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Volvo: Tesla's Autopilot is just a 'wannabe'

Using the words "unsupervised wannabe" in an interview with The Verge, Volvo's Trent Victor says the Tesla Autopilot is "giving the impression it's doing more than it is." According to Victor, Tesla's self-driving tech is merely appearing to be autonomous because, with the Tesla system, the driver has to be fully alert all the time, ready to regain control. Tesla says its system is Level 2 autonomous, although some experts regard it as Level 3, which means it takes over safety-critical functions from the driver. Volvo says it pays more attention to actual crash avoidance, and that its Drive Me system is Level 4 autonomous, meaning that in the event of a hazardous situation the vehicle will handle the appropriate procedures and bring itself to a halt in a safe fashion. There will be no need for the driver to take action, which is important in case the driver has been incapacitated while the Drive Me autopilot has been controlling the car. Another thing with the Volvo setup is that it monitors the road in case of a conflict situation, or someone suddenly appearing in front of the car, be it a pedestrian or a runaway child. Tesla has never said that its Autopilot is anything other than a beta version under trial usage. It costs $2,500 when you purchase your Model 2 or X, or $3,000 as a add-on once you've taken delivery. The company also just announced that it would offer Autopilot for free as part of a one-month trial. Tesla declined to comment on Volvo's comment. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: The VergeImage Credit: AOL Green Tesla Volvo Technology Autonomous Vehicles Electric Future Vehicles Tesla Autopilot volvo drive me

Hyundai Sonata PHEV may be a game (and mind) changer

If you really, really want to consume volts instead of fuel on your way to work, school or shopping, you currently have just three options: pure EV, hydrogen fuel cell, or plug-in hybrid EV. Much as we love them, we all know the disadvantages of BEVs: high prices due to high battery cost (even though subsidized by their makers), limited range and long recharges. Yes, I know: six-figure (giant-battery) Teslas can deliver a couple hundred miles and Supercharge to ~80 percent in 10 minutes. But few of us can afford one of those, Tesla's high-voltage chargers are hardly as plentiful as gas stations, and even 10 minutes is a meaningful chunk out of a busy day. Also, good luck finding a Tesla dealership to fix whatever goes wrong (other than downloadable software updates) when it inevitably does. There still aren't any. Even more expensive, still rare as honest politicians, and much more challenging to refuel are FCEVs. You can lease one from Honda or Hyundai, and maybe soon Toyota, provided you live in Southern California and have ample disposable income. But you'd best limit your driving to within 100 miles or so of the small (but growing) number of hydrogen fueling stations in that state if you don't want to complete your trip on the back of a flatbed. That leaves PHEVs as the only reasonably affordable, practical choice. Yes, you can operate a conventional parallel hybrid in EV mode...for a mile or so at creep-along speeds. But if your mission is getting to work, school or the mall (and maybe back) most days without burning any fuel – while basking in the security of having a range-extender in reserve when you need it – your choices are extended-range EVs. That means the Chevrolet Volt, Cadillac ELR or a BMW i3 with the optional range-extender engine, and plug-in parallel hybrids. Regular readers know that, except for their high prices, I'm partial to EREVs. They are series hybrids whose small, fuel-efficient engines don't even start (except in certain rare, extreme conditions) until their batteries are spent. That means you can drive 30-40 (Volt, ELR) or 70-80 miles (i3) without consuming a drop of fuel. And until now, I've been fairly skeptical of plug-in versions of conventional parallel hybrids. Why?

Volvo Cars hopes to raise $2.9 billion in its stock IPO

STOCKHOLM/LONDON — Geely-owned Volvo Cars plans to raise 25 billion Swedish crowns ($2.9 billion) through an initial public offering (IPO), the Swedish carmaker said on Monday of what would be one of Europe's biggest listings this year. Volvo said it will list on the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange this year and that Chinese owner Geely Holding would remain its biggest shareholder. In 2018, Volvo Cars and Geely, which also owns an 8.2% stake in Sweden's Volvo Trucks, postponed plans to float shares in the Swedish carmaker, citing trade tensions and a downturn in automotive stocks. "Volvo Cars believes that its unique structure and focused strategy makes it one of the fastest transformers in the global automotive industry, with mid-decade ambitions dedicated to electrification, sustainability and digitization," the Swedish company said in a statement. Like a number of other carmakers, Volvo has committed to shifting its entire car range to fully-electric models by 2030. Volvo said is targeting an operating margin of between 8% and 10% by 2025. It is also aiming for annual sales of 1.2 million cars, up 56% from the 770,000 it sold in the 12 months to June 20 this year. Electric push The carmaker said it expects 50% of sales to be fully electric cars by the middle of the decade and that 50% of sales will be made online rather than in dealerships. Volvo Cars said earlier on Monday that its sales in September fell 30% from a year earlier, dented by the global components shortage. Sources told Reuters last month that Geely was in advanced discussions with banks to list the Swedish company in the coming weeks, aiming for a valuation of about $20 billion. Volvo Cars had previously said it was considering a Stockholm listing in the second half of 2021. A Volvo spokesperson on Monday said that the company had no comment on valuation or on how much of the business would be sold in the IPO. "There will be further information published in connection with the prospectus," she said. Electric-car maker Polestar, which is owned by Geely and Volvo, last week said it will go public by merging with a U.S.-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) backed by billionaire Alec Gores and investment bank Guggenheim Partners at an enterprise value of $20 billion. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge charging