Every week we compile recent industry news and interesting reads that shouldn’t be missed. Here’s the digest for October 1st to October 7th.
Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles Nearing Production.
In the near future, your toothbrush and car may have more in common than you’d expect. That’s because wireless charging technology - the same concept used to charge your toothbrush - will soon be offered for electric vehicles. This concept is ready for production and will debut next year on the Mercedes-Benz S500e plug-in hybrid.
Wireless technology uses electromagnetic energy to transmit power between two coils. This phenomenon is known as induction. This concept was pioneered by a couple of guys you may have read about in high school physics: Nikola Tesla and Michael Faraday.
To charge vehicles wirelessly, the energy moves from a transmitter coil inside a pad on the pavement, to a receiver coil in a pad underneath the vehicle. Voila! You’ve got an EV that is juiced up and ready to go, without ever being plugged in
To learn more about wireless EV charging, check out this article at Automotive News.
Volkswagen to Pay Dealers $1.2 Billion for Diesel Cover-Up
For years, Volkswagen was hiding a dirty secret - literally. They covered up the fact that their TDI diesel-powered vehicles produced emissions greater than the government limit. When word got out, these vehicles were not able to be sold, and VW dealers were left with a bunch of over-sized lawn ornaments. Many dealerships also lost loyal clients as a result of the scandal.
Finally, the time has come for V-Dub to pay up. It’s shelling out a cool $1.2 billion to dealerships, in addition to the $10 billion it must pay customers. Even for a multinational corporation, that’s gotta hurt the old pocket book.
Read more about VW’s big payout at Car and Driver.
3D Printing in the Automotive Industry
Remember the old Burger King slogan, “have it your way”? What if you could apply that concept to cars? If you think 3D printing is only good for creating trinkets and novelty items, think again. The process is making significant headway in the automotive realm. Many experts speculate that consumers will be able purchase a 3D printed car, made to order right at the dealership.
Well, maybe. The opposing viewpoint is that too many options confuse people and that regulations prevent complete customization. Plus, printing produces just one car at a time, whereas robots toiling away on an assembly line produce many. A compromise maybe that certain parts of a vehicle are 3D printed, while other parts are produced with more traditional methods.
There are already a number of start up companies producing vehicles using mostly 3D printed parts. Will the major automotive manufacturers follow suit? We’ll have to wait and see.
To find out more about the future of 3D printing in the auto industry, visit IEE Spectrum.
Cardone Introducing Many New Parts
Some techs swear by Cardone parts, while others, well, let’s just say they don’t have warm fuzzy feelings towards the brand. Regardless of how you feel about Cardone, they’ve been the one of the biggest names in aftermarket parts since 1970. That’s why it’s big news that they’re rolling out 107 additional new and remanufactured parts. So, next time you need an accelerator position sensor or VVT solenoid, give Cardone a shot.
Check out more information on the Cardone line up at Ratchet and Wrench.
September US Auto Sales Beat Expectations
When people have money, what are they going to spend it on? Vehicles, of course (along with some Hilary/Trump bumper stickers). Killer incentives have convinced consumers to drop their money, resulting in a 17.8 million selling rate. Fiat and Nissan cranked out more sales than expected. As usual, large trucks also helped boost sales. This is America after all, and we love our pick ‘em up trucks.
If you want to know more about the elevated September auto sales, check out Bloomberg.
