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DETROIT (AP) — Less than two weeks after ratifying new contracts with Detroit automakers, the United Auto Workers union announced plans Wednesday to try to simultaneously organize workers at more than a dozen nonunion auto factories. The UAW says the drive will cover nearly 150,000 workers at factories largely in the South, where the union has had little success in recruiting new members. Also on the union's list are U.S. factories run by electric vehicle sales leader Tesla, as well as EV startups Rivian and Lucid. “You don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck,” union President Shawn Fain said in a statement appealing to nonunion workers. At the end of the contract top-scale assembly workers will make about $42 per hour, plus they’ll get annual profit-sharing checks.

Persons: Tesla, Shawn Fain Organizations: DETROIT, Detroit automakers, United Auto Workers, UAW, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Ford, General Motors Locations: Georgetown , Kentucky

☆ U.A.W. Announces Drive to Organize Nonunion Plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Neal E. Boudette | More About Neal E. Boudette | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United Automobile Workers union announced Wednesday that it was undertaking an ambitious drive to organize plants owned by more than a dozen nonunion automakers, including Tesla and several foreign companies — a goal that has long eluded it. The move comes weeks after the U.A.W. In addition to Tesla, the targets of the drive are two other electric vehicle start-ups, Lucid and Rivian, and 10 foreign-owned automakers: Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mazda and Volvo. If the U.A.W. secures a foothold among those companies, it could signal a big shift in the American auto industry, where nonunion manufacturers have long had a significant cost advantage over the Detroit automakers.

Persons: Tesla Organizations: United Automobile Workers, General Motors, Ford Motor, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes, Benz, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mazda, Volvo, Detroit

☆ UAW launches bid to organize Tesla and 'entire non-union auto sector' in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) speaks as U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) joins striking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) on the picket line outside GM's Willow Run Distribution Center, in Belleville, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S., September 26, 2023. "To all the auto workers out there working without the benefits of a union, now it's your turn," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video posted on a website urging auto workers to sign electronic cards seeking union representation. The UAW for decades has unsuccessfully sought to organize auto factories operated by foreign automakers. The website asks Tesla workers to join, saying CEO "Elon Musk is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of $230 billion. The question is, will Tesla workers get their fair share?"

Persons: Shawn Fain, Joe Biden, Evelyn Hockstein, Fain, Elon Musk, Tesla, Harley Shaiken, David Shepardson, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, REUTERS, Rights, Detroit Three automakers, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes, Benz, Detroit, General Motors, Ford Motor, New York Times, Honda, Subaru, Mazda, Volvo, University of California, White, Detroit Three, Lexus ES, Union, Thomson Locations: Belleville, Wayne County , Michigan, U.S, Detroit, America, Mississippi, Tennessee, Chattanooga , Tennessee, Berkeley, Georgetown , Kentucky, Washington

☆ UAW aims to organize 13 nonunion automakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The United Auto Workers union says it has started an effort to organize workers at 13 non-union automakers with US factories. The union said there are about 150,000 employees at 36 nonunion auto plants operated by the companies it is targeting in this campaign. That is slightly more than the union’s representation at the three unionized automakers, which have about 145,000 UAW members between them. But if a union organizing campaign is successful, the union will be made up of workers from the company. The union has filed complaints accusing many of the automakers of unfair labor practices during those earlier organizing efforts.

Persons: Jeff Allen, “ We’ve, ”, Allen, we’ve, “, Shawn Fain, ” Fain Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, General Motors, Ford, US, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, Toyota Camry, Lexus, UAW, Workers, Tesla Locations: New York, Georgetown , Kentucky, America, Volkswagen’s, Chattanooga , Tennessee, Canton , Mississippi, Smyrna , Tennessee

☆ China's Nio teams up with Geely on auto battery swapping
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The deal makes Geely (GEELY.UL), whose brands range from Volvo to Zeekr, the second automaker to sign a battery swapping partnership with Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio. Battery swapping allows drivers to replace depleted packs quickly with fully charged packs, rather than plugging the vehicle into a charging point. They will look to establish an efficient battery asset management mechanism, build a unified battery swap operation and develop battery swappable vehicles compatible with each other's battery swap systems, the companies added. Battery swapping could ease the strain on power grids at peak times when drivers recharge, but industry analysts and executives expect it would only become feasible if batteries become more standardised. In 2021, Geely said it aimed to set up 5,000 battery swapping stations for EVs globally by 2025.

Persons: Annegret, Nio, Geely, Brenda Goh, Jacqueline Wong, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, Zhejiang Geely Holding, Volvo, Changan Automobile, Nio, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Rights BEIJING, Zhejiang, China

☆ UAW launches union campaigns at Tesla, 12 other automakers in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The United Auto Workers union is launching an unprecedented campaign to organize 13 non-union automakers in the U.S. after securing record contracts with the Detroit automakers. As part of the campaign workers are signing electronic cards in support of union efforts to potentially organize U.S. plants from those automakers. It is not guaranteed that the union would push to organize every plant or automaker that participates in the campaign. UAW President Shawn Fain has said the union's next mission after ratifying record contracts with General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis was to expand its ranks. Still, the UAW has a poor track record with trying to organize non-Detroit automakers.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Fain, —, Stellantis Organizations: United Auto Workers, Detroit automakers, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Benz, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, UAW, General Motors, Ford Motor, Detroit, Ford, GM, Lexus, " Workers Locations: U.S, Fremont, California, Georgetown , Kentucky

☆ Finnish startup Varjo launches new $3,990 mixed-reality headset to take on Apple, Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Finnish mixed-reality startup Varjo on Monday launched its latest headset, the XR-4, a product it hopes to sell to large enterprise firms. The headset, which starts at a price of $3,990, is similar to those from Meta , Microsoft and Apple . Unlike consumer offerings from companies such as Meta, Varjo's headset is intended for enterprise use cases. For example, a pilot working for a major defense contractor could use it to train in a virtual reality simulation. The XR-4 headset has two 4K displays and a 50% wider field of view compared with previous-generation devices.

Persons: Patrick Wyatt, Apple's, Varjo Organizations: Monday, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, CNBC, Vision, Volvo Locations: Helsinki, Atomico

☆ Volvo’s shares crash to all-time low as China’s Geely cuts stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Shares in Volvo Cars tumbled as much as 13% Friday to hit a record low after its biggest shareholder Geely sold part of its stake at a discount to the market value. The transaction reduced Geely’s stake in Volvo Cars by just over 4%. Once the sale is completed on November 21, that stake is expected to amount to 78.7%, Geely said in the statement. The attempt to boost the value of Volvo Cars’ stock — which has fallen almost 23% year-to-date — seems to have backfired, at least in the immediate term. The firm’s shares traded down 11% on the day by 10.21 a.m.

Persons: Geely, carmaker, Jim Rowan, Daniel Donghui Li, ” Organizations: London CNN —, Volvo, Volvo Cars Locations: Swedish

☆ Volvo Cars shares drop to record low as Geely trims stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sale of the 3.4% stake leaves Geely with a holding in Volvo Cars of 78.7%, the Chinese company said in a statement. Proceeds received by Geely Holding are intended to be used to support business development within the group," it added. It allows a wider base of shareholders to invest in Volvo Cars," the Swedish company's CEO Jim Rowan said in a statement. At 0926 GMT, Volvo Cars shares were down 10.9% at 36.38 crowns, having traded as low as 35.25 crowns. Geely Holding has committed to a lock-up period of 90 days for its remaining shareholding, "subject to customary exceptions and waivers" by the bookrunners.

Persons: Aly, China's Geely, bookrunners, Jim Rowan, Goldman Sachs, SEB, Geely, Terje Solsvik, Louise Rasmussen, Mark Potter Organizations: Volvo, Auto Shanghai, REUTERS, Rights, Swedish, HK, Volvo Cars, Geely, BNP, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights OSLO, Swedish, Oslo, Stockholm

☆ Volvo shares tumble 14% to record low as Chinese owner Geely sells off stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Volvo Cars shares tumbled as much as 14% on Friday morning after its parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group began a sale of around 100 million shares of the Swedish carmaker. Volvo shares are down 25% year to date. Geely said in a statement earlier on Friday that it would release further shares of Volvo, which was in line with its long-term strategy. Geely will still hold 78.7% of Volvo shares following the sale, the statement said. Geely previously owned around 82% of Volvo, putting the sold shares at over 3%.

Persons: Geely Organizations: Volvo, Zhejiang Geely Holding, Reuters Locations: Edmonton, Edmonton , Alberta, Canada, Swedish, London

☆ UAW members ratify labor deal with Mack Trucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Mack Trucks is seen on a truck in a yard in Mejicanos, El Salvador, August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers (UAW) union said on Wednesday that about 3,900 of its members working at Mack Trucks ratified a new five-year contract, ending a month-long strike at the Volvo Group (VOLVb.ST)-owned company. "After 39 days on strike, UAW members at Mack Trucks have voted by 93% to ratify their new contract with significant local improvements," the union said in a post on messaging platform X, previously known as Twitter. Mack Trucks said the new contract covered its employees at facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida. Mack Trucks, which was bought by Volvo in 2000, is one of North America's largest makers of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks.

Persons: Mack Trucks, Jose Cabezas, Maria Ponnezhath, Shubham Kalia, Mrinmay Dey, Gokul Pisharody, Baranjot Kaur, Varun, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, United Auto Workers, UAW, Mack, Volvo Group, Twitter, Detroit's Big, General Motors, Ford, Volvo, Thomson Locations: Mejicanos, El Salvador, Pennsylvania , Maryland, Florida, North, Bengaluru

☆ The automakers and suppliers pushing to cut rare earths from EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

1 U.S. automaker says it is "exploring options to limit or potentially eliminate rare earth materials in EV motors." BORGWARNER (BWA.N)The U.S. supplier already has an EV motor in production that has reduced heavy rare earth content. ZF (ZFF.UL)German supplier ZF has developed an EESM EV motor that could be in production in two years. The German premium automaker says it aims to remove heavy rare earth content entirely. EuroGroup Laminations (EGLA.MI) Electric motor component maker EuroGroup Laminations is working on both rare earth free permanent magnet motors and motors with limited rare earth content for automaker customers.

Persons: Darrin Zammit Lupi, Tesla, Stellantis, Zoe, Mercedes, Nick Carey, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, BMW, GENERAL MOTORS, Volvo, ROVER, Tata Motors, Renault, RENAULT Renault, NISSAN, Nissan, MERCEDES, BENZ, TOYOTA, Toyota, Volkswagen, U.S, KKR, Thomson Locations: Malta, China, U.S, Niron Magnetics, Niron

☆ Toyota, Honda and Hyundai are raising wages in wake of big UAW wins
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The United Automobile Workers’ won big wage and benefit gains in tentative contract agreements with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. Now, non-union companies are rushing to give their non-unionized workers raises, too. Toyota said it’s raising wages by more than 9%, and Honda announced 11% wage hikes beginning next year. While the auto companies didn’t directly attribute their raises to the UAW, the UAW has said it will be targeting non-union factories in the wake of its big wins. UAW President Shawn Fain already encouraged non-union autoworkers to join the UAW, and Fain has called the non-union wage increases the “UAW bump.” The UAW hopes its new contracts with Detroit automakers will inspire other workers to unionize.

Persons: ” Hyundai, ”, A.J, Jacobs, Shawn Fain, autoworkers, Fain, ” Fain, Tesla, Thomas Kochan Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Automobile Workers ’, Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, UAW, Labor, East Carolina University, Foreign, Detroit, Subaru, Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, MIT Sloan School of Management Locations: New York, Alabama, Georgia, United States, “

☆ UAW workers at GM's Flint plant narrowly vote against new labor deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Shivansh Tiwary | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook Acquire Licensing RightsNov 10 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers (UAW) union members at General Motors' (GM.N) Flint assembly plant in Michigan have narrowly voted against a proposed contract with the U.S. automaker, the local chapter said. In a Facebook post on Thursday, the UAW Local 598 said 51.8% of votes cast were against the proposed deal. The vote signals that approval of the deal, which is set to raise costs significantly for GM, is not guaranteed. Union workers are voting on contracts from each of Chrysler-owner Stellantis (STLAM.MI), General Motors and Ford Motor (F.N), after the first coordinated strike against Detroit's Big Three automakers.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Stellantis, Erik Gordon, Mack Trucks, Nathan Gomes, Shivansh, Sriraj Organizations: General Motors, REUTERS, United Auto Workers, UAW, U.S ., GM, Workers, Chrysler, Ford, Detroit's Big, Silverado, Detroit Three, University of Michigan, Detroit, Honda, Volvo Group, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S, Flint, Michigan, Bengaluru

☆ Truckmaker Volvo to buy Proterra's battery business for $210 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The Volvo logo is seen in truck for sale in Linden, New Jersey, U.S., May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Swedish truckmaker Volvo (VOLVb.ST) said on Friday it had won an auction for the battery business of troubled Proterra in the United States with a $210 million bid. The auction was part of the electric vehicle part supplier's ongoing U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection process. Volvo said in a statement it aimed to finalise the acquisition, which is pending approval by the bankruptcy court, early next year. Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Volvo, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Linden , New Jersey, U.S, Rights STOCKHOLM, Swedish, United States

☆ Swedish EV maker Polestar trims delivery forecast, halves margin target
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Abhirup Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar trimmed its 2023 delivery forecast on Wednesday to the lower end of its earlier guidance and halved its gross margin target, amid fears of a slowdown in EV demand and global economic uncertainty. Polestar, which operates in 27 markets globally, said it would now deliver about 60,000 vehicles this year, down from between 60,000 to 70,000. It had reiterated that forecast just last month after slashing the target in May from the 80,000 it had estimated earlier. The U.S.-listed company, founded by China's Geely and Volvo Cars (VOLCARb.ST), also said it would achieve a gross margin of 2% in 2023, down from its prior 4% forecast. The company said it sees gross margin in the high teens with a total annual volume of about 155,000 to 165,000 vehicles in 2025.

Persons: China's Geely, Johan Malmqvist, Thomas Ingenlath, Tesla's, Elon Musk, Polestar, Abhirup Roy, Rod Nickel, Jamie Freed Organizations: Volvo, Reuters, General Motors, Ford, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Swedish, U.S, San Francisco

☆ Polestar the first EV maker to incorporate StoreDot's fast-charging batteries
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Under the terms of the deal the two companies will collaborate on incorporating the fast-charging technology into Polestar vehicles. A prototype will be demonstrated next year, and StoreDot said it hopes Polestar cars using its extreme fast-charging batteries will be on the road by 2027. Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said the collaboration with StoreDot would give EV owners "the ability to recharge in minutes". "What used to be range anxiety in electric vehicles is now transforming to charging anxiety," StoreDot CEO Doron Myersdorf said. Polestar last month said deliveries of electric vehicles (EV) rose 50% in the third quarter from a year earlier but fell 12% from the second quarter.

Persons: Thomas Peter, StoreDot, Thomas Ingenlath, Doron Myersdorf, Myersdorf, Polestar, Steven Scheer, Jan Harvey Organizations: Beijing International Automotive, Auto, REUTERS, Rights, Volvo, BP, Daimler, StoreDot, EV, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Auto China, Beijing, China, Swedish

☆ With big new EV motor investment, GM aims to cut reliance on China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In electric vehicle motors, rapidly shifting magnetic fields spin a rotor made with magnets that contain “rare Earth minerals” such as terbium and dysprosium. China accounts for a large percentage of the world’s rare Earth minerals supply, according to the United States Geological Survey. And among those minerals used for EV motor magnets, China is responsible for about 90%, according to Niron. The technology could also make EV motors less expensive, he said, but declined to say by what percentage. Daniels would not say when GM expects to begin manufacturing EV motors using the new magnet technology.

Persons: Niron, Niron Magnetics, Jonathan Rowntree, GM EVs, ”, Kai Daniels, Stellantis, Rowntree, Daniels Organizations: New, New York CNN —, Motors, United States Geological Survey, GM, GM Ventures, Stellantis Ventures, Volvo Car Tech Fund, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Sioux Community, University of Minnesota Locations: New York, Wisconsin, China, dysprosium, Minnesota, Sioux

☆ Polestar cuts its guidance as it retools its business plan for lower EV sales, higher profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( John Rosevear | In Jrosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

At the time of its initial public offering last year, Polestar was targeting annual sales of about 290,000 vehicles by the end of 2025. For 2023, Polestar now expects to deliver "approximately 60,000" vehicles, at the low end of its previous guidance range, with a positive gross margin of about 2%. The company had previously guided to deliveries of between 60,000 and 70,000 vehicles in 2023, with a gross margin of 4% for the year. Polestar's gross margin was 1.1% in the first nine months of 2023 and 4.9% in 2022. Production of the Polestar 4, a smaller crossover SUV, will begin in China next week as planned, the company said.

Persons: Polestar, Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo — Organizations: Shanghai International Automobile Industry, National Exhibition, Convention Center, Geely Automobile, Geely, Volvo, Revenue Locations: Shanghai, China, Swedish, United States

☆ Polestar signs deal with South Korea's SK On for Polestar 5 EV
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of the new Volvo Polestar 2 is displayed at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland March 5, 2019. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 6 (Reuters) - Electric vehicle maker Polestar (A4N1y.F) said on Monday that it had signed an agreement with South Korean battery manufacturer SK On for the supply of battery cell modules for its upcoming Polestar 5 EV. Reporting by Gokul Pisharody in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pierre Albouy, Gokul, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Volvo, 89th Geneva, REUTERS, South Korean, SK, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Bengaluru

☆ Why EV charging is still such a pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Power show that, despite more and more EV chargers being available, EV owners are actually getting less satisfied with public charging. When it comes to consumer satisfaction, EV charging is in some very poor corporate company. Away from home, charging your EV costs more than charging at home, sometimes twice as much. A ChargePoint electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the Lafontaine Kia dealership in Detroit, Michigan, US, on Thursday, July 13, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images“Safety is paramount,” said Rick Wilmer, chief operating officer of EV charging provider ChargePoint.

Persons: it’s, “ They’re, ”, Brent Gruber, Gruber, Bing Guan, There’s, Lafontaine, Matthew Hatcher, Nathan Wang, Wang, Justin Sullivan, Rick Wilmer, Wilmer, What’s, it’s Shell, don’t, Mark Hawkinson Organizations: New, New York CNN, J.D, EV, Department of Energy, CCS, Volvo, Bloomberg, Getty, Lafontaine Kia, UL, Vehicles, Bolt, BP, Exxon Locations: New York, ., United States, California, States, Mississippi, Montana, Detroit , Michigan, Corte Madera , California

☆ Volvo Cars' sales of fully electric vehicles jump in October
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Volvo Cars' (VOLCARb.ST) sales in October grew 10% from a year earlier to 59,861 cars as fully electric car sales jumped but hybrid models fell, the Sweden-based group said on Friday. Volvo Cars said in a statement sales of fully electric cars rose 29% to account for 18% of all its cars sold in the month. Sales of hybrid cars, however, fell 8%. In total, all recharge models were up 7% to account for 36% of total sales. Volvo Cars said on Friday that sales in the biggest market Europe were up 13% in October.

Persons: China's Geely, Yves Herman, Jim Rowan, BEV, EVs, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Volvo, China's, HK, REUTERS, Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Brussels, Belgium, Europe, U.S, China

☆ The UAW won big against Detroit automakers. Unionizing Tesla and Toyota will be tougher
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But the UAW’s ambitious plans to organize Tesla and other non-union automakers face steep odds. To grow, the UAW will need to gain a foothold at non-union automakers, which produce more than half of the cars assembled in the United States. Historically, UAW talks with the Detroit automakers have been closely watched by non-union automakers and suppliers. Anti-union companiesThe UAW will have to overcome weak protections for labor organizing in the United States and automakers’ aggressive tactics to defeat unions. It may be easier for UAW to organize Volkswagen and other European automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz than automakers from Asia, experts say.

Persons: Tesla, Shawn Fain, ”, Harry Katz, “, Thomas Kochan, Tesla's, Justin Sullivan, Bill Lee, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, Kochan, ” Kochan, “ There’s, “ Fain, he’s, Harley Shaiken, Jesse Jackson, John J, Kim, Elon Musk, Musk, “ Tesla, ” Shaiken, Biden, Erica Smiley, Smiley, ‘ we’ve, won’t Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, Ford, General Motors, Jeep, Chrysler, Detroit automakers, UAW, American, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, Volvo, Mercedes, BMW, Nissan, Volkswagen, Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Labor, Companies, Employers, National Labor Relations Act, MIT Sloan School of Management, Getty, Workers, Benz, Tennessee Gov, Former South Carolina Gov, Environmental Defense Fund, Alabama, M University, Jackson State University, University of California, Berkley, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, Tesla, National Labor Relations Board, Employees, Bloomberg, CNN, Biden Union, Union, Biden, Justice, Detroit Locations: New York, United States, California, Texas, Tesla's Fremont , California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Volkswagen’s, Chattanooga, Michigan, Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga , Tennessee, Asia, Europe, Tesla’s Fremont California, ”

☆ Aurora opens first commercial route for driverless trucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Tina Bellon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - Aurora Innovation (AUR.O) on Wednesday opened its first lane for driverless trucks connecting Dallas and Houston, supported by its commercial trucking terminal in Houston, ahead of a launch in 2024. "Bringing our commercial-ready terminals and services online a year ahead of our planned commercial driverless launch between Dallas and Houston enables us to focus next year on integrating our driver-ready trucks into our customers' operations," said Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson. Aurora said it would operate its terminals day and night, which will support more than 75 commercial loads for pilot customers. Aurora's portfolio of products includes Aurora Driver, its self-driving technology that can be employed across vehicle types, and driverless trucking subscription service Aurora Horizon. Aurora has partnerships with Uber Technologies (UBER.N), Toyota (7203.T), Volvo (VOLVb.ST), and PACCAR (PCAR.O), among others.

Persons: Tina Bellon, Sterling Anderson, Aurora, Zaheer Kachwala, Varun Organizations: REUTERS, Aurora, Wednesday, Dallas, Command, General Motors, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Uber Technologies, Toyota, Volvo, Thomson Locations: Palmer, Dallas , Texas, U.S, Dallas, Houston, Bengaluru

☆ Volvo Cars CEO strikes cautious tone on solid-state battery technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The CEO of Volvo Cars is bullish about the long-term potential of electric motors, but appears more cautious on solid-state batteries — technology that's generated much hype around its potential to transform the performance of EVs. Speaking to CNBC's Squawk Box Europe on Thursday morning, Jim Rowan said electric motors were seeing "massive improvements." However, on solid-state batteries he said: "My personal opinion is that solid-state is still some years off, but of course we're involved in the research and development around that." "But I think there's many more incremental benefits that we're going to see with the current electrical propulsion systems, that [are] … just going to continue to drive performance," Rowan added.

Persons: Jim Rowan, Rowan Organizations: Volvo

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