Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz partners with Canadian mining company for CO2-neutral lithium hydroxide for EVs • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 20, 2022Posted in electric vehicles, EV, mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, mining, TransportationNo Comments

Mercedes-Benz AG will source carbon-neutral lithium hydroxide to build batteries for electric vehicles from a Vancouver-based mining startup. Starting in 2026, the agreement with Rock Tech Lithium will provide Mercedes-Benz AG with an average of 10,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide per year — enough for around 150,000 electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, which sells about two million vehicles worldwide annually, plans to go all-electric by the end of the decade. Automakers worldwide are scrambling to secure the lithium supply required to produce enough electric vehicles to meet their 2030 targets, especially as they bring more of the battery pack manufacturing process in-house. In September, Chinese EV maker Nio bought a 12% stake in Australian lithium mining company Greenwing Resources as it gears up to make its own battery packs beginning in 2024. The partnership with Rock Tech “will play a key role in securing the lithium supply for our battery production in Europe,” Markus Schäfer, chief technology officer for Mercedes-Benz AG, said in a statement. Under the agreement, Rock Tech will supply battery-grade lithium hydroxide to the automaker’s battery partners — including Envision AESC in the U.S., and ACC and CATL in Europe — from a converter based in Guben, Germany. The automaker also works with Farasis and CATL for its China operations. Over a five-year term, the agreement represents roughly $1.5 billion in sales and more than 40% of the expected annual production from the planned converter capacity in Guben, according to Rock Tech. Terms require that Rock Tech source from sites audited by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurances, according to Mercedes-Benz. Both companies are expected to cooperate in “creating a roadmap to achieving CO2 neutral production” of lithium hydroxide by the end of 2030.

Apple is bringing Spatial Audio to cars, starting with Mercedes-Benz • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 17, 2022Posted in Apple, Mercedes-Benz, spatial audio, TransportationNo Comments

Apple is bringing its immersive surround-sound audio product to vehicles through a partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Universal Music Group, the latest example of the tech company’s push into automotive. For the first time, Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos from Apple Music will be natively integrated into the car, starting with the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class as well as its growing electric portfolio the EQE sedan, EQE SUV, EQS sedan and EQS SUV. Spatial Audio, which adds space, clarity and depth to music, debuted in spring 2021. It was initially enabled by default on Apple hardware supported by Dolby Atmos, devices that includes the iPhone, iPad, Mac models, AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip. Spatial Audio on Apple Music later expanded to Android devices. Now, Mercedes-Benz owners can access what Apple calls the “gold standard of sound” — for a price. Owners will need two items: a $9.99 monthly subscription to Apple Music and a Mercedes vehicle equipped with either the Burmester high-end 4D and 3D sound system. That’s where it gets really pricey. The Burmester 3D system costs $4,550. The higher-end Burmester D sound system, which is priced at $6,730, includes 31 speakers, including six 3D speakers that emit their sound from above, 4 near-ear speakers in the front seats, an 18.5-liter subwoofer, 8 sound transducers (two per seat) and 2 amplifiers. “Sound quality is incredibly important to Apple Music which is why we are so excited to be working with Mercedes to make Spatial Audio on Apple Music available natively in the car for the first time,” Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats said in a statement. As part of the agreement, Universal Music Group will let recording artists base their song approval process on how the final mix sounds in a Mercedes-Benz and is introducing a seal “Approved in a Mercedes-Benz” as “a gold standard of sound,” the companies said. The collaboration, which was announced Sunday at the Paris Motor Show, is yet another signal of Apple’s car ambitions. Earlier this year, Apple said its next-generation CarPlay system will power the vehicle’s entire instrument cluster, putting it, once again, directly in competition with Google’s in-vehicle operation system Android Automotive OS.