Think, Execute, Win! Column Archive
It’s Independence Day — Are You Free? How to Create a More Fulfilled Life What is Your Power of 2? Get Out of Your Own Way! Developing a Winner’s Mindset How To Be An Impact Player For Your Team
GM Wants to Lead the Way in the Self-Driving Car Race
GM wants to get a jump on the autonomous car market and revealed its growing fleet of driverless, battery-powered Chevrolet Bolts in San Francisco to industry analysts who say that the self-driving program is key to long-term growth.
Journalists rode in the self-driving Bolts, traversing the hilly, narrow and congested streets of the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood — stopping for pedestrians, slowing to pass double-parked vehicles, navigating gently away from bicycles - without a hitch. The vehicle's onboard computer said it encountered 265 people, 49 bicycles and 489 cars.
“We are working fast and furiously,” said Doug Parks, an engineer who has worked for G.M. for 33 years. “It is super exciting, and I love what the company is becoming.”
A blend of financial resources, automotive experience and management determination allow GM to compete with other automakers and big tech companies. It also has a history of failures to triumph over — none bigger than its collapse into bankruptcy in 2009.
Read more of the original article at The New York Times.
How to Compare Vehicles on Total Cost of Operation
Donlen offers a variety of great predictive and prescriptive analytics - including the comparison of two different vehicles when it comes to total cost of operation.
Shell Partners With Europe’s Largest Carmakers To Build EV Charging Network
Shell has teamed-up with a European carmaker consortium, dubbed Ionity, involving Daimler, Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, Porsche, and Audi to build a network of EV fast-charging stations across Europe, reaching 400 locations by 2020.
The partnership is part of Shell’s switch to new revenue sources and follows its acquisition of Europe’s largest EV charging network NewMotion, which has more than 30,000 private home charging points and 50,000 public charging sites.
To begin with, Shell will install the charging stations at 80 of its highway sites. Beginning in 2019, drivers of latest-generation electric cars will be able to charge in as low as five to ten minutes.
This year, Ionity will build 20 charging sites with a capacity of up to 350 kW ensuring the fast charging times, and compatible with “current and future generations of electric vehicles,” thanks to its Combined Charging System.
Read more of the original article at Oil Price.com.
Daimler’s Pilot Drone Program May Solve The 100-Foot Challenge
A pilot program by Daimler AG could yield one of the most significant breakthroughs for jointly commercializing both drones and autonomous vehicles.
With driverless delivery vehicles there’s what is known as the “last 100 feet challenge.” It’s one thing to pull up in front of a home or business, but that doesn’t actually get goods directly into the hands of a customer.
By adding drones to a driverless vehicle, Daimler and its partners believe they can solve the 100-foot challenge, at least by getting packages right up to a home or business’s front door.
“We are convinced that the project will evolve rapidly,” said Stefan Maurer, head of Future Transportation at Mercedes-Benz Vans. “We see great potential for our solution and intend to expand it to include further areas of application.”
Read more of the original article at The Detroit Bureau.
