Podcasts about automobile manufacturers

Hot Topic Topic: How Trump's car tariffs could hit South Africa's auto manufacturing industry Guest: Mikel Mabasa -Naamsa CEO (National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa)

Stephen Grootes speaks to Koketso Mano, Senior Economist at FNB, about the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for the 2nd Quarter of 2024 and what they indicate about the current state of South Africa's economy.    In other interviews on this episode of The Money Show, Stephen Grootes also discusses the future of South Africa's auto industry with Mike Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, exploring the impact of Volkswagen's potential German plant closures and the need for policy reforms to support electric vehicle adoption. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Grootes speaks to Mike Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, about the challenges facing the local auto industry in light of Volkswagen's potential plant closures in Germany and the need for policy adjustments on electric vehicles.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China will enhance its policy support to accelerate the development of emerging industries such as smart connected vehicles, as the nation has huge potential to become the world's largest market for self-driving cars, according to an official and experts.This could create multibillion-dollar opportunities for domestic as well as international companies, they added.To support the high-quality development of the intelligent vehicle industry, cars in China are expected to get their own "phone numbers".The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it plans to allocate a total of 100 million 11-digit mobile network numbers dedicated to facilitating communication among vehicles, and between vehicles and the back-end management systems of carmakers.The ministry did not provide a specific time frame for the implementation of the plan, but experts said the move will give the development of internet-connected vehicles a big boost.Yang Zongyi, an auto expert at Chinese car manufacturer BAIC Motor Corp, said: "With the support of connectivity technologies, vehicles are no longer just a means of transportation, but rather a mobile intelligent device. Traffic lights, parking lots and even roads can all interact with our connected cars, providing our users with a more intelligent and convenient travel experience."For instance, two connected vehicles can "talk to each other" and the drivers can see each other's location, route and fuel consumption on a large screen, Yang said.Huang Hexian, a telecom expert at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, said that compared with smartphones, internet-connected vehicles have stricter requirements for network bandwidth, network response time, security, manageability and controllability of communication services.This is why the ministry plans to allocate 100 million network numbers to vehicles, which will give the development of internet-connected vehicles a big boost, she said.In an article published on Saturday in Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong said that more efforts will be made to accelerate the development of smart connected vehicles."By proactively adapting to and leading the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, we can ensure that technological innovation truly contributes to industrial development," he said.China will make good use of its large domestic market and diverse application scenarios, and systematically advance technological innovation, in order to drive the healthy and orderly development of emerging industries such as 5G networks and smart connected vehicles, Jin added.Fu Bingfeng, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said, "Autonomous vehicles will become popular in China at a faster pace than in other countries, as local consumers are very enthusiastic and curious about such functions."Consulting firm McKinsey & Co has predicted that China will become the world's largest market for autonomous vehicles, with revenue from such vehicles and mobility services exceeding $500 billion by 2030.Total autonomous vehicle sales are expected to hit $230 billion, while autonomous vehicle-based services are likely to generate around $260 billion by the end of the decade, it said.According to Fu, China is likely to roll out more measures, such as optimizing its legal framework and boosting vehicle-and-road coordination, to fuel further development of autonomous vehicles.Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said that traditional ways of managing cars are no longer feasible, and more efforts are needed to ensure automotive data security and privacy."How to strike a balance between encouraging industrial innovation and ensuring safety is the top question for us to answer before really stepping into the era of autonomous vehicles," he added.Reporter: Ma Si

Noluthando Mthonti-Mlambo speaks to Michael Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's focus on developing the high-end manufacturing sector and new quality productive forces will strengthen the world's industrial and supply chains, despite a grim and complex global environment, said industry leaders and business executives on Tuesday.2024年3月12日，行业领袖和企业高管表示，尽管全球环境严峻复杂，但中国重点发展高端制造业和新质生产力将加强世界产业链和供应链。In a rapidly evolving global economy, strategic emerging industries, representing the direction of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, are set to enhance new quality productive forces and foster innovation, they said.他们表示，在快速发展的全球经济中，战略性新兴产业代表着新一轮技术革命和产业变革的方向，将提高新的优质生产力，促进创新。As the world grapples with challenges like climate change, resource scarcity and technological disruptions, China's commitment to advancing high-end manufacturing, including electric vehicles, machine tools, solar panels, energy storage equipment and the next-generation vessels, is not only reshaping its own economic landscape but also making the global economy and supply chains greener and diversified, said Ye Dingda, chief economist of the Beijing-based China Machinery Industry Federation.总部位于北京的叶定达表示，随着世界应对气候变化、资源稀缺和技术中断等挑战，中国致力于推进高端制造业，包括电动汽车、机床、太阳能电池板、储能设备和下一代船舶，不仅重塑了自己的经济格局，还使全球经济和供应链更加绿色和多样化。Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said that one of the key areas where China is expected to make substantial contributions is the realm of electric vehicles and battery technologies.中国汽车工业协会副秘书长陈士华表示，中国有望做出重大贡献的关键领域之一是电动汽车和电池技术领域。With the global automotive industry undergoing a significant shift toward electrification, China's advancements in battery technology and manufacturing are set to play a crucial role in cutting the carbon footprint of transportation and enhancing energy efficiency across the world, Chen said. 随着全球汽车行业向电气化的重大转变，中国在电池技术和制造方面的进步将在减少交通运输的碳足迹和提高全球能源效率方面发挥关键作用。This sentiment is in line with the latest data from the Beijing-based association. China exported 822,000 automobiles in all, including EVs, during the January-February period, up 30.5 percent year-on-year.这一观点与总部位于北京的该协会的最新数据一致。今年1月至2月，包括电动汽车在内，中国共出口82.2万辆汽车，同比增长30.5%。China's ongoing green transformation has also created business opportunities for multinational corporations operating in the country. Ramesh Singaram, president and CEO for Asia at the gas power unit of GE Vernova, a United States-headquartered energy solution and services provider, said that a complementary approach combining gas and renewable power generation is the most effective and sustainable way for China to achieve its dual carbon goals.中国正在进行的绿色转型也为在华经营的跨国公司创造了商机。总部位于美国的能源解决方案和服务提供商通用电气公司（GE Vernova）的天然气发电部门亚洲总裁兼首席执行官拉梅什·辛格拉姆（Ramesh Singaram）表示，将天然气和可再生能源发电相结合的互补方法是中国实现其双重碳目标的最有效和可持续的方式。"Gas power generation, with its inherent flexibility and low emissions profile and the versatility of pumped storage, which offers excellent adjustable performance, is poised to become indispensable components of China's power system," he said, adding that with more than 4,000 employees in over 10 offices and manufacturing sites in China, the company will introduce more solutions and products in the country.他说：“天然气发电具有固有的灵活性和低排放特点，以及抽水蓄能的多功能性，提供了出色的可调性能，有望成为中国电力系统不可或缺的组成部分。”他补充说，该公司在中国拥有10多个办事处和制造基地，拥有4000多名员工，将在中国推出更多的解决方案和产品。Despite facing strong headwinds, including the US restrictions on exporting lithography machines for chipmaking to China through third-party channels and the European Union's initiation of an anti-subsidy investigation targeting Chinese EVs, business leaders said that China's push for innovation in information technology is unwavering.尽管面临强大的阻力，包括美国限制通过第三方渠道向中国出口用于芯片制造的光刻机，以及欧盟发起针对中国电动汽车的反补贴调查，但商界领袖表示，中国推动信息技术创新的步伐坚定不移。Particularly in areas like 5G, artificial intelligence and the internet of things, these factors are expected to revolutionize the way companies in the manufacturing sector operate and interact with consumers.特别是在5G、人工智能和物联网等领域，这些因素预计将彻底改变制造业企业的运营方式和与消费者的互动方式。These technologies are not only driving the development of the manufacturing sector and smart cities, but also enabling more resilient and responsive supply chains, said Zhang Zhiyong, chairman of China Tower Corp Ltd, a Beijing-based mobile communication infrastructure company that runs almost all of China's telecom towers.中国铁塔股份有限公司董事长张志勇表示，这些技术不仅推动了制造业和智慧城市的发展，还使供应链更具弹性和响应能力。中国铁塔股份有限公司是一家总部位于北京的移动通信基础设施公司，运营着中国几乎所有的电信塔。Highlighting the importance of new quality productive forces aimed at emerging and future-oriented industries, Zhang said that integrating the development of a manufacturing powerhouse with the digital economy and industrial informatization is essential.张志勇强调了针对新兴和面向未来的产业的新型优质生产力的重要性，他说，将制造业强国的发展与数字经济和工业信息化相结合是必不可少的。China Tower, a State-owned enterprise, is implementing innovative tasks in strategic emerging industries such as the next generation of mobile communications, computing power networks, 6G and satellite internet.中国铁塔是一家国有企业，正在实施下一代移动通信、计算能力网络、6G和卫星互联网等战略性新兴产业的创新任务。"China's strategic emerging industries and future industries are set to offer numerous opportunities for cross-border collaboration and innovation," said Chu Xiangyin, a professor of supply chain management at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.对外经济贸易大学供应链管理教授储祥银表示：“中国的战略性新兴产业和未来产业将为跨境合作和创新提供无数机会。”By leveraging its strengths in manufacturing, technology and sustainability, China is well-positioned to make significant contributions to global industrial and supply chains, ultimately driving economic growth and environmental progress both domestically and internationally, Chu said.储祥银表示，通过利用其在制造业、技术和可持续性方面的优势，中国有能力为全球工业和供应链做出重大贡献，最终推动国内和国际的经济增长和环境进步。supply chains供应链economic growth经济增长，经济成长

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Automobile Manufacturers, Old News, and Geography. The music is from Edith Frost with a song called Cars and Parties.

Chinese companies have overtaken their United States counterparts in terms of number on this year's Fortune Global 500 list, which was unveiled on Wednesday and tracks the world's richest enterprises in terms of revenue.今年《财富》世界500强排行榜上，中国企业的数量已超过美国。该榜单于8月2日公布，以收入衡量全球最富有的企业。Industry experts said the list shows China's growing prowess in emerging sectors, such as new energy, on the global stage.行业专家表示，这份榜单显示了中国在新能源等新兴领域在全球舞台上不断增强的实力。A total of 142 Chinese companies, including those in Taiwan, made it to the annual list, marking the fifth consecutive year that Chinese companies topped the list in terms of number. The US and Japan followed with 136 and 41 enterprises, respectively.包括台湾企业在内，共有142家中国企业上榜，连续第五年中国企业数量位居榜首。美国和日本分别以136家和41家企业紧随其后。China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd—the world's largest electric vehicle battery maker—debuted on the list this year and ranked 292nd.全球最大的电动汽车电池制造商中国宁德时代新能源科技股份有限公司今年首次上榜，排名第292位。Another Chinese company, new energy vehicle manufacturer BYD, jumped 12 spots compared with last year to rank 212th.另一家中国企业新能源汽车制造商比亚迪较去年上升12位，排名第212位。In total, nine Chinese vehicle manufacturers have made it to the list, with most of them gaining ground with new energy vehicle technologies.共有9家中国汽车制造商上榜，其中大部分都凭借新能源汽车技术取得了进展。Wang Peng, a senior researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said this collective performance of Chinese companies demonstrated China's increasing international influence on the new energy sector. "China has gained momentum in NEV-related technologies and products in recent years," he said.北京市社会科学院高级研究员王鹏表示，中国企业的集体表现表明中国在新能源领域的国际影响力日益增强。他说：“近年来，中国在新能源汽车相关技术和产品方面取得了长足发展。”新能源汽车技术正在取得进展。Many Chinese NEV companies have taken the lead globally with their technological breakthroughs in the new energy sector, according to Wang. He said that given the country's huge market, "Chinese companies in the new energy sector are expected to have more presence on the global stage in the coming years".他表示，许多中国新能源汽车企业在新能源领域的技术突破已经走在了全球的前面。他表示，鉴于中国巨大的市场，“预计未来几年中国新能源领域的企业将在全球舞台上有更多的存在”。China sold about 6.89 million NEVs last year, an increase of more than 93 percent year-on-year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.中国汽车工业协会的数据显示，去年中国新能源汽车销量约为689万辆，同比增长93%以上。A report released by market consultancy SNE Research last year showed that Chinese companies accounted for six of the top 10 NEV battery makers globally in terms of installation.韩国调研机构SNE Research去年发布的一份报告显示，全球装机量前10名的新能源汽车电池制造商中，中国企业占据了6席。However, Wang Zhile, a former senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said in a note that the ranks of many leading Chinese companies have declined this year, and the gap between their average profit and that of the other Fortune Global 500 companies has widened.不过，商务部国际贸易经济合作研究院研究员王志乐在报告中写道，今年许多中国龙头企业的排名有所下降，平均利润与其他《财富》杂志的差距也很大。世界500强企业规模不断扩大。The average profit of companies from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong on the list is $3.9 billion, lower than the global average of $5.8 billion and US firms' $8 billion.中国内地和香港上榜企业的平均利润为39亿美元，低于全球平均水平58亿美元和美国企业的80亿美元。The COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts around the world have changed the global economy, and the global industrial chain has started to restructure, he said.他表示，新冠肺炎疫情和世界各地的冲突改变了全球经济，全球产业链开始重组。"These external factors have affected the development of Chinese companies to some extent. Big Chinese names still face some challenges in their high-quality development," he added.“这些外部因素在一定程度上影响了中国企业的发展，中国企业高质量发展仍面临一些挑战。”Vehicle英/ˈviːəkl/ 美/ˈviːək(ə)l/n.交通工具，车辆Enterprise英/ˈentəpraɪz/ 美/ˈentərpraɪz/n.企业，事业单位

➤ China Association of Automobile Manufacturers urges for stability following pricing volatility ➤ Rumor on Shanghai expansion plans ➤ Giga Texas update ➤ Giga Mexico update ➤ Nio comments on sales targets ➤ Volkswagen shares 2023 financial services guidance ➤ FOMC March meeting takeaways Shareloft: https://www.shareloft.com Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/teslapodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tesladailypodcast Tesla Referral: https://ts.la/robert47283 Executive producer Jeremy Cooke Executive producer Troy Cherasaro Executive producer Andre/Maria Kent Executive producer Jessie Chimni Executive producer Michael Pastrone Executive producer Richard Del Maestro Executive producer John Beans Music by Evan Schaeffer Disclosure: Rob Maurer is long TSLA stock & derivatives

Guest:  Mike Mabasa, CEO  at National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) to discuss the factors that must be considered in our process of transition to electric vehicles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryan Bashin was born fully sighted, but over time he lost his eyesight. Like many such people, he tried to hide his blindness. Bryan was, in some senses, different than many. Because as he began to discover that other blind people were leading full and successful lives, he decided that he could do the same. He received training and then began to seek employment and attained a most successful career.   Bryan would tell you that he loves learning and advocating. He is an extremely inclusive individual although he clearly does do a powerful job of advocating for blind and low-vision persons. Oh yes, not vision impaired, but low vision. You will hear about this during our conversation.   For the past 13 years, Bryan Bashin has been the CEO of the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind. He has proven to be quite an innovator due to his philosophical orientation concerning blindness. You will hear of his accomplishments.   Bryan announced his retirement from the Lighthouse earlier this year. His future plans are typical of Bryan. Come along with us and hear Bryan's story and then please give us a 5-star rating wherever you listen to this podcast episode.     About the Guest: Bryan Bashin, CEO, reports to the Board of Directors and supervises the directors of Communications, Development, Operations, Programs and Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat. Mr. Bashin has served in this position since 2010. Mr. Bashin's extensive professional experience includes Executive Editor for the Center for Science and Reporting, Assistant Regional Commissioner for the United States Department of Education: Rehabilitation Services, and Executive Director of Society for the Blind in Sacramento. Mr. Bashin has been blind since college and from that time has dedicated a substantial part of his career to advocating for equality, access, training and mentorship for individuals who are blind or low vision. He serves or has served on numerous committees and organizations, including California Blind Advisory Committee, VisionServe Alliance, San Francisco State University's Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability, World Blind Union, National Industries for the Blind, and California Agencies for the Blind and Visually Impaired.         About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes UM Intro/Outro  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:21 Welcome to unstoppable mindset. And I am really excited today to have an opportunity to talk with Bryan Bashin, the CEO of the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind. And you will see why as we go forward. Bryan is a very interesting and engaging guy. I've known him for quite a while. And I think we've both known each other we like each other, don't we, Bryan?   Bryan Bashin  01:44 Yeah, we have traveled in the same paths. And we have been on the same side of the barricades.   Michael Hingson  01:51 And that's always a good thing. So you're doing well.   Bryan Bashin  01:57 I'm doing great. This is a this is a good time for me and Lighthouse after 13 years, thinking about sort of a joyous conclusion to a number of projects before I move on.   Michael Hingson  02:10 Wow. Well, that's always a good thing. Well, tell me a little bit about you before the lighthouse growing up and stuff like that, so people get to know about you a bit.   Bryan Bashin  02:20 Sure. The short version I grew up as a sighted boy started becoming blind when I was 12 became legally blind when I was a sophomore at UC Berkeley. And like all newly blind, low vision people tried to hide it for as long as possible, and really failed. I didn't have role models, then, like my Kingson. I didn't really know what was possible in blindness. That pivot came later in my life. And so I just did what a lot of low vision people do. Hide, try to pass all of that. So I did that in my early 20s. I started my career in journalism. I my first job out of Berkeley was at the CBS television affiliate in San Francisco KPI X, API X. Yes, Gen five and the news department there. And I worked there for a couple of years that I wanted to move up in the world. And I joined the channel 10, the CBS Benli a CBS affiliate in Sacramento, and I was higher up on that journalism,   Michael Hingson  03:32 and wrong and you move and you moved from five to 10.   Bryan Bashin  03:35 I did. I doubled. See. After after a few years in local broadcast news, television news, I thought I'm a little more serious person that and I wanted to go deeper. And so I quit my job and I started writing for newspapers, and then magazines, and specialized in science and public policy. So I did lots of work and environment, Space Science, energy usage, epidemiology. You know, for kind of curious guy like me, journalism was a really good fit because it fed all the things I want to learn about him. And I was in my 20s. Somewhere along the way, as I had less than less vision, I knew that I needed to get solutions. And I didn't know where those would come from, but I knew it involves people. But short version is almost 30 years ago. In a quiet time in my life. I just picked up some copies of the Braille monitor and started reading them. And in it, I found all kinds of stories about blind people doing amazing things. Things that I didn't think I could do as a person like travel where I wanted when I want it or efficiently use Computers, all that. So I went into a boot camp. It was then the fourth NFB Training Center. Actually it was in Sacramento. Just that the year that I needed it. It only lasted one year. The Marcelino center run by the California affiliate of the NFB, anyway, long story short, I threw myself into training, got training, and then had the most successful period in journalism I've ever had. And that's the first half of my working career.   Michael Hingson  05:33 Did you ever know mozzie? Marcelino?   Bryan Bashin  05:35 No, I didn't. He passed before the Senator that was named after him. That's right. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  05:41 He was one of the very active early members of the National Federation of the Blind of California and managed a lot of the legislative activities of the Federation. In Sacramento, if you went with him into the Capitol, everyone knew Mazie. Which, which is important.   Bryan Bashin  06:02 Yeah. Yeah, I certainly was living in Sacramento in the 90s. And his memory was an active presence, then. Well, I finished up my immersion training at the Marcelino center. Four years later, I was running the Society for the blind there in Sacramento. Having gotten the confidence, and aspiration, that I could do stuff there, Executive Director, retired after 33 years, and I interviewed and got the job. That's when I got my first taste of real service in the blindness community. Chance to like, think of a project, think of a problem, get funds for it, hire cool staff for it and do it. And for me, you know, I might have written an article in a magazine and a million people would read it, but I wouldn't meet any of them. And I wouldn't have that thing that we all love that community. So when I started working at society for the blind, that community was right there. And it was deeply gratifying. And so I started working on many, many projects. And I did that in Sacramento for six years, had a wild time with it. And then I was asked to apply in the US Department of Education, to be one of the regional commissioners in region nine for the Rehab Services Administration. So that was, that was really bittersweet to leave the Society for the blind, but I wanted to learn more. And suddenly, I found myself responsible for half a billion dollars in federal spending across all disabilities, and learning like a fire hose about the public rehabilitation system. And I did that until all the regional offices were closed by the administration. And I found myself for the first time in my working life, not knowing what I was going to do for a living. So I, I did some expert witnessing in court, I worked with a startup, I did some other things regarding direction, mentoring of blind people looking for employment. And then after 20 years, the director of the Lighthouse for the Blind, took a new job. And it was the first job I was hired for that I actually knew what I was doing when I came in, because I'd run another org like that. And that was 13 years ago.   Michael Hingson  08:36 There you are. What who was the commissioner when the offices closed?   Bryan Bashin  08:42 Yeah, well, it was Joanne Wilson until it was Joanne Yeah, yeah, it was Joanne Wilson, then   Michael Hingson  08:48 no, no, she necessarily had a lot of choices. But   Bryan Bashin  08:51 well, that's a long story. She used everything in her power to oppose this. But it was it was at a higher level that was made. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  09:04 So you've been at the lighthouse 13 years. And tell me a little bit about what it was like when you started and why did you decide to go to the lighthouse?   Bryan Bashin  09:19 You know, one thing that I can say is that my predecessor, had been prudent with funds. And so this was an agency that had good amount of money in the bank, like $40 million. I came from society for the blind. When I got there. We had six weeks of revenue. And we grew that and made it more stable. But I was attracted to the lighthouse because it was a storied organization. It had been around for, you know, 100 years. It owned this amazing camp in Napa that I'll talk about. It had the bones of a really great Oregon As a nation, and I thought I could do something with it. And I came there and I first saw the headquarters building then across from the symphony. And I thought, there's not enough places here to teach. There's not enough public spaces down. I have things happen. It was just the lighthouse had outgrown its its place. And I thought, oh, here we go. Again, I done a capital campaign in Sacramento to get its new building. Now, I'm going to have to do this again in San Francisco. But we looked at that and we thought, it's got to be close to transit. It's got to be in San Francisco, got to have cool places for people to work to ennoble the workforce not to be a dark hole windowless, undistinguished former garage, which was the old, old building, we found a place in the end, after many different things, we found a place right on top on top of the civic center BART station. And through a partnership and some other things we were able, I was able to convince the board to take this leap. And they did. And five years ago, six years ago, now, we occupied our new headquarters, which really has made us a place where people want to come and work and convene and hold events. It really now has the feel of a center.   Michael Hingson  11:32 Chris, the other thing that happened for the for the lighthouse was you got a pretty significant capital infusion along the way.   Bryan Bashin  11:40 Yeah, a little bit. I would do want people to know that this idea for a new building, the search for the Board's agreeing to do it and agreeing to buy it happened all before the big request, right? So we did, we made all that happen. In December and January, January 2014. Five months later, out of the blue, we got the first letter, understanding that we were going to be receiving receiving a request, that turned out to be the largest request in the history of American blindness to an individual $130 million. It turned out. And that allowed so much of what happened after to be possible.   Michael Hingson  12:31 Right. And that was what I was thinking it wasn't so much the building, but then you could really put into practice the vision that you were creating. That's right. That's right. So how, how has the lighthouse changed in over, let's say the last eight years since 2014?   Bryan Bashin  12:52 Yeah, I think I think I could say, ambition and reach and kind of audaciousness some things are pretty well known. We launched the Holman prize for blind ambition, it's a world prize, we've had, it's getting close to 1000 applicants over the seven years we've had the homerun prize. Those applicants come from every continent, maybe I haven't aggregated all of them. But it wouldn't surprise me to say 40 countries or so have applied. And if you go on YouTube and go to home and price.org. And look, you're going to see what blind people are saying they their dreams are from all over the world. And you cannot think about blindness the same way when you see people in rural Nepal or Africa or an urban Europe, talk about what's important to them. There is no real public way to aggregate all these things other than what we've done thus far. And so that's the kind of audaciousness that has come up in the last eight years. But it's been across everything.   Michael Hingson  14:07 What is the homerun prize? Exactly.   Bryan Bashin  14:10 Prom homerun prize is an annual prize awarded to three people each year by independent jury of blind people that the lighthouse convenes none of those juries are Lighthouse employees. The purpose of the prize is to show great growth and ambition in anything. It's not necessarily a project to do good in the world for blind people or though it can be it could be personal growth, like rowing a boat across the Bosphorus or climbing a mountain or organizing something that was never organized before that kind of thing. We award 320 $5,000 awards, and the price has been amazingly popular with hundreds of 1000s of views about blind people on our website and on YouTube. I'm happy to say that our partner Waymo, is now sponsoring one of the prizes at $25,000.   Michael Hingson  15:11 That is pretty exciting. Yeah. And I've I've watched it through the years and it's it is absolutely amazing and wonderful to see the the different attitudes and philosophies and as you said, dreams that blind people have, because most of the time, we're not encouraged.   Bryan Bashin  15:31 Yeah, most of the time people settle. This is, this is really, beyond mere skills that any blind organization teaches. And I don't mean to derogate them, the skills are essential. We can't do anything without skills. But they're not enough. Somehow my you got the confidence to be a captain of your own ship, metaphorically speaking. That's what got you out of the World Trade Center. That's what got you into business in science and everything else. We want to we this is the this is the mission that any Blind Agency really needs to focus on. Beyond skills. How do you teach confidence? How do you teach what Jacobus tenBroek said that we have a right to live in the world to be at that table, that we are not an embarr and a barren sea in the human condition. We're part of the human condition. And so getting that deep knowledge, something that the late James avec said, not just knowing it in your head, but in your heart, that It's respectable to be blind. And all of that that's, that's the best agencies get at that as well.   Michael Hingson  16:49 We as as a class, need to be more in the conversation and it isn't going to happen unless we demand it. You know, it's it's interesting. We celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day last, what Thursday, and later in the year, we'll be celebrating some other events regarding disabilities. What amazes me is even with the visibility that's happened so far, it never seems to hit any of the mainstream television news. Casts or talk shows, the I don't see anyone celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month, or anything relating to disability awareness, like we see African American history or LGBTQ pride, awareness and so on. Why is it that we're just not still included? Even though even though according to the CDC, up to 25%, of all Americans have some sort of a disability. And we'll of course leave out like dependents, which takes in everyone else, but nevertheless.   Bryan Bashin  18:06 Well, you know, we live in a different as a longtime journalist, we live in a different journalistic culture now. And so what triumphs is narrative, not policy. What triumphs is something that gets is clickbait. Something that gets you emotionally. And I won't say that there, there haven't been good stories. The lighthouses then, Board Chair Chris Downey, who you know, is, as one of only a handful of practicing blind architects got 15 minutes on 60 minutes, one of their most popular episodes been rebroadcast four or five times now. That is a powerful narrative. So we need more of them. I really do think that in any state, any blind organization has stories, just like Chris is just as powerful. You know, our job is to actually be out there relationally with journalists so that they can understand what the stories are. But it's not going to be from a press release, or some some kind of awareness month. It's going to have to be the personal connections that we have with journalists so that we can wind up pitching stories.   Michael Hingson  19:27 Well, it's the usual thing. What it really means is we need to tell the story.   Bryan Bashin  19:35 That's right. As soon as it becomes a story about them. We lose, huh? Yeah.   Michael Hingson  19:41 Yeah, we need we need to be out there and tell the story. And you're right. We need to tell it in a way that will click with people and interest people. But I think that that certainly is something that can be done and we We also collectively need to understand that we need to tell the story and not be shy about it.   Bryan Bashin  20:08 That's right. Yeah, that's right.   Michael Hingson  20:11 And I think all too often, we tend to be shy and we don't want to, to be out there talking about I remember early on after September 11, we got pretty visible in the news. And it was because really of me contacting Guide Dogs for the Blind, just to say, we got out because people from Guide Dogs had seen us in the world transip Trade Center, they've visited us. And I joined guide dogs in about a year afterward. And there was a lot of visibility interviews in the media. By that time, we had been on Larry King Live three times. And on one of the guide dog lists, somebody said, Well, he's just a meteor media whore. And a number of people fortunately reacted, I did not, but a number of people said, What are you talking about? He's out there telling the story. And that is, in reality, the case is that somebody needs to and we all should be out there telling the story saying we're better than people think.   Bryan Bashin  21:12 That's right. That is really true. You know, there's an inherent tension between this knee that you just said about, we need to tell the story because otherwise Hollywood is going to tell the story about us. And the need, you know what the most radical thing is, it's the average blind person doing their average job, unremarkably, and without fanfare and attention, that is the revolution. And so, you know, why should Why should every blind person feel obligated to write a book or do a story. And yet, we have a responsibility as a you have taken to say, This is my life experience, people will learn from it. And so I'll do the hard work to get it out there.   Michael Hingson  21:59 But the very fact that other people are just going to work, and trying to go to work, doing the job, and trying to even get better at doing the job is as much if not more of the story as anything else.   Bryan Bashin  22:14 That's the real revolution. And that's the world we want to help bring about.   Michael Hingson  22:20 So I am curious about something. I believe it's been attributed to you. Scary already. But but I've I've adopted it. People say that we're blind or visually impaired, and I object to the concept of visually impaired because I've always thought I looked the same. I don't like vision impaired because I think I got lots of vision, although as I love to say, but I don't see so good. But I can accept vision impaired. What do you think about that, that concept of the, the terminology like that? And where do words matter in what we do?   Bryan Bashin  23:00 words do matter. And every every generation needs to own and invent words that are relevant to them. And so although I work in a building that says Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, I've come to see that word visually impaired is actually ablest. It means that we are being defined by what we cannot do, we have impairment of vision, we are not a normal part of society. You know, I think the more neutral and non ablest way to construct it is just to talk about people who are blind, or have low vision. Yeah, so that's, that's a positive way. It's neutral way. All these other things over the years, skirting around the word blind, as if that was something we shouldn't be proud of, are talking about the proud people with low vision, instead of looking at them as just simply a characteristic they have, they have low vision. We look at them as impairment or other other ways in which they're, quote, not normal. So that's why words matter. And we in our publications at Lighthouse tried to use a modern language to talk about blindness.   Michael Hingson  24:19 And I do like the concept of low vision. If you talk to a person who is deaf, and you say hearing impaired, you're apt to be shot because that is absolutely unacceptable, deaf or hard of hearing, which is the same concept.   Bryan Bashin  24:34 Yeah. And of course, you always want to talk to the people ourselves, about how we want to be caught. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  24:43 Unfortunately, I think there's still all too many of us that have not really thought it through. But I think as people learn and recognize that we do have the same right to live in the world and are demanding it more, more and more people will wreck denies the value of something like blind or a person who happens to be low vision.   Bryan Bashin  25:05 There are agencies around the country who have steadily taken the word blind out of their name. I think it's a profound mistake, as if who we are needs to be euphemized or just lately swept under the rug. I am a proud blind person because I've been around other blind people who haven't want to euphemized who we are. But yet we have agencies around the country with hundreds of millions of dollars who think that they don't want the word blind in their name. I think the first step in proper rehabilitation is to say who you are.   Michael Hingson  25:46 And do it with pride. Yep. So well, and just to carry that on a little bit more, Dr. Ken Jernigan passed down the late Dr. Ken Jernigan, past president of the National Federation of the Blind, I think came up with the best definition of blindness of all, which is basically if you are eyesight is decreased to the point where you have to use alternatives to full eyesight to accomplish things, then you should consider yourself blind and there's nothing wrong with that.   Bryan Bashin  26:17 Yeah, we're all in this together. Just like, I can't speak for that community. But it's been 150 years since African Americans blacks would talk about various grades and gradations of, of their, their heritage. Just part of the movement now as it should be,   Michael Hingson  26:40 as it should be. And it's unfortunate that it takes some of the kinds of things that it has done to raise awareness for black lives, if you will. But hopefully we're making some progress, although the politicians tend to be the biggest obstructionist to a lot of that big surprise   Bryan Bashin  27:01 there, Mike.   Michael Hingson  27:05 Yeah, it is amazing. As I love to tell people I I try not to be political on this podcast. So I'm an equal opportunity abuser, you know, I'm, I'm with Mark Twain. Congress is that grand old benevolent asylum for the helpless and that's all there is to it. So we can we can abuse them all. It's it's a whole lot more fun. Well, so you have really made some evolutionary changes in the lighthouse. You mentioned enchanted Hills, which I first learned about when I was here in Southern California as a teenager, did not go to Enchanted hills. But I went to what that time, what was the foundation for the junior blinds camp camp Bloomfield, and but I've heard and kept up with enchanted Hills throughout the years and the camp had some challenges a few years ago with the fires and so on. That that took place up in Northern California, and you've been really working to address a lot of that. Tell us a little if you would about enchanted hills. Yeah. Where it was, where it came from, and and where it's going? Well,   Bryan Bashin  28:17 a blind woman rose Resnick founded it in 1950, because she wanted blind people, blind youth and adults to be active participants in nature. At the time, most blind folks went to schools for the blind, urban and restrictive. And Rose had a great experience growing up back east, with camps for the blind, it was a liberation for her. There were no camps when in outwest, for the blind, he founded the first one that we've had at Lighthouse for 72 years now. Why is it important? That mentorship to see cool blind people who are just a few years ahead of you who are owning their lives, you can't learn this in a classroom. You've got to hang out with people, it takes time. It's like that, that same mentorship, you'll see in a convention, a blank convention. The power of that is you got to week, well, you've got a summer at camp, and you've got a summer with people where you can actually have time to finish your conversations and to get lost and try to grow in different ways and fail and try again. And this is a huge and powerful part. What any camp for the blind is there are only a handful left in the United States. So in 2017, those Napa fires we watched as the fires got closer and closer to camp we evacuated and then watch for week as the fires crept closer, we didn't know if camp would survive. And when we finally were able to get back in camp, we found that half of the buildings had burned the old camp deep in the Redwood Forest. We have 311 acres there. It's an enormous P and valuable and beautiful piece of property. And soon after, first we were relieved that nobody was hurt. But after our team realized like this was the opportunity that had waited for three generations, how could we reimagine camp? What are the things now in 2022 that bind people wish they had that we didn't have before. So yes, of course, we have the same all all American camp.   Bryan Bashin  30:44 But we're rebuilding camp to be environmentally friendly, universally accessible, every building at camp every every building at El is will be wheelchair accessible. Every watt of power and use will not be through trucked in propane or hydro or fossil fuels, but be solar generated with our solar canopy over our park parking lot. Every building will be heated and insulated. So is changing from summer camp to a year round place where up to 220 people can stay and learn and form community, both informal things like classes, retreats, and all of that. But informally now, when we reopen, you'll be able to grow, go up to camp with a group of your friends and 20 people, family reunion, whatever you can cook for yourself, or you can take advantage of our full time kitchen staff and all of that. Imagine a blind Asilomar a conference center that is accessible, networked with everything from braille embossers, to the latest tech stuff. That's what camp is and every last part of it, please touch, please use our woodworking stuff, learn how to do ceramics, get to learn how to own and care for a horse. Get in that boat and Sue ads and, and row, go swim, go do arts, go do music and our wonderful new Redwood Grove theater, all of that stuff. So this was the inspiration when when the camp burned five years ago, we were able to get all these buildings on the master plan with a county, we found a contractor we're halfway through the rebuilding all of lower camp now you can see those buildings, the foundations are poured, the roofs are up we're putting in Windows this week. And when we were done, we'll have this amazing, beautiful village in the Redwoods where people can stroll and accessible paths, no guide ropes anymore, by the way, accessible paths. And as you go around camp, you'll be able to be just within hailing distance of other people, people you may not know but should know. So half of the program at camp and why it produces 40 50,000 hours each summer of people contacting people half that program is just that, not what we're talking at you about but people that you meet and form lifelong bonds.   Michael Hingson  33:31 And that's a whole different idea for a camp in general, but it is really creating community and people will leave with I would think lots of memories they never thought they would get.   Bryan Bashin  33:46 You know one of the key features that has been the hallmark of the last 13 years is that we usually have 20 counselors and another half dozen counselors in training. Three quarters or up to 90% of those counselors are now blind, or have low vision. No camp hardly in the country does that there are a lot of camps in which everybody in power. Every director and every assistant director and every counselor, they're all sighted. They're all very well meaning and giving. But where's the mentorship there? Where's the role modeling? So in Jannah Hills is different. The overwhelming majority of our counselors and counselors and training are blind. Our staff and area leaders are overwhelmingly blind as well. Because this is part of the purpose of camp to be able to meet people who are in charge of their own lives and a part of a community   Michael Hingson  34:45 and that's as good as it can possibly get. How does the the camp then it's it's a separate entity but it's part of the lighthouse. How did the the two connect what kind of value does Is the lighthouse itself bringing to the camp and vice versa?   Bryan Bashin  35:03 Yeah, we're all one organization. But increasingly, because of the new construction, we use camp as a retreat for people who want to go deep into their blindness. So for people who are newly blind, or for people who have been blind a while, and now have decided it's time to do something about it, we have an initial immersion called Changing vision changing lives, people go to camp. And there, they take their first steps, sometimes, first time they ever put a white cane in their hands, or their first introduction to what a computer could do. All these kinds of things. It's a deep dive and initial dive, immersion to whet people's appetites for the real hard work that comes after camp where they're going to put in time to learn skills of blindness. But before you start doing skills, you have to have the why, why are we doing that, and you have to have met a dozen or two dozen blind people who are just using those skills. So you're not learning that as an abstraction. Camp is wonderful that way. So the teachers who teach edtech and oh nm, and braille, and, you know, independent living and home repair, and all, these are the same people, whether they're at our headquarters in San Francisco, or they're in a special retreat in Napa. That's what we're going to be doing more and more of around the around the year. Same thing is true with our new program for little for blind infants and toddlers, lighthouse, little learners is an early intervention program. From across northern California, we have built camp in part to be a wonderful place for families of blind infants and toddlers to come together. Almost every family that has a newborn who's blind is utterly unprepared, and is so hungry for information. And of course, as you know, if you get it right, your child grows up and does anything that she or he wants. But those are key years. And so our family cabins now are built so that infants and toddlers, and then later on young kids will have time with their families before it's time for them to go off to camp individually, when they get into the middle years at a teens.   Michael Hingson  37:33 You mentioned the blindness conventions like the National Federation of the Blind convention, and it brought to mind something that I think about every time I go to a convention or know that a convention is coming up, especially with the NFB because of the the way that the organization has handled conventions, there is nothing like watching a five year old who suddenly has a cane put in their hand. And they're given a little bit of cane travel lessons over a very short period of time at the convention. And then they're dragging their parents all around the convention hotel, that the parents usually can't keep up and the kids are just going a mile a second.   Bryan Bashin  38:13 Yeah, that is, that's what we all want. We want that aha moment, like that. And parents are. So when they're new in the game, it's not just talking about the best ophthalmologist, although that's important and the best stimulation and the best this and that. They're also looking at those counselors and counselors in training and seeing their kids in 15 years. And they're just seeing competent blind people. Give them the sense about what's possible and why. And that that is another unspoken role of conventions, or in retreats like camp where you have the time to put into what is like the big change in life. Your blindness is not just something you do superficially, you got to dive in camp helps with that.   Michael Hingson  39:07 It's a characteristic blindness is simply a characteristic. It is something that we all have as part of our beings. And I think it's an enhancement because it allows us should we take advantage of it to have a significantly different perspective on part of life than most people have? And it gives us a broader and more open perspective, which is as good as it gets.   Bryan Bashin  39:38 Absolutely. You know, we're in an age which is supposedly celebrating diversity and all of that, well the diversity that we bring to the to the human experience is profound. And you know, we we will celebrate our intersectionalities with all the other human diversities. Are we are, we are good to live in an age, which doesn't sort of characterize and other, but works or at least seeks efficiently to include.   Michael Hingson  40:13 Sometimes it's a little more superficial than we probably would like. And there are things happening in our modern technological era that are a challenge. For example, one of the examples that I often give is nowadays, there are so many television commercials that are totally graphic pictorial, they may have music, but absolutely no verbiage to the commercial. So a number of us are left out of understanding them. And of course, graphics are so easy to produce. But what the people who produce those commercials, it seems to me don't realize is that by not having verbiage, and having meaningful and full content, verbally presented in the commercials, they're not just leaving out us, but they're leaving out anyone who gets up from their couch or chair, when the commercial comes on to go get a drink. They'll never know what the commercials were about, they're missing a true dimension of access to all it seems to me.   Bryan Bashin  41:19 Well, you put your finger on a key aspect of our culture, which is we live in an age of screens, great. Screens are ubiquitous and cheap. And so we're, we're in a in an age now where it's sort of post linguistic almost, that the ability to manipulate and to show successions of images, capture, you owe 90 some percent of people most of the time, but it does a great disservice to the abilities of human beings of all sorts to appreciate. And it kind of cheapens the subtlety and discourse, I think, you know, we this this ability, words are able to convey a universe of experiences in just a few syllables. Pictures, not so much, and not so standard.   Michael Hingson  42:19 Someone said, I don't recall who but I read it somewhere. Maybe a picture is worth 1000 words. But it takes up a whole lot more memory. I love that. It's an it's so true. Yeah. And we, we really need to recognize collectively the value of challenging and using all of our senses, it's so important to do that, and no scent should be left out. Now, we haven't figured out a way yet to transmit, smell and taste through the television system. And that may be a long ways away. But we certainly have other senses that we should be using. And that isn't, and shouldn't just be screens. But hopefully we can get that discourse to occur and get, get people to change, maybe a little bit about what they're thinking and see the value in that change again.   Bryan Bashin  43:21 Well, you've been a pioneer in this. And as things emerge, I know Mike Kingston is going to be part of it.   Michael Hingson  43:29 Well, it's been fun to to be involved with some of the technologies. You know, for me, it started with Ray Kurzweil. And then last decade was IRA, which has certainly been a product that has made a significant difference for a lot of people but other butter products along the way being involved in some of the refreshable braille displays and, and a lot of people don't realize how easy it is in some senses to produce Braille today because refreshable braille displays means I can take any file, any like ASCII file or a Word file, and put it in a medium that I can import into a Braille display and suddenly read that document. That's, that's pretty new.   Bryan Bashin  44:15 I think we are just now on the cusp of, of having critical mass in a refreshable Braille display that's got enough pixels to be useful as an image producer, and then ways to quickly and sort of economically produce those images. Yeah, Lighthouse has a unit MATLAB they have a group called touching the news. And here every week or two, there's a news graphic, the map of Ukraine during the war, the what is that helicopter on perseverance look like? Those kinds of things, the ephemera and the news of our society, the ability to get those quickly out. If you have a Braille display or a Braille embosser is going to really we're almost at the time when culture will pivot, and 61,000 Blind K through 12 errs in American schools will be able to get new and fresh material all the time, and compare it or look at the output of an oscilloscope in real time, and change and vary and act in a lab accordingly. So the efforts now to make real time expressible refreshable. screen displays are amazing and so important.   Michael Hingson  45:39 The other thing that I would hope as we get into more of a virtual real world virtual reality world, is that we would do more with sound binaural sound which is easy to produce, which truly with a set of headphones allows you to hear sound coming from any direction. And actually can help immerse all gamers in games rather than it just being from the screen. But if they do it right, it certainly would make a lot of games more accessible to us than are available today.   Bryan Bashin  46:12 If you've heard a good binaural recording of something, it can be terrifying. The lighthouse work with this group called The World According to sound to produce several dozen binaural shows about the rich experience that blind people have every day. And you can find those online. We worked with Chris and Sam, who just did splendid work for us about how we live how we how we go around what we notice the subtleties and richness in our lives. So there's there's importance for that. And then later, if you look ahead a few years, the metaverse and the idea of group connections, because what we're doing now Mike, on Zoom is not going to be just like a pandemic, Blip. This is the way people are going to interact. And we want this to be richer. I want to be in a room where I can hear who's on the left of the conference table and who's on the right. Right, I want to be able to face them in the three dimensional view on that screen. It's coming. It's coming quickly. And we need to be part of what MATA is doing as they may be the standard or other people may develop other standards. But this is around the corner.   Michael Hingson  47:33 And the technology is really here to do it. It's it is a matter of making it a priority and deciding to do it in such a way that will keep the costs down. And that isn't all that hard to do. Yeah. So for you, you are I think you have been appointed to the Ability One commission.   Bryan Bashin  47:58 That's right, President Biden appointed me last July. And it's been a wild ride ever since   Michael Hingson  48:04 tell us about the commission and what you're doing with it and so on.   Bryan Bashin  48:09 Well, this commission was set up during the FDR time in 1938. And it was designed originally to provide some way that blind people, and then later on, people with other significant disabilities could find work and an age where there was almost no work. The employment rate of blind people in 1938 was I don't know two or 3%, or something like that. So it was a groundbreaking bit of legislation in the 30s. But over the years, it became a place where blind people worked in non integrated settings. And some people call them sheltered workshops. There were many blind people who are earning less than minimum wage because of a loophole in the law there and all of that. This has been a fight for the last decades to eliminate the sub minimum wage, and also now to seek blind people not working in silos without the benefit of the wider world only working in a place with people with disabilities. But to integrate and find opportunities for that same federal contracting federal contracts federal government buys, what six or $700 billion worth of stuff every year. This ability one program uses about 4 billion of the 600 billion to provide employment, people will make things the lighthouse itself. We have a social enterprise we make environmentally sound cleaning compounds and disinfecting compounds using sort of state of the art Technology, we got an EPA Safer Choice Award for how benign our stuff is, instead of the other harsh ammonia and caustic chemicals. Anyway. So on this commission, the job is how much wiggle room do we have to provide integrated employment now, you know, if you're working in making airplane parts, only with blind people in a separate building, and meanwhile, Boeing has people doing the exact same job. along with everything else, and the glitz and glamour of working for international big company. Why shouldn't blind people be part of that, instead of the sort of set aside, it was a great idea in the 1930s and 40s, and 50s. Now it's time to change. So the first step of the change is our strategic plan. And we've rolled out the draft strategic plan, we have had eight or maybe more now community meetings about it. The public engagement with this change is 500%, more than we had in the past with the AbilityOne. Commission. We we have launched this strategic plan, I sure it'll be codified in upcoming weeks, when it is over five years, we're going to both look at ways that we can get competitive integrated employment experiences as much as we can. And that may require that we open up the Javits, Wagner eau de Act, the legislation in order to maybe change some possibilities to increase competitive integrated employment. Because in the 30s, it just said employment, that's our charge. The idea of competitive integrated employment for blind people, or people with significant that was science fiction, and FDR, Stein. Now it's something you and I have both lived. And why shouldn't the 45,000 people in the program right now have that opportunity? So that's my work in the AbilityOne. Commission, to bring the fruits of federal contracting to the hundreds of federal contractors, and let them benefit from a workforce that includes diversity of all kinds, including people who are blind,   Michael Hingson  52:28 is the tide turning so that we can see the day that the Javits Wagner, eau de Act, Section 14, see will actually go by the wayside, and we'll be able to truly address the issue of competitive employment.   Bryan Bashin  52:44 Yes, we have taken many steps along that line, the main step is that organizations that hold such certificates may not be allowed, in the very short term it very shortly to compete for new contracts. So the cost of paying subminimum h is going to be very expensive for people who wish to get more contracts. This is in process now. We are not going to, you know, pull the emergency cord and throw people out of work, who are now working under these programs, but new contracts, and new opportunities are going to be you know, bias towards competitive integrated employment. And, you know, on the blind side, there are no organizations in the blindness side of Ability One paying sub minimum wages Now, none. That's that's already ended on the significant disability sides. I think the number is around 3000. People still are working on legacy contracts like that. We expect that if I talk to you in a couple of years, Mike, that will be gone.   Michael Hingson  54:02 Well, and historically, I think when the act was originally established, it was done with good intentions. And maybe it wasn't as five sided as it could be. But as I understood the original Act, the non competitive employment centers were supposed to be training centers to get people prepared to and then out into the more competitive world of employment. But it morphed and evolved over the years to something different than that.   Bryan Bashin  54:33 It is and if legally, if you look, there's nothing in the ACT about training. It's just about employment. That's that was the mindset in 1938. Yeah. Now, of course, that's what we want. That's what we want to celebrate. We want to give the nonprofit agencies credit for training people and bringing them out into competitive employment. We think if we open up the act, we want to strike threat. So those agencies who are successful at getting people trained up and out, should be rewarded for that.   Michael Hingson  55:08 That makes perfect sense. What is the pandemic done to the whole rehabilitation system? And what do you see happening as we come out of it?   Bryan Bashin  55:19 This is not a happy topic.   Michael Hingson  55:22 Yeah, it is a challenge.   Bryan Bashin  55:25 The the number of people who are just enrolled in VR across the country has been slashed a third to a half those those people part of that is because VR with its three and a half billion dollars worth of funding, doesn't find, you know, the homemaker outcome, which is basically blind, independent living training, that's now no longer legal. So those people who went to VR thinking they could learn how to do certain things. But without a vocational goal, that is not not any, any more part of the public rehab system. So some people went away for that. But I think the larger question and it's kind of profound is that we've been through two years of a pandemic, after, after a century of saying to blind people get out there, learn to travel, be at everybody's table, take risks. And now we've had two years and more of stay in your place. It's a dangerous world. And our you know, my observation is all of our skills are rusty, are on him skills are rusty, our social skills are rusty. And everybody in the world will say, Oh, you're blind is easy to stay at home, look from look for work at home and all of this, but we lose if we're not in the room. And so the bottom line is that the pandemic has caused, I think a lot of us to take a giant step back in our social integration and just our horizons. Through the pandemic, I watched as my sighted friends could just get in the car and go where they wanted safely. Every time you and I want to go somewhere, Mike, we have to get into a conveyance with a person of unknown infectivity status. This is the nature code, we can't just Uber ourselves to a park without the sense like, okay, we're taking a controlled risk. This is why a future of autonomous vehicles is so great, no guide dog denials, no coughing driver, who may or may not be wearing a mask these days, technology can be our friend, if the technologists start considering our needs.   Michael Hingson  57:53 Well, and autonomous vehicles are, are definitely in our future and the whole concept of opposing them. Anyone who does we're, we're seeing someone who just doesn't have a lot of vision, because the reality is that they're, as you would say, right around the corner. I think some of the things that have happened with Tesla vehicles is unfortunate, especially when, in reality, they were probably not using the technology correctly. And that causes many accidents is anything. I have a friend who owns a Tesla, I actually drove it down the I 15 toward San Bernardino a few years ago. But I called him one day and he told me he had an accident with his Tesla. Now he had driven some race cars in the past and he said that there was a situation where a car was coming at him. He had the Tesla in copilot mode and was monitoring. But when this vehicle was coming at him as a racecar driver, he said my inclination is to speed up and get away from it. The car wanted to slow down and he said I overrode the copilot and we had an accident. I should have let the car do   Bryan Bashin  59:14 it. Your way there. I can't let that pass. Mike. You were in the driver's seat of a Tesla on Interstate 15.   Michael Hingson  59:24 Absolutely, why not? No, he was he was there of course. And but I had my hands on the wheel and we had it in copilot mode and I could feel it moving. It was a pretty straight run. But we did it for about 15 minutes. And then I said no, I don't think that the Highway Patrol would be happy with us if we kept that going.   Bryan Bashin  59:44 I don't think the statute of limitations quite expired on that one bike so   Michael Hingson  59:50 well, they gotta prove it now. I don't know it's been more than two years and nothing and nothing happened. I will wasn't in the car with the accident, we had a completely uneventful time, I just want to point out   Bryan Bashin  1:00:06 now, but these, these technologies, we must be pressing the companies for Level Five accessibility. That means from the time you walk down your friend steps to the car waiting there for the time you get to your destinations, front steps, you're in control the whole time. Yeah, it would be heartbreaking to have legislation that allows less than that. So that yeah, you have to like drive until you're on the freeway, and then you can do autonomous driving, that would lock us all out. That would mean this whole technology is useless for us.   Michael Hingson  1:00:44 And that would be useless legislation, it wouldn't solve the big problem that the autonomous vehicle can bring us. I'm a firm believer, and we got to get the concept of driving out of the hands of drivers. Because, as far as I'm concerned, using a Tesla or not the way most people drive on the road, I would certainly be able to do as well as they do.   Bryan Bashin  1:01:07 Absolutely. I wrote in, I wrote an autonomous vehicle in San Francisco last summer. And I felt it in control, confident, cautious, but it had a different sort of feel in that car and felt like I noticed like in San Francisco, if you want to make a left turn, a sighted driver would sort of drive into the intersection, start making the turn. And then once you're made the 90 degree turn, then accelerate the autonomous driver drives into the intersection and starts accelerating in the intersection intersection, knowing full well that it knows and has decided where it wants to go. So if it was more confidently powering into the term than a human one would do. I found that interesting.   Michael Hingson  1:02:05 It is, and I just am firmly convinced that we will make the road so much more safer if we take not the decision making but the whole concept of driving away from so many people who haven't learned to do it. Well, it does mean that we need to program the technology appropriately. And well. We're still on the cusp, but it's coming and it's going to be here sooner than we probably think.   Bryan Bashin  1:02:36 Yeah, well, the main thing is that all there may be 50 Different groups five, zero, looking at autonomous driving, it's turning out to be a much harder technical problem than people were saying just a few years back. But we need to be in those early design phases. You know, my car right now has a radio that I can't use. Yeah, because it needs a touchscreen. I mean, if they can't get that, right, what about the ability to change directions, at a stop on a whim, respond to a safety emergency, we need to let the folks know, all the ways that we need to be involved and not like was one set of the Mercury astronauts, we're not just spamming again.   Michael Hingson  1:03:25 Right? Well, and the the Tesla, for example, is so disappointing, because everything is really touchscreen driven. So I could deal with the wheel and deal with the car once someone else completely shut it up. And there is some ability to do voice activation, if you do the right things with the touchscreen first. And the bottom line is I couldn't work the radio, I couldn't do anything that a passenger should normally be able to do. Because it's all touchscreen driven. And it really takes away, it seems to me from the driving experience, even because I have to focus on the touchscreen. I can't be watching the road as well as a sighted driver.   Bryan Bashin  1:04:10 Yeah, this is not inherent to blindness. It's just smart design that's inclusive. And those are fun projects. And that's when you get blind people, engineers, by engineers, sighted engineers together on a problem that is a beautiful Association and it produces really great results.   Michael Hingson  1:04:31 I'm remember I remember some of the early discussions that we had when we were working on the pedestrian enhancement Safety Act and we worked with the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers and eventually got a law passed that said that quiet cars and so on needed to make a noise although we're still really waiting for a standard so that there is a sound that hybrid cars and totally quiet cars produce and it's taking way To long, unfortunately, but still working together, we were able to educate and get some people to really imagine a lot more than they thought that they would. And we're making progress, but it sometimes it just seems like it's very slow. Well, let me ask you one last thing, what are you going to do when you leave the lighthouse, you announced that you're, you're wanting to move on. And I know that there is now a search to find a, a person who will step into your shoes, which I think is going to be an impossibility. But what are you going to do?   Bryan Bashin  1:05:37 Well, I love I love the search, I love that lighthouse is going to have a long, open, transparent process to find that right person. So that will be wonderful to cheer them on when they show up. But for me, I am a guy who likes learning. And I've had 13 years of heavy responsibility running a large agency, I want to be in places where I have more of a beginner mind. That could be journalism, that could be advocacy, it will be advocacy. That will be in design, like we were just talking about autonomous vehicles or other interesting projects. I would like to be in those places, whether it be corporate boards, or design Charettes, or architecture, any of these things were blind people haven't been before, to sort of bring people together to make really exquisite designs, and beautiful human centered outcomes. So whether it's working with the Ability One Commission, or working on contract with companies that have a problem to design, whether it's it's talking truth to power, and making sure that our extended community has is protected and safe and supported in Congress in the state house. You'll find me in all those places.   Michael Hingson  1:07:04 Well, I hope that as you move on and do things that you will come back and talk with us and keep us posted and give us a chance to learn from you and and maybe give you things that you can use as well. So I hope that this won't be the only time we hear from you on this podcast.   Bryan Bashin  1:07:22 It's always a pleasure, Mike, it's in conversation with you. I learned so much. And I feel we are part of that same community.   Michael Hingson  1:07:30 How can people learn about you, the lighthouse, and so on?   Bryan Bashin  1:07:35 Well, our websites always a good place to start WWW dot Lighthouse dash s f.org.   Michael Hingson  1:07:44 And everything is there, there are so many different programs that the lighthouse offers. And there's so much that all of us can learn from the various adventures and programs that the Lighthouse has. So I hope that you'll all go visit WWW dot Lighthouse dash s s.org and peruse the pages. And if you're able to do so maybe consider volunteering or being involved in some way. And I hope that you'll make that happen. If people want to reach out to me, we are always available. As I tell people every week you can reach me via email at Michael H I at accessabe.com or through the podcast page which is www dot Michael hingson M I C H A E L H I N G S O N.com/podcast. And once you finish listening to this, please give us a five star rating. We love those five star ratings and, and Brian, hopefully you'll listen and give us a five star rating when this comes up.   Bryan Bashin  1:08:46 Oh, I'm already pre sold on this one. You're also welcome to leave my email address. I'll go folks on on the website or here. It's simply b Bastion b ba Shi n at Lighthouse stash fsf.org.   Michael Hingson  1:09:03 So reach out to Brian and I'm sure that discussions will be interesting. And as I said we want to hear of your adventures as you go forward. Thank you, Michael. Thanks very much for being here. And to all of you. We'll see you next week on unstoppable mindset.   UM Intro/Outro  1:09:23 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Sifiso Skenjana dissects the latest new-vehicle sales for July with Naamsa's CEO, Mike Mabasa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Post Covid the local auto industry seems to be revving up again with a few misfires here and there as OEMs still have to contend with supply chain issues, floods and intermittent power. While consumers are being faced with some tough choices on whether to trade in that diesel guzzling SUV for something more thrifty as the fuel price smashes record after record. Sales of electric cars (including fully electric and plug-in hybrids) doubled in 2021 to a new record of 6.6 million, with more now sold each week than in the whole of 2012, according to the latest edition of the annual Global Electric Vehicle Outlook. Although electric vehicle (EV) sales remained low across Africa, they increased by 90%, of which BEVs (battery electric vehicles) accounted for 85%. To look under the hood of the local auto industry lets welcome Mike Mabasa, Chief Executive Officer at National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, NAAMSA; Mark Dommisse, National Chairperson, the National Automobile Dealers' Association, Managing Director and Shareholder North Motor Group and Dealer Council Chairman, Honda Dealer Network & Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, a Senior Economist at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies

Guest: Mike Mabasa | CEO  at National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa)  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and shortages of key automotive parts pose risks to the motor industry's planned growth. In light of those headwinds, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa has asked for a review of the industry's masterplan, saying its goals may no longer be feasible in the allotted time span. Business Day TV discussed this with the association's CEO Mikel Mabasa.

Today, Edward talks about chip shortage issues affecting automobile manufacturers and how El Salvador bought its first 400 Bitcoins. Topics discussed: Automobile Manufacturers suffering from global chip shortage El Salvador buys its first 400 bitcoin Links mentioned in this episode: invstr.com/no-end-in-sight/ invstr.com/the-first-400/ *invstr.com/07-september-watchlist-3/

According to Deutsche Bank, electric vehicle sales in China are expected to more than double this year. It will benefit Chinese EV manufacters like Nio Inc., XPeng Inc. XPEV, Li Auto Inc., and WM Motor Technology Group Co. According to the analysts, EV sales, including battery-powered and plug-in hybrids, represented between 14 and 15 percent of the overall sales mix for the month, citing data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

HPQ Silicon Resources $HPQ $HPQFF is a Quebec-based company that is developing a portfolio of high value-added silicon products sought after by battery and electric vehicle manufacturers. If that sounds a lot like what other small companies are saying lately, $HPQ differentiates itself as a leader of the pack thanks to the following: $HPQ has already Received It's First Order for Spherical Nano Silicon Material from Major Automobile Manufacturer $HPQ has already received signed NDAs from at least 2 battery players Today, the Company announced a major milestone with this press release HPQ Silicon GEN3 PUREVAP™ Quartz Reduction Reactor Pilot Plant to be Commissioned in Q4 2021 To discuss the importance and the implications of this milestone, this excerpt from the press release says it all: " Demand for higher purity Silicon, materials that the PUREVAP QRR was designed to produce - but one that traditional silicon producers have a difficult time making, is about to enter a massive growth phase, driven by worldwide demand from the silicones, solar, and batteries industries. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the closing of old inefficient traditional Silicon plants and combining this with the chronic under investment in new conventional Silicon plants that occurred in the past decade, and the need for more efficient and environmentally friendly processes has created a perfect storm for the industry. HPQ should be a key beneficiary of this new reality." Watch this great interview with $HPQ CEO Bernard Tourillon to get the full picture on next steps!

HPQ Silicon Resources $HPQ $HPQFF is a Quebec-based company that is developing a portfolio of high value-added silicon products sought after by battery and electric vehicle manufacturers. If that sounds a lot like what other small companies are saying lately, $HPQ differentiates itself as a leader of the pack thanks to the following: $HPQ has already Received It's First Order for Spherical Nano Silicon Material from Major Automobile Manufacturer $HPQ has already received signed NDAs from at least 2 battery players Yesterday, the Company announced a major milestone with this press release HPQ Gen1 Nano Silicon Reactor Exceeds Phase 1 Production Rate Target By 67% To discuss the importance and the implications of this milestone, this excerpt from the press release says it all: "Once the final equipment modifications are completed, the goal of the program will be to produce qualified samples which will then be tested by a third-party, the Institut National de Recherche Scientifique (INRS), and subsequently to awaiting battery manufacturers and automobile manufacturers." Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis added a little more excitement when he stated “It is even more exciting when one considers the impact this could have on addressing the challenges facing the EV battery space." Watch this great interview with $HPQ CEO Bernard Tourillon to get the full picture on next steps!

On POWER Business with Tumisang Ndlovu the CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa - Mike Mabasa addresses the impact of e-vehicles on South Africa's job market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Absa is mulling the roll-out of a finance mechanism for electric vehicles (EVs) that will incorporate a solar home installation to charge that vehicle, says Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance (AVAF) business analytics and strategy head Henry Botha. However, before that can happen, South Africa’s EV car park needs to grow significantly, providing economies of scale to the banking sector for EV financing solutions. The only likely way this will happen is through vehicle manufacturers bringing more affordable EVs, priced under R500000, to South Africa, as indicated in the 2020 South Africa EV Car Buyer Survey, notes Botha. Government assistance is also required to reach this price point, mainly through a variety of tax breaks, as suggested by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, he adds. “We can’t roll out this combined green finance product at the moment, as it wouldn’t make sense to do so for the small number of pricey EVs currently on the market. “At around R500000 for a vehicle, and R150000 for a home solar installation, it would, however, be possible to provide an all-in-one finance package to consumers.” It would also be possible to roll out the product to commercial fleet operators with charging facilities at the workplace, as electric drive trains gain traction in the truck, bakkie, panel van and minibus markets. Botha says EVs priced at around R500000 have the upper hand when it comes to total cost of ownership compared with similarly priced petrol or diesel vehicles. When considering a R500000 petrol or diesel vehicle, with a 40% balloon payment, financed over 60 months at 10% interest, the monthly instalment will be R8000 a month. With maintenance and insurance costs of R2500 a month and fuel costs at R1500 a month, the total cost of ownership would be R12000 a month, if the vehicles travels around 20 000 km a year, says Botha. When considering an EV that costs 20% more, at the same finance terms, the EV should have reduced maintenance and fuel costs, which could potentially see a 3% saving in total cost of ownership a month even though the initial price point is higher. “This is quite a significant saving, especially when considering that you are driving around in a zero-emission vehicle,” says Botha. When adding a solar home installation to that EV sum, upfront costs will increase, but the combined green finance deal could still deliver a lower total cost of ownership compared with a diesel or petrol vehicle. A future factor that could further boost the EV in this total cost of ownership comparison is when these vehicles become viable used vehicles with higher residual values than is currently the case. This could happen when the longevity of the EV as mobility solution is proved by batteries recording mileages similar to, but hopefully higher than, traditional internal combustion engines.

Wanna split £100? You get £50 free AND save money on 100% green electricity by moving to Octopus Energy. Plus I get £50 to support this podcast but ONLY if you do it by using my unique referral code. I moved to Octopus recently and had been putting it off for ages,  but I kicked myself for not doing it sooner, as it’s literally a 5 minute job to give them your details.   Click here: https://share.octopus.energy/free-puma-452   On today’s podcast: What U.S. Politics Means for EVs China Car Sales Keep on Trucking in Pandemic Recovery Chinese autonomous truck startup Inceptio raises $120 mln from CATL Tesla's Shanghai Super Factory plans to produce about 550,000 vehicles Tesla announces it deployed 20,000th charger NIO Launches the 100 kWh Battery with Flexible Battery Upgrade Plans MG Brand Returns To Ireland With Plug-In Only Lineup DTM Electric set for start in 2023 Major UK fleet operators renew call for ICE ban by 2030     Show #926   Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.   Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.   WHAT U.S. POLITICS MEANS FOR EVS From Reuters: "Biden is expected to quickly reinstate the legal basis for California’s zero-emission vehicle rules and begin the process of reversing the Trump administration’s decision to ease fuel efficiency and carbon emission requirements through 2025. Automakers could also face sharply higher penalties for failing to meet fuel-efficiency requirements. The Trump administration rolled back those penalties, which the industry said saved at least $1 billion in annual compliance costs, but a federal appeals court in August reversed the administration action."   https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-autos-biden-idUSKBN27608S   That said, Biden is also looking to bolster the EV economy in ways that appeal to automakers: via tax incentives for buyers as well as the development of a more comprehensive national charging infrastructure according to Jalopnik.   "General Motors and Ford, the two largest automakers based in the United States, issued statements Saturday saying they look forward to working with President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration on policies to support U.S. manufacturing and other issues. " asys Autoblog.   As per the Detroit Free PRess: Ford Motor Co. offered congratulations to Biden, along with all winners of the election, according to a statement from spokeswoman Rachel McCleery. "It is our hope these leaders will focus on bringing the country together and pursue policies that encourage U.S. manufacturing, sustainability and global economic stability".  General Motors also called for policies to support their endeavor, according to a statement from spokeswoman Jeannine Givivan. “We look forward to working with the new administration and incoming Congress on policies that support our customers, dealers and employees, help strengthen our manufacturing presence in the United States and advance our vision of an all-electric, zero-emissions future,” she said.   https://www.autoblog.com/2020/11/07/ford-gm-statements-biden-harris-president/   https://eu.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/07/joe-biden-president-united-states-michigan/6202866002/   Revisiting fuel economy requirements Expanding and extending the EV tax credit ($250,000 limite to claim) An accelerated conversion of public vehicle fleets to all-electric More charging infrastructure Fewer charging deserts and “energy poverty” A cleaner grid for rural America Helping finance the EV-manufacturing transition Nurturing smaller U.S. EV companies Returning to tariff stability   https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1130224_why-biden-presidency-electric-cars-auto-industry-10-talking-points   CHINA CAR SALES KEEP ON TRUCKING IN PANDEMIC RECOVERY "Car sales continued to recover in China last month as the coronavirus pandemic eased in the country and electric vehicles won more users. Retail sales of cars, SUVs and multiple-purpose vehicles increased 8% from a year earlier to 2.02 million units in October, the China Passenger Car Association said Monday. Wholesales of new energy vehicles, which includes electric cars, more than doubled to 144,000 units." writes Bloomberg today on MSN Money: "Electric vehicles are cementing their role as one growth driver, helped by incentives such as purchase subsidies. Sales of new energy vehicles -- which include pure battery EVs, fuel-cell cars and plug-in hybrids -- are expected to rise to about 1.1 million units this year, according to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers."   https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/china-car-sales-go-from-strength-to-strength-as-virus-eases/ar-BB1aPr8Z   CHINESE AUTONOMOUS TRUCK STARTUP INCEPTIO RAISES $120 MLN FROM CATL "China’s Inceptio Technology, a startup developing self-driving trucks, said on Monday it has raised $120 million in its latest funding led by top Chinese electric vehicle battery maker CATL." repotr REuters: "CATL, which supplies Volkswagen and Tesla , is working with truck makers to develop a business model for electric trucks using its battery-swapping technologies."   https://www.reuters.com/article/inceptio-autonomous-idUSL1N2HU0DG   TESLA'S SHANGHAI SUPER FACTORY PLANS TO PRODUCE ABOUT 550,000 VEHICLES "Tesla’s Giga Shanghai factory plans to produce roughly 550,000 cars in 2021, according to industry insiders speaking to Chinese website 36kr.com (via Reddit). According to an unnamed source, Tesla plans to produce 300,000 Model 3 and 250,000 Model Y units, with order requests apparently already sent to component suppliers." reports TeslaNorth.com: "While Tesla’s Shanghai factory has a planned capacity of 150,000 units in 2020, next year’s more than three-times increase is due to the second phase of the Gigafactory being completed, set to produce Model Y. 36kr.com says insiders predict Tesla’s global sales next year to hit about 900,000 units—with Giga Shanghai taking on more than half of production. Tesla said this year it hopes to achieve 500,000 cars produced in a single year for the first time in its history."   https://teslanorth.com/2020/11/08/tesla-shanghai-factory-plans-to-produce-550000-cars-in-2021-report/   TESLA ANNOUNCES IT DEPLOYED 20,000TH CHARGER "Tesla announced today that the Supercharger network has now reached a total of 20,000 stalls around the world. Last year, Tesla finally launched the Supercharger V3 and picked up Supercharger installations around the world. At the end of last year, Tesla had over 15,000 Superchargers installed at 1,716 locations around the world. Now Tesla is announcing today that it has deployed its 20,000th Supercharger" says electrek: "The rate of deployment is important since Tesla is trying to keep up its infrastructure capacity with the new record vehicle deliveries it is currently achieving. The capacity of the network is also increasing faster with each station thanks to the higher charging output of Supercharger V3, which is reducing the time spent per charging session."   https://electrek.co/2020/11/08/tesla-announces-20000th-charger-supercharger-network/   NIO LAUNCHES THE 100 KWH BATTERY WITH FLEXIBLE BATTERY UPGRADE PLANS The 100 kWh battery features thermal propagation prevention, highly integrated design, all climate thermal management and the bi-directional cloud BMS   The battery upgrade plan benefits all NIO users with flexible monthly or yearly upgrade options for better affordability   Bettered Battery as a Service BaaS with battery subscription for 100 kWh battery   NIO models with the 100 kWh battery will be available for pre-order starting November 7, 2020. Users of the 70 kWh battery can choose to either purchase the new battery for a permanent upgrade, or flexibly upgrade to it for RMB 880 per month or RMB 7,980 per year. The flexible monthly and yearly battery upgrade is a bold innovation by NIO to cater to users’ diverse travel needs in different scenarios.   Prior to the 100 kWh battery, NIO had already launched BaaS for the 70 kWh battery. Users who choose a NIO model with BaaS do not need to buy the battery, instead, they can subscribe to batteries of different capacity and pay the battery fee on a monthly basis in accordance with their actual needs. Users who buy a NIO car with the 70 kWh battery with BaaS can immediately enjoy RMB 70,000 off the price and only RMB 980 per month for the battery subscription. For the purchase of a NIO car with the 100 kWh battery with BaaS, RMB 128,000 will be reduced from the car price with a monthly battery subscription fee of RMB 1,480 per month.   As of today, NIO has already deployed 158 battery swap stations nationwide. Together, they have served users with over 1.18 million battery swaps. In combination with NIO's Power Swap, Power Charger and other power services, the 100 kWh battery will make users' travel more convenient.   https://www.nio.com/news/nio-launches-100-kwh-battery-flexible-battery-upgrade-plans   MG BRAND RETURNS TO IRELAND WITH PLUG-IN ONLY LINEUP "MG is in the process of expansion in Europe and the most recent new market is Ireland, where the company intends to offer only plug-in models. All three models - the all-electric MG ZS EV and new MG5 EV, as well as the plug-in hybrid MG HS Plug-in - will be sold starting this month. ZS EV will be introduced first." according to InsideEVs   https://insideevs.com/news/452544/mg-brand-returns-ireland-plugin-only-lineup/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RSS-all-articles   DTM ELECTRIC SET FOR START IN 2023 "The DTM Electric is set for introduction in 2023 and a first prototype race car was shown during the 2020 season finale at Hockenheim." says Touring Car Timnes: "The car, featuring 1200hp, has been developed in cooperation between the DTM organisation ITR and industrial supplier Schaeffler. Development of the prototype – that has been driven by DTM champions Timo Scheider and Hans-Joachim Stuck, as well as Formula E racer Daniel Abt and F3 racer Sophia Flörsch – will continue during 2021 in preparation for a planned series start in 2023. The plan for the series is to have sprint races of 30 minutes with the possibility of automated battery changes during mandatory pit stops."   https://www.touringcartimes.com/2020/11/06/dtm-electric-set-start-2023/   MAJOR UK FLEET OPERATORS RENEW CALL FOR ICE BAN BY 2030 "The UK’s four biggest fleet operators, BT and Openreach, Centrica, DPD UK and Royal Mail, today called on the British Government to commit to 100% electric vehicle sales by 2030. The demand comes trough the UK Electric Fleets Coalition, run by The Climate Group." according to electrive: "Collectively, the Coalition operates more than 500,000 vehicles and founding members had pledged as early as in 2018 to electrify their fleets. On top of the Climate Pledge, the extra Alliance lobbies the British Government to adopt a 2030 end date to the purchasing of new petrol and diesel cars, a policy that is currently under review as reported."   https://www.electrive.com/2020/11/06/major-uk-fleet-operators-renew-call-for-ice-ban-by-2030/     You can listen to all 924 previous episodes of this this for free, where you get your podcasts from, plus the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically.   It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast.   And  if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing.   Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, I’ll catch you tomorrow and remember…there’s no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.     PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE (PREMIUM PARTNER) BRAD CROSBY (PREMIUM PARTNER) AVID TECHNOLOGY (PREMIUM PARTNER) PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER) AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) NATIONALCARCHARGING.COM and ALOHACHARGE.COM  (PREMIUM PARTNER) DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL (PREMIUM PARTNER) RICHARD AT RSYMONS.CO.UK – THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SPECIALIST (PREMIUM PARTNER)   DAVID AND LISA ALLEN (PARTNER) OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER) GARETH HAMER eMOBILITY NORWAY HTTPS://WWW.EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM/  (PARTNER) BOB BOOTHBY – MILLBROOK COTTAGES AND ELOPEMENT WEDDING VENUE (PARTNER) DARIN MCLESKEY FROM DENOVO REAL ESTATE (PARTNER) JUKKA KUKONEN FROM WWW.SHIFT2ELECTRIC.COM RAJEEV NARAYAN (PARTNER)   ALAN ROBSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALAN SHEDD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEX BANAHENE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEXANDER FRANK @ https://www.youtube.com/c/alexsuniverse42 ANDERS HOVE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ANDREA JEFFERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ANDREW GREEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASEER KHALID (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BÅRD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRIAN THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRUCE BOHANNAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHARLES HALL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHRIS HOPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHRISTOPHER BARTH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG COLES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG ROGERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAMIEN DAVIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID MOORE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PARTINGTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PRESCOTT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DON MCALLISTER / SCREENCASTSONLINE.COM (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ERU KYEYUNE-NYOMBI (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) FREDRIK ROVIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GENE RUBIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GILBERTO ROSADO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GEOFF LOWE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) HEDLEY WRIGHT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN GRIFFITHS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN SEAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN (WATTIE) WATKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JACK OAKLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JAMES STORR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JIM MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODICERS) JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JON MANCHAK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JUAN GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEN MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEVIN MEYERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KYLE MAHAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LARS DAHLAGER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LAURENCE D ALLEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LEE BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LUKE CULLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARCEL WARD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARK BOSSERT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARTY YOUNG  (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MATT PISCIONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIA OPPELSTRUP (PARTNER) MICHAEL PASTRONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIKE WINTER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NATHAN GORE-BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NICHOLAS MILLER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NIGEL MILES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) OHAD ASTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PAUL RIDINGS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PAUL STEPHENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GLASS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GORTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETER & DEE ROBERTS FROM OXON EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PHIL MOUCHET (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PHILIP TRAUTMAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RAJ BADWAL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENE KEEMIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENÉ SCHNEIDER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RICHARD LUPINSKY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB HERMANS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB FROM THE RSTHINKS EV CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RUPERT MITCHELL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) SEIKI PAYNE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEPHEN PENN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEVE JOHN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) THOMAS J. 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Total South African new-vehicle sales declined by 25.4% in October, to 38 752 units, compared with the 51 968 vehicles sold in the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market also fell by 25.4%, to 26 793 units. Some good news is that the car rental industry accounted for “an encouraging” 12.8% of passenger car sales in October, says National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) CEO Mikel Mabasa. Domestic sales of new vans, bakkies and minibuses declined by 27.8% in October, to 9 644 units. Medium truck sales, at 662 units, were down 21.2%, compared with October last year, while the heavy truck and bus market declined by 11.5%, to 1 653 units. October new-vehicle export sales, at 33 474 units, fell by 18.9%. For the year to date vehicle exports from South Africa have now fallen by 35.3%, or 119 803 vehicles. “Vehicle export numbers are gradually regaining momentum, but in terms of a recovery much will depend on an improvement in the economic climate of the South African automotive industry’s main trading partners,” says Mabasa. “A second wave of Covid-19 infections in Europe, accounting for three out of every four vehicle exports at present, poses significant downside risks on the pace of recovery in domestic vehicle exports over the short to medium term.” Year-to-date domestic new-vehicle sales numbers are down 32.5% compared with the same period last year. LCV Supply Problems “Major supply issues” across major light commercial cehicle (LCV) brands owing to Covid-19 restrictions, coupled with the run-out of certain key models, resulted in a 22.6% drop in LCV sales through dealers in October, reports the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA). “Demand seems to be outstripping certain supply lines on LCVs, and while this is not an ideal situation, it could be worse if things were the other way around,” says NADA chairperson Mark Dommisse. “Dealers are enjoying strong demand for used vehicles. However, getting sufficient quality pre-owned stock is problematic,” he adds. “This situation has been exacerbated by the limited flow of decent stock coming from the rental companies, who destocked earlier in the year when demand for hire cars fell drastically, resulting in significant downsizing of these businesses.”

Next year could see the local automotive industry regain some momentum in terms of domestic sales, exports and production, but it will not manage to claw back all of the losses recorded in a Covid-19-hit 2020. The newest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) quarterly report indicates that the association expects production to drop by 31% this year compared with 2019, to 435 500 units. At this point, the forecast is for production to only grow by 20% in 2021, to 521 700 units. Exports are expected to drop by 31% this year, to 265 500 units, clawing back 23% in 2021, to 325 700 units Naamsa currently expects the total new-vehicle market to decline by 31% this year, to 372 000 units, with growth of 17% forecast in 2021, to 435 000 units. The truck market specifically is expected to decline by 29% this year, to 20 000 units, gaining only 5% in 2021, to 21 000 units. The country’s economy remains in a fragile state, while business and consumer sentiment “is heavily depressed”, says Naamsa in its third-quarter report. “Since new-vehicle sales are linked to the strength of the economy, expectations are for the domestic new vehicle market in 2020 to drop back to the levels seen two decades ago.” Naamsa says that despite an anticipated rebound of the economy and new-vehicle sales in 2021, the growth outlook remains weak and the next six to twelve months will be “a defining time” for many automotive businesses in the country. Vehicle export numbers recorded steady improvement during the third quarter of this year, adds the association, but the performance year-to-date is still 37.6% down compared with the same period last year. “Vehicle export recovery for the balance of the year will depend on the degree of recovery in the world economy and on the pace that lockdown measures are phased out in the domestic industry’s main export markets. “A second wave of Covid-19 infections in Europe, in particular, poses significant downside risks on the pace of recovery in domestic vehicle exports over the short to medium term.”

South Africa needs to kick-start the production of electric vehicles (EVs), while it also needs to sell more EVs. This was the single most important recommendation from a Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies report on ‘Harnessing EVs for Industrial Development in South Africa’, released earlier this year. The report was compiled for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). The South African automotive industry –the country’s biggest manufacturing sector – produced a record number of vehicles last year, at 631 983 units. According to the 2020 Automotive Export Manual, 387 125 vehicles, worth R148-billion, along with R53.7-billion worth of automotive components, were exported from South Africa to 151 countries last year. The broader automotive industry’s contribution to South Africa’s gross domestic product reached 6.4% in 2019 (4% manufacturing and 2.4% retail). The European Union, with exports of R129.7-billion, or 64.3% of the total export value of R201.7-billion, was the domestic industry’s main export region last year. “This is exactly where the problem lies,” says Naamsa CEO Mike Mabasa. “In 2030, 40% of all vehicle sales in Europe may be EVs, and we believe that number can increase to 80% by 2040. “It is clear that we cannot ignore EVs if we want to continue doing business with Europe. It will have a huge impact on the country if we lose R201-billion in export earnings a year. “We don’t want our main export markets to say that they are no longer interested in ICEs (internal combustion engines) because of their emission targets, and that they are taking their business elsewhere. We need to remain relevant. “The change in our industry is going to be driven by how we redefine mobility; the convergence of connectivity; electrification; and changing customer needs – not just for our local consumption needs, but for other markets around the world as well.” This is why Naamsa and its more than 40 CEOs – who include leaders of South Africa’s seven local original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs, or vehicle manufacturers) and the numerous importers – are developing a roadmap that will aim to integrate South Africa in the global EV value chain. “The reality is that the world is changing to EVs, and fast, and we need to embrace that change,” says Mabasa. “We are steadily moving from an industry that, for 100 years, has relied on vehicles that are standalone, mechanically controlled and petroleum fuelled, to automobiles that will soon be interconnected, electronically controlled, and fuelled by different energy sources and drivetrains. “There is a general acknowledgement among the Naamsa CEOs that we shall have to think differently in the way we perceive the electric revolution, especially if we don’t want to lose our export markets and face significant job losses at our plants.” All seven local OEMs currently produce ICE vehicles. Cheaper EVs The first pillar of the Naamsa EV roadmap is to stimulate EV demand among the general car-buying public in South Africa. “Our first phase focuses mostly on importing more EVs into the country,” says Mabasa. “This is to familiarise people with this type of technology and how it works.” South Africa currently has four full EV models available: the Jaguar I-Pace, the BMW i3, the Mini SE (launching this month), and the Nissan Leaf, although the Leaf has all but disappeared from showroom floors. Other manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, are all testing models with the aim of local introduction. “It costs more than R600000 for the cheapest EV,” says Mabasa. “We need to improve the affordability of EVs. All Naamsa manufacturers are now looking at their global product portfolios to see if they can source less-expensive EV models for the local market. “We also want to look at public transport, where there is a good opportunity for minibus tax...

Messe Frankfurt South Africa is partnering with the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) in a virtual engagement session on Wednesday, November 18, to probe the way forward for the local and global motor industry. This event will be staged in association with AutoTrader under the banner of HyperMobility, with the theme for the event being “Navigating the turbulence together towards mobility 4.0”. “The purpose of this year’s digital engagement is to bring together experts across various sectors of the automotive and related industries who, either directly or indirectly, influence the future direction and developments in these important spheres of the economy both locally and globally,” says Naamsa CEO Mike Mabasa. “We look forward to bringing some colour to the pressing challenges we face currently and how, collectively, we will take the industry into the future.” AutoTrader CEO George Mienie points out that the conference could not have come at a more opportune time. “This is undoubtedly the most turbulent year in the history of the motor industry. It has been shaken to its very roots. We have seen massive changes in the way in which consumers search for and buy vehicles,” he notes. “We have seen changes in the actual vehicles that they are searching for and buying. We have even seen considerable differences in the way in which people are choosing to sell their cars. “One of the common themes of this ever-changing macroeconomic environment is the escalating importance of automotive digital retailing. Companies within the automotive industry are fast acknowledging the fact that, if they wish to stay relevant in the minds of consumers and on top of their game, their future will look very different to their past. “Today our present is speaking loudly, and the message is that digital transformation is our future direction,” says Mienie. Subjects to be covered at the conference will extend from manufacturing vehicles and components, to service and repair technologies required for electric, autonomous, connected, and shared mobility solutions.

As many European countries reintroduce lockdown measures to deal with a second wave of Covid-19, South Africa’s vehicle exports to these markets are “increasingly under pressure”, says National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) CEO Mike Mabasa. The European Union, with imports of R129.7-billion, was the South African automotive industry’s biggest export region last year. In an effort to counter the effects of a challenging export market, Naamsa is pushing for measures to stimulate demand for new vehicles in the local market, says Mabasa. These include a probe into growing grey vehicle imports, as well as a reduction on taxes on new-vehicle purchases. Mabasa says Naamsa looked at the 21 vehicle-producing markets ranked above South Africa, which is the world’s 22nd largest producer, and the measures these countries have taken to safeguard their vehicle producing industries. Naamsa met with Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel this week to discuss its findings. “We knew we couldn’t take a cut-and-paste approach. South Africa has its own particular challenges and the fiscus is under a lot of pressure. “We didn’t ask for money – all the measures we propose are tax neutral and should actually earn government more tax revenue should it approve our proposals.” Some of the proposals, such as a reduction in vehicle taxes, are outside the purview of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, with Patel willing to facilitate a meeting with the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, to discuss the matter, adds Mabasa. He says local automakers want to lower the tax rate for new vehicles from 42% of the price tag, to between 35% and 38%. Cutting the ad valorem levy and carbon tax could boost sales by around 28 000 units a year. “Our intention is to have tax breaks on all new vehicles, but certainly with extra incentives for locally produced vehicles,” says Mabasa. Grey Imports Mabasa notes that Naamsa is also “deeply concerned” about the impact of grey imports on the South African automotive industry. Grey imports are typically, but not exclusively, used vehicles sold outside a vehicle brand’s network of official importers, dealers and distributors. Grey imports are popular in African countries which do not have their own vehicle manufacturing industries, as such imports would typically undermine the vehicle assembly value chain. The importation of used vehicles into South Africa is largely illegal, in order to protect the local vehicle manufacturing industry. Naamsa estimates that about 300 000 vehicles of the 12.7-million vehicles on South African roads are illegally imported vehicles. The number of grey imports is growing at 30 000 vehicles a year, notes the association. “Without doubt, grey imports displace new car sales. Based on the suite of taxes applicable to new car sales locally, Naamsa estimates that this is costing the fiscus R3.8-billion a year,” says Mabasa. “Grey imports have a negative impact on the automotive ecosystem, because they rob the fiscus of much-needed tax revenue. They hurt job creation, they aid criminal activity and they undermine road safety initiatives. “To put it into perspective, the monthly average new-vehicle market [in South Africa] for 2020 is 28 500 units. Grey imports represent an extra month of sales a year, which represents 7.5% of the total market – which would make it the third largest brand in South Africa by volume.” Mabasa says grey imports enter South Africa mainly through the Port of Durban, with some filtering through South Africa’s borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe. “We asked Minister Patel to intervene in this matter, as we believe the situation is getting worse.” Mabasa says Patel indicated that he would set up a team to look into the matter, which would include the police and the South African Revenue Service. Dealer Body Supports Naamsa South Africa’s new-vehicle sales for the...

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa) has asked government to reduce taxes on new vehicle purchases as part of a proposed stimulus package for the industry. Business Day TV spoke to Naamsa CEO Mike Mabasa about what these measures will mean for car makers.

South Africa's car makers have asked the government to reduce taxes on new vehicle purchases as part of a proposed stimulus package for the coronavirus-hit sector, according to a presentation from an industry body seen by Reuters. The proposal, aimed at boosting local sales of new cars as rising coronavirus cases threaten demand in key export markets, was presented to the government on Monday by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), its chief executive Mike Mabasa said. Naamsa represents global car giants like Nissan and Toyota which produce vehicles in South Africa, with around 64% marked for export. Automakers want to lower the tax rate for new vehicles from 42% of the price currently to between 35% and 38%, Mabasa said. Removing a tax on carbon dioxide emissions imposed at purchase and reducing an ad valorem levy - a value-based tax on items considered a luxury in South Africa - could together boost new sales by almost 28,400, Naamsa's presentation showed. Without this, some Naamsa members who rely heavily on export sales could find their South African operations become unviable, Mabasa warned. "If the investments (car makers) are making are not giving them the required return, they will certainly consider leaving the country as a result of that," he said. That would hurt an ambitious 2035 plan to supercharge auto manufacturing in South Africa, a key element of President Cyril Ramaphosa's attempts to revive growth and bring unemployment down through industrialisation. The coronavirus crisis is already thought to have put some key aims of the plan out of reach as a lockdown brought the industry to a standstill and both local and global demand collapsed. The additional demand for new vehicles resulting from the proposed tax cuts would be equivalent to around a month of sales, Mabasa said. He added that Naamsa estimated this could create some 4,000 jobs across the industry. Removing the sales tax would result in an additional R1-billion for the country's strained treasury, while the reduction in the ad valorem tax would have a neutral impact, as higher sales would offset the lower rate of tax per vehicle, Naamsa estimated. Automakers also asked the government to set aside a portion of existing coronavirus relief, such as a Covid-19 fund for small businesses, for transport operators to stimulate fleet renewals.

On today’s podcast:   Ford Mustang Mach-E Easily Goes 300+ Miles In Norway Porsche Taycan Turbo Turned Into Safety Car Lucid Air might have just beat Tesla’s Plaid Model S round Laguna Seca First Tesla Megapack Deployed in UK to Help Keep the Lights On Tesla reintroduces ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ Chinese carmakers lag behind in NEV quality: survey Mercedes EQS Spied Reminding Us It Will Technically Be A Hatchback High-power charging trucks become mobile power sources   Show #894   Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Friday 18th September 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.   Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketlace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.   FORD MUSTANG MACH-E EASILY GOES 300+ MILES IN NORWAY "Ford is now testing its hot new Mustang Mach-e electric crossover/SUV in Europe. Naturally, the #1 place to take an electric vehicle is Norway, where approximately 70% of new vehicle sales are now electric (fully electric or plugin hybrid). That’s where Ford has been playing around with the Mustang Mach-E, and the results are looking good" says CleanTechnica: "ord shared that the “all-wheel drive model with a targeted WLTP driving range of 335 miles exceeded energy-efficiency expectations, travelling 301 miles non-stop from Oslo to Trondheim, finishing the journey with 14 per cent battery capacity remaining.” Not too shabby, and that’s not even the extended-range trim, which Ford expects to get a WLTP range rating of 379 miles."   Ford press release says: “Latest testing shows charge time has improved by nearly 30 per cent from early estimates, reaching an average of 73 miles of range within 10 minutes using IONITY fast charging, when equipped with an extended-range battery and rear-wheel drive.”   The UK homepage at ford.co.uk still has the old time of 58 miles. And 370 miles (Model 3 LR is 348, for £3,000 less, 75kWh battery). 150kW peak charge rate. 99kWh gross.   And if we're playing THIS game, the Model 3 can add 75 miles of charge in 5 minutes.   https://cleantechnica.com/2020/09/18/ford-mustang-mach-e-easily-goes-300-miles-in-norway/   PORSCHE TAYCAN TURBO TURNED INTO SAFETY CAR "Porsche just introduced a new all-electric safety car in its Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland series, which this weekend had a 45-minute opening race on the Circuit de la Sarthe, as part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France." says InsideEVs: "Meet the Porsche Taycan Turbo version, retrofitted to handle the job, but at the same time remain street legal. In fact, while the racing cars were transported on trucks, the Porsche Taycan Turbo safety car drove on its own from Germany to Le Mans on public roads. With 500 kW of power, 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and more than 400 km (250 miles) of range, the Porsche Taycan Turbo is a pretty good choice for the purpose. It's not the first plug-in safety car, as several years ago BMW introduced the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 (and i8 Roadster) safety cars for the Formula E series, but it's one of the first that's all-electric."   https://insideevs.com/news/444796/porsche-taycan-turbo-safety-car   LUCID AIR MIGHT HAVE JUST BEAT TESLA’S PLAID MODEL S ROUND LAGUNA SECA "EV startup Lucid has only just announced its debut car, the Air, but is already setting its sights on lap records currently held by Tesla’s Model S tri-motor Plaid Edition. According to a trackside sleuth who goes by The Kilowatts on Twitter, Lucid was putting its tri-motor powertrain through its paces, and appeared to post a claimed 1 minute 33 seconds lap time at Laguna Seca racetrack in California. Scroll down for trackside footage of the Air in action." says The Next Web: "ccording to The Kilowatts, they recorded the Lucid Air’s time using their own stopwatch. Of course, this is an unofficial time, but on a racetrack where lap times are separated by fractions of a second, the Lucid seems to have a comfortable buffer over Tesla’s Model S Plaid Edition, which completed a hot lap of Laguna Seca in 1:36.55 last year. Lucid has been quite tight-lipped about its tri-motor setup, and the not-so-subtle leak of a Tesla trouncing lap time at its local racetrack is certainly a warning shot of sorts. Bear in mind, Tesla Battery day is next week, and one of the many things that could be announced is Tesla’s tri-motor Plaid Model S."   https://thenextweb.com/shift/2020/09/18/the-lucid-air-might-have-just-beat-teslas-plaid-model-s-round-laguna-seca/   FIRST TESLA MEGAPACK DEPLOYED IN UK TO HELP KEEP THE LIGHTS ON "In July Tesla Megapack and Tesla Autobidder AI entered the UK market. Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) and Harmony Energy have joined forces to launch their first UK battery system. This week, for the first time in the UK, a project using giant Tesla Inc. batteries was used to help balance supply and demand in Britain’s electricity market." according to Tesmanian: "National Grid spent 718 million pounds ($932 million) balancing the network from March to July to cope with low demand and high supply of renewable generation—39% higher than usual, according to BNN Bloomberg. A new computer system used by National Grid has allowed burgeoning technologies like batteries to be used in the balancing market more easily. The 7.5-megawatt Holes Bay energy storage plant in Dorset in southwest England is operated by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures BV and Harmony Energy Ltd."   https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/tesla-megapack-giant-batteries-are-being-use-in-uk-for-the-1st-time-to-keep-lights-on   TESLA REINTRODUCES ‘ENHANCED AUTOPILOT’ "Tesla has reintroduced the ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ option – offering a cheaper alternative to the ‘Full Self-Driving’ package for existing owners. Finally, the automaker ended up making the Autopilot’s Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control standard on its vehicles and bundled the rest of the features into its ‘Full Self-Driving package’ (FSD)." according to Electrek: "The automaker started selling the FSD package for $5,000 and it has gradually increased the price to now $8,000 – following an update earlier this summer. It is leaving Tesla owners with limited and expensive choices. Now Tesla has reintroduced the option of an Enhanced Autopilot package for $4,000 – breaking down some of the features previously only available in the ‘Full Self-Driving’ package;. It’s the same Enhanced Autopilot package that Tesla used to offer and includes all the features that don’t require the automaker’s latest onboard self-driving computer."   EA is: Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon.   https://electrek.co/2020/09/19/tesla-reintroduce-enhanced-autopilot-alternative-full-self-driving/   CHINESE CARMAKERS LAG BEHIND IN NEV QUALITY: SURVEY "China is the world's largest market for new energy vehicles, but Chinese carmakers still lag behind international companies in terms of vehicle quality, according to a JD Power China study released Thursday." says China Daily: "The study also finds that international brands perform better in the exterior, infotainment system, seats, powertrain, and interior categories, while Chinese startup brands like Nio exceed in driving experience, battery and charging. new energy vehicle owners not only expect technological and smart in-vehicle features, but also require high quality. That means carmakers must deliver vehicles with both high quality and advanced technology. In August, sales of new energy vehicles reached 109,000, up 25.8 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers."   http://www.chinadailyglobal.com/a/202009/17/WS5f6328eea31024ad0ba7a387.html   MERCEDES EQS SPIED REMINDING US IT WILL TECHNICALLY BE A HATCHBACK "Now that the new S-Class is out and about, we’re gradually turning our attention to its electric equivalent in the vast Mercedes range. Unlike the EQ C based on the GLC, the EQS will distance itself from the S-Class by riding on a dedicated electric car platform. We can say the same thing about the styling as while the two crossovers have similar proportions and some common design traits, the EQS looks far more futuristic than the traditional Daimler flagship." reports Motor1.com: "A fresh batch of spy shots from the Nürburgring reminds us Mercedes is taking a more practical approach compared to the Taycan and E-Tron GT. While the Porsche and Audi EVs are sedans, the EQS will be a hatchback / liftback as denoted by the visible outline of the large tailgate in the adjacent images. The Tesla Model S has a similar setup, whereas the electric Jaguar XJ and BMW i7 will be sedans judging by the most recent spy photos."   https://www.motor1.com/news/369809/mercedes-benz-vision-eqs-frankfurt/   HIGH-POWER CHARGING TRUCKS BECOME MOBILE POWER SOURCES From Track Experiences to the Ice Experience in Finland, the Taycan is now an integral part of Porsche’s customer driving programmes. However, not everywhere provides the adequate infrastructure for charging the electric sports car en masse. Meet Porsche’s innovative solution: a fleet of stand-alone, high-power charging trucks that offer mobile charging on demand. The Hungaroring in Budapest was the venue for a special Porsche Track Experience just a few days ago, where “Soul on Track” offered customers the opportunity to test the Taycan on a circuit. Such driving events present organisers with a particular challenge, however: when a large number of Taycan cars need to be charged quickly and simultaneously, the local infrastructure isn’t always up to the job. Without a satisfactory solution on the market, Porsche wasted no time in creating its own. With a power rating of 3.2 megawatts, ten Taycan can be charged simultaneously at maximum speed. The battery buffer storage unit has a capacity of 2.1 megawatt hours. This means that up to 30 Taycan in total can be charged by the energy storage unit. The latter is generally recharged with renewable power from the power grid. For example, during a three-week customer event in the Portuguese city of Portimao in November 2019, the power came directly from the nearby photovoltaic systems. The trailers can be recharged very quickly – under good conditions, they are fully charged again within four hours.   https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2020/company/porsche-high-power-charging-trucks-mobile-power-sources-22285.html     You can listen to all 893 previous episodes of this this for free, where you get your podcasts from, plus the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically.   It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast.   And  if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing.   Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, I’ll catch you tomorrow and remember…there’s no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.     PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE (PREMIUM PARTNER) BRAD CROSBY (PREMIUM PARTNER) AVID TECHNOLOGY (PREMIUM PARTNER) PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER) AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) NATIONALCARCHARGING.COM and ALOHACHARGE.COM  (PREMIUM PARTNER) DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL (PREMIUM PARTNER)   DAVID AND LISA ALLEN (PARTNER) OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER) GARETH HAMER eMOBILITY NORWAY HTTPS://WWW.EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM/  (PARTNER) BOB BOOTHBY – MILLBROOK COTTAGES AND ELOPEMENT WEDDING VENUE (PARTNER) DARIN MCLESKEY FROM DENOVO REAL ESTATE (PARTNER) JUKKA KUKONEN FROM WWW.SHIFT2ELECTRIC.COM RAJEEV NARAYAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)   ALAN ROBSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALAN SHEDD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEX BANAHENE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEXANDER FRANK @ https://www.youtube.com/c/alexsuniverse42 ANDERS HOVE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ANDREA JEFFERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASEER KHALID (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BÅRD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRENT KINGSFORD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRIAN THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRUCE BOHANNAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHARLES HALL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHRIS HOPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG COLES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG ROGERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAMIEN DAVIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DARREN FEATCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID MOORE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PARTINGTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PRESCOTT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DON MCALLISTER / SCREENCASTSONLINE.COM (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ERU KYEYUNE-NYOMBI (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) FREDRIK ROVIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GENE RUBIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GILBERTO ROSADO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GEOFF LOWE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) HEDLEY WRIGHT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN GRIFFITHS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN SEAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN (WATTIE) WATKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JACK OAKLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JAMES STORR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JIM MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODICERS) JOHN C SOLAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JON MANCHAK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JUAN GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEN MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEVIN MEYERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KYLE MAHAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LARS DAHLAGER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LAURENCE D ALLEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LEE BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LUKE CULLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARCEL WARD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARK BOSSERT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARTY YOUNG  (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MATT PISCIONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIA OPPELSTRUP (PARTNER) MICHAEL PASTRONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIKE WINTER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NATHAN GORE-BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NIGEL MILES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) OHAD ASTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PAUL RIDINGS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PAUL STEPHENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GLASS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GORTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETER & DEE ROBERTS FROM OXON EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PHIL MOUCHET (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PHILIP TRAUTMAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RAJ BADWAL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENE KEEMIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENÉ SCHNEIDER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RICHARD LUPINSKY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB HERMANS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB FROM THE RSTHINKS EV CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RUPERT MITCHELL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) SEIKI PAYNE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEPHEN PENN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEVE JOHN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) THOMAS J. THIAS  (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) TODD OAKES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) THE PLUGSEEKER – EV YOUTUBE CHANNEL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) TIM GUTTERIDGE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) WILLIAM LANGHORNE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)     CONNECT WITH ME! EVne.ws/itunes EVne.ws/tunein EVne.ws/googleplay EVne.ws/stitcher EVne.ws/youtube EVne.ws/iheart EVne.ws/blog EVne.ws/patreon   Check out MYEV.com for more details: https://www.myev.com

Total South African new-vehicle sales declined by 26.3% in August, to 33 515 units, compared with the 45 484 vehicles sold in the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market fell by 32.6%, to 19 545 units. The contribution by the car rental industry remained negligible and comprised only 8 units, or 0.04%, of the market in August compared with the 18% in August last year, notes the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). Domestic sales of new light-commercial vehicles, bakkies and minibuses declined by 19.4% in August, to 11 336 units. The truck market delivered some good news for August, however. Medium truck sales, at 799 units, increased by 7.7% compared with August last year, while the heavy truck and bus market grew by 9%, to 1 835 units. August new-vehicle export sales, at 23 337 units, fell by a massive 46.9%. New-vehicle demand in August improved slightly compared with the previous two months, as South Africa’s lockdown restrictions eased to Level 2, says Naamsa. “However, activity in the new-vehicle market is expected to remain low for the remainder of the year due to the uncertainties relating to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and as consumers and businesses continue to adapt to short-term budget pressures. “Furthermore, not only will the economy have to contend with consequences of the economic lockdown, it now has to deal with further rolling blackouts which comes at the worst possible time for the South African economy.” Disappointing Numbers, says Nada There was an expectation in the minds of most new-vehicle dealers that there would be an improvement in the new-vehicle sales rate as the country moved to Level 2, with opportunities for social involvement increasing, says National Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada) chairperson Mark Dommisse. However, this did not happen, with August’s numbers showing a market that remains fairly stagnant. Dealer sales on a year-to-date basis, after eight months of 2020, underline the current tough market conditions, with dealer sales down 32.5%, from 288 600 units in 2019, to 194 892 this year. “We don’t anticipate that we will see any marked recovery any time soon. This is probably our new normal for a while,” says Dommisse. “Many of our potential buyers, be they businesses or members of the public, remain under massive financial pressure, while also facing the unknown in terms of future business and employment prospects. Relatively few are in a position to commit to vehicle repayments over increasingly longer periods.” Dommisse says Nada trusts that the Reserve Bank will keep interest rates low for at least two years to enable markets to recover. “This could form one of the major building blocks for the government as they look to stimulate the economy. Inflation remains low, but there are noticeable increases in household expenses and fuel costs, all of which will have an inflationary impact in the short to medium term. “As an industry, we realise that the difficult times will continue, and we must plan around the changed economic scenario. Motor traders in South Africa have been a resilient group when facing setbacks in the past and we remain optimistic in the longer term,” he notes.

South African policy-makers and automobile manufacturing sector stakeholders need to develop a coherent strategy for the shift to the production of electrical vehicles (EVs), or fall behind global developments and lose their edge in the export market. This emerged as a key message from a report on the EV market compiled for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). The report, entitled ‘Harnessing electric vehicles for industrial development in South Africa’, was produced by Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) and Change Pathways. The authors, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, Anthony Dane and Lesego Moshikaro, argue that while EVs still account for a marginal share of global vehicle sales, the shift to EVs is evident in leading markets – especially in South Africa’s main export markets for vehicles, such as Europe. This shift, they argue, is likely to become more evident in the next decade or so. The global move to EVs stems from technological developments that have stimulated the move away from traditional internal combustion engines towards electric and other alternative drive trains. Other factors relate to heightened environmental regulations, linked to climate change mitigation and air quality improvement. The TIPS report argues strongly that South Africa “must act now” and that the key stakeholders must develop an appropriate policy framework to facilitate this shift as South Africa is already “lagging behind” other countries in this regard. The report’s authors believe that South Africa has an opportunity to play a role in the development and production of EVs as the country has the minerals and potential productive capacity to do so, in a move which could ultimately benefit society and the ailing wider manufacturing sector. “The blunt reality is that the automobile manufacturers face significant risks if they do not transition. While this will not happen overnight, this is an unavoidable trend as South Africa’s export markets shift to EVs.” The report comprehensively covers how a transition to EVs can happen, with the authors stressing that such a shift is multifaceted and not only requires a comprehensive policy framework (which needs to be developed now), but strong partnerships between the key stakeholders. Four key questions were considered, covering both market development and industrial development. On the market development front, the first question relates to how the offering of passenger car EVs to local South African buyers, which remain reluctant to buy EVs, could be improved. The report says it is critical to ensure that EVs are available on the local market and that customers are enticed to buy them. The second question deals with the roll-out of EVs in South Africa’s public transportation system. On the industrial development front, the first question explores how to promote the manufacturing of EVs (cars, buses and minibuses) in the country. The report then moves onto the final question, which unpacks South Africa’s ability to support the EV automotive value chain. This ranges from the mining and beneficiation of minerals (such as platinum group metals, manganese, nickel and rare earth elements), to the manufacturing of parts and components, and on to the manufacturing of vehicles. For each of these questions, the report’s authors believe that many options exist to support the industry, but with the emphasis that one option on its own will not enable the kind of transition that will deliver the intended benefits. The report notes that a reduction in the VAT and/or ad valorem excise duty on EVs could be an effective avenue to support the market. A partnership between development finance institutions and local banks to provide low interest rates to EVs buyers could also go a long way in improving the cost competitiveness of EVs. For passenger cars, addressing the ta...

Vehicle exports from South Africa declined by 73 419 vehicles, or 40.3%, in the first half of the year compared with 2019, says National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) trade, exports and research executive manager Dr Norman Lamprecht. This decline saw vehicle export revenue drop by R21.3-billion, from R67.2-billion in the first six months of 2019, to R45.9-billion in the same period this year. Lamprecht says the contraction can be attributed directly to the Covid-19 pandemic, as most countries imposed lockdown restrictions, which resulted in a fall in new-vehicle demand. “The significance of exports for the country’s motor industry was highlighted in 2019, when, despite a progressively declining domestic new vehicle market, reaching its lowest sales level since 2010, vehicle exports once again showed exceptional growth in 2019 to support the export-oriented industry’s overall performance.” South Africa’s automotive industry exported a record number of 387 125 left- and right-hand-drive vehicles to 105 countries in 2019 – up from 351 139 vehicles in 2018 – at a record export revenue of R148-billion. “Record vehicle exports in 2019, accompanied by continued high levels of investment in the domestic automotive industry and large-scale employment of high skilled jobs, were testimony to the largest manufacturing sector’s contribution to the South African economy,” notes Lamprecht. The Regions by Numbers South Africa’s new-vehicle exports to Central America saw a 75.2% decline in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. However, export numbers to this region are very small, at 106 vehicles in 2020. Exports to South America fell by 29.9%, to 1 563 vehicles, with exports to North America declining by 40.6%, to 3 318 vehicles. Exports to Australasia dropped by 34.9%, to 6 144 units, with exports to the rest of Africa declining by 40%, to 6 934 units. New-vehicle exports to Asia declined by 36.5%, to 12 357 vehicles. The most significant decline, however, was to Europe, at 41.3%, with 78 520 vehicles exported to this region compared with 133 672 units in the first six months of 2019. “Considering that a significant 64.1% of South African vehicle production was exported in 2019, with Europe accounting for 73.8% of the 387 125 vehicles exported, developments in the region have a direct and measurable impact on the domestic automotive industry’s performance,” says Lamprecht. “Consequently, the 55 152 vehicles, or 41.3%, decline in vehicle exports to Europe comprised the bulk of the domestic industry’s vehicle export losses during the first half of 2020.” Volkswagen Group South Africa, with its Polo model, topped the country’s vehicle export rankings in 2019, with 89 366 of these units destined for Europe. BMW exported 67 516 X3 models to Europe, followed by 55 373 Ford Ranger models, 43 253 Toyota Hilux/Corolla models and 30 003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class models. The UK, with 101 401 vehicles, followed by Germany, with 37 152 vehicles, France, with 25 629 vehicles, Italy, with 14 624 vehicles, and Austria, with 12 675 vehicles, were the South African automotive industry’s top five European destinations in 2019. However, according to data collated by the International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, first-half 2020 new-vehicle sales in the UK declined by 48.4% compared with the first half 2019, while in Germany the new vehicle market declined by 33.9%. In France the market declined by 37.1%, in Italy by 45.1%, and in Austria by 35.3%. “Some positive news for the domestic automotive industry is that the major European markets reflected an improved performance since June this year, in line with the easing of the lockdown restrictions,” says Lamprecht. “Markets have also been buoyed by large financial government incentives to encourage drivers to trade in older cars for new ones. “However, the bad news is that new-vehicle sales ac...

Business Day TV — The Automotive Value Chain was already under pressure before the COVID-19 pandemic and in a study by Deloitte (Economic Impact of Covid 19 on the auto value chain - June 2020), 66% of all respondents already recorded a decline in earnings prior to the pandemic. Most dealers and dealer groups have moved their focus from profit to liquidity and this was backed up by the release of the vehicle sales numbers this week. Michael Avery talks to Mike Mabasa – CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Mark Dommisse – National Chairperson of the National Automotive Dealer Association, shareholder and MD of the North Motor Group, Faisal Mkhize - managing executive of Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance and Leo Kok - CEO of Panthera Media about what the challenges are that the industry is facing.

Following record new-vehicle production of 631 983 units in 2019, supported by record vehicle exports, 2020 vehicle production is expected to decline by about 31%, to 435 500 units, says the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) in its newest quarterly business review. The severe impact of Covid-19 on domestic new-vehicle sales as well as export sales is reflected in the 65.2% decline in vehicle production during the second quarter of the year compared with the second quarter of last year, adds the association. In addition to this, second quarter new-car sales, at 28 201 units, recorded a decline of 51 814 units, or a 64.8% drop, compared with the 80 015 new cars sold during the corresponding quarter last year. Commercial vehicle sales, at 16 889 units, similarly recorded a decline of 26 264 units, or 60.9%, compared with the 43 153 units sold during the second quarter of 2019. The Naamsa report notes that second-quarter domestic new vehicle sales in fact registered the biggest quarterly decline on record – nearly double the decline registered in quarter one, 2009, during the peak of the global financial crisis in 2008/09. The domestic demand for new vehicles will continue to remain under severe pressure as projected negative economic growth of more than 7% does not bode well for the industry over the medium term, says Naamsa. The uncertainty around the anticipated impact and extent of Covid-19 also continues to cause planning challenges, with the industry’s reaction and adaptation to market changes remaining an imperative going forward. “A recovery in the new-vehicle market will depend on how quickly the economy can break out of its low-growth trap and how soon society will recover from the present Covid-19 lockdown,” states the Naamsa report. “Under normal circumstances, positive factors such as the further 150 basis-point interest rate cut to a near 50-year low during the [second] quarter, dealer incentives and low inflation would all be expected to support the new-vehicle market. “However, how far these dynamics will move consumers and businesses into new vehicle purchases over the balance of the year remains unclear. The industry is under no illusion that 2020 is going to be a very difficult year that will test its renowned resilience.”

BizNews — In today's news headlines: * South African new car sales plunged to a record low in April. National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa data show only 105 cars were sold in April, a drop of 99.6%, reports Bloomberg; * Mike Schussler, chief economist at Economists.co.za, says consumer spending - which makes up about 60% of Gross Domestic Product - will be a "disaster" this year; * South Africa’s tax revenue losses could be as much as R285bn in the current fiscal year, the commissioner of the revenue services said on Tuesday in a parliamentary briefing; and * Covid-19 containment has taken down more businesses, with airline Comair entering voluntary business rescue, gaming player Phumelela warning it may be heading the same way soon and media company Caxton giving up on its magazine titles.

BizNews — In today's news headlines: * South African new car sales plunged to a record low in April. National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa data show only 105 cars were sold in April, a drop of 99.6%, reports Bloomberg; * Mike Schussler, chief economist at Economists.co.za, says consumer spending - which makes up about 60% of Gross Domestic Product - will be a "disaster" this year; * South Africa’s tax revenue losses could be as much as R285bn in the current fiscal year, the commissioner of the revenue services said on Tuesday in a parliamentary briefing; and * Covid-19 containment has taken down more businesses, with airline Comair entering voluntary business rescue, gaming player Phumelela warning it may be heading the same way soon and media company Caxton giving up on its magazine titles.

https://www.matrickz.de In this Short episode, Niclas Fritz, founder, and CEO of BatchOne (http://www.batchone.com/) tells us something about the current challenges of the automobile manufacturers. Watch the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/MgDsUm-OmYk #automotive #selfdriving #softwaredevelopment #matrickz #AUTOSAR #automotiveindustry #matrickztv #autonomous #safety #security #germany #hardware #supplychain #automotivehardware

Kris Kiser, an attorney, is President & CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI).  OPEI is an international trade association representing the manufacturers of outdoor power equipment, small engines, utility vehicles, golf cars and personal transport vehicles.  He is also Managing Partner of GIE+EXPO, the industry’s annual international trade show. Prior to joining OPEI, Kris served for 15 years in two major, Washington, DC trade associations representing automakers and the forest products industry.  He was Vice President, State andInternational Affairs for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Vice President, GovernmentalAffairs for the American Forest & Paper Association. Before joining the private sector he spent a decade as a staffer in the United States Senate and House of Representatives as a special assistant to noted international affairs expert Congressman Lee Hamilton. Hamilton served as Chairman of the Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Joint Economic Committees during his tenure as well as Co-Chair of the 911 Commission and the Iran-Contra investigation. Kris is known as the “man behind the mutt” for his role in creating the TurfMutt Education Platform as head of the OPEI Education CEO; Research Foundation.  He is a passionate proponent of animal rescue, rehabilitation and adoption.  TurfMutt education has literally been used by tens of millions of students, teachers and families and is character based on his real life rescue pooch, Lucky the TurfMutt.

Privacy, Data Ownership and Cyber-security are the issues raised with the legislation and it threatens the whole automotive aftermarket. Looking for more information on cybersecurity and data ownership? ASA and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers will be hosting a one-day event September. 12, 2019 in Troy, MI. Registration is now open! LEARN MORE AND REGISTER:  https://asashop.org/education-events/technology-telematics-forum/ (https://asashop.org/education-events/technology-telematics-forum/)   Taking The Hill Website (http://takingthehill.com/) ASA Web Site (http://asashop.org/)   Robert L. Redding Jr., ASA Legislative representative –Bob has represented the Automotive Service Association, from their Capitol Hill office, since 1993.  He has received presidential appointments to several Federal Advisory Committees at the United States EPA, DOJ, Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Bob has represented the Automotive Service Association, from their Capitol Hill office, since 1993.  He has received presidential appointments to several Federal Advisory Committees at the United Sates EPA, DOJ, Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Previous episodes with Bob (https://remarkableresults.biz/?s=%22redding%22) . Frank Leutz from Desert Car Care in Chandler, AZ.  Frank has a weekly radio ‘call in show’ called ‘Wrench Nation’. . Frank also does a video feature called ‘Inside the Garage’ where he discusses vehicle failures and cures. Listen to Frank’s previous episodes  (https://remarkableresults.biz/?s=%22leutz%22) . Brin Kline is the owner of Assured Auto Works in Melbourne, FL.  His career in automotive repair spans 17 years with nearly 8 years as an owner. Brin’s journey to becoming an advocate for improving the automotive repair industry at the national level began when he started to attend conferences and training.  At these events, he rubbed shoulders with amazing people who, recognize the need for a national automotive repair industry step-by-step protocol for entry-level recruitment and training, continuing education events, and conferences, sharing of case studies, and helping businesses grow. Find previous episodes featuring Brin  (https://remarkableresults.biz/?s=%22brin+Kline%22) . Key Talking Points Shop owners must understand that it is time that someone has to pay attention, educate and protect your clients as it relates to ownership and access to their data. Privacy, Data Ownership and Cyber-security. Policy makers don’t understand how data affects repairs We must ensure that our policymakers don’t overreact or reach too far. We need to be careful because once the bill gets signed it will take the next five years for them to revisit it. We will be stuck with that policy Data Access, Think Telematics? One of the pieces not covered in the 12-year right repair service information battle As a shop owner, we hear it but we don’t know what it’s all about  The legislation issues concerning Privacy, Data Ownership and Cyber-security. Cyber-security protections are growing in California A major concern as an industry is overreach and we are collateral damage In an effort to protect consumers, the policymakers go too far. Regarding privacy, there must be some separations 3rd party providers OEM Websites We don’t want anything to interfere with our current business model. The industry must get behind efforts being mounted in Washington Developing coalition, Writing campaign, and Visits to Washington Part of this is also education when the policymakers go home, they must hear from shop owners and understand that access is critical for the consumer and to maintain safe and reliable transportation The previous Administration ordered a guideline for cyber-security which allowed for 50 state laws potentially dealing with our...

Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has been talking about boosting America's automobile industry. Specifically, he wants to roll back the stricter standards for carbon dioxide emissions that were placed on cars by the Obama Administration in 2010.  The auto industry has been griping about the so-called CAFE standards ever since. Last year, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry group, wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency which read “even under the EPA’s optimistic estimates, the automotive industry will have to spend a staggering $200 billion between 2012 and 2025 to comply.” Now, the Trump administration is preparing to take the first steps to undo the stricter efficiency rules. Bloomberg News says that if Trump's proposal takes hold, “it could be his biggest regulatory rollback yet." So why aren't carmakers celebrating, and what does this mean for drivers? This week on Money Talking, Ilya Marritz talks to two journalists covering the transportation and policy: Maxine Joselow, reporter at E&E News, and Ryan Beene, auto regulations and policy reporter at Bloomberg News. 

Saturday 12th May 2018. TESLA WILL ENABLE ORDERS FOR NEW MODEL 3 VERSIONS NEXT WEEK I love it when Elon tweets because you never know what he's promising but, despite critics saying he lives on Elon time (which reminds me of Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field) it always happens. Sometimes not on the timescale Elon says, but it always happens. Well mostly, he has made predictions in the past with things like EV's having 600 mile ranges, was that 2018 he said that would happen? We'll forgive him the odd moonshot. However he has said within a week Tesla will open orders for the dual motor and performance versions. As you may know, things like photographs were seen with a Model 3 on a test track recently which sported red brake calipers, a giveaway it was testing a performance version. But then again, I'm aware that 2+2 can equal 5, and then i look stupid. And frankly I don't need Tesla's help to make me look stupid, i can do that on my own thanks. Musk has hinted that that version will come with Tesla's Ludicrous mode option, which can significantly boost the vehicle's acceleration. Production of those options is due to start in July. And we still don't know the exact specs. However my favourite part of this is that the answer came via a question from DMC Ryan. He hosts his weekly Ride The Lightning Tesla podcast, which i'm a huge fan on. And for a while now he's been talking about how to get this question answered. So, Ryan's strategy has been this: wait until Elon tweets because that means he's online and then BAM hit him with dual motor/performance/air suspension question. I seen Elon tweet and then BAM there goes Ryan with his question, but thus far, no luck. That has happened a few times now but this time, Elon saw it and BAM...he replied. Ryan, I salute you. Persistence pays off. Oh and talking air suspension, that's next year says Elon. Along with the white seats and interior. CHINA EV SALES DOUBLE "Monthly figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released Friday show that passenger cars sales in April rose 11 percent over a year earlier to 1.9 million vehicles, outpacing a 3.5 percent growth rate in March" reports ABC: "Sales of "new-energy vehicles" such as electric cars and gasoline-electric hybrids more than doubled to 82,000."  TESLA FILES 3,661 MODEL 3 VINS Earlier this week we heard Tesla had registered 5,000 new VINs and now they're back to grab over 3,500 more. All for the Model 3 by the way, which brings the total to a total of 42,942 VINs. That's almost one tenth of the total reservations they had. That's 8,000 registered in the last week and, although not a foolproof system, does point towards a production rate of 4,000 per week. Perhaps slightly less. Remember Elon recently promised another shutdown to upgrade equipment which unlocks 5-6,000 per week. That starts to make sense because Elon also said the dual motor option would only come once that rate was achieved, and which most people expected to be July. TWO MORE HYUNDAI KONA REVIEWS Another embargo must have been lifted because two reviews of the Hyundai Kona were published at the same time. Auto Express highlights include: "Neither the new Nissan Leaf or the VW e-Golf can get anywhere close. DC charging at up to 100kW is standard. Hyundai UK is being coy on pricing and range details, beyond confirming that both battery sizes will be available to British buyers. The electric powertrain is smooth and quiet, and despite the car’s weight (this edition weighs almost 1.7 tonnes), there’s all the performance you could really need up to around 65mph. The car offers four levels of energy recuperation, selected via paddles behind the steering wheel. Hyundai said our vehicle’s software needed more tuning...And learn to rely on levels three and four of recuperation to bring your speed down the majority of the time. And here’s a bit of even more significant news: the claimed range of 482km, under the forthcoming, supposedly more realistic WLTP test regime, seems very achievable, based on our time with the car. Under a mixture of hard acceleration for cornering pictures, urban crawl and 65mph motorway cruising, we saw energy consumption of around 12kWh per 100km" So that's one review, and onto AutoCar who also had great words to say about it "The Kona Electric’s performance level feels strong – although, due to its weight, perhaps not as strong as its headline power and torque lead you to expect. Hyundai quotes a 0-62mph showing of 7.6sec — which beats any comparable rival save for BMW’s i3. And for those primarily interested in whether the car’s battery range is really as good as Hyundai claims, there’s encouraging news. Our test route included town, motorway and mountain roads, and intensive driving as well as touring. While the car’s indicated average energy efficiency, tested over extended distances, was as high as 7.0kWh per 100km and as low as 16kWh at times, our overall experience suggested that you could easily average the 12kWh per 100km necessary to make good on Hyundai’s 300-mile real-world range on a mix of urban and extra-urban roads. At times, you could even improve on it."   KIA ELECTRIFIED CAR SALES IN EUROPE INCREASED TO 10% (4% PLUG-INS) IN Q1 Onto Hyundai's South Korean sister company Kia in Europe. They say: "“Kia’s registrations of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles rose 36.2% to 13,070 units. In Q1 2018, 10% of all Kia cars sold in Europe were powered by an electrified powertrain, compared to 7.7% over the same period in 2017. Kia recently announced plans to introduce 16 new advanced powertrain vehicles by 2025 – the first of these new alternatively-fuelled vehicles will be unveiled later in 2018"   TESLA GETS SHUT DOWN IN CONNECTICUT This story i find baffling, like all stories about whether Tesla is allowed to sell cars. You see, from here in the UK, we view the USA as the home of capitalism in all it's glory and horror. If you really do buy into the American dream whereby you can start from nothing and make yourself, this is one piece of protectionism the Chinese would be proud of. Fred at Electrek says: "For four years in a row now, Tesla has been trying to enter Connecticut, one of the few states that still prevent Tesla from selling its vehicles directly to consumers."   I’d love to spread the word about electric cars so, if you can, share this somebody who might be interested. You can listen to every previous episode of this podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, TuneIn, Stitcher, and the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically. It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast. And if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing. Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, and I'll catch you tomorrow. CONNECT WITH ME! evne.ws/itunes evne.ws/tunein evne.ws/googleplay evne.ws/stitcher evne.ws/youtube evne.ws/soundcloud evne.ws/blog

Friday 30th March 2018. TESLA MODEL 3 PRODUCTION Tesla’s earning call will be next week as the quarter ends, and investors will want to know if Model 3 production reached the 2,500 cars per week which was guided. And the answer is…maybe. I’ve read a lot of websites toady and read blogs and watched videos, most of which from people who REALLY know what they’re talking about. But here’s the thing, we’ve not heard from Tesla. Bloomberg says they’re making 200 a day and they claim to have an email from Doug Field, Senior Vice President of Engineering, to employees at Fremont factory last week: “The world is watching us very closely, to understand one thing: How many Model 3’s can Tesla build in a week? This is a critical moment in Tesla’s history, and there are a number of reasons it’s so important. You should pick the one that hits you in the gut and makes you want to win. We set high goals at Tesla, but I know we can do this. If we keep climbing from 300 through the end of the week, it will be an incredible victory. Your friends and family will hear about it in the news.”   DRIVE CHANGE, DRIVE ELECTRIC The Verge report that a new marketing campaign is on the way to persuade Americans to give batteries a chance, it’s called “Drive Change, Drive Electric”. Sixteen major automakers are teaming up with seven Northeastern states to support a new advertising venture with the aim of getting Americans to buy more electric cars. The goal isn’t to make everyone a Tesla owner. Organizers will place a heavy focus on hybrid vehicles, both standard and plug-in hybrids, in the interest of casting as wide a net as possible. “We believe that people owe it to themselves to get behind the wheel of an electric car,” says Steve Douglas, senior director of environmental affairs at the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers. “They should talk to people who drive electric cars because we believe an electric car should be on their short list.”   WORKHORSE Earlier in the week we told you about the new Workhorse van and it has been unveiled in San Francisco. Duane Hughes, Workhorse President and COO, added: Rolling out this history making fleet of N-GEN vans in one of the most innovative cities in America is something myself and the entire team are extremely proud of. This deployment is the

Bruce Sweetman is a freelance automotive writer and photographer. He's a contributing editor and photographer at Road Scholars Magazine, Excellence Magazine, and the 356 Registry Magazine—and he’s a frequent contributor to Porsche Panorama and Autoweek Magazines as well. His stories and photographs have appeared in numerous publications including Road & Track and Total 911 in addition to fine automotive books. Bruce’s clients include Automobile Manufacturers, Museums, and Private Owners. He makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee and on the Northern Oregon Coast.

Nerina Visser, Strategist and Advisor at ETF South Africa looks at National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) reported on vehicle sales for 2016, as it declined for the third year in a row oil price fell quite a bit and the rand strengthened and a major contributor to inflation last year were rising food prices caused by the severe drought.

Yet another study shows that electric cars would do more to damage the environment in China than using gasoline- or diesel-powered cars. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers in the U.S. is asking the Obama Administration to tweak its proposed fuel-economy regulations. They want certain credits to start applying right now, not after 2016. Thanks to Land Rover’s surging sales Indian automaker Tata posted a profit that beat analyst’s expectations. All that and more, plus a look at how GM engineers made the 2013 Chevy Malibu as quiet as possible.

The U.S. federal government socked Toyota with another fine, this time for its tardy handling of recalls and other safety issues. Chrysler just released pictures of its redesigned 300, which should start arriving at dealerships in the first quarter of next year. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is one of four trade groups that’s asking a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling by the U.S. EPA that allows gasoline blends with 15 percent ethanol. All that and more, plus John shares some of his thoughts on the Ford Focus RS 500 he recently drove.