 2023 Sonic Automotive, one of the nation’s largest automotive retailers, saw an all-time record annual revenue of $14.4 billion despite some challenges, like the closing of its Northwest Motorsport store locations. Joining us on CBT News’ Inside Automotive to take a look at the full-year earnings numbers is the President of Sonic Automotive, Jeff Dyke. Sonic Automotive’s ability to navigate industry disruptions, particularly during the pandemic, and still achieve record revenues is a testament to its effective management and operational resilience. The emphasis on Echo Park underscores Sonic Automotive’s commitment to the used car segment, a strategic move given the recent industry shifts. The brand’s EBITDA moved closer to breaking even in the fourth quarter, signaling improvements in operational efficiency and market alignment. Dyke says the company will continue leveraging Echo Park to capitalize on the growing demand in the used car market and strengthen its position. Many dealership groups, including Sonic Automotive, are facing challenges with new car inventory surpluses, attributed to manufacturers’ overproduction. This surplus continues to impact gross profits even as the market adjusts to the excess supply. Click here to watch the full interview.
Lexus’ Driver Monitoring Is the Only One That Works Right, Says IIHS
More than a dozen automakers have their own advanced driver assistance systems that help steer, accelerate, and slow the vehicle on certain roads, within certain parameters. Many of those systems feature additional driver monitoring systems to ensure drivers aren't sleeping or fooling around while ADAS is in use. However, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, only Lexus' driver monitoring works well enough. According to The Drive, the IIHS tested 14 monitoring systems from nine different car companies. Of those, only the Lexus Teammate system—examined on the Lexus LS—earned an Acceptable rating. Two were rated Marginal, while the other 11 got Poor ratings. “We evaluated partial automation systems from BMW, Ford, General Motors, Genesis, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla and Volvo,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “Most of them don’t include adequate measures to prevent misuse and keep drivers from losing focus on what’s happening on the road.” The issues varied between systems. Some failed to recognize when a driver wasn't watching the road, some weren't aggressive enough in warning distracted drivers, and some didn't warn distracted drivers at all. There were even those that let the driver unbuckle their seatbelt with ADAS in action. Click here for the full story.
Dealer Teamwork Earns 2024 Google Premier Partner Status
Dealer Teamwork is proud to announce its seventh consecutive year as a Google Premier Partner. This elite status is exclusively awarded to the top 3% of Google partners across all industries nationwide, solidifying its position as a leader in driving exceptional results for dealership clients.
Premier Partner is the highest of three tiers in the Google Partner Program, underscoring Dealer Teamwork’s commitment to leading-edge innovation and expertise. Its patented MPOP® and team of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Certified experts provide advanced digital advertising and marketing capabilities with proven results in dynamic and OEM-compliant Paid Search Advertising, Social Media Advertising, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), OTT (Over-the-Top) and CTV (Connected Television) Advertising for the automotive industry.
“We are incredibly honored to again be named a Google Premier Partner. It’s a testament to our innovative Total Search™ approach, but most importantly, our exceptional team. Their commitment to delivering the highest quality service and results for our clients sets Dealer Teamwork apart. As we remain at the forefront of digital marketing, our Premier Partnership empowers us to further elevate our strategies and drive even greater success for all.”– Sean Stapleton, CEO and Co-Founder of Dealer Teamwork
Click here to learn more about Dealer Teamwork.
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