<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1018706268302959&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
((o
Knowledge • News • Insights
 o))
In Partnership With

PlanetM Mobility Report Mid November 2020

Michigan Business Network
November 18, 2020 3:00 PM

MEDC_PlanetMPlanetM Mobility Report

Ford, General Motors Announce Key Moves in Electric Vehicle Push

 

Ford, General Motors Announce Key Moves in Electric Vehicle Push

 
 

As part of Ford’s more than $3.2 billion investment in their North American manufacturing facilities to produce a series of electric vehicles for commercial and retail customers, the company announced plans to invest $850 million in its River Rouge Complex in Dearborn and Van Dyke Transmission Plant in
Sterling Heights that will add or retain 725 jobs. Plans include investments in the Van Dyke plant to make e-motors and e-transaxles for new electric vehicles, as well as ramping up production plans at the Rouge Plant in Dearborn. The announcement comes roughly two months after the company broke ground on its historic River Rouge Complex, which will serve as the home of the all-electric F-150 truck series.

 
 
 
 

General Motors announced its commitment to hire 3,000 new employees largely focused on software development. The announcement comes on the heels of the automaker’s recent launch of the GMC Hummer EV, which is the first vehicle on GM’s next-generation electric vehicle platform with its proprietary Ultium battery cells. Earlier this year, GM made a commitment to invest $20 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025, including offering 20 new electric vehicles globally by 2023.

 
 
 
 

Both announcements signal the industry’s continued momentum towards electric vehicle adoption and further solidifies Michigan as the ideal place for the manufacturing of next-gen transportation.

 
 
Wayne State University Launches 'MobilityforAll' Competition
 
 

Established in February 2020, the Wayne Mobility Initiative (WMI) aims to improve quality of life for individuals and communities through excellence in mobility-related research, teaching, and service. In one of its first initiatives to realize that goal, WMI launched the Mobility for All Competition, a three-phase event that will take place between October 2020 and October 2021. The objective of the competition is for interdisciplinary student and faculty teams to develop innovative, impactful and accessible solutions to real mobility challenges.

Phase 1 of the competition will require teams to propose a solution with one of the following challenge areas: public safety, access to food, access to healthcare, access to education, in addition to four challenges areas related to transportation: public transit, bicycle infrastructure, walkability, and connected and autonomous vehicles. Up to ten finalists will be selected to pitch their ideas to the WMI panel, making them eligible for the second phase of the competition as well. The deadline to apply for phase 1 of the competition is December 11.

 
 
 
 
Mobility Spotlight: Applied Intuition Raises $125 Million in Series C Financing Round
 
 

PlanetM Landing Zone member, Applied Intuition, recently raised $125 million in Series C funding, achieving a $1.25 billion valuation for its autonomous vehicle testing software. Applied Intuition was founded in 2017 with a mission to make it faster, safer and easier to bring autonomy to the market.

With the additional capital, Applied Intuition will continue to invest in its platform, strengthen its global presence and expand deeper into verticals such as automotive, freight/trucking, delivery robots, defense, mining, agriculture, construction, AMR and aviation. Applied Intuition will maintain its Michigan roots, and we are thrilled to have them as part of our Landing Zone community.

 
 
 
 
Read the Latest MEDC Whitepaper in Wards Auto
 
 
 
 
Plug and Play Detroit Announces Batch [Zero] Recipients
 
 

Plug and Play Detroit, Powered by AmplifyD, and in collaboration with partners at FCA, MMSDC, BorgWarner, and Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, announced the inaugural batch [zero] startups. Congratulations to the participating startups who represent a mix of technology areas, geographic locations and funding stages, including: Acerta, Aichemist, Bluespace, ClearFlame Engines, Chargeway, Cogniac, Deepen AI, GuardKnox, GBatteries, HAAS Alert, Heat Inverse, Interplai, Intvo, Omnitron Sensors, Populus, Potential Motors, Sibros.

For more information, please contact detroit@pnptc.com or visit the Plug and Play Detroit website here.

 
 
Playback: Dubai Expo 2020
 
 

Global representatives, practitioners and thought leaders converged virtually at the Dubai Expo 2020. Hear directly from Trevor Pawl, the state of Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer for his remarks as part of the Urban and Rural Development Program Workshop in this clip here.

 
 
Playback: GENIVI Virtual Experience
 
 

Hear from industry leaders that participated at the 2020 GENIVI virtual experience conference here.

 
 
Reminder: Accepting Applications for PlanetM Testing Grant
 
 

Accelerate your company’s mobility innovation by accessing Michigan advanced testing facilities including:

 Mcity at the University of Michigan
 ACM
 GM Mobility Research Center at Kettering University
 Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium
 Keweenaw Research Center at Michigan Technological University
 Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University

Testing grant applications are evaluated on a rolling basis. To learn more or to apply, visit https://www.planetm.com/test-and-pilot/.

 
 
Upcoming Virtual Events
 
 

November 17-18: Smart City Expo
November 17-19: CoMotion LA
November 19: MSU Mobility Forum
December 2: NextEnergy’s Michigan UP EV Readiness Workshop

December 2-4: Financial Times Future of the Car Summit
December 15-17: European Mobility Expo
January 11-14: CES

 
 
In The News
 
 

Industry diversity needed now
The automotive industry finds itself at a defining moment with regard to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our companies' futures depend on our ability to attract, retain and develop talent. The growth, sustainability and financial well-being of our industry is directly correlated to making our work forces look more like the society in which we operate and the consumers we serve.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are not trends — they are necessities. This year has presented both tragedy and opportunity. The question is, can this industry truly embrace diversity, equity and inclusion and commit to transformative change?

Google the business case for diversity, and you will find multiple studies talking about the benefits of diversity on teams, in leadership and on boards. More specifically, companies with women and minorities in decision-making roles experience better financial performance, higher rates of return on investment and higher employee retention rates when compared with companies that do not. Studies have shown that companies with diverse leadership teams are eight times more likely to have better business outcomes, six times more likely to be innovative and agile and 21 percent more likely to outperform on profitability when in the top quartile for gender diversity. Cultural, gender and demographic diversity will make a difference in the long-term success of the auto industry.

Walmart to test deliveries by self-driving car with General Motors’ Cruise
Starting next year, some of Walmart’s deliveries of groceries and other items will be dropped off at customers’ homes by a small fleet of electric-powered, driverless cars.

The big-box retailer said Tuesday that it will kick off a new pilot with Cruise, an autonomous, all-electric vehicle company that’s a majority-owned subsidiary of General Motors. It did not disclose terms of the deal.

Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product for Walmart U.S., said customers who live near the pilot in Scottsdale, Arizona can place an order from their local store and have it delivered by one of Cruise’s cars. He said it could further two of the retailer’s goals: Getting customers what they need quickly and moving a step closer to the company’s target of zero emissions by 2040.

Ford plans investment in Sterling Heights plant as part of electric vehicle push
Ford Motor Co. is planning to invest $150 million in its Van Dyke Transmission plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan and preserve 225 jobs as part of a major push on electric vehicles.

The automaker also said Tuesday that it plans to invest $100 million and create 150 full-time jobs at its Kansas City Assembly Plant to support the upcoming E-Transit van.

The electric van, set to be revealed Thursday, will go on sale in late 2021 as a 2022 model. Coupled with a previously-announced investment of $300 million at the plant for the launch of the redesigned F-150, Ford has hit the $400 million figure it promised to invest in the Kansas City, Mo., plant through 2023 in its 2019 contract with the UAW.

Virgin Hyperloop transports first passengers in test run
Virgin Hyperloop carried its first passengers in a high-speed vacuum tube Sunday in a test run that company officials hailed as a major milestone toward commercializing the revolutionary transportation technology.

Why it matters: The test was intended to show that hyperloop travel — using magnetic levitation to whisk small pods through a vacuum tube at speeds of up to 600 miles per hour — is safe for humans. The company says it could one day enable a 45-minute journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco, with no emissions.

Be smart: It will be years, potentially even decades, before the public can take a high-speed trip.

Autonomous delivery startup Nuro hits $5 billion valuation on fresh funding of $500 million
Nuro, the autonomous delivery startup founded by two former Google engineers, has raised $500 million, suggesting that investors still have an appetite for long-term pursuits such as robotics and automated vehicle technology. Nuro now has a post-money valuation of $5 billion.

The Series C round was led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., with participation from new investors including Fidelity Management & Research Company and Baillie Gifford. The round also includes existing investors such as SoftBank Vision Fund 1 and Greylock.

Nuro was founded in June 2016 by former Google engineers Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu. While the startup was initially bootstrapped by Ferguson and Zhu, it has never struggled to attract investors. Nuro’s Series A funding round of $92 million, which officially closed in June 2017, included Greylock, Banyan and gave NetEase founder Ding Lei (aka William Ding) a seat on Nuro’s board. But it was the monster $940 million investment made by the SoftBank Vision Fund in February 2019 that catapulted Nuro ahead of numerous other startups attempting to commercialize autonomous vehicle technology. Nuro had a $2.7 billion valuation following the SoftBank investment, meaning its value doubled in about 18 months. That money has helped it grow to more than 650 employees.

 

 
MEDC_PlanetM

Michigan Business Network is an online broadcasting company that provides knowledge, news, and insights into Michigan’s businesses, industries, and economy.