Autoline This Week - Video

They used to call it the Rust Belt. But Midwest states like Michigan are actually at the leading edge of a revolution in new mobility. Smokestack factories are giving way to modern manufacturing facilities and R and D centers. Garlin Gilchrist, the lieutenant governor of Michigan, gives a detailed account of the initiatives going on in the state.

The public is hyper aware that a wave of electric cars is about to hit the market. But the public doesn’t know a lot about the public EV charging infrastructure. And in many cases what it knows is flat out wrong. Mark LaNeve, the president of Charge Enterprises, and Sarah Nielsen, the executive director of Transportation, Renewables and Storage from Consumers Energy, set the record straight.

CES is renowned for being a mecca for tech companies. Even so, for 2022 it’s attracting a record amount of automotive exhibitors and speakers. One out of three attendees will be coming from automotive and mobility companies. Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association which runs CES, talks about why automotive companies are so devoted to the show and why they want to be there. Also joining the discussion are Pete Bigelow from Automotive News and Sam Abuelsamid from Guidehouse Insights.

There is a critical shortage of automotive technicians in the US. Car dealerships, body shops and automotive repair facilities can’t find the people they need. But a high school and community college in North Carolina have figured out how to get students excited about working on cars. In fact, they have a waiting list of students who want to enroll. Roy Jennings and Dustin Ford from the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, as well as Erik Mortensen from Watauga High School, explain why the program is so successful.

The auto industry is learning how to slash the time it takes to develop new cars and components with a technology called Digital Twins. By simulating a product or a process, automakers and suppliers can perfect the design before it’s actually used in the real world. Digital Twins are revolutionizing the product development process. Prith Banerjee from Ansys and Ashish Naik from NI discuss the impact it’s having.

Automakers are heavily investing in EVs. The Biden Administration wants 50% of all new cars to be electric by 2030. Yet, the US depends on China for 80% of the raw materials needed to make EVs. It’s a matter of national security. How should the US respond? John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, argues that what’s needed is a comprehensive national industrial strategy.

The Ford Motor Company has laid out an ambitious plan to transform the company by the end of this decade. It has to transition to electric, autonomous and connected vehicles. And to get there it has to change the way the company operates. Lisa Drake, the chief operating officer for North America, talks about the changes the company will make, and the role that women can play in this transformation.

Cybersecurity is a threat that no automaker or supplier can handle on its own. So the auto industry formed an Auto ISAC: an information sharing and assessment center. Members of the Auto ISAC share info on how they’ve been attacked and how they responded. Three cyber experts provide an up to date report on the latest issues the Auto ISAC is dealing with.

Automotive safety technology can prevent accidents and save lives. But it can also be maddeningly annoying. All those beeps, buzzes and warning chimes. So researchers are carefully collecting data on how humans drive, and using artificial intelligence to make those safety systems less intrusive and more effective.

China’s automotive industry used to rely on foreign automakers and suppliers to develop cars and technology. Not anymore. China set a goal to become self-sufficient by 2025. Not only is it on track to achieve that goal, it’s leading the world when it comes to electric and connected cars. Tu Le of Sino Automotive Insights shares his views on where it’s all going.

The auto industry knows the future is with electric vehicles. But it’s also facing a slew of new legal issues that EVs bring with them. Battery fires are pitting automakers against suppliers. Electric utilities face legal challenges from companies that operate charging stations. And consumers are demanding protection from any of these problems. Autoline This Week tackles the legal issues that have not got the attention they deserve.

Power Play is a new book about the history of Tesla. Its author, Wall Street Journal reporter Tim Higgins, interviewed hundreds of people both inside and outside of the company, to get the inside story of what actually happened and what is happening today.

Magna makes all the major components that go into cars. It even assembles cars for various automakers, something that no other Tier 1 supplier can do. The company is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world, it’s growing rapidly, and CEO Swamy Kotagiri lays out how his vision of how it can grow even more.

The Automotive Hall of Fame has already Inducted some of the most famous names in the history of the industry. Now it's reaching out to induct minorities who may not be well known but who achieved impressive accomplishments for their day.

Alfonso Albaisa is the Senior VP of Design at Nissan. He talks about how he had his team design the new Nissan Z sports car, incorporating new technology yet retaining the classic lines of its predecessors.