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WASHINGTON — Two fatal crashes, both involving Tesla Model 3 sedans with driver-assist technology, were reported during the Sept. 16 to Oct. 15 period, according to federal data released Tuesday.

Both crash deaths happened in California, though many of the details are redacted or considered confidential, NHTSA data shows.

Tesla's Autopilot driver-assist system has been under escalated scrutiny by the federal regulators after a series of crashes in the U.S. that resulted in more than a dozen injuries and one death.

Through Oct. 15, NHTSA has received reports of 18 fatal crashes involving vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems since it began forcing automakers, suppliers and tech companies to disclose the data last year.

The agency's order applies to vehicles equipped with Level 2 systems — those with driver-assist features such as lane-centering and adaptive cruise control — and Level 3 to Level 5 systems, which are not yet avail…

Automatic emergency braking and forward-collision warning technology is taking a bite out of front-to-rear crashes. The FTC refunds millions of dollars to consumers in a case against Napleton Automotive. Electric truck stops of the future will need as much energy as a small town. Plus, a preview of this week’s LA Auto Show with VP of Marketing David Fortin.

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WASHINGTON — Automatic emergency braking systems can reduce rear-end crashes in pickups, but few are equipped with the safety feature as standard technology, according to a study released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The study used data gathered from police-reported crashes in 25 states from 2017 to 2020 and looked at the rate at which pickups rear-ended other vehicles per year.

The rear-end crash rate was 43 percent lower for pickups equipped with the technology than for those without it, the findings showed. Rear-end injury crash rates were 42 percent lower.

"These numbers confirm that [automatic emergency braking] is reducing crashes for pickups, just as it is cars, SUVs and large trucks," said study author Jessica Cicchino, vice president at the insurer-funded institute. "The faster automakers can make sure that every pickup they sell has this important safety feature, the better."

Automatic emergency braking aimed at…

Porsche is accelerating toward a greener future with the arrival of its first electric crossover — a battery-powered Macan that will pack a big battery and output.

The more than 600 hp electric Macan will be the "sportiest model in its segment," Porsche says.

Software supplier-related issues have delayed the compact luxury crossover by about a year. Production of the electric Macan will begin at a plant in Leipzig, Germany, in early fall 2023, analysts say, with U.S. deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2024.

The Macan EV — the sports car maker's second all-electric model, after the Taycan — is critical to Porsche's aims to generate more than 80 percent of new-vehicle sales globally from EVs by 2030.

The combustion engine variant is Porsche's best-selling U.S. model, accounting for nearly a third of sales in the first nine months.

Porsche expects to build as many units of the electric Macan EV compact crossover as the combustion en…

Die casting manufacturer Pace Industries LLC plans to close a plant in Michigan and lay off 244 employees due to "financial trouble."

The permanent layoffs at the factory in Muskegon, Mich., will start Dec. 20 and be complete by the end of the year, according to a WARN notice filed to the state. Employees are not represented by a union.

The notice does not expound on the financial trouble leading to the closure. Crain's Detroit Business, an affiliate of Automotive News, could not immediately reach the company for comment Monday.

Pace has four manufacturing locations in the Muskegon area, according to its website.

The layoffs are the latest for a manufacturing sector that has been hit hard by inflation and supply chain troubles over the past two years. Several small manufacturers and local tool-and-die shops have filed for bankruptcy protection amid the pressure.

Last year, Pace moved its headquarters from Arkansas to suburban Detroit, whe…

The Federal Trade Commission is sending payments totaling more than $9.8 million to the thousands of consumers affected by a discrimination lawsuit against Napleton Automotive Group.

The agency is distributing 66,355 checks averaging $147 each to car buyers it says were affected by unlawful practices at group stores. Consumers should cash the checks within 90 days, the FTC said in a statement Monday.

Napleton Automotive, of Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., in March was the subject of a suit the FTC and the State of Illinois filedalleging that employees were adding illegal junk fees for unwanted add-ons to vehicle purchases and charging more in financing for Black consumers.

The joint complaint cited eight Napleton dealerships in Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri and a general manager of two Illinois dealerships accused of adding junk fees and other products illegally, such as paint protection, in contracts as long as 60 pages.

In April, the de…

CEO Mary Barra plans to tell investors this week that GM expects its EVs to be profitable in 2025. Stellantis locks in a new chip supplier. Toyota is set to unveil its fifth-generation Prius. Plus, Nauto Founder and CEO Stefan Heck talks about how his company’s AI cloud data platform can be used to crack down on drowsy driving for fleets.

How do I subscribe?

Can't wait to hear the next episode of "Daily Drive"? Subscribe through a podcast app to receive episodes days in advance. If you don't have a podcast app already, here are some options. 

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Every morning, as freezing winds blow across his construction site in northern China, Liu Jianhong gathers his workers for a cup of hot tea. Liu, whose business in Shaanxi province often operates beyond the reach of power grids, plugs a hairdryer-like charger into his hybrid electric vehicle, a crossover from Chinese automaker BYD Co. The other end of the charger connects to his kettle. A few minutes later, it lets out a whistle and tea time begins.

“With the help of the electric car, we can drink tea whenever and wherever we want. My workers are over the moon,” says Liu, 57, who used to schlep hot water in a too-small thermos from a nearby village each day, forcing his employees to take turns enjoying tea breaks. Liu’s EV has come to the rescue before, like when he needed to charge a power drill at a newly-built home he hadn’t realized wasn’t connected to a utility. “If it were not for my car, I would have wasted all the time and energy going there,” he says.

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BERLIN -- Stellantis has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with German chipmaker Infineon for a multi-year supply of silicon carbide semiconductors.

Infineon will reserve production capacity and will supply the power semiconductors directly to Stellantis suppliers in the second half of the decade.

Well over 1 billion euros' ($1.03 billion) worth of chips could be involved, Infineon said in a statement on Monday.

The chips would be meant for electric vehicles under the Stellantis brands, Infineon said.

Stellantis plans to convert its brands in Europe including Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and Alfa Romeo into all-electric marques by the end of the decade, ahead of the European Union's plan to effectively ban internal combustion engines by 2035 by requiring all new cars sold from then to produce zero emissions.

Chip shortages over the past couple of years have forced global automakers to cut back on production.

Stellantis CEO Carl…

JAKARTA -- The Indonesia Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund, will set up a green electric vehicle fund of at least $2 billion with Chinese battery maker CATL and CMB International, the fund's CEO said on Monday.

The announcement was made in a live-streamed business conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

INA CEO Ridha Wirakusumah then signed an agreement for the partnership with company executives from CATL and CMB International.

The fund will invest in the EV value chain to capture a market that is expected to grow fast globally, driven by countries' pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Ridha said.

"With CATL and CMB International as the main partners, we are looking for limited partners to invest in the green EV fund, to seize this EV value chain opportunity primarily in Indonesia," Ridha said.

Indonesia's own EV market is on track to grow, with 2.1 million electric motorcycle and 400,000 electric vehi…

How innovative packaging is boosting EV battery performance

As we wait to see if solid state batteries or another major EV chemical breakthrough finally emerges, keep a close eye on how battery makers are packaging today's batteries.

"That's where the real advancements" in EV battery performance stem from today, Conrad Layson, senior alternative propulsion analyst at AutoForecast Solutions LLC, told me.

In this week's Automotive News, we take a look at the challenges facing the industry in finding that breakthrough in battery technology.

From a chemical standpoint, lithium ion battery development has more or less plateaued. But the industry doesn't need to rely only on chemical breakthroughs to see marked improvements in battery performance. Innovative ways of packaging battery cells can also yield higher ranges, faster charging times or lower production costs.

Tesla's 4680 battery is one of the most high-profile examples, with its cylind…