AD #3368 – Baidu Unveils New L4 AV; Amazon Now Delivering with Rivian Vans; OnStar Expands Beyond Passenger Cars

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

AMAZON NOW DELIVERING PACKAGES WITH RIVIAN VANS
Amazon announced that Rivian’s electric vans have started delivering packages in nine cities across the U.S. By the end of the year, Amazon expects thousands of vans in more than 100 cities and by 2030, Amazon is aiming to have 100,000 Rivian vehicles in its fleet. And speaking of Rivian, CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters that it plans to expand its lineup of electric commercial vehicles. Some will be based on the same platform as the Amazon van and it will introduce smaller commercial vehicles built on a new platform that could share parts from its upcoming R2 electric crossover. Scaringe also said that the company is aiming to produce one million EVs a year by 2030 and it plans to open more plants.

DAIMLER TRUCK KICKS OFF eECONIC PRODUCTION
And speaking of electric commercial vehicles, Daimler Truck announced that it started producing the electric version of the Mercedes-Benz Econic truck alongside the diesel version. This is the second EV in its lineup after the eActros. The first examples of the eEconic will be delivered to a waste disposal company in Denmark. While the electric versions are three times more expensive than diesel powered ones, in the long run, Daimler says the cost is about the same because of lower fueling costs.

ONSTAR EXPANDS BEYOND PASSENGER VEHICLES
General Motors is expanding OnStar beyond passenger vehicles. The service is now available to motorcycle riders, which provides them 24/7 access to roadside assistance and emergency services if they crash. OnStar’s app uses the sensors in a smartphone to detect when a rider is moving and can determine a change in acceleration, signaling a crash. It then alerts OnStar to get a handle on the situation, and contact emergency responders if need be. OnStar is now available in the home through Amazon Alexa as well. It also provides users with emergency help, by saying “Alexa, call for help.” As part of the expansion, OnStar is modifying its logo. As you can see it’s pretty similar to the old one but now has a simpler look.

GM & FORD SEEK AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE APPROVAL
Companies continue to make progress with self-driving vehicles. Earlier this week, Amazon’s autonomous unit Zoox filed for a petition to test driverless vehicles in California. And now General Motors and Ford are seeking approval from NHTSA to deploy vehicles without a steering wheel or pedals. Both companies want to deploy 2,500 self-driving cars a year, the maximum amount allowed under the law. They want to offer ride hailing and delivery services. NHTSA published the petitions, which are now open to public comments for the next 30 days. But there’s no timetable for NHTSA to make a final decision.

CELESTIQ TO USE SOLID-STATE LIDAR
Speaking of self-driving vehicles, we’ve got some more information about the Cadillac Celestiq. We already knew it would be the first car to get GM’s Ultra Cruise, which is the next step up from Super Cruise. Ultra Cruise will work hands-free on surface streets, not just on highways, meaning it will deal with traffic lights and other infrastructure. And now we’ve learned it’s going to use Lidar from a company called Cepton, a Silicon Valley startup that’s been around since 2016. Cepton developed a solid-state Lidar that does not use mirrors, and as the name implies, it doesn’t rotate either. 

BAIDU INTRODUCES NEW L4 AUTONOMOUS CAR
In China, Baidu introduced its next generation L4 autonomous car, the Apollo RT6. It’s a minivan BEV that even has a detachable steering wheel which Baidu says opens up more room for seating, vending machines, desktops, or even gaming consoles. But here’s the big news. Even with 38 sensors, including 8 lidar units, It only costs around $37,000, which shows that fully self-driving vehicles can be affordable to regular consumers, not just fleet operators. It will go into operation next year with Baidu’s ride hailing service, which is called Apollo Go. Robin Li, the Co-founder and CEO of Baidu says they will deploy tens of thousands of these cars and that robotaxi rides will be half the cost of taking a taxi because they’re eliminating the cost of the driver. 

PORSCHE NOW PERFORMING AUTOMATED TEST DRIVES
Vehicles have to go through a whole battery of tests before they ever reach the public’s hands. But with so much technology in vehicles today there’s less and less time for calibration and validation. So, Porsche is developing a system for automated test drives. A test driver first drives the desired route and records things like speed, acceleration and GPS data. Then the automated system can follow the same path, which is useful to test changes made to the vehicle. It also takes stress off the drivers during long endurance tests. Using AI to improve capability, Porsche says the system will eventually be able to handle highly dynamic testing on the race track. 

CHEVY TEASES NEW ULTIUM-BASED EV
Chevy teased a new Ultium-based EV for the Chinese market. It’s called the Seeker and while we don’t have a lot of details, it will have the brand’s new global design language, so it should look similar to the Equinox and Blazer EVs. Look for more to come on the 28th of next week as the Seeker will be revealed in Shanghai.

MINI OFFERS COOPER SE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
In an effort to show that driving an EV can be for anyone, MINI fitted a Cooper SE with an operating system for someone with disabilities. It features a ring around the inside of the steering wheel, which is the accelerator, and a hand brake lever to the right of the wheel. There’s also a cover that goes over the traditional controls so there’s no accidental application. Because it’s an EV there’s no physical connection between the accelerator ring and the pedal, so it can easily be switched off. A user just needs to apply pressure with their hand to the ring, which seems like it’d be pretty easy to operate, but MINI is also offering a training course just outside of Munich in Germany for people to get used to it.

OPEL REVEALS TRICKED OUT ASTRA
This is the type of car you might expect to see at SEMA, but it’s a tricked-out version of the new Opel Astra done by tuning specialist XS. An air suspension system slams the car to the ground and is highlighted with 20-inch blade wheels and motorsport-inspired decals. While nothing was done to upgrade the interior or powertrain, Opel hopes the car will build up its image in the tuning community as an approachable brand.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S 1998 F1 FERRARI UP FOR AUCTION
Sotheby’s is going to auction off one of Michael Schumacher’s Formula One Ferraris. Specifically, this is chassis number 187 and Schumacher won four Grands Prix with it in 1998. In fact, Sothebys says this car was never defeated in a race. So what’s a Schumacher Ferrari worth? Sotheby’s expects to get $6 million to $8 million when auctioned in Monterey, California next month.

But that’s a wrap for this week. I hope you have a great weekend and we’ll see you right back here again on Monday.