The back-up safety driver present inside of an Uber self-driving vehicle that fatally hit a woman in Arizona in 2018 has been charged with negligent homicide. 46-year-old Rafaela Vasquez pleaded not guilty on Tuesday after being charged with the death of Elaine Herzberg on August 27, according to court records. The trial is slated to begin in February 2021.

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• Vasquez was apparently distracted at the time of the accident, as she was watching an episode of "The Voice" on her phone while driving, according to internal camera footage. Tempe Police has said the crash was “entirely avoidable.”
• The accident will likely set a precedent for the autonomous vehicle industry, as prosecutors did not charge Uber with any criminal liability in the accident in March 2019, but did charge the back-up safety driver.
• In November 2019, the NTSB did fault Vasquez’s actions, but also held Uber responsible for inadequate attention to safety when developing its autonomous vehicle systems. The software in the modified Volvo SUV did not properly identify Herzberg as a pedestrian.

GM offered more details on its “Ultium” battery platform, saying the technology would power a family of five interchangeable drive units and three motors. This would allow Ultium to be used in a variety of vehicles and settings, from low-cost micro EVs to high-performance electric sports cars.

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• Like other EV companies, including Volkswagen’s and Tesla GM is positioning its EV battery architecture as a platform that can be used in different vehicles.
• GM plans to build 23 new electric vehicles by 2023.
• Ultium, which is a joint venture between GM and battery manufacturer LG Chem, is expected to power a series of vehicles from other carmakers, including Honda and Nikola.
• Tesla's widely-expected “Battery Day,” where the automaker will show off its improved battery technology, is scheduled for next week.

LG Chem is working to spin off and publicly list its battery business to finance growing operations. The company’s board is reportedly set to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the plan, which may include an IPO. LG Chem did not respond to a request for comment. 

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• LG Chem has been on-boarding a slew of high-profile automakers as it expands its EV battery business, listing Tesla, GM, and Volkswagen as clients. 
• By going public, LG Chem’s battery business may draw the same attention from investors other EV companies and material makers have gained in recent months, including Nikola and QuantumScape.
• The public listing would give the company additional capital to expand its EV battery production operations and source materials for future battery production. 
• Along with its energy solutions division, which builds EV batteries, LG Chem also specializes in life sciences and petrochemicals.

Kia is launching its first dedicated EV next year. Through 2027, the automaker plans to roll out seven new dedicated EVs, forgoing the automaker's current trend of electrifying existing models.

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• To date, Kia has electrified existing models, like the Niro and Soul. Kia’s plan would create seven new models that would be offered exclusively as EVs. Hyundai has taken a similar initiative with its Ioniq series.
• The first dedicated EV will be code-named “CV” and will be built on Kia’s “Electric-Global Modular Platform.”
• Kia expects 25% of its global sales to be EVs by 2029 and comes amid a series of EV investment commitments made by parent company Hyundai Motor Group. Over the next five years, Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest $87b in to launch about 44 EVs.
• Kia has sold about 100,000 EVs globally to date and is also exploring subscription services centered around EVs.

Controversy has started to swirl around Steve Girsky, a former GM executive who was partially responsible for taking Nikola public. Girsky orchestrated Nikola’s reverse merger through a blank-check company he operated, VectoIQ.

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• In an August 2 webcast of Autoline This Week, Girsky said VectoIQ showed up with an “army” of people to conduct due diligence on Nikola and said he put his reputation on the line with the deal.
• GM CEO Mary Barra also stated the automaker conducted “appropriate diligence” on the deal.
• Nikola is now concurrently being investigated by both the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission after a short seller, Hindenburg Research, issued a report alleging fraud at the startup.
• Before starting the VectoIQ blank check company, Girsky served as a vice chairman for GM, overseeing global corporate strategy and new business development.
• He leveraged his connections at GM to connect Nikola with the automaker, which last week struck a deal to use GM’s Ultium technology.

Tesla is building its largest Supercharger in Firebaugh, California. The station will be located adjacent to a stretch of the Interstate 5 that connects San Francisco and Sacramento to Los Angeles.

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• Tesla has a few Supercharger stations in China with 50 stalls, but with 56, this would be its largest globally. It will also include 9 additional spaces for non-Tesla EV charging.
• The project calls for an adjacent restaurant and convenience store that would have 30 employees.
• The site is adjacent to an Electrify America charging station.

Amazon has agreed to buy 10 electric trucks from Canadian EV truck manufacturer Lion Electric. The e-commerce giant will introduce the vehicles this fall as a part of its "Climate Pledge." 

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• Amazon previously ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian and recently made key hires for its e-bikes division.
• Lion Electric, is best known for its electrified school bus business, unveiled an electric Class 8 truck in March 2019.
• The truck can contain up to 480 kWh of battery packs and can be charged at a rate of up to 100kW.

QUICK HITS

• ChargePoint could soon become the latest company to go public via SPAC, as it is in talks on a reverse merger with Switchback Energy Acquisition Corp.
• Tesla partnered with Geico Taikisha for its Berlin Gigafactory’s paint shop. Elon Musk said Berlin’s paint shop will be able to create unique coats, including “Deep Crimson.”
• Electrify America has updated its pricing model, lowering prices for most EV chargers.
• Slack is gathering industry leaders and product experts at Slack Frontiers, a free virtual conference dedicated to digital transformation.* 

*This is a sponsored link