Win the LAAS Top Ten Automotive Startups Challenge and visit this famous island

By Miles Branman Published November 9, 2016

Extreme Tech Challenge 2016

The LA Auto Show is one of the largest global stages for automakers. Each year, some of the most anticipated new models bow in the land of fame and fortune. Meanwhile, those who are hungry for success compete in the show’s Top Ten Automotive Startups challenge for a chance to be featured at AutoMobility LA (formerly the Connected Car Expo and LA Auto Show Press & Trade Days).

Recommended Videos

This year, the incentives for competitors have improved significantly. As part of the show’s effort to gain exposure and entrepreneurial guidance for it’s entrants, three of the Top Ten featured finalists will receive live mentoring sessions with prominent Silicon Valley investor, Bill Tai, during the LA Auto Show’s AutoMobility LA on November 16.

“The LA Auto Show is attracting super interesting and disruptive startups that are redefining what we know as automotive,” said Tai. “As an educator, investor and entrepreneur myself, I want to help bring my network and resources to accelerate the success of this year’s Top Ten finalists.”

Better still, one winner will be invited to Sir Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge, which takes place on his privately-owned Necker Island. I’ll repeat that last part: someone gets a free ride to a private island to hang with one of the richest, most successful chaps on the planet. Winners receive mentoring sessions and tech and infrastructure support from top technology firms, as well as increased publicity. In other words: you get the keys to future success.

The LAAS is encouraging startups from all industries to apply (HERE) because even if you don’t win the grand prize, the top ten finalists are exposed to 4,500 media and 20,000 industry professionals at this year’s AutoMobility LA in November.

The Top Ten finalists will be selected by the AutoMobility LA advisory board, which is comprised of senior executives from Aeris Communications, City of Los Angeles, Elektrobit, Ellis and Associates, Google, Local Motors, Lyft, Nokia Growth Partners, NVIDIA, Pandora and Strategy Analytics. AutoMobility LA will be accepting submissions from June 9 – July 31, 2016.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…

Cars

Eaton, Treehouse to boost home capacity for EV charging, energy storage

eaton treehouse ev charging news releases

Power-management firm Eaton likes to point out that when it launched in 1911, it invested in a new idea -- the very first gear-driven truck axle -- just at a time when both transportation and power management were on the cusp of dramatic change.
More than 113 years later, Eaton is again seeking to lead innovation in the current energy transition.
The power-management firm just signed a deal with Treehouse, an AI, software-enabled installation platform for electrification projects. The end goal: accelerating the electrification of homes for electric-vehicle (EV) charging, energy storage, or heat pumps, while seeking more efficiency and cost savings.
“At Eaton, we’re all-in on the energy transition and we’re making it happen at scale by delivering breakout technologies and industry collaborations needed to delight customers and make it more accessible and affordable,” says Paul Ryan, general manager of Connected Solutions and EV Charging at Eaton.
The partnership will ensure consumers are provided with accurate and fast pricing, as well as access to licensed electricians to deliver code-compliant installations, the companies say.
The collaboration also integrates into Eaton’s “Home as a Grid” approach, which supports the two-way flow of electricity, enabling homeowners to produce and consume renewable energy when they need it, Eaton says.
“For more than a century, power has flowed in one direction—from centralized power plants into homes,” the company says. “Today, there’s a new reality thanks to solar, electric-vehicle charging, energy storage, digitalization, and more.”
Projects to change homes and EVs into energy hubs have multiplied recently.
Last month, Nissan joined ChargeScape, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) venture that is already backed by BMW, Ford, and Honda. ChargeScape’s software wirelessly connects EVs to power grids and utility companies, enabling consumers to receive financial incentives for temporarily pausing charging during periods of high demand. Eventually, consumers should also be able to sell the energy stored in their EVs’ battery back to the power grid.
In August, GM announced that V2G technology will become standard in all its model year 2026 models. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could introduce V2G technology for its vehicles in 2025.

Cars

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and EVs offer big incentives as year nears its end

chrysler dodge jeep ev incentives record my24 hybrid gallery 04 exterior desktop jpg image 1440

It’s no secret that automakers and dealerships typically climb over each other to offer the best incentives before the year ends. But this year’s sales season is expected to be particularly competitive, with slowing sales translating to greater urgency to clear inventory.

According to research from Kelley Blue Book, the respected vehicle-valuation firm, overall incentives on new vehicle sales were up by 60% in October compared to the previous year.

Cars

Jeep, Ram EREVs will get 690-mile range with new Stellantis platform

A 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger sits in a vineyard.

Stellantis, the giant automotive group, is betting big on extending the range of both its hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs).

Last month, the company, which owns the Jeep, Dodge, and Ram brands in the U.S., invested nearly $30 million into an advanced wind tunnel at its research center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The goal is to study airflow around a vehicle’s wheels and tires to further optimize its EVs and boost their range.