With a plan to double its sales of fuel cell vehicles, Toyota is planning a hydrogen-powered version of its Crown sedan as part of its carbon-neutral strategy.
- As opposed to creating a separate vehicle nameplate to carry the fuel cell like the company did with the Mirai, the drive train will be one of the options on the already existing Crown, which will also be available as a hybrid.
- In an April briefing, Toyota Executive VP Hiroki Nakajima stated that the mass production of fuel cells, owing to their lightweight nature and quick refueling, will be driven by commercial vehicles. The company plans to promote fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), starting with medium to heavy-duty trucks.
- Just last week, Toyota decided with Daimler Truck to combine their commercial truck subsidiaries, Hino and Mitsubishi Fuso, primarily to develop hydrogen, autonomous, connected, and electrified tech.
- It's not clear whether this sedan will be available in the U.S.
Tesla buyers are in for a surprise as the full $7,500 federal tax credit is now applicable to its most affordable Model 3 according to the online configurator, bringing the effective price down to about $30,000 for eligible buyers.
- The federal tax credit for Tesla's Base Model 3 which starts at $40,240, was previously $3,750; the increased tax credit essentially cuts the base model's cost down to $32,740 after federal incentives.
- Many states have additional incentives which would bring the price below $30k
- It remains unclear how Tesla managed this feat, given previous limitations on credits for certain models, but it is assumed they allocated US made battery packs to the model and redirected Chinese made packs elsewhere.
- The tax credit is also applicable to new inventory Model 3 vehicles currently available for delivery, which start at $37,830, thus bringing their price down to nearly $30,000 after tax credits for eligible buyers.
Following up on a story we covered on Friday, the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Aerospace Society have clarified comments made by Colonel Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton regarding a rogue AI drone simulation saying the Colonel “misspoke”.
- The scenario, initially reported as an actual simulation, was a hypothetical "thought experiment" reflecting potential challenges with AI-powered capability.
- Despite the scenario being purely hypothetical, it underscores the importance of ethical guidelines and rigorous testing in the development and deployment of AI technologies, particularly in sensitive areas like the military.
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