
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
-
Tesla’s Market Value Tops $500 Billion as the Company Nears its S&P 500 Debut
Nov 24, 2020 11:10 AM WSTElectric automaker Tesla has further cemented its place as the world’s most valuable car company by far. The company’s stock continues to surge despite the worsening pandemic and is up nearly 5% to $546.59 on Tuesday pushing Tesla’s market cap over $500 billion to $518 billion.
-
General Motors Forced to Recall Nearly 6 Million Vehicles Due to Defective Takata Airbags
Nov 23, 2020 10:45 AM WSTU.S. automaker General Motors will recall millions of vehicles due faulty airbag inflators, which can injure occupants if the vehicle’s airbags are deployed during an accident. The airbags in question were supplied by Japanese auto supplier Takata Corporation and are installed in GM vehicles beginning in the 2007 model year through 2014.
-
Xpeng Motors Announces its Next-Gen 5G-Powered Autonomous Driving Architecture
Nov 20, 2020 12:15 PM WSTElectric vehicle startup Xpeng Motors is emerging as a strong competitor to Tesla in China with its advanced battery-powered vehicles. In addition to building advanced EVs, the company is focused on autonomous driving and vehicle connectivity. The latest result of that work was announced at Auto Guangzhou 2020, when the company announced its next-generation autonomous driving architecture.
-
General Motors to Boost Investments to $27 Billion for the Development of New Electric Vehicles as the Company Transforms for the Future
Nov 19, 2020 1:00 PM WSTU.S. automaker General Motors (GM) is going all in on electrification in a bid to gain some ground on Tesla and other rival automakers with billions in new investments. The automaker’s total investments to develop new electric vehicles now totals $27 billion through 2025, which is more than half of GM's capital spending.
-
Ontario-based CpK Interior Products Invents ‘Anti-Viral Plastic’ That Kills 99.9% of COVID-19 on Vehicle Interior Surfaces
Nov 19, 2020 7:50 AM WSTOntario-based company CpK Product Interiors Inc., a Tier 1 supplier of automotive interior components, announced it developed a line of “anti-viral” material formulations for hard and soft plastics, such as those used in vehicle interiors. The company claims that its formulation kills 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, on material surfaces in less than 60 minutes. Founded in 2010, CpK is a subsidiary of automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
-
General Motors Plans to Further Boost its Multi-Billion Dollar Investment in EVs, Sources Say
Nov 18, 2020 10:45 AM WSTGeneral Motors CEO Mary Barra plans to announce the company’s revised and accelerated EV strategy on Thursday, which is reported to include billions in new investments. The move is also to convince investors it can be a serious competitor to electric automaker Tesla in the future, which is now the world's most valuable car company.
-
U.S. Regulators Expand Safety Probe to 159,000 Tesla Vehicles Over Touchscreen Display Failures
Nov 17, 2020 12:35 PM WSTThe U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday it was expanding its probe into nearly 159,000 Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles over reports of the center touchscreen display failures. The expanding investigation is being upgraded to an “engineering analysis” the administration said, which is required before the NHTSA can make steps to formally recall a vehicle.
-
Electric Automaker Tesla Will Join the Elite S&P 500 Index on Dec 21
Nov 16, 2020 4:55 PM WSTElectric automaker Tesla will be included in the S&P 500 Index beginning on Monday, Dec 21. With its inclusion, Tesla can now expect more exposure across financial markets resulting in a stable source of new investments. A listing in the S&P 500 is considered an elite status for companies and can open the door to billions in new funding.
-
Volkswagen Aims to Be the World’s Biggest Producer of Electric Drivetrains, Production Begins in China
Nov 16, 2020 12:20 PM WSTThe Volkswagen Group’s Chinese components factory in Tianjin has started production of the APP 310 drive units designed for the automakers “MEB” electric vehicle platform, which will be the foundation of millions of electric vehicles the automaker plans to produce over the next decade.
-
Velodyne Unveils a New Solid State Lidar Sensor for Driver Assistance Systems & Autonomous Driving
Nov 13, 2020 5:05 PM WSTSilicon Valley lidar pioneer Velodyne Lidar Inc. has unveiled its newest lidar sensor designed to support advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) as well as autonomous driving. The sensor is called the Velarray H800. The company's latest lidar is targeted at automakers and OEMs, enabling them to develop better ADAS systems, such as automatic emergency braking (AEB) and Lane Keep Assist that helps reduce traffic accidents.