WCA May 2019

From the Americas The commission says the new rules will apply to over 15 million new cars annually in the EU and more than four million in Japan. Automatic brakes are already installed in more than 60 per cent of new Japanese cars. Brakes that detect pedestrians at night are standard on Toyota Motor’s high-end minivans, and Subaru uses a safe driving support system called EyeSight, which includes automatic braking. The move is aimed partly at setting international safety standards as competition intensifies for the development of autonomous cars. ABC News explained that the United States, China and India are members of the UN forum that adopted the new regulations. However, they did not take part in the negotiations because they want to ensure that their national regulations maintain precedence over UN rules when it comes to the auto industry. In 2016, 20 automakers reached an agreement with the US government to put automatic emergency braking on all new vehicles by September of 2022. That compliance is voluntary. However, if the rule takes effect, automakers that do not install automatic brakes may be unable to sell their vehicles in Japan, Europe and elsewhere. This could prompt manufacturers in countries not covered by the regulations to adopt the brakes anyway. Electric developments Reuters reported that Amazon.com Inc is planning to invest $700 million in an electric pickup truck startup, Rivian Automotive LLC, ostensibly with a view to gaining Rivian’s assistance in the development of delivery vehicles. Rivian aspires to be the first to produce a mass market electric pickup, and intends to begin selling its R1T by the end of 2020. The Rivian deal comes as its much larger electric car manufacturing rival, Tesla Inc, struggles to stabilise production and deliver consistent profits as it ramps up its Model 3 sedan, with pricing ultimately aimed at giving it mass market appeal. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk told investors in August 2018 that an electric pickup is “probably my personal favourite for the next product” from the company. But he has spoken only in general about a potential launch, saying that it would happen “right after” Tesla’s Model Y, which the company has targeted to start production in 2020. Rivian unveiled its electric R1T pickup and R1S SUV for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2018, but Amazon and Rivian are said to have been in investment discussions as early as last summer. Amazon has also stepped up its investment in the car sector, participating in February in a $530 million funding round for the self-driving car startup Aurora Innovation Inc. Amazon is said to be looking for deals to speed packages to shoppers’ doorsteps, regardless of spikes in consumer demand or shortages of delivery personnel. Last year, Mercedes said Amazon had become its biggest customer for Sprinter vans, securing 20,000 vehicles for delivery contractors.

Amazon has sought to win customers inside the car as well. Working with BMW AG, Ford Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp, Amazon has enabled its Alexa virtual assistant to be installed in new models so drivers can dictate what music they want to hear and what tasks they want it to perform, hands-free.

Industry and Research

Trump science adviser calls for industry-funded research

The International Journal of Science reports that Kelvin Droegemeier’s first public speech, as science adviser to President Trump, emphasised the importance of private science funding, and called for greater collaboration between government and industry. Mr Droegemeier wants industry to take a larger role in funding research, with the ultimate goal of ushering in a “second golden era” of US science. A meteorologist by profession, Mr Droegemeier believes that collaboration between the public and private sectors, and reducing the burden of regulation, are key to maintaining America as a dominant global force in science. “This is the best time in history to come into science,” he told February’s annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington DC. “We’ve never been in a better position than right now to truly remain the global leaders in science and technology.” In a 35-minute speech, he did not address climate change, environmental issues, or any other scientific topic that Trump has publicly disparaged. His comments on the president were restricted to assurances that “science and technology are alive and well in the Trump administration,” and an acknowledgement of the White House’s AI and advanced manufacturing initiatives as examples of its commitment to science. Mr Droegemeier said that the Trump administration is “laser-focused” on improving the ability to translate academic research into marketable products, which would require greater collaboration between the federal government, industry and non-profit foundations. Private funding for basic scientific research has increased in recent years, and surpassed federal funding in 2015. Data compiled by the AAAS shows that government spending on science has largely remained flat since 2004. To address the changing mix of funding, Mr Droegemeier said, the public and private sectors should work together to better leverage their individual resources and expertise. “America is truly now entering a second golden era in the endless frontier of science and technology” – the first being the boom in research seen during and directly after World War II. “We need to take an enterprise-wide view.” He called for a return of “blue sky” research labs, such as Bell Laboratories, which developed the transistor and laser. Similar “alpha institutes” today could work on major problems, such as infectious disease and climate change, he said.

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Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2019

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