
Eric Walz
Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.
Articles
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Ford Motor Co Selects its Plant in Spain to Build 'Breakthrough' EVs for the European Market on a Next-Gen Architecture
Jul 29, 2022 9:30 AM WSTFord Motor Co announced on Wednesday that it selected its assembly plant in Valencia, Spain as the site where it will assemble "breakthrough" electric and connected vehicles built on a next-generation EV architecture. Ford says its new EV architecture will be a critical component of its all-electric future in Europe.
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The Tesla Model Y and Model 3 Take the 1st and 2nd Place Spots in the Annual Cars.com ‘American-Made Index’
Jul 28, 2022 1:00 PM WSTThe Tesla Model Y electric SUV, which is built in both California and Texas, was named the most American-made vehicle in the annual Cars.com American-Made Index (AMI). The Model 3 sedan took the second place spot in this year's AMI. Each year, Cars.com tallies a list of vehicles creating the greatest impact on the U.S. economy through factory jobs, manufacturing plants and parts sourcing.
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Toyota to Collaborate with Redwood Materials to Build a Closed Loop, EV Battery Recycling Ecosystem in the U.S.
Jul 28, 2022 9:30 AM WSTToyota Motor North America announced a new collaboration with electric vehicle battery recycling startup Redwood Materials, a company founded by Tesla co-founder J.B. Straubel. The two companies plan to build an entire closed loop ecosystem for the recycling batteries from Toyota’s future hybrid and fully-electric vehicles.
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EV Startup NIO to Launch a New Mass-Market Brand to Rival Tesla with an Annual Capacity of 500,000 Vehicles a Year
Jul 24, 2022 10:00 AM WSTElectric vehicle startup NIO Inc. aims to launch a new EV brand offering even more affordable vehicles to better compete against the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y in the China market, said CEO and chairman William Bin Li, on Thursday. The sub-brand will have an annual capacity of 500,000 electric vehicles a year.
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Tesla Raises Prices in the U.S. as Inflation Chips Away at its Profit Margins
Jul 23, 2022 8:30 AM WSTFaced with rising inflation that’s driving up the cost of raw materials, electric automaker Tesla has raised prices of all its models in the U.S. by roughly 5%. The price of the Tesla Model Y SUV increased by $3,000 from $62,990 to $65,990. The Model Y now costs 25% more than it did in Jan 2021.
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Tesla Vehicles Operating in Autopilot Mode Involved in 273 Crashes in Under a Year, the NHTSA Reports
Jul 22, 2022 8:30 AM WSTData from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released on Wednesday shows that Tesla vehicles operating in Autopilot have been involved in 273 crashes since last July. Of these crashes, 125 occurred in California. The number is much higher than previously reported and shows how far the nascent technology needs to advance to become safer than a human driver.
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GM CEO Mary Barra Shares the First Look at the New Chevy Blazer EV Launching in Spring 2023
Jul 20, 2022 12:30 PM WSTGeneral Motors CEO Mary Barra shared the first look at the upcoming Chevy Blazer EV that will launch in Spring 2023 as a 2024 model. Additional details of the new electric SUV from GM will be shared on July 18. The new Blazer marks GM’s entry into the highly competitive electric mid-size SUV segment.
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Facing Rising Production Costs, Automakers Ford, GM, Stellantis and Toyota Urge Congress to Lift the Cap on the $7,500 EV Tax Credit
Jul 20, 2022 10:00 AM WSTWith rising inflation in the U.S. it's not just consumers dealing with higher prices, the world’s biggest automakers are also dealing with rising costs of raw materials like nickel and cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries. As automakers invest billions into electrifying their models lineups they are now asking Congress to lift the 200,000 vehicle cap on the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
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Siemens Invests $25 Million in Wireless Charging Company WiTricity to Develop Interoperable Standards for Cable-free EV Charging
Jul 16, 2022 10:00 AM WSTIndustrial manufacturing company Siemens has made a $25 million strategic investment for a minority stake in WiTricity, a wireless EV charging technology developer. As part of the investment, the two companies will work together to develop interoperable standards for the rollout of wireless EV charging infrastructure.
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New Intelligent EV Company JiDU Reveals its Revolutionary Concept Production 'Robocar'
Jul 15, 2022 12:00 PM WSTJiDU, the new intelligent electric vehicle (EV) company backed by China’s internet giant Baidu Inc and Volvo Cars’ parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group ("Geely"), unveiled its concept production “robocar” on Wednesday. The company says the futuristic vehicle is set to “revolutionize the automobile industry”, leading the way to an intelligent car era powered by advanced artificial intelligence.