
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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Mercedes-Benz is Offering a Performance Upgrade as a Yearly Subscription on its EQ Electric Vehicles
Nov 21, 2022 12:40 PM WSTFor the new EQ family of Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles, the automaker announced it’s offering a performance upgrade as a yearly rental plan rather than a monthly subscription. It is one of the first plans of its kind in the auto industry. For $1,200 a year, customers can opt to increase the torque and maximum output of their Mercedes-EQ vehicles, including faster 0-60 mph acceleration times.
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Waymo Reveals its New Robotaxi Built by New Premium Electric Vehicle Brand Zeekr
Nov 18, 2022 10:50 AM WSTAlphabet's autonomous driving unit Waymo, which spun out of Google's self-driving car project, unveiled its latest autonomous passenger vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. The company’s next generation electric robotaxi is being built by Chinese premium electric automaker Zeekr and represents the future of mobility for Waymo customers.
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Stellantis Acquires Autonomous Driving Software Startup aiMotive
Nov 17, 2022 10:40 AM WSTStellantis, the parent company of the Jeep and Chrysler brands, is acquiring autonomous driving software startup aiMotive as the automaker looks to expand the autonomous driving and connectivity capabilities of its future vehicles. aiMotive is Budapest, Hungary-based developer of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving software technology.
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BorgWarner Invests $500 Million in Wolfspeed Inc, a Developer of Semiconductors and Silicon Carbide Devices for Electric Vehicles
Nov 16, 2022 10:00 AM WSTMichigan-based BorgWarner Inc., which is one of the world’s biggest parts suppliers to the auto industry, announced a $500 million investment in Wolfspeed Inc., a developer and manufacturer of semiconductors and silicon carbide devices. Wolfspeed's family of products include Silicon Carbide (SiC) materials for applications such as electric vehicle powertrains, fast charging, 5G, renewable energy and energy storage devices.
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Here’s How Waymo Uses Hyper-Local Weather Data to Improve the Capabilities of its Self-Driving Vehicles
Nov 15, 2022 3:25 PM WSTA self-driving vehicle relies on perception sensors, similar to how a human driver uses their eyes and ears to safely navigate. However, poor weather can be challenging for both humans and autonomous driving systems. In a recent blog post, Alphabet's autonomous driving unit Waymo shared some of the ways its robotaxis will deal with rain, fog and other poor weather conditions.
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China Has Installed Around 4.7 Million Electric Vehicle Charging Poles as of October 2022
Nov 11, 2022 10:20 AM WSTCompanies in China are installing tens of thousands of new EV chargers at a rapid pace. New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows that EV sales in China jumped by 169% in 2021 to almost three million units. As a result, the number of EV chargers online in China has grown significantly.
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Qualcomm Technologies and Renault Group to Jointly Develop a Centralized, Software-Defined Vehicle Architecture for the Automaker’s Future Electric Models
Nov 09, 2022 10:30 AM WSTQualcomm Technologies is working Renault Group’s new software company Ampere on the co-development of a centralized compute architecture for the automaker's next-generation of software defined vehicles, which will be fully connected and capable of receiving regular over-the-air (OTA) software updates. The ‘Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Platform for Renault’s future electric vehicles will be based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon family of digital chassis solutions.
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Foxconn-led Mobility in Harmony Consortium Announces ‘Project X’, an Open, Modular Electric Vehicle Platform
Nov 08, 2022 2:30 PM WSTThe Foxconn-led Mobility in Harmony Consortium (MIH Consortium) unveiled a new electric vehicle platform that can help automakers to more easily enter the competitive EV market. The MIH consortium was established in 2020 by Foxconn to promote a global set of open standards for the manufacturing of electric vehicles.
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US-listed LiDAR Developers Velodyne and Ouster to Merge in an All-Stock Deal
Nov 07, 2022 12:30 PM WSTTwo of the biggest competitors in the lidar industry, Velodyne Lidar Inc. and San Francisco-based Ouster Inc., announced they will merge in an all stock deal. U.S.-listed Velodyne and Ouster will combine their customer base, partners and distribution channels to reduce lidar product costs and accelerate its adoption across fast-growing markets.
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EV Brand Polestar Announces $1.6 Billion in New Financing as its Stock Price Falls Below $5
Nov 03, 2022 11:50 AM WSTElectric performance vehicle brand Polestar, which is jointly operated by Sweden’s Volvo Cars and its parent company Chinese automaker Geely, announced its secured $1.6 Billion in financing from two major shareholders, including Polestar's parent company Volvo Cars, which is providing $800 million as part of an 18-month term loan with an equity conversion option.