Vaughn McVey, EMBA, PMP

Very interesting article (thanks Joshua Y. Enomoto) on a new class action lawsuit against Rivian echoing some of the observations I’ve made about the company. One aspect of the article discusses inflation — which continues to mount (albeit at a slower rate), however the economy is stalling (with a lower GDP), debt is growing, and interest rates remain high. This will absolutely crush companies like Rivian from a borrowing perspective, for both themselves and their customers, and drive customers to cancel reservations. As older Americans worry about their ability to retire (as noted by the AARP today), these wealthier buyers are reconsidering big purchase like these vehicles. I know my wife and I are putting off our new truck purchase until 2025/2026 at the earliest, and we’re not even in the $100K price range. I think the economic outlook is getting worse, and the Rivian stock price will most likely dip below $8 in the coming weeks. #automotive #ev #automotiveinvestment #economy

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Great podcast of RJ talking about the technology stack, layers, etc. inside the vehicles. Worth a listen for any technology person.

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Toyota circles with Mazda and Subaru in doubling down on the future of internal combustion engines in the age of electric vehicles. TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. is developing a new line of clean, powerful, downsized engines that can run on a variety of carbon neutral fuels and even pair with battery-powered hybrid systems. It is the Japanese giant's latest weapon to fight emissions and save jobs in the age of electric vehicles. The new engines, smaller and more compact than today's offerings, will enable Toyota to package them in radically reworked body styles more suited to tomorrow's electric vehicles. Part of the idea is building futuristic vehicles mirroring the fetching EV styling teased by Toyota and Lexus at last year's Japan Mobility Show. The technological breakthrough could usher in a new era of bold Toyota designs, with low hoods, roomy cabins and airy greenhouses. "We are close to achieving this kind of design with this kind of engine," Toyota Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima said in a sneak preview of the powertrain technology ahead of the official announcement Tuesday in Tokyo. "The engines will completely differ from today's engines." Toyota said the engines will arrive in the near future but didn't give a concrete timeline. The world's biggest automaker described prototypes of the new powerplants at a Tuesday press conference in which it was joined by corporate allies Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. The three Japanese carmakers are doubling down on next-generation internal combustion as a key technology for cutting carbon, even as the auto industry increasingly goes electric. By developing cleaner, more compact power plants that can run on carbon neutral fuels and combine with hybrid systems, Team Toyota wants to breathe new life into a century-old technology. Carbon the enemy The smaller Japanese players, in which Toyota owns minority stakes, are developing their own plans for diversified approaches to carbon neutrality. Mazda will work on improving its distinctive rotary engine to run on a range of carbon-neutral fuels. CEO Masahiro Moro set up dedicated engineering team this year to develop an eco-friendly rotary that generates electricity for a hybrid setup that burns renewable biofuel or hydrogen. Mazda hinted at the technology in its Iconic SP concept at last year's Japan Mobility Show. Subaru will evolve its horizontally-opposed boxer engine to run with an electrified hybrid system. CEO Atsushi Osaki already plans to deploy a next-gen hybrid system to the Crosstrek and Forester crossovers, as a bridge to building a lineup of eight EV models by the end of 2028.

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The EV slowdown in pass car is just a hiccup, the transition is inevitable, and commercial EVs are being adopted well ahead of projections. There is now no real technological or cost barrier to Scope 3 reductions.... https://lnkd.in/emM8twCU

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