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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BMW Group Commissions Study on the Sustainable Mining of Lithium for Electric Vehicle Batteries
Dec 16, 2020 4:15 PM WSTGerman automaker BMW announced on Wednesday that it commissioned a new study that includes a scientific analysis of water consumption in the Lithium extraction process for EV batteries. The study is being co-financed by German chemical company BASF SE with cooperation from the University of Alaska-Anchorage and University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The study is part of BMW’s efforts to achieve sustainable supply chains around the world.
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Vayyar Announces its 4D Imaging Radar Sensor on a Chip for In-Cabin Monitoring & Vehicle Safety Systems
Dec 15, 2020 5:45 PM WST4D imaging radar company Vayyar announced a new imaging sensor on a chip (SoC), which offers a lower cost and less complicated solution for in-cabin vehicle monitoring systems and ADAS. These occupant monitoring systems will be a necessity until vehicles can truly operate without human intervention, which is still years away.
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China’s Tech Giant Baidu is Considering Making its Own Electric Vehicles, Sources Say
Dec 15, 2020 10:45 AM WSTChina’s tech giant Baidu, which is the country's equivalent of Google, is reportedly seeking to build its own electric car. Baidu has already held talks with automakers about the possibility, people with knowledge of the matter said. Baidu is actively working on autonomous driving technology as part of its Apollo open platform established in 2017. The open Apollo platform is designed to speed up the development of self-driving technology through collaboration between industry partners.
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Amazon-owned Self-driving Startup Zoox Reveals its Compact 4-Passenger Robotaxi
Dec 14, 2020 4:15 PM WSTAmazon owned self-driving startup Zoox has unveiled its autonomous passenger shuttle. The fully-functional, futuristic self-driving vehicle was purposefully built from the ground up by Zoox for commercial use as part of a robotaxi service.
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Mercedes Benz Shares Product Roadmap for its New Electric EQ Brand, 6 New Battery-powered Models Coming by 2022
Dec 14, 2020 10:15 AM WSTOn Monday, German automaker Mercedes Benz provided an update of its electrification plans and where each of the new battery-powered models will be built. The EV portfolio will include six new electric Mercedes-EQ models by 2022, which will be built in Germany, the U.S. and China. Production of the new EQA SUV is already underway, the company said.
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Lidar Startup Innoviz Technologies to Go Public in a $1.4 Billion SPAC Deal, Shares Will be Listed on the NASDAQ
Dec 11, 2020 12:30 PM WSTLidar startup Innoviz Technologies is set to become the third lidar company to go public in recent months in a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Collective Growth Corporation. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. The combined company is expected to have an estimated equity value of approximately $1.4 billion and to be listed on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “INVZ”.
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Silicon Valley-based DSP Concepts Announces Investment from SUBARU-SBI Innovation Fund to Accelerate In-Vehicle Audio & Voice Controls
Dec 10, 2020 12:45 PM WSTSilicon Valley-based digital audio processing company DSP Concepts announced an investment from the SUBARU-SBI Innovation Fund, a joint venture between automaker Subaru and Japan’s SBI Investment Co. The company is most recognized for its Audio Weaver software platform, which is designed to help to automakers create audio interfaces or add custom sounds to vehicles, including EVs.
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GM’s Autonomous Driving Division Cruise Deploys its Self-driving Vehicles in San Francisco Without Human Backup
Dec 09, 2020 4:05 PM WSTGM’s Autonomous Driving Division Cruise said it was deploying five self-driving vehicles in San Francisco without human backup drivers. Cruise chief executive Dan Ammann made the announcement in a conference call Wednesday morning. Cruise was granted a permit in October that allows it to test autonomous vehicles in the city without a driver behind the wheel.
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Volkswagen-backed Battery Startup QuantumScape Develops Solid State Technology With the Potential to Increase EV Range by 80%
Dec 08, 2020 1:05 PM WSTSilicon Valley-based solid state developer and newly listed public company QuantumScape Corp. has shared the performance data of its advanced solid-state lithium-metal EV battery design for the first time on Tuesday. The company’s solid state batteries have the potential to increase an EVs range by 80% from the current lithium ion batteries in use today, as well as offering 15-minute charging times.
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Uber Sells its Autonomous Driving Unit to Aurora for $4 Billion
Dec 07, 2020 6:40 PM WSTRide-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc. is abandoning its internal efforts to develop self-driving vehicles and selling off its Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) division and assets to California autonomous driving startup Aurora for $4 billion. As part of the deal, Uber will transfer its entire 1,200-employee ATG unit to Aurora. Uber will also invest $400 million in Aurora.
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