Keep in mind when these tiny dongles that your insurance coverage firm supplied to doubtlessly decrease your insurance coverage charges got here out? Insurers spun a beautiful story: merely plug into your automobile’s OBDII port and report telematics knowledge, ship (or in right this moment’s case, beam) it again to the mothership, after which they might doubtlessly decrease your premium primarily based on this knowledge. It turned out that wasn’t at all times the case, and a few people rapidly discovered that their premiums jumped as a result of their driving habits.
Welcome to Essential Supplies, your each day roundup for all issues EV and automotive tech. As we speak, we’re chatting about what number of automakers have made these tiny dongles out of date by baking the potential of data-sharing immediately into the automobile. We’re additionally going to cowl simply who Tesla is prioritizing Cybertruck deliveries to, and Volvo’s goal to chop down on charging instances by 30% in future automobiles because of a brand new tech partnership.
30%: Automakers Are Sharing Your Driving Knowledge With Insurance coverage Corporations
Insurance coverage is a risk-based sport, and something that insurance coverage corporations can do to higher decide danger is a bonus. A brand new report by the New York Occasions uncovered, that features snooping round new linked automobile driving knowledge supplied by automakers and utilizing that to customise premiums very similar to that tiny, elective OBDII dongle.
In a single occasion, NYT’s report uncovered {that a} 65-year-old driver of a 2022 Chevy Bolt had his insurance coverage premium leap by 21%. When he began buying round for decrease quotes, they have been additionally excessive. He questioned his insurance coverage agent who informed him that his LexisNexis report was a think about his charge hike.
LexisNexis is an information dealer. Primarily, they observe driving information, citations, automobile accidents, and—most just lately—linked automobile driving habits knowledge. This knowledge is remodeled right into a danger rating for insurance coverage corporations who can use it to tailor premiums to particular person drivers with out the necessity for that pesky elective dongle. The motive force talked about above requested his LexisNexis knowledge and was supplied with a 258-page disclosure report which detailed 640 particular person journeys. It included begin and finish instances, the gap pushed, dashing, laborious braking, quick acceleration, and extra. Location knowledge was not included.
Because it seems, the driving force had GM’s OnStar Sensible Driver service turned on. A GM spokesperson informed NYT that the driving force might have turned it on by the cell app, or had it turned on once they bought the car. NYT additionally says that it was doable that the driving force opted-in unknowingly on the dealership, as salespeople can reportedly obtain bonuses for enrolling drivers in OnStar providers.
This is not distinctive to GM, although. Kia, Mitsubishi, and Subaru all have methods of submitting knowledge to LexisNexis—it is the explanation their telematics trade database has collected data from over 10 million automobiles as of 2022. Likewise, Ford, Honda, and Hyundai all have data-sharing partnerships with Verisk, one other telematics knowledge dealer. Tesla additionally has a security rating system used to tailor insurance coverage quotes for its insurance coverage providing. These data-sharing packages all assumingly require opt-in consent.
In the event you’re curious whether or not or not your automobile is able to amassing this knowledge, you may enter your VIN on Automobile Privateness Report. You can even request a replica of your LexisNexis or Verisk report.
60%: Tesla Prioritizing Deliveries of the Cybertruck to Excessive-Worth Shareholders
Trying to decide up a model new Tesla Cybertruck and have a great deal of Tesla inventory? Nicely, I’ve received excellent news for you: Tesla is prioritizing deliveries of the Cybertruck to “long-term” shareholders.
The automaker just lately introduced the early Cybertruck supply program for shareholders on its web site, providing those that have had a stake within the firm for an prolonged time frame and a Cybertruck reservation the choice of taking early supply of a limited-run 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Basis Collection which is allegedly restricted 1,000 items and tacks on a $20,000 premium over the wait-your-turn fashions.
These seeking to benefit from the provide should not solely have owned 500 shares of Tesla inventory on the finish of February 2024, however they should have additionally owned at the least 50% of these shares on the finish of February twenty eighth, 2021. Shareholders cannot simply reserve a truck right this moment and leap the checklist, although. Tesla says that the Cybertruck reservation should have been made earlier than March 1st, 2024 to qualify.
On the final buying and selling day of February 2021, Tesla shares have been buying and selling for $269. Which means that the shareholder should have bought at the least $67,250 value of Tesla inventory in 2021. As we speak, 500 shares of Tesla are value $88,885
Tesla’s resolution to prioritize shareholder supply is not the primary time that it is allowed potential consumers to leap the road. The automaker additionally supplied a referral reward to permit homeowners who’ve accrued at the least 30,000 referral credit to take early supply of their reserved Cybertruck.
Potential consumers have till March twenty second to join the provide.
90%: Volvo Goals to Lower Charging Occasions by 30% in Future Automobiles
Most new EV consumers take a little bit of time to regulate to the concept of public charging. The considered plugging in and ready on the charger will be formidable to some, however the actuality is rather more straightforward to cope with. Nonetheless, automakers need to discover a manner out of that stigma as rapidly as doable to assist customers ease the transition from gasoline to battery energy.
Volvo particularly has partnered with Breathe Battery Applied sciences, an organization that focuses on constructing higher battery administration software program to assist make more healthy batteries that cost extra rapidly with out extra adjustments to the pack.
Particularly, Breathe has developed software program that Volvo believes will minimize down on the time it takes to cost its batteries from 10% to 80% by as a lot as 30%. Volvo says that its new EX90 takes about half-hour to finish this cost on a 250-kilowatt DC Quick Charger. A 30% discount would imply spending simply 21 minutes on the charger to hit 80%, which is almost as quick because the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s claimed 18-minute cost time.
Volvo says this new software program permits for a totally adaptive charging methodology to regulate the battery in actual time. This can be a bit totally different than stepped charging which “steps down” the present of electrical energy because the voltage of the battery will increase. Volvo claims that the software program doesn’t influence the battery’s well being and that the development will final the lifetime of the battery.
Volvo Vehicles Tech Fund CEO Ann-Sofie Ekberg says that this can be a “main step in the best route” within the shift to electrification:
Quicker charging instances, within the vary the place clients usually quick cost, characterize a significant step in the best route as we proceed to spice up electrical mobility and make it out there to extra folks.
Now, Volvo does not say when this specific tech will make it into its automobiles, however when you see a big drop in charging instances over the following few years, it may be a touch. The excellent news is that the software program is claimed to be totally appropriate with the present {hardware} on its automobiles which is able to make scaling up a breeze.
100%: How Typically Do You Quick Cost?
Faster quick charging is neat and all, nevertheless it received me occupied with how usually I really cease at a quick charger versus powering up at dwelling. Over the previous 12 months, about 15% of my charging has been at Tesla Superchargers, which works out to about 29 classes, or one session each 550 miles.
Every of those classes has been pretty painless, with nearly all of my cost classes being accomplished earlier than I may even step out of the automobile to make use of the restroom or seize a fast chew to eat. The truth is, I can solely actually bear in mind two events the place I waited within the automobile with nothing else to do however watch Netflix on my infotainment display screen. So whereas I am positive I would not thoughts sooner charging on these extra boring classes, I really feel like when you cost principally at dwelling, a number of longer stops on the quick charger will not be terribly inconvenient—properly, until I used to be driving one thing with an enormous 212-kWh battery.
How do my stats stack up with yours? Let me know within the feedback.