Kalakshar US

When Foxconn announced its plans to open facilities in Wisconsin back in 2017, it promised to invest $10 billion into bringing production to the US that was expected to lead to as many as 13,000 jobs. Now, the Taiwanese supplier to tech giants like Apple is selling two properties in Eau Claire and Green Bay, purchased for almost $12 million in 2018. The property listings were first reported by Wisconsin Public Radio (via Gizmodo and The Verge), which revealed that only three floors of the Green Bay building’s six floors are in use. Meanwhile, the portion Foxconn owns in a mixed-use property in Eau Claire has reportedly remained empty for years. 

Foxconn originally said that it was going to build “innovation centers” in Wisconsin, including one that will serve as an LCD factory. The project was supposed to be massive enough to strike a $2.85 billion tax credit deal with the local government. At the time the project was announced, then President Donald Trump said that if he didn’t get elected, Foxconn “wouldn’t be spending $10 billion” on manufacturing in the US. The former president was also there when the project broke ground, equipped with a golden shovel. 

In 2021, however, Foxconn massively altered the scale of the project and told the local government that it would be investing $672 million instead of $10 billion like it intended. It also reduced the number of potential jobs produced to 1,454 from 13,000 positions. The company said back then that its original projections “changed due to unanticipated market fluctuations” and that reducing the scale of its project in the US gives it the “flexibility to pursue business opportunities in response to changing global market conditions.”

Foxconn didn’t comment on its Eau Claire property, but it told WPR that it “will add to the vibrancy of the city’s downtown.” Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich posted on X that he hopes a sale “will lead to better utilization of a fantastic waterfront building.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/foxconns-promise-to-invest-10-billion-in-wisconsin-is-now-a-distant-memory-090555405.html?src=rss 

Mercedes-Benz is launching its high-power charging hub network in the fourth quarter of 2023 with speeds as high as 400kW — more than any EV on the market can handle, the company announced. The stations will launch in Atlanta, Georgia (the company’s US home base), Chengdu, China and Mannheim, Germany. The automaker plans to build 400 hub locations with 2,000 chargers in the US, and 2,000 around the world by the end of 2024.

Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz announced plans to team with ChargePoint to build the “Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging Network.” The first installations were to include both CCS and Tesla’s NACS (North American Charging Standard) connectors and be open to non-Mercedes EVs. 

Now, the company has said that “depending on region, the charging stations offer a charging rate of currently up to 400kW, provided via the respective standard charging systems CCS1 (North America), CCS2 [Europe], NACS [Tesla] and GB/T [China].” It promised that each vehicle can be charged at its maximum power rating via intelligent charging management, to keep wait times to a minimum. Hubs will be located at “main traffic areas and select Mercedes-Benz dealerships,” the company added.

Last month, Mercedes said it would adopt NACS for its North American EVs. Prior to that, it will give owners access to the Tesla Supercharger network through a CCS-to-NACS adapter arriving in 2024 (Tesla currently has around 1,847 Supercharger stations in the US with 20,040 Supercharger ports — nearly two-thirds of all DC Fast EV charging ports). 

Mercedes-Benz’s deal with Tesla is independent of its own branded charging network. Last month, the company announced plans to team up with six other automakers including BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Stellantis to create a network of 30,000 new EV fast-charging stations across North America starting in summer 2024. Those will also offer both CCS and NACS connectors.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-first-mercedes-benz-ev-fast-charging-stations-will-open-this-fall-075912626.html?src=rss 

Max, formerly known as HBO Max, will give subscribers access to several AMC shows, at least for a limited time. The streaming service has struck a deal with AMC to feature some of its more recent programming from September 1st to October 31st. According to CNBC and Variety, their deal encompasses over 200 episodes from titles that include Fear the Walking Dead, Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire and Killing Eve. AMC will even make more of its shows available through Max this fall. 

While the network has its own streaming service called AMC+, it’s been struggling to make money off it and to keep up with rival providers. When company chairman James Dolan sent a memo to staff members in the midst of layoffs last year, he wrote: “It was our belief that cord cutting losses would be offset by gains in streaming. This has not been the case.”

AMC’s programs will be marked as such on the Max app and will be listed in a tab labeled as “AMC+ Picks on Max.” They will be available to both ad-free and ad-supported Max subscribers, though the AMC+ titles will reportedly not include commercials and ads. HBO EVP Meredith Gertler said “[t]he AMC+ collection pop up is an excellent example of how [the company] can use innovative strategies to add value to [its] content offering.” 

The parties have yet to announce the other titles arriving on Max this fall, but CNBC says they will not include AMC’s biggest shows, such as Mad Men and The Walking Dead. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, which also won’t be making their way to Max, are already licensed to Netflix. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/max-will-stream-fear-the-walking-dead-killing-eve-and-other-amc-shows-055138723.html?src=rss