Business
Small, Well-Built Chinese EV Called The Seagull Poses A Big Threat To The US Auto Industry
Livonia, Michigan —The Seagull, a small, low-cost electric automobile, has American automakers and politicians concerned.
The vehicle, which Chinese automaker BYD unveiled last year, costs about $12,000 in China, but it drives smoothly and has a level of craftsmanship that is comparable to three times more expensive electric vehicles made in the United States. A shorter-range version costs less than $10,000.
Tariffs on imported Chinese vehicles are expected to keep the Seagull away from American shores for the time being, and if imported, it will most certainly cost more than $12,000.
PixBay – VOR News Image
Small, Well-Built Chinese EV Called The Seagull Poses A Big Threat To The US Auto Industry
However, the quick introduction of low-cost EVs from China has the potential to shake up the global auto industry in ways not seen since Japanese manufacturers erupted onto the scene during the 1970s oil crisis. BYD, which stands for “Build Your Dreams,” could be disastrous for the US auto industry.
“Any car company that isn’t paying attention to them as a competitor will be lost when they enter their market,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions near Philadelphia. “BYD’s entry into the US market is not a question. “It’s a when.”
Politicians and businesses in the United States already perceive Chinese EVs as a potential threat. On Tuesday, the Biden administration will likely impose 100% tariffs on imported electric vehicles from China, citing a threat to American jobs and security.
According to a study by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, government subsidies for Chinese electric vehicles “could end up being an extinction-level event for the U.S. auto sector.”
Earlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned industry analysts that Chinese EVs are so good that, without trade obstacles, “they will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world.”
Outside China, EVs are often expensive, catering to a higher-income niche market. However, Chinese businesses that still need to be worldwide household names are providing affordable solutions that appeal to the masses, just as the United States, Europe, and many other nations are pushing a shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles to combat climate change.
“The Western markets have not democratized EVs. “They gentrified EVs,” said Bill Russo, founder of Shanghai-based consultancy Automobility Ltd. “And gentrification limits the market size. China is all about democratizing electric vehicles, ultimately leading Chinese companies to success as they expand globally.”Inside a massive garage in an industrial location west of Detroit, Caresoft Global disassembled and reassembled a bright green Seagull purchased in China and delivered to the United States.
Company President Terry Woychowski, a former chief engineer on General Motors’ large pickup trucks, described the car as a “clarion call” for the United States auto industry, years behind China in developing low-cost EVs.
Following the breakdown, Woychowski, who has been in the car industry for 45 years, expressed concern about whether American automakers can adapt. “Things will have to change in some radical ways in order to be able to compete,” he stated.
There is no single miracle that explains how BYD can produce the Seagull so cheaply. Instead, Woychowski described the complete vehicle, which can travel 252 miles (405 kilometers) on each charge, as “an exercise in efficiency.”
Higher labor costs in the United States are one factor to consider. BYD can keep costs down due to its competence in manufacturing lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are primarily used in consumer products. They are less expensive but have a shorter range than most modern lithium-ion batteries.
Woychowski explained that Americans are still discovering how to build cheaper batteries. Ford is constructing a lithium iron phosphate battery facility using technology from China’s CATL.
BYD manufactures several parts, such as electric motors, dashboards, bodywork, and headlights. It also has the advantage of massive size, with 3 million vehicles sold worldwide last year.
“By having that all in-house and vertically integrated, there’s an incredible advantage that they have,” Woychowski stated.
BYD designs all of its cars with cost and efficiency in mind. For example, the Seagull has only one windshield wiper, eliminating one motor and one arm, saving weight, money, and labor during installation.
According to Woychowski, automakers in the United States rarely design automobiles in this manner, resulting in higher engineering expenses. Hoses, for example, must meet long-standing combustion engine standards for strength and the capacity to convey fluid under high pressure, many of which are unnecessary in electric vehicles.
PixaBay – VOR News Image
Small, Well-Built Chinese EV Called The Seagull Poses A Big Threat To The US Auto Industry
The weight reductions accumulate, allowing the Seagull to travel further per charge with a smaller battery. For example, the Seagull that Caresoft tested weighs 2,734 pounds (1,240 kilograms), around 900 pounds less than a Chevrolet Bolt, GM’s slightly larger electric vehicle.
To stay up, Detroit must swiftly re-learn a lot of design and engineering while discarding traditions developed over a century of vehicle production. He said the problem will be deciding which procedures to preserve for safety and quality and which to eliminate because they are unnecessary.
“You’re going to have to come and be extremely serious about this, and you better park your paradigms at the door,” Woychowski stated. “Because you’re going to have to do things differently.”
Despite its simple form, the Seagull exudes quality. The doors close solidly. The gray synthetic leather seats include stitching that matches the body color, a characteristic often found in more costly vehicles. The Seagull “Flying Edition” reviewed by Caresoft includes six airbags, rear disc brakes, and electronic stability control.
A reporter’s brief drive around connected parking lots revealed that it runs quietly and can manage bends and bumps like more expensive electric vehicles.
While the acceleration isn’t as impressive as other EVs, the Seagull is quick and would easily enter a freeway in heavy traffic. Woychowski claims the top speed is limited to 81 mph (130 km/h).
BYD would have to adapt its vehicles to meet US safety regulations, which are more strict than those in China. Woychowski says Caresoft still needs to do crash tests, but he estimates that doing so would cost $2,000 more for the Seagull.
BYD sells the Seagull, renamed the Dolphin Mini in some overseas markets, for almost $21,000 in four Latin American nations, more than twice the price here. The greater price includes transportation costs but also reflects the potential for bigger profits in less competitive markets than China.
In Europe, BYD sells larger models like the Seal, which starts at 46,990 euros ($50,000) in France. According to the China Passenger Car Association, the Chinese manufacturer’s top two overseas markets in the first two months of this year were Thailand and Brazil.
BYD manufactures electric buses in California and told the Associated Press last year that it is “still in the process” of determining whether to sell automobiles in the United States. Two firm executives stated in media interviews earlier this year that it is considering sites for production in Mexico, but only for the Mexican market.
Pixabay – VOR News Image
Small, Well-Built Chinese EV Called The Seagull Poses A Big Threat To The US Auto Industry
The company does not sell cars in the United States, owing mostly to 27.5% tariffs on Chinese vehicle sales when they arrive at ports. When Donald Trump was president, he imposed the majority of the tariff, 25%, which remained in place under Joe Biden. Trump claims that Biden’s push for electric vehicles will kill American manufacturing jobs, transferring the work to China.
The Biden administration has supported legislation and policies to establish a US EV manufacturing base, and it has not ruled out additional tariffs to keep the Chinese out. The administration is also looking into cars built in China that could collect sensitive information.
Some members of Congress are asking Biden to prohibit imports of Chinese vehicles, while others have proposed even higher duties. This includes vehicles manufactured in Mexico by Chinese businesses, which would now be imported essentially tariff-free.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has seen Caresoft’s work on the Seagull and seen BYD’s quick growth worldwide, particularly in Europe, where he previously ran Ford’s business. He’s planning to change his company. He told analysts earlier this year that a small “skunkworks” team is developing a new, small EV from the bottom up to keep prices low and quality high.
According to Farley, Chinese manufacturers sold essentially no EVs in Europe two years ago but now account for 10% of the electric vehicle industry. They may export around the world and possibly sell in the United States.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Internet Archive Loses Major Copyright Case Court Rejects Their Arguments
The Internet Archive has lost a critical legal battle, potentially affecting the future of internet history. Today, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided against the long-running digital archive, affirming a previous decision in Hachette v. Internet Archive, which determined that one of the Internet Archive’s book digitization initiatives infringed copyright law.
Notably, the appeals court’s ruling rejects the Internet Archive’s argument that its lending practices were shielded by the fair use doctrine, which permits for copyright infringement in certain circumstances, calling it “unpersuasive.”
In March 2020, the Internet Archive, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, launched the National Emergency Library, or NEL. The epidemic had forced library closures that prevented students, scholars, and readers from accessing millions of books, and the Internet Archive has stated that it was answering to calls from common people and other librarians to assist individuals at home in obtaining the books they required.
The NEL was an extension of the Open Library, an ongoing digital lending experiment in which the Internet Archive scans physical copies of library books and allows individuals to borrow digital versions as if they were conventional reading material rather than e-books. The Open Library lent the books to one person at a time—but the NEL eliminated this ratio requirement, allowing a large number of people to borrow each scanned book at once.
Shortly after its inception, the NEL faced criticism, with some authors claiming that it amounted to piracy. In response, after two months, the Internet Archive abandoned its emergency strategy and imposed lending caps. But the harm had been done. Major publishing giants, including Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Wiley, filed the complaint in June 2020.
In March 2023, the district court found in favour of the publishers. Judge John G. Koeltl determined that the Internet Archive had created “derivative works,” claiming that its copying and lending had “nothing transformative” to offer. Following the initial verdict in Hachette v. Internet Archive, the parties reached an agreement, the specifics of which have not been released; however, the archive has filed an appeal.
According to James Grimmelmann, a professor of digital and internet law at Cornell University, the ruling is “not terribly surprising” in light of recent court interpretations of fair use.
Internet Archive won the appeal
The Internet Archive won the appeal, but only narrowly. Although the Second Circuit upheld the district court’s first decision, it underlined that it did not regard the Internet Archive as a commercial business, emphasising that it was clearly a charitable organisation. Grimmelmann believes this is the appropriate decision: “I’m glad to see that the Second Circuit fixed that mistake.” (He joined an amicus brief in the appeal, saying that classifying the use as commercial was incorrect.)
“Today’s appellate decision upholds the rights of authors and publishers to license and be compensated for their books and other creative works, and reminds us in no uncertain terms that infringement is both costly and antithetical to the public interest,” Association of American Publishers president and CEO Maria A. Pallante said in a statement.
“If there was any doubt, the Court makes clear that under fair use jurisprudence there is nothing transformative about converting entire works into new formats without permission or appropriating the value of derivative works that are a key part of the author’s copyright bundle.”
In a statement, Internet Archive director of library services Chris Freeland expressed dismay with “today’s opinion about the Internet Archive’s digital lending of books that are electronically available elsewhere.” We are reviewing the court’s decision and will continue to defend libraries’ right to own, lend, and preserve books.
Dave Hansen, executive director of the Author’s Alliance, a nonprofit organisation that frequently advocates for increased digital access to books, also spoke out against the verdict. “The authors are researchers. “Authors read,” he says. “IA’s digital library assists authors in creating new works and encourages their desire to have their works read. This verdict may boost the bottom lines of the largest publishers and most well-known authors, but it will harm more people than it will help.
Difficult period for copyright law
The Internet Archive’s legal problems are not ended. In 2023, a collection of music labels, including Universal Music collection and Sony, sued the archive for copyright infringement on a music digitization project. That case is still working its way through the courts. The damages might total up to $400 million, posing an existential danger to the nonprofit.
The new ruling comes at a particularly difficult period for copyright law. There have been scores of copyright infringement cases filed against large AI businesses that provide generative AI tools in the last two years, and many of the defendants contend that the fair use doctrine protects their use of copyrighted data in AI training. Any big lawsuit in which judges reject fair use grounds is widely monitored.
It also comes at a time when the Internet Archive’s critical role in digital preservation is becoming increasingly apparent. The archive’s Wayback Machine, which catalogues website copies, has proven to be an invaluable resource for journalists, scholars, lawyers, and anybody interested in internet history. While there are other digital preservation programs, including national efforts by the US Library of Congress, there is nothing comparable available to the public.
Business
Hewlett Packard Won’t Drop Its UK $11 Billion Claim Against Tech Mogul Mike Lynch, Who Died When His Yacht Sank
LONDON — Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced Monday that it will not dismiss its U.K. claim for damages against the estate of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who died when his superyacht drowned last month.
In 2022, Britain’s High Court decided primarily to favor the US technology giant, which accused Lynch and his former finance director of fraud concerning its $11 billion acquisition of his software company Autonomy. Hewlett-Packard is seeking up to $4 billion in damages, and the judge is anticipated to make a ruling on the exact amount shortly.
AP News Image
Hewlett Packard Won’t Drop Its UK Claim Against Tech Mogul Mike Lynch, Who Died When His Yacht Sank
Mike perished when his yacht, the Bayesian, fell in a storm off Sicily on August 19. His widow, Angela Bacares, may now be liable for the damages.
Mike was acquitted in a separate US criminal trial of fraud and conspiracy in the agreement months before the sinking.
Hewlett Packard initially applauded its pricey 2011 acquisition of Lynch’s company but soon began to regret it. The corporation stated on Monday that it had “substantially succeeded” in its civil fraud allegations against Lynch and the former finance director, Sushovan Hussain.
“It is HPE’s intention to follow the proceedings through to their conclusion.”
However, the U.K. civil action judge has already concluded that the amount payable in damages will be “substantially less” than what the company is demanding.
The Lynch family’s spokesman declined to respond.
Mike and his daughter Hannah were among six passengers killed when the 56-meter (184-foot) luxury boat sank. One crew member, the boat’s chef, also perished, while 15 people escaped the accident. They gathered on the yacht to celebrate Lynch’s acquittal.
Hewlett Packard Won’t Drop Its UK Claim Against Tech Mogul Mike Lynch, Who Died When His Yacht Sank
Officials first reported that the boat was hit by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, but the weather phenomena was later identified as a downburst. Italian prosecutors are investigating the captain on possible accusations of manslaughter.
SOURCE | AP
Business
2024 | Elon Musk Hits Out At Judge Threatening To Suspend X In Brazil
Elon Musk has escalated his online attacks on a Supreme Court judge who has threatened to stop social media platform X in Brazil, labeling him “an evil dictator” in an ongoing battle between the two men.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes threatened to suspend X if Musk did not identify a new legal agent for the company in Brazil and pay any outstanding daily fines within 24 hours.
“Alexandre de Moraes is an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge,” the world’s richest person commented on X.
Elon Musk Hits Out At Judge Threatening To Suspend X In Brazil
Musk, who previously referred to de Moraes as “Darth Vader,” retweeted a statement from X’s Global Government Affairs team announcing that the judge’s “illegal demands and all related court filings” would be published in the coming days.
Brazil is a key market for social media networks. According to the Associated Press, around 40 million Brazilians, or roughly 18% of the population, use X at least once a month.
The trash-talking is the latest salvo in Musk’s spat with de Moraes, which revolves around free speech and alleged disinformation. X said earlier this month that it would suspend its business and lay off its employees in Brazil owing to what it described as “censorship orders” from the judge.
De Moraes had ordered the social media company to ban several X accounts he claimed were disseminating misinformation.
The most recent statement, signed by de Moraes, was also posted on the Supreme Court’s official X account, tagging both Musk and X’s Global Government Affairs account.
The Supreme Court statement was uploaded around 8:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, giving Musk till Thursday evening local time to answer.
‘Censorship Orders’
On August 17, X issued a lengthy statement announcing that it would be forced to suspend operations and terminate employees in Brazil due to de Moraes’ “censorship orders.”
“Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard, the Brazilian public not being informed about these orders and our Brazilian staff having no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked on our platform, Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process,” according to the statement from X.
Elon Musk Hits Out At Judge Threatening To Suspend X In Brazil
“As a result, to ensure the safety of our employees, we have decided to close our activity in Brazil, effective immediately. The X service remains available to Brazilians. We are profoundly saddened to have been compelled to make this decision. Alexandre de Moraes is exclusively responsible.
“Due to demands by ‘Justice’ Alexandre [de Moraes] in Brazil that would require us to break (in secret) Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law, X has no choice but to close our local operations in Brazil,” he said on X’s website.
SOURCE | AP
-
Business4 weeks ago
Are You A Cash App User? You May Be Eligible For A Piece Of This $15 Million Settlement
-
Celebrity4 weeks ago
Liza Minnelli Is ‘Mad As Hell’ And Writing New Memoir
-
Business4 weeks ago
Susan Wojcicki, Former YouTube CEO And Longtime Google Executive, Has Died At 56
-
News4 weeks ago
Travis Scott Is Arrested At A Paris Hotel After Altercation With A Security Guard, Prosecutors Say
-
Entertainment4 weeks ago
Samsung Is Recalling 1 Million Stoves To Prevent Pets From Setting Your Home On Fire
-
Sports4 weeks ago
Lydia Ko Finally Gets Her Olympic Gold. It Puts Her Into The LPGA Hall Of Fame