A New Autonomy, A New Charging Network, R-Apple?

The Automotive Troublemaker w/ Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

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It’s Tuesday and we’re just getting started as we talk about a new entrant to the autonomy game. We also cover Rivian’s new charging network plans as well as a rumored potential partnership with Apple.
Show Notes with links:

• Wayve Technologies, a pioneering self-driving car startup, has secured over $1 billion in investment to enhance AI-based autonomous driving solutions for the automotive industry.
  • The impressive funding round includes major players like SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft, aiming to boost AI capabilities in vehicles.
  • The funds will fuel Wayve’s global expansion, enhance data diversity, and strengthen partnerships, pushing the frontier of driving automation.
  • Wayve's unique 'embodied AI' allows cars to understand and learn from human behavior, improving interaction and safety in unpredictable driving conditions.
  • SoftBank's Kentaro Matsui said,"Vehicles can now interpret their surroundings like humans, enabling enhanced decision-making that promises higher safety standards,"
  • U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised the investment, underscoring Britain's growing influence in the global AI industry.
• Rivian has announced a next-gen charging network prototype designed to service all EVs, positioning itself as a key player in expanding EV infrastructure.
  • The new charging stations feature a taller profile and longer cables, accommodating various EV charging port locations, including vehicles with NACS ports using adaptors.
  • Rivian does plan to integrate the new SAE J3400 universal NACS ports into their network.
  • The Rivian Adventure Network will extend its reach, supporting EVs with both 400- and 800-volt systems along key travel routes.
  • Paul Frey, VP of Battery, Charging, and Adventure Products said, "By broadening access to our Rivian Adventure Network — powered by 100% renewable energy — we are supporting both of these critical goals while also encouraging more people to embark on their next adventure in an EV."
  • Rivian is set to begin retrofitting existing locations with the new chargers later this year, including special versions for vehicles towing trailers.
• Now this is a little more on the side of a "rumor" at this point, but Apple may not have shelved its electric vehicle dreams entirely, with new whispers suggesting a potential partnership with Rivian.
  • After halting its own Project Titan, Apple is reportedly exploring collaboration with a U.S. EV startup, with Rivian named as a possible partner.
  • Sources close to the supply chain hint at Apple’s interest in leveraging its decade of EV and autonomous driving research in partnership, rather than going it alone.
  • Such a collaboration could infuse Rivian with crucial capital as it gears up to enhance production of its new EV models.
  • The details of what this partnership might entail remain vague, feeding into the speculative nature of the report from DigiTimes.
  • There is no doubt that the implications for both compani

Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier
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