Toronto, Ontario — July 29, 2019 – From pushed back plans to major strides towards more accessible cities, this week’s AV report covers all the highs and lows of the autonomous and electric automotive industry.
GM Delays AVs
General Motors plans to roll autonomous taxis out onto the roads has been halted.
It was reported that by June of this year, GM had faced a series of regulatory and technical issues, preventing the company from meeting their goals by the end of 2019.
“There is a specific reason we are moving ahead with the next steps of scaling up infrastructure and scaling up tech,” reported CEO Dan Ammann.
“Cruise cars are a very present thing and will be even more present. It’s going to be clear that we’re up to something, and that something is around the corner.”
However, it’s much more important that they’re taking their time developing such sensitive technology.
“Underlying that is really this goal to gain wide-scale acceptance of the tech. To get full-scale buy-in, it’s really important that we do it the right way,” reported Ammann,
Rebate Recall
As the rest of Canada is slowly turning to EVs, Ontarians are less than thrilled about going electric after the Ontario government has announced the end of their EV rebate program.
According to CBC, The Ontario government believes that canceling its Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program could save “taxpayers up to an estimated $1 billion over four years.” However, this has resulted in a 50 percent decline in EV sales.
During the first quarter of 2018, more than 2,600 electric vehicles were sold in Ontario. This year during the same time period, the number had dropped to 1,219.
“Definitely, there was quite a significant decline,” stated CEO of Plug’n Drive, Cara Clairman. “Especially right after the rebates were cut.”
The rebates had offered Ontarian’s up to $5000 for owning a zero-emissions vehicle.
Malek Goes Mobile
An autonomous start-up campaign isn’t only helping the earth, but helping citizens with physical disabilities.
May Mobility is a start-up campaign initiated in Columbus, Ohio. Using a small, slow-paced, autonomous and electric vehicle, the vehicle has enough room to comfortably transport citizens without making them leave their wheelchair.
The founder, Alisyn Mayek, kickstarted this campaign with a vision of for the planet and people across the country.
“Our focus is how we can transform cities, making them safer, greener and more accessible for everybody,” stated Malek. “How can we make transportation easier for everybody? And part of that is we really have to think about ‘everybody.’”
