Transportation

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.

Tesla Q3 revenue falls short of expectations, while energy unit shows growth • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 20, 2022Posted in earnings, Tesla, TransportationNo Comments

Tesla reported Wednesday reported revenue of $21.45 billion in the third quarter, another record-setting period that still missed analysts expectations. Shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading following the earnings release. Tesla’s net income for the third quarter was $3.3 billion nearly double the $1.62 billion it earned in the same period last year. The company said profits were squeezed by increases in raw material costs as well as issues ramping up production at its Germany and Texas factories as well as 4680 battery cell production. Tesla also cited a strengthening dollar as another factor in its third quarter results. The company’s third-quarter letter to shareholders reiterated much of its guidance its Semi truck production target of December and its plan to achieve a 50% annual growth in vehicle deliveries. However, Tesla provided few details on its launch plans for Cybertruck, only saying it has made progress on its “industrialization” and that production would begin at its Texas factory subsequent to Model Y ramp. Tesla reported earnings, excluding some items, of $1.05 per share versus 62 cents per share in the same period last year. Automotive continued to be the largest piece of its business with revenue from that division coming in at $18.69 billion in the third quarter, a 55% pop from the same year-ago period. The company’s automotive gross margins were 27.9%, the same as last quarter and still lower than high of 32% reached early this year. Earlier this month, Tesla reported delivered 343,830 vehicles in the third quarter, a new record and a turnaround from earlier this year when a shutdown at its China factory and challenges around opening factories in Berlin and Austin affected how many vehicles it was able to get into customers’ driveways. Despite the rebound and record number, the third-quarter delivery figure still didn’t meet Wall Street forecasts, which ranged between 358,000 and 371,000 vehicles, depending on the polled group. There was also a larger-than-usual gap between production and delivery numbers. The company produced 365,923 vehicles in the third quarter. Energy unit growth Tesla’s energy unit, which has lagged in previous quarters, saw an appreciable increase in business. The company reported that energy storage deployments, which includes both Powerwall home batteries and utility-scale Megapacks, shot up 62% year over year, from roughly 1.29 GWh in Q3 2021 to 2.1 GWh in the same quarter this year. The firm called this “by far the highest level [of growth] we have ever achieved.”The news follows a September report that said Tesla had started requiring its solar roof customers to also buy a Powerwall for energy storage. The company’s large-scale batteries also recently made headlines, when a Megapack caught fire at a California power storage facility. The incident shut down a portion of Highway 1 and sparked a local shelter-in-place advisory in Moss Landing.

Rivian has fixed a ‘significant majority’ of its recalled vehicles • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 19, 2022Posted in Disrupt, RJ Scaringe, TechCrunch Disrupt 2022, TransportationNo Comments

RJ Scaringe, CEO and founder of electric vehicle maker Rivian, said Wednesday the company has fixed a “significant majority” of the more than 12,000 vehicles that were recalled earlier this month. On the ZebethMedia Disrupt stage, Scaringe gave the audience a postmortem on how Rivian solved the issue that caused the company to voluntarily recall the thousands of vehicles that had been delivered with a loose fastener. The fastener connects the front upper control arm and steering knuckle. Rivian issued the recall because of concerns it was not sufficiently torqued on certain vehicles. This could cause loose and vibrating tires, wheel tilt and loss of steering control. “There’s thousands of parts in the vehicle, and so there are certain types of joints which we call safety critical joints or critical joints, and every one of those has a torque measurement,” said Scaringe. “So when you put the fastener on, we actually record the torque, it goes into a database and we have traceability. And what had happened on this was the traceability element of this was lost in some of the way that the back end was working, so we had to check that.” Scaringe said Rivian has traceability on hundreds of fasteners in the vehicle, and the issue shouldn’t happen again. “Every manufacturer deals with some version of this and so for us, this was something where we identified a potential issue we said we want to get out as early as possible,” said Scaringe. “So the moment we saw a potential issue, we made a decision. It was on a Friday afternoon to make this move. And by Friday evening, repairs are underway. And we worked through a significant majority of the vehicles over the next 10 days.” Scaringe said Rivian’s direct-to-consumer model allowed the company to move quickly, rather than having to go through third parties or dealers. “We literally mobilized our whole service network to say let’s go move through these vehicles really quickly,” said Scaringe. “In this case, it was like a minute fix. It’s just checking the torque on a fastener.” Despite obvious frustration from customers at having to go through a vehicle recall, Scaringe said reaction has been positive. “We were authentic about it, we didn’t we didn’t sugarcoat it,” he said. “We said we’re gonna go fix this. And so there actually has been really quite positive.”

Bird exits Germany, Sweden, Norway and “several dozen” US, EMEA markets • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in bird, micromobility, TransportationNo Comments

Shared micromobility company Bird is exiting several markets across the world as it struggles to build an economically viable business, according to a regulatory filing. Bird said it will “fully exit Germany, Sweden and Norway, as well as wind down operations in “several dozen additional, primarily small to mid-sized markets” across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to the company. Bird would not respond to requests for more information from ZebethMedia, so it’s not clear which cities Bird will exit. However, the only Middle Eastern market Bird is in is Israel, and Bird doesn’t appear to be in any African countries. The downsizing of the business comes a few months after Bird laid off 23% of its staff in an attempt to become more financially self-sustainable and achieve profitability. More importantly, Bird really needs to raise its share price before it gets delisted by the New York Stock Exchange. In June, Bird got a warning from the NYSE for trading too low. The company was given six months to get back to compliance, which means holding an average share price of at least $1 across 30 consecutive trading days and having a share value above $1 on the final trading day of that month. At the time, Bird was trading at $0.56. Today, Bird is trading at $0.37 after hours, which, to be fair, is up 1.01%. In a blog post, Bird blamed a lot of the bumps on the road to profitability to cities that lack a “robust regulatory framework.” The company said it reviewed its portfolio of cities to weed out the ones without such a framework — the cities that have too much competition, an oversupply of vehicles and overcrowded streets. “In the short-term the current macroeconomic conditions have created an environment that requires us to increase our level of financial discipline and make a clear distinction between markets where we see a near-term path to fully self-sustainable operations, and those which appear to be longer-term, riskier investments,” Bird wrote. It’s not clear what this will mean for Bird’s army of fleet managers who will be affected by the change, and Bird did not respond in time to ZebethMedia’s request for comment. Bird’s fleet managers are essentially contractors that pay up-front fees to manage fleets of scooters for Bird. They essentially pay to rent the scooters from Bird so they can deploy them and earn an income, but they are responsible for maintenance, storage, and maintaining adequate insurance coverage. The program has been criticized for potentially luring inexperienced contract workers into debt for scooters they’ll never own.

Rolls-Royce Spectre EV to launch next year with 260-mile range • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in electric vehicle, EV, rolls-royce, Spectre, TransportationNo Comments

Rolls-Royce plans to deliver its first EV, the Spectre two-door coupe, to customers late next year as it transitions toward becoming a fully electric brand by 2030. The company estimates that the Spectre will travel up to 260 miles on a fully charged battery, deliver 577 horsepower and zip from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Those are similar figures to the Cadillac Celestiq, another rarefied EV announced this week starting north of $300,000. The Spectre will likely be priced above $400,000, in line with the rest of Rolls-Royce’s portfolio. The four-seater fastback sports 23-inch wheels — seen for the first time on a Rolls-Royce production two-door coupe in almost a century — and the brand’s widest-ever grille. Unlike competitors, Rolls-Royce skipped the hybrid phase in its path to becoming a battery-electric brand. However, its parent company, BMW Group, builds several hybrid models, including its forthcoming XM, a 644-horsepower plug-in hybrid crossover that ranks as BMW’s most powerful production model. Most ultra-luxury brands are launching plug-in hybrids prior to producing fully electric models. Bentley, which launched its first plug-in hybrid model last year, is preparing to build its first EV in 2025. Aston Martin plans to produce its first battery-electric model in 2026, following the launch of its 1,000-horsepower Valhalla plug-in hybrid at Pebble Beach. McLaren, which launched the Artura plug-in hybrid this year, plans to produce its first EV in 2028. These will be far from the most expensive EVs on the market. Both Rimac and Pininfarina began producing $2.5 million battery-electric hypercars this summer. The Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista share common DNA — Rimac supplies Pininfarina with its 120-kilowatt battery pack and powertrain — and deliver 1,900 horsepower.

Foxconn pushes deeper into automotive with an electric pickup and crossover • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in electric pickup, Foxconn, hon hai, TransportationNo Comments

Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant that makes Apple’s iPhones, unveiled Tuesday two electric vehicle concepts at its third annual Hon Hai Tech Day as the company tries to diversify its business and take on the automotive market. The two vehicles, a Model V electric pickup truck and Model B electric crossover hatchback, is a message to automakers (and specifically, Tesla): Foxconn is open for business. At the event, Foxconn’s chairman Liu Young-way said the company wanted to replicate its level of success manufacturing consumer gadgets into producing EVs for automakers. Young-way even said he hopes Foxconn will one day make cars for Tesla. Foxconn’s Model V electric pickup. Image Credit: Foxconn In the U.S., the company is already working with Lordstown Motors and Fisker to produce EVs on their behalf, and is also partnering with Taiwanese automaker Yulon Group to build its Model C, an electric SUV that was first revealed this time last year at Foxconn’s last Tech Day. While the main event was the Model B crossover and the Model V pickup, Foxconn also showcased the Model C, which the company says can travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and a range of 435 miles. Foxconn expects the Model C to be delivered to Yulon in Taiwan in the second half of next year. Foxconn Model B electric crossover. Image Credit: Foxconn The Model B crossover will be based on the Model C platform, but will come with a new body design, according to the company. It will have an S-duct design, which is often seen on aircraft, a streamlined roof and an air curtain that will reduce air turbulence and allow for a drag coefficient of 0.26. The Model B will have a range of about 280 miles, Foxconn said. Details for the Model V were scant, but Foxconn says it will be Taiwan’s first self-developed electric pickup and will have a payload of up to 1 ton and a towing capacity of 3 tons (of course no word on how that towing will affect range). The all-terrain EV pickup will have a double-cab, five-seat configuration, and will feature a range of sensors around the vehicle which Foxconn says “not only improves safety, but offers intelligent technology to users.” We’re interpreting that as an advanced driver assistance system. Foxconn’s strategy leans heavily into vertical integration. The plan is to standardize software and hardware that will be shared across its vehicles as well as help its automaker customers like Lordstown Motors and Fisker. Vertical integration isn’t certainly not new. Tesla is famous for it. Today, an increasing number of automakers including legacy companies like General Motors, are pushing even deeper into that strategy. Foxconn says its HHEV.OS software platform will help shorten the development time of vehicles for a more rapid launch. “We used to make PCs and mobile phones. From now and into the future, we will create EVs,” said Young-way in a statement. “In the EV industry, we are resolute about CDMS: This means contract design and manufacturing service. This commitment will not change. In the next 10 years, Hon Hai in the EV industry will redefine CDMS in the automotive field and continue to promote vertically integrated technology services.”

5 things you didn’t know about Cadillac’s $300,000 Celestiq EV • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Cadillac, Celestiq, EV, General Motors, TransportationNo Comments

Cadillac confirmed Monday that its forthcoming flagship Celestiq sedan will launch late next year with all of the futuristic bells and whistles befitting a bespoke EV starting “north of $300,000.” The Celestiq isn’t just a flagship for the GM luxury brand. The four-seater is slated to set the direction for the brand’s transition to a full battery-electric lineup by 2030. GM is loading up the Celestiq with new features and tech, pushing the price point well beyond other Cadillac models. When GM begins building the Celestiq by hand December 2023 at its Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, the vehicle will cost roughly 10 times an entry-level Cadillac. What will customers get for that six-figure price tag? The all-electric sedan will feature a 600-horsepower, dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup that can travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds, and use the same Ultium platform that will underpin GM’s other future EVs. Cadillac estimates that the sedan can travel around 300 miles on a fully charged battery, and said it will be equipped with a 200 kW DC fast charging system capable of adding 78 miles in 10 minutes. Here are five other features you didn’t know about the forthcoming Cadillac Celestiq. Smart roof The Cadillac Celestiq will use the largest piece of automotive glass in the world, according to the company. The all-glass roof measures 7.5 millimeters thick – double the depth of a high-grade acoustic windshield – and uses Suspended Particle Device technology, a type of film invented by Woodbury, New York-based glass supplier Research Frontiers. The film, which is already used in the roofs of certain models from McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and others, allows each passenger to adjust the overhead lighting by controlling the transparency of the glass, from less than 1%, for the darkest level of opacity to the 20% tint of a standard sunroof. Privacy blinds Research Frontiers is also behind – or, in front of – the Celestiq’s five high-definition, interactive LED display screens. A 55-inch-diagonal screen that stretches pillar to pillar, unites two separate screens under a single pane of glass, with pixel density comparable to an 8K screen. Rear passengers get 12.6-inch seatback displays. Lest these screens distract the driver, the car will employ electronic digital blinds – another application of Research Frontiers’ Suspended Particle Device technology – designed to let passengers consume content in private. 3D-printing The Celestiq’s spacious cabin will spotlight a 3D-printed steering wheel, GM’s largest-ever printed production part. Altogether, the car uses about 115 3D-printed components throughout its body, chassis, interior and electrical system. That includes the seat belt loop guide – GM’s first safety-related 3D printed part – as well as window switches and grab handles. The architecture of the car’s underbody is designed to simplify the hand-built process. Its shock towers are constructed from six large cast aluminum components, with one shock alone supplanting up to 40 components from the overall body part count, according to Brandon Vivian, Cadillac’s executive chief engineer. This helps reduce weight and maximize space for more important features such as optional 23-inch forged aluminum wheels. Ultra Cruise Cadillac executives said that the Celestiq will come equipped for eventual “driveway-to-destination” Level 4-style autonomous driving. The car will use Ultra Cruise, a hands-free driver assistance technology and successor to GM’s Super Cruise suite of hardware. Celestiq will also come equipped with the necessary Ultra Cruise hardware to provide incremental progress through over-the-air software updates. Concierge service Not all Cadillac dealers will carry the Celestiq. “All dealers will be offered the opportunity to be able to sell the Celestiq,” said Rory Harvey, global vice president for Cadillac. “There is a significant investment requirement, so we don’t believe that all dealers will want to take that opportunity.” That investment includes retaining a concierge to help customize colors and materials. Cadillac said the Celestiq is available “by waitlist only.”

The Cadillac Celestiq is GM’s big (literally) luxury EV bet • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in cadillac celestiq, TransportationNo Comments

Years ago, Cadillac was associated with luxury and performance. Today, in an effort to claw its way back to the top of the luxury heap, the U.S. automaker unveiled Monday the production Cadillac Celestiq, a hand-built, bespoke behemoth fastback sedan that adheres closely to the concept it unveiled in July of this year. The vehicle, which returns to the 1960s land yacht era and has a weight on par with the Escalade at between 56,35 to 6,217 pounds, will start at a whopping $300,000 and be built at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The company generated a lot of buzz since it unveiled the concept in July, and showed off the prototype at Pebble Beach this August, and ZebethMedia got a first look at the production vehicle in Hollywood on Monday evening. In truth, the company has been making great performance and luxury sedans for years, (vehicles like the CTS-V, the ATS, and the CTS), but it has failed to capture the American luxury market the way it had planned and wanted to. Previous sedans were designed to go after the better-selling German vehicles that unseated the company as the”Standard of the World,” Cadillac’s slogan for the last 41 years. “We are going to continue to earn our way back up to the top of the luxury market and return Cadillac to the pinnacle of luxury,” Rory Harvey, global vice president of Cadillac, told ZebethMedia, “and we don’t intend to stop.” The Celestiq is Cadillac’s halo vehicle. Cadillac has previously said it planned to only make 500 vehicles. However, spokespeople at Monday’s event told ZebethMedia that it intends to keep making the Celestiq for years to come, suggesting that the final sales tally could eclipse that initial figure. Harvey said that the company can make as many as two per week at the Warren Tech Center in Michigan. A blend of old and new Image Credits: Abigail Bassett While Cadillac has a strong history of hand-built custom coachwork that stretches to its very beginnings, this is the first modern vehicle with an all-electric powertrain that blends both modern technologies with bespoke customization. Underpinning the Celestiq is GM’s Ultium battery technology, albeit in a different layout than other GM vehicles. Tony Roma, Cadillac’s Chief Engineer, told ZebethMedia that the company has actually been showing off the battery layout for Celestiq for two years, but no one ever asked about it. The batteries are stepped across the underbody of the vehicle rather than laid, pancake-style in the chassis. The front portion of the battery pack is lower than the portion under the rear seats, and there’s an additional battery pack laid lengthwise under the middle of the vehicle, mimicking a transmission tunnel. The dedicated EV architecture combines a 111-kWh battery pack and a two-motor, all-wheel-drive system. GM estimates that the Celestiq will put out 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque and get around 300 miles on a full charge. Cadillac says that the Celestiq will travel 0 to 60 miles per hour in around 3.8 seconds. The company also says that on DC Fast charging, the Celestiq will gain as much as 78 miles of range in only 10 minutes. That’s impressive, considering that everything on the vehicle that looks like metal is, in fact metal, adding to an already hefty weight. Most auto manufacturers will make things like trim and interior bits out of lighter weight plastics and coat them to look like metal. That’s not the case for the Cadillac Celestiq. Executive Chief Engineer Brandon Vivian noted during our preview, that is intentional. ” This is the flagship for Cadillac and we want it to be authentic and genuine,” Vivian said. The company used a blend of additive manufacturing, stamping and casting to make everything from the body-in-white, to the aluminum steering wheel inlay and the compound curve body panels. Additive manufacturing is essentially 3D printing, and according to Roma, the technology wasn’t really feasible for the project until about a year and a half ago. When the technique became available, Cadillac was able to pivot and use it in the build. There are 115 3D-printed parts on the Celestiq. The evolution of additive techniques has also enabled Cadillac to offer even more bespoke features. “If you wanted your name or some sort of design cut into the steering wheel or the metal piece under the vents, we can do that. Because we can just print it into the file itself, and it’s not like I have a tool it all up,” Roma said. Technology and packaging Image Credits: GM “One of the most challenging aspects of designing the Celestiq was packaging a good-looking body around all of the technology,” Erin Crossley, the Design Director for Celestiq, told ZebethMedia. That technology includes everything from the fixed glass roof that has four separate panels that can be individually turned opaque, patterned, or open, based on the preferences of those inside, to the 55-inch diagonal screen that stretches across the dash of the Celestiq. Cadillac also says that the Celestiq will be equipped with the latest in Super Cruise technology, GM’s advanced driving assistance system that is as close to self-driving as is realistically possible, today. The Celestiq will come with Ultra Cruise, which will build on GM’s Super Cruise, and allows for hands-free driving on mapped highways and divided roadways. Ultra Cruise will allow drivers to drive hands-free in the city. Cadillac says that the “vehicle will be equipped with all of the necessary Ultra Cruise hardware to enable incremental feature growth via over-the-air updates in 2024.” The Celestiq will also include automatic remote parking, which allows the driver to be out of the vehicle while letting the car park itself in a parallel or perpendicular space. China ambitions While Cadillac has struggled to regain its Standard of the World moniker, at least here in the U.S., the company’s vehicles are popular in China, and it’s easy to see how the Celestiq may fit into the company’s global

Who is going to buy Cadillac’s $300,000 hand-built EV? • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Cadillac, Celestiq, EV, General Motors, TransportationNo Comments

The battery-electric Celestiq sedan, which starts “north of $300,000,” is tasked with more than restoring Cadillac to its former glory; it now must back executives’ bold claim to “reestablish the iconic brand as the standard of the world.” But with a price tag more than three times the average transaction price of a vehicle from General Motors’ luxury marque, it’s difficult to imagine many Cadillacs of that heft — no matter how highly customized — will be quietly charging behind suburban garage doors. As the market enters an age where lower priced EVs pack 300-mile ranges along eye-popping horsepower and torque, who needs a bespoke EV? Cadillac is betting on it. The GM luxury brand, which plans to follow the market in phasing out gas engines by 2030, is trying to zig where its luxury competitors are zagging. Executives boasted that the brand will build, on average, fewer than two Celestiqs a day, when it goes into hand-built production at GM’s Technical Center outside of Detroit in December 2023. But will customers bite? The specs Cadillac revealed Monday don’t seems spectacular enough to justify the price. Built on the same Ultium platform underpinning all of General Motors’ future EVs, the Celestiq will feature a 600-horsepower, dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup that can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds – a crawl compared with some Teslas, Porsches and the Ford Mach-E Mustang GT Performance model). Cadillac estimates that the sedan can travel around 300 miles on a fully charged battery, which will be the industry standard by the time the Celestiq arrives. High-tech features include a four-quadrant, adjustable smart roof, a 3D-printed steering wheel, and the latest iteration of Cadillac’s Ultra Cruise advanced driver assistance system. The car, available at certain Cadillac dealers “by waitlist only,” will come with a concierge to help decide upon colors, trims and materials. So far, the brand’s “whisper events” have shown a “broad spectrum of high-net worth individuals that would consider wanting to have a vehicle like this,” said Rory Harvey, global vice president for Cadillac. Cadillac has not specified how many “extremely low-volume” Celestiqs it will build but said it expects to sell the majority in North America, followed by China and the Middle East. Executives were emboldened this spring by high demand for its first-ever EV, the $60,000 Cadillac Lyriq SUV expected later this year, that forced it to close its 2023 order book earlier than expected. “I believe that we primed the pump,” Harvey said. “We have very solid foundations now to take the brand to the next level.” Still, is there demand for a Cadillac with fivefold the starting price? Executives said they believe buyers are willing to spend even more, noting that a fully loaded Escalade V, the high-performance version of Cadillac’s full-size SUV, pushes $150,000, and that some Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing models venture into six-figure territory. “We believe that we’ve got the ability to be able to generate customer demand at this higher price point,” Harvey said. Cadillac expects to begin delivering the Celestiq to customers in 2025, with high hopes for a revival. “Cadillac at a point in time was referred to as the standard of the world,” Harvey said. “We believe in terms of this vehicle that it gives us the ability to start to reclaim some of that position.”

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.