All posts tagged: carvana

TechCrunch Mobility: Inside GM’s 0M EV battery gamble

TechCrunch Mobility: Inside GM’s $900M EV battery gamble

Published by skeptic

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Senior reporter (and resident battery expert) Tim De Chant traveled to General Motors’ sprawling Warren Technical Center outside Detroit to learn more about the automaker’s plans to reduce the cost of its next slate of EVs. The upshot: GM is banking on LMR batteries and a new Battery Cell Development Center that is viewed as the bridge between its R&D efforts and full-scale production.  Kurt Kelty, GM’s VP of battery and sustainability, provided fresh details about the company’s $900 million initiative and how this new chemistry will preserve range while slashing costs. For instance, the Chevrolet Silverado EV could be $6,000 cheaper. Read the story here. As with most companies these days, AI also makes a cameo appearance. Although I should note that AI plays more than just a supporting role at GM. I recently interviewed Sterling Anderson, GM’s chief product officer, …

Carvana’s bet on Slate is a bet the future of automotive retail

Carvana’s bet on Slate is a bet the future of automotive retail

Published by skeptic

As new electric vehicle brands like Scout and Slate search for alternatives to franchise auto dealers, America’s largest online auto retailer is quietly positioning itself to become the future of automotive retail. Earlier this week, online auto retailing giant Carvana was given a green light to buy shares in Jeff Bezos-backed Slate – and the timing is notable. While dealer groups across the country continue to challenge direct-sales models used by companies like Tesla and Scout in court, manufacturers are still looking for a way to market, finance, deliver, and service their vehicles at scale in a way that cuts the dealers (and their stupid pricing games) out of the picture. Carvana already does all of those things. And whether or not this was part of the plan, the fact remains that as the company continues to buy up more and more dealers, it is effectively eliminating their ability to object to those deals. Advertisement – scroll for more content Hear me out The big vending machine; by Carvana. If Carvana becomes the 800 lb. gorilla …