ID.3 is ready to start serial production, and will eventually going to produce 330.000 cars per year. Death-knell to ICE cars, end of an era etc. Some paragraphs on the German car, what it means and how it got to that point. Then the climate crisis came, but the German auto industry (GAI) thought they could deal with it by A) making more efficient diesel cars and B) by ignoring it/cheating their way out of it. Now dieselgate has forced GAI to face the challenge. However, they're very late to the game, and while GAI were twiddling their thumbs, Tesla and the Chinese car companies have rethought the car in completely new ways: the computer is now the heart of the car, instead of an ingredient. Both Tesla and the Chinese see a car as a powerful mobility tool.
Spiegel have visited Tesla-Fremont, a Chinese company, german suppliers and R&D departmenst of GAI, and "the findings are worrying".
Daimler has "to change fundamentally ... If not, hard times come for us" They're willing to do everything possible, not just work on e-mobility. Self-driving is important, building them, networking them. Do they use their money correctly? Fx. they're working on their own voice assistant, but fear Alexa and google assistant will overtake them.
Some paragraphs on Waymo - 18,000 km per disengagement. For BMW that same number is 8 km, and for Mercedes 2.4 km... Can the German Car "survive" as just a waymo-outfitted taxa, and will GAI be just suppliers? More on the importance of self-driving, having the car not be idle etc. Major threat to GAI. Coorporate and become suppliers or fight and die. GAI have considered buying shares in Waymo, but the price is far too high - more than the worth of Daimler, VW and BMW combined.
Is this the iphone moment? Claims there is not yet a perfect car, though Tesla might disagree. Cue visit to Fremont. Very long description of the factory and philosophy of Tesla, but nothing new to us
. Quote and summary: "Nobody laughs anymore." Model 3 was found to be years ahead in important areas: batteries, much better networked (I assume they mean wired, but it's not clear). More on over-the-air updates, how deeply embedded they are; sentry-mode; smart summon.
A bit on how GAI tried to get closer ties with Tesla (Daimler investing in Tesla etc.) However, now they want to fight Tesla head-on. Is that a good idea? (asks Spiegel)
Back to German and BMWs 1500 people who work on self-driving. Aims for level 3 in 2021. Wants to partner with Waymo (or something, it's unclear to me). Spiegel: "Sounds like hope, not strategy. It is clear that traditional carmakers are not in a position to make the necessary innovations on their own. " Daimler and BMW are cooperating on self-driving, but it's not clear that it's working, or if they need funding from VW.
Now to China, with the smog and their many EV-initiatives. Clear that ICE has no future in China. Good infrastructure, no need for cars.
In 2017, BMW celebrated 100,000 EVs sold worldwide. Not much left of that self-confidence. Sales figures are far behind original expectations, and "It takes a long time to gather the necessary technical experience". Much bashing of BMW: "The fact that BMW does not want to make a clear decision in favor of a control technology, namely e-cars with a battery, almost sounds like surrender." I3 was a financial disaster, their lead has long disappeared. Even more bashing. They do not have the money to turn around even if they wanted. The big ambitions now belong to others.
German EVs are too expensive, too few and too bland.
How many jobs will Germany, with their ICE expertise and suppliers, lose when the simple EV motor takes over? VW is investing a lot in EVs, and the government is working on better incentives. [German] manufacturers are doing more parts in-house, instead of using suppliers.
Suppliers will be hit hard, but are changing to EV and battery components. "We're basically done with the transformation [from ICE to EV components]," says Wolf, a supplier. That just does not help, as long as the German car makers are not yet done with their transformation [from ICE to EV]. And they are not finished.
The end.
