GM signs $18.6 billion EV cathode supply deal with LG Chem
The Korean chemicals giant agreed to provide GM with some 950,000 tons of cathodes through the end of the decade.
Bosch pushes back margin target, warns of further job cuts
Bosch said it is in talks with employee representatives in its mobility department about “personnel adjustments,” adding redundancies were off the table under agreements struck between the company and its works council until 2027.
China to help NEV industry respond to foreign trade restrictions
China has issued guidelines encouraging automakers to set up R&D and after-sales service centers abroad, to collaborate with foreign partners in building supply chains, and to work more closely with shipping companies on transportation logistics.
Driverless Waymo car hits cyclist in San Francisco, causes minor scratches
The accident occurred after the cyclist was hidden by a truck and not visible as they crossed into the Waymo vehicle’s path, the company said.
NASA’s JPL to lay off hundreds amid Mars mission budget cuts
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced it was laying off 530 on staff or about 8% of its workforce on Tuesday after expected congressional budget cuts kneecapped one of its biggest endeavors, the Mars Sample Return mission.
The Pasadena, California institution is one of NASA’s major science mission hubs, the home to the majority of Mars missions including the Perseverance rover currently collecting soil and rock samples as part of that mission.
JPL Director Laurie Leshin said fiscal wrangling in Washington has led to an expected budget for that mission of only $300 million, which is less than one third the Biden administration’s requested $949 million for fiscal year 2024, which began last Oct. 1.
While a version in the House opts for the full request, the Senate’s version is at the much lower amount, and both the White House and NASA have directed JPL to begin operating with an expected $649 million shortfall.
NASA spent $822 million on the sample return mission in FY 2023. The mission calls for a lander to make its way to Mars and collect the samples being gathered by Perseverance, after which they will be launched back off the planet to meet up with an orbiting probe that will then send them on their way back to Earth. The mission has been a priority for NASA after its top ranking in the latest Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, which helps guide NASA science mission choices.