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  • Inside Our Next Energy’s new metro Detroit battery plants

    Inside Our Next Energy’s new metro Detroit battery plants

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    Our Next Energy’s value proposition for those batteries — and for the cells and packs it intends to produce at its own plant — is energy density. Specifically, the company wants to pack the most range into batteries with limited cobalt and nickel, which are in finite supply and often come from sources with poor human rights records.

    ONE’s Aries batteries boast 287 Wh/L and about 300 miles of range, compared with the Tesla Model 3’s 232 Wh/L. ONE’s goal is to eventually commercialize its Gemini battery, a dual chemistry architecture capable of more than 600 miles of range, Ijaz said.

    ONE also sets itself apart as a U.S.-based battery maker in an industry dominated by Asia, said Glenn Stevens, executive director of MICHauto and vice president of mobility initiatives for the Detroit Regional Chamber.

    “Our dependence on really three countries — China, Korea and Japan — is really not sustainable for our own supply chain and our own companies that want to design, engineer and manufacture vehicles for the future,” Stevens said. “So ONE plays a really key role in developing a domestic supply chain with U.S. innovation.”

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  • Aston Martin to join forces with Honda in F1 from 2026

    Aston Martin to join forces with Honda in F1 from 2026

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    Honda initially announced its exit from F1 in 2020, and officially withdrew from the championship after helping Max Verstappen clinch his maiden title the following year.

    However, it continued to provide power units to Red Bull and still does as part of a supply deal that now runs until the end of the 2025 season.

    Honda’s future beyond then had been unclear though, as it was left facing uncertainty about other options on the grid following Red Bull’s decision to tie-up with Ford for its own Powertrains efforts from 2026.

    Furthermore, there was intense debate among Honda’s senior management about whether or not to make a formal return to F1 so soon after quitting.

    However, Aston Martin’s impressive progress in F1, allied to it being a free agent after 2025 when its current customer Mercedes deal comes to an end, saw it emerge as an ideal candidate for a tie-up.

    A deal has now been completed that will see Aston Martin becoming Honda’s official manufacturer team in F1.

    Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, said: “Our future works partnership with Honda is one of the last parts of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula 1.”

    Honda says its decision to commit to F1 so soon after walking away was triggered by a ramping up of grand prix racing’s sustainability ambitions.

    As well as F1 committing to be net carbon zero by 2030, it is switching to fully sustainable fuels from 2026 when new power units will also be boosted by a greater proportion of electrical power.

    Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

    Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

    Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda, said: “One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies.

    “We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass production electric vehicles, such as an electric flagship sports model, and electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL which is currently under research and development.”

    Having achieved world title success with Red Bull in 2021 and 2022, and currently leading the standings this year, Honda is clear that it is embarking on the partnership with Aston Martin to deliver more championships.

    Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe said: “They are currently working on various measures to strengthen the team and strive to win the F1 championship title.

    “So, as they have given the high marks to our F1 power unit technology and we can relate to their sincere attitude and also strong passion to win, we decided to work together and strive for the championship title as Aston Martin Honda.”

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  • Auto supplier Gentex hit by ransomware attack

    Auto supplier Gentex hit by ransomware attack

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    According to TechTarget, a Dunghill operator reached out with a link to what the group claims is 5 terabytes of sensitive corporate data from Gentex, including client documents and personal employee information. The report indicated Dunghill posted the stolen information on the dark web as well as shared the data with unspecified foreign and domestic manufacturers after Gentex “refused to cooperate.”

    Threats against companies in the manufacturing industry have become more prevalent and more costly as of late. According to an annual report from IBM, the cost of a data breach for the industrial sector — which includes chemical, engineering and manufacturing companies — increased 5.4 percent on a year-over-year basis to $4.47 million in 2022.

    While the health care industry experienced the highest annual costs from data breaches in the two most recent years, according to the IBM report, other experts say the manufacturing industry is growing increasingly vulnerable.

    An executive from the Forbes Technology Council recently highlighted manufacturing among five targeted industries aside from health care. Because manufacturing companies have started to rely more heavily on technology and digital systems in recent years, they have opened new avenues for cybercriminals.

    “In addition to data theft for ransom, (cybercriminals) target the manufacturing industry since it allows for large-scale disruptions and geopolitical repercussions,” Abdul Subhani, CEO of IT consulting company Centex Technologies, wrote for Forbes. “Even though the manufacturing industry is not publicly facing and may not be easily accessible as other industries, it still has a risk of being targeted due to its high disruption factor.”

    Indeed, in its most recent 10-K annual filing, Gentex specifically identified cybersecurity and threats to IT infrastructure as key risk factors. The company disclosed that it maintains “an extensive network” of measures to help address any threats, including technical security controls, policy enforcement mechanisms, monitoring systems and management oversight.

    However, Gentex recognized that despite the implementation of security measures, its IT systems, “like all IT systems,” are vulnerable to damages from cyberattacks, computer viruses or similar disruptions.

    “To the extent that any disruptions or security breach results in a loss or damage to our data, or an inappropriate disclosure of confidential or customer information, it could cause significant damage to our reputation, affect our relationships with our customers, lead to claims against the company and ultimately harm our business, reputation, financial condition, and/or results of operations,” the company said in the filing with federal securities regulators.

    Gentex, based near Grand Rapids, Mich., ranks No. 88 on the Automotive News list of top 100 global suppliers with worldwide sales to automakers of $1.7 billion in 2021.

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  • Stefan Wilson suffered fractured vertebra in Indy 500 crash

    Stefan Wilson suffered fractured vertebra in Indy 500 crash

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    Wilson’s Dreyer and Reinbold Racing-run car was hit from behind by Katherine Legge’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing machine after cars ahead of them stacked up at Turn 1.

    Both cars spun and subsequently hit the wall at differing angles at high speed. While Legge’s struck the wall side-on, and she was unhurt, Wilson’s hit the SAFER barrier head-on.

    As the AMR safety crew attended to him, they immediately called for a back brace and stretcher before he was extricated from the car in a carefully-executed procedure that took over 10 minutes. He gave a thumbs up as he was loaded into the ambulance.

    The 33-year-old from Sheffield, UK was taken to the medical centre and then transported on to a local hospital for advanced imaging, where the injury was diagnosed.

    Stefan Wilson, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet qualification photo

    Photo by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Images

    A statement from his entrant Cusick Motorsports, which was partnering with Dreyer & Reinbold for the first time this year, read: “After being transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital for further tests, it was disclosed that Wilson suffered a fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebrae and will stay overnight at the hospital for further tests and observation.

    “Based on this type of injury, Wilson will not be allowed to compete in this Sunday’s 107th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.”

     

    The 12th thoracic vertebra (T12) bears the most weight of that region of the spine, and while it is the strongest of those bones it is also the most susceptible to a stress-related injury.

    Wilson had qualified for what would have been his fifth Indy 500 start in 25th place. It is unclear what steps Cusick and Dreyer & Reinbold will take next, saying it will “have more information in due course”.

    Graham Rahal is the only driver who failed to qualify for the race in his RLLR-run car. He said earlier today that he wouldn’t consider buying a driver out of a starting spot on the grid so he could take part.

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  • Alpine, Lotus End Partnership On Future Electric Sports Car Project

    Alpine, Lotus End Partnership On Future Electric Sports Car Project

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    Plans for a jointly developed electric sports car between European niche automakers Lotus and Alpine are reportedly scrapped. The collaboration ended on friendly terms according to Automotive News Europe, though a specific reason for the decision wasn’t mentioned.

    The partnership was announced in 2021. Renault Group – the parent company for Alpine – revealed at the time that Alpine would become a purely electric performance brand. The plan was to have things cooking mid-decade, with a next-gen electric sports car co-developed with Lotus being a vehicle shared by both brands. Automotive News Europe cites Lotus as stating the company simply decided not to progress further with the project, though future cooperation is still possible. Autocar reports Alpine as confirming the news in a statement.

    24 Photos

    It’s worth noting the report specifically calls out just the planned sports car project. Alpine’s future electric ambitions include larger SUVs that could utilize Lotus platforms. By future electric ambitions, we’re referring to vehicles beyond more immediate EVs drawing from Renault’s portfolio, specifically a sporty hatch based on the new Renault 5 and a crossover called the GT X-Over. Of course, Lotus launched the Eletre last year, the company’s first SUV which was speculated to provide the foundation for Alpine’s larger offerings. The original plan had Alpine bringing these SUVs to market later in the decade.

    For now, the current-generation A110 is still very much alive with its turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The mid-mount powerplant dishes up 300 horsepower in the A110 R, the latest version of the small sports car that debuted in October 2022. Infused with track-focused suspension and a healthy dose of carbon fiber, it clips to 60 mph in less than four seconds while still being a road-legal machine. That is, road-legal in Europe, anyway. The current A110 in any form isn’t offered for sale in North America, but with it expected to stick around until at least 2026, Renault is at least considering other export options.

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  • BMW Touring Coupe concept may get limited production run

    BMW Touring Coupe concept may get limited production run

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    COMO, Italy – BMW has resurrected the spirit of the original Z3 Coupe with the Touring Coupe concept, and is considering limited production of the two-seat shooting brake, which was originally developed as a one-off model based on the Z4.

    The concept, unveiled here on the eve of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este classic car show, is intended for the joy of travelling together, BMW says.

    The Touring Coupe is for “two people and their luggage, enjoying their drive from Munich to Como,” Adrian Van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group design, told reporters on the sidelines of the concept unveiling on Friday.

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  • Indy 500: Alex Palou takes pole position at over 234mph

    Indy 500: Alex Palou takes pole position at over 234mph

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    Palou set the fastest four-lap average of 234.217mph around the 2.5-mile oval, narrowly defeating Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay.

    Palou signalled his intent with an opening lap of 235.131mph, and his four-lap average was 234.217mph. “That was fun, very fun,” he said on the radio.

    “It means the world to me, we knew it was going to be tight, they gave the fastest car to me,” he said. “Watching [the other drivers] was tougher than doing the four laps.”

    VeeKay will start second with a speed of 234.211mph, just 0.004s and 0.006mph slower than Palou.

    “I got everything out of it, but it’s just so tight,” he said. “I thought we really had a shot at pole position.”

    Top 12 qualifying pacesetter Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist fell below the 235mph barrier required on the opening lap, and could only manage third with 234.114mph.

    Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

    Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

    Santino Ferrucci (AJ Foyt Racing) will start fourth, having got high in Turn 1 on his opening lap, having entered the corner at over 240mph, and he couldn’t repeat the speed he showed in Top 12 qualifying. His average speed was 233.661mph and he admitted “that wasn’t what we wanted” on the radio.

    Pato O’Ward lapped his Honda-powered Arrow McLaren in 233.756mph for fifth. “My first Fast Six and it’s awesome for the team,” he said.

    Scott Dixon, who was hunting for this third consecutive pole for Ganassi, battled loose handling after a strong opener, his effort producing 233.151mph for sixth. He reported: “The run for us was too on the nose, it was super loose and scrubbing speed from the get-go.”

    Of those who didn’t make it to the Fast Six from the earlier Sunday qualifying session, Alexander Rossi (McLaren) will start the Indy 500 in seventh, ahead of Takuma Sato (CGR), Tony Kanaan (McLaren), Marcus Ericsson (CGR), top rookie Benjamin Pedersen (AJ Foyt Racing) and Will Power (Team Penske).

    The final row of the grid was also decided today, with Christian Lundgaard (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) starting 31st, ahead of Sting Ray Robb (Dale Coyne Racing) and Jack Harvey – who bumped out RLLR team-mate Graham Rahal in the dying moments of last-chance qualifying.

    Indy 500 – Starting grid

     

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  • The latest numbers on the microchip shortage: More cuts in every region

    The latest numbers on the microchip shortage: More cuts in every region

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    Automakers removed 27,240 vehicles from their global production schedules last week because of the unrelenting shortage of microchips, according to the latest estimate by AutoForecast Solutions.

    Each region of the world made new factory cuts last week, with plants in Asia outside of China leading the way by trimming 11,672 vehicles. Meanwhile, companies axed 8,510 vehicles at North American assembly plants.

    Since the beginning of this year, automakers have eliminated plans to build 1.2 million vehicles. About 16.2 million vehicles have been cut since AutoForecast Solutions began tracking the impact of the semiconductor shortage in 2021.

    “The hope remains that these losses will be minor by 2024,” said Sam Fiorani, AutoForecast Solutions’ vice president of global vehicle forecasting, in an email.

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  • Magna, Department of Energy develop greener manufacturing process for aluminum parts

    Magna, Department of Energy develop greener manufacturing process for aluminum parts

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    A new manufacturing process developed by supplier giant Magna International Inc. and the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory could soon make it possible to reduce aluminum parts suppliers’ reliance on new aluminum.

    The process — Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion — allows a company to collect scrap and leftover aluminum trimmings and directly turn it into material suitable by automotive standards.

    Typically, recycled aluminum used in auto parts is added to newly mined aluminum to ensure higher quality.

    But reducing the need for new aluminum would help companies cut carbon emissions by as much as 90 percent compared with typical processes, according to Magna and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

    Staff Reporter John Irwin spoke with Aldo Van Gelder, 57, general manager of Magna’s corporate R&D center, about the collaboration. Here are edited excerpts.

    Q: What spurred this partnership?

    A: It’s tied to the increased consumption of aluminum and extrusions in vehicle structures. As that becomes more important, we’re looking at what type of processes and technologies are coming to market that we could use that could provide us a competitive advantage and garner more market share.

    The expectation is the market for extrusions will double in the next 10 years. We’re moving with the market in that direction, with the way customers are designing those vehicles. It’s matching our process and footprint with the market and our customers.

    What does this require from a capital perspective?

    You can call it heavy manufacturing, so it’s capital intensive. If you look at casting or stamping or injection molding, all of these are capital intensive. Very few product areas that we operate in aren’t capital intensive. The fact that this can provide strategic advantages in terms of energy efficiency and lower cost is the primary reason we’re interested in this technology.

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  • Indy 500: Rosenqvist tops first qualifying in McLaren 1-2

    Indy 500: Rosenqvist tops first qualifying in McLaren 1-2

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    Rosenqvist set the fastest four-lap average of 233.947mph around the 2.5-mile oval with just over an hour remaining of the six-hour session, boasting a quickest single lap 234.329mph.

    “That was a phenomenal run,” he said. “I wasn’t super-happy with my first run, so we trimmed the car out but I had no idea we’d be so quick. That put a smile on my face.”

    Alexander Rossi made it a McLaren 1-2, taking full advantage of a favorably-early draw inside the opening 40 minutes to set an average of 233.528mph, with a fastest single-lap of 234.177mph.

    Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was third quickest with 233.528mph, which he set in much warmer track temperatures in the second hour of the session, following an overnight Honda engine change.

    Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing) was fourth, ahead of Scott Dixon (CGR) who enjoyed his best run at the warmest part of the day, and was also forced to change his engine overnight.

    Tony Kanaan, who starts his final race next weekend, rolled back the years with a 233.347mph effort to make it three McLarens in the top six.

    Also making the Fast 12 were Takuma Sato (CGR), Pato O’Ward (McLaren), Santino Ferrucci (AJ Foyt Racing), Marcus Ericsson (CGR), top rookie Benjamin Pedersen (Foyt) and Will Power (Team Penske).

    Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet

    Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

    The battle for the last spot in the Fast 12

    The primary target of the six hours of qualifying was to get inside the top 12 positions, allowing drivers to transfer into Sunday’s Fast 12 session to decide the first four rows of the starting grid.

    Just after the halfway point of the session, Kanaan’s four-lap average tied to the 10 thousandth of a second at 2m34.7591s with Ed Carpenter for P12. But Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti) squeezed ahead of them both with 232.662mph for the vital transfer spot with 90 minutes remaining.

    Kanaan’s late flyer of 233.347mph jumped him up to fifth, pushing Kirkwood out and putting Power on the bubble. “I’m too old for this man,” Kanaan quipped.

    Carpenter ran again, almost brushing the Turn 4 wall on his way to 232.689mph, but just missed bumping Power. “I had one awkward downshift, but that’s how tight it is,” he rued.

    Carpenter will start the Indy 500 from 13th on the grid, ahead of Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood (the fastest Andretti Autosport car), Conor Daly (ECR) and Josef Newgarden (Penske). Positions 13-30 are now set, and these cars won’t run tomorrow.

    Katherine Legge, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

    Katherine Legge, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

    Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images

    The battle to avoid last-chance qualifying

    The drama at the bottom of the speed charts revolved around the quartet of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s cars, Dale Coyne Racing’s David Malukas and Sting Ray Robb, and Callum Ilott’s Juncos Hollinger Racing entry as they all toiled to avoid tomorrow’s back row shootout, which decides what driver goes home.

    Having switched to team-mate Agustin Canapino’s test car for today, after team boss Ricardo Juncos declared his original car “unsafe”, Ilott dragged himself out of the drop zone at the halfway point of the session with the 27th best run. “Honestly it’s tough, I kinda wanna cry and maybe I did a little bit,” he admitted with relief.

    Canapino himself came closest to crashing today, clipping the wall on the exit of Turn 1 hard enough to bend his right-rear suspension. “I had a big understeer with the wind, so my mistake,” said Canapino, who was safely in the field in 26th.

    Malukas grabbed 30th with 90 minutes to go, dumping team-mate Robb and the RLL cars of Christian Lundgaard, Graham Rahal and Jack Harvey into the danger zone. But Lundgaard responded and bumped him back a few minutes later.

    But with 13 minutes remaining, Malukas produced 231.769mph to leap to 23rd and consign Lundgaard into the bottom four with Harvey, Robb and Rahal. One of them will go home at the end of tomorrow.

    Lundgaard got the final run of qualifying, but could not improve on his time, which meant Katherine Legge is guaranteed to start the race in 30th spot.

    Indianapolis 500 qualifying: Day 1 results

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