Show #1352

 

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Monday 24th January. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don’t have to.

 

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Welcome to a new EXECUTIVE PRODUCER TYLER VOSS

 

WATCH RECORD-SETTING LUCID AIR DREAM EDITION 70-MPH RANGE TEST

 

– We knew going into the range test that the Air would likely crush the 310-mile range test results we achieved on a 2021 Tesla Model 3 in our 70-mph range test, which was our range test leader until now. The only question that remained was by how much.

 

– Lucid provided us with a production Lucid Air Dream Edition Range with the 19″ Aero wheels which is the configuration that is EPA certified at 520 miles per charge. If you put the 21″ wheels on this same vehicle, the EPA range rating drops to 481 miles

 

– The temperature was 51° F (10.5° C) when we started the day, which isn’t really ideal conditions for range testing. However, by the end of the day, the temperature had crept up to 69° F (20.5° C)

 

– The consumption rate remained consistent and was on 4.3 mi per kWh for the vast majority of the drive, and only dropped down to 4.2 mi/kWh on occasion.

 

– When the range test was over, we had used 117+ kWh of the Air’s 118 kWh usable battery capacity, so we really ran it down to a completely drained battery. We drove the Air for six miles after the state of charge read zero, and about 3 more miles after the display said we had consumed 117 kWh on the trip. That leads us to believe we had less than .25 kWh left in the battery when we ended the test.

 

– Lucid uses the 5-cycle test procedure to certify its vehicle’s range with the EPA. Tesla, Audi, Polestar, and Rivian also use the 5-cycle test, while all other OEMs use the 2-cycle test.

 

– Tesla vehicles, for instance, usually underperform their EPA range number by 10% to 13%. The Air actually did very well in this regard, falling only 4% short of its EPA range rating

 

Original Source : https://insideevs.com/reviews/562511/lucid-air-range-test-record/

 

CYBERTRUCK PHOTOS LEAKED!

 

– “The wiper lives flat across the bottom of the windscreen ? Or upright ? And Holy cow… it extends and retracts, potentially covering every inch of the glass.”

 

Original Source : https://www.cybertruckownersclub.com/forum/threads/cybertruck-photos-leaked-%F0%9F%93%B8.4660/

 

TESLA’S GROSS MARGIN IN FOCUS WITH Q4 EARNINGS

 

– Tesla Inc’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) crushing fourth-quarter delivery turns the focus on how well the company managed costs amid supply headwinds and whether the electric vehicle maker is on track to deliver 40% long-term gross margins when it reports quarterly earnings on Wednesday, according to Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster.

 

– Tesla delivered 28.8% automotive gross margins in the third quarter, compared with 25.8% in the second quarter ended June.

 

– Tesla Chief Financial Officer Zach Kirkhorn had told investors on the third quarter post-earnings call that there’s “an awakening” for electric vehicles and that the company does not have a demand issue but the ability to produce as many cars.

 

Original Source : https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-s-gross-margin-in-focus-with-q4-earnings-as-investors-look-for-apple-like-growth-story-munster-1031122133

 

PANASONIC TO START PRODUCING NEW TESLA BATTERIES IN 2023

 

– Panasonic will start the mass production of new lithium-ion batteries that will increase the range of electric vehicles over 15% as early as 2023 to compete with rival South Korean and Chinese battery makers.

 

Original Source : https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Panasonic-to-start-producing-new-Tesla-batteries-in-2023

 

TESLA NOW RUNS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE AUTO FACTORY IN AMERICA

 

– Last year Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, produced an average of 8,550 cars a week. That’s more than Toyota Motor Corp.’s juggernaut in Georgetown, Kentucky (8,427 cars a week), BMW AG’s Spartanburg hub in South Carolina (8,343) or Ford Motor Co.’s iconic truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan (5,564), according to a Bloomberg analysis of production data from more than 70 manufacturing facilities.

 

– Tesla’s Fremont factory is a scrappy site to behold. Originally built by General Motors Co. in the 1960s and jointly operated by GM and Toyota until after GM’s 2009 bankruptcy, new additions have been kludged together to form an anthill of manufacturing. In what was once a rear parking lot, a pair of industrial tent structures provide shelter for bustling assembly lines that wouldn’t fit inside the packed factory.

 

– For all its rapid growth and dominance in electric vehicles, Tesla is still just the 10th biggest auto manufacturer in North America. The new plant in Austin should change that and, according to Levy, help Tesla maintain its EV lead for as long as the supply imbalances continue.

 

Original Source : https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-tesla-factory-california-texas-car-production/

 

GM TO INVEST $6.5 BILLION IN MICHIGAN FOR EV PRODUCTION

 

– General Motors Co. is expected to detail plans Tuesday to invest $6.5 billion in two Michigan sites and create 4,000 jobs in the state, according to a meeting agenda and two sources familiar with the situation.

 

– The Detroit automaker is scheduled to announce its investment at an event in Lansing. The news would come a day before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address, which is expected to highlight the state’s economic development efforts as the auto industry pivots to electrification.

 

– GM and battery partner LG Energy Solution are planning a $2.5 billion investment in Lansing near GM’s Delta Township plant for a battery cell manufacturing site that will support a growing list of coming EVs.

 

– GM also received a tax abatement for a $1.3 billion investment at its Orion Assembly plant in Lake Orion to build EVs, but the investment amount there is expected to total $4 billion. Sources previously told The Detroit News the automaker plans to build electric trucks there.

 

Original Source : https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2022/01/21/gm-invest-6-billion-michigan-ev-production/6599934001/

 

EXCLUSIVE RENAULT, NISSAN, MITSUBISHI TO UNVEIL 2030 EV PLAN THIS WEEK

 

– Renault SA (RENA.PA), Nissan Motor Co and Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) plan to triple their investment to jointly develop electric vehicles (EVs), two people with knowledge of the plan told Reuters.

 

– The three are expected to announce on Thursday a plan to invest more than 20 billion euros ($23 billion) over the next five years on EV development, the sources said. By 2030, the alliance is expected to come up with more than 30 new battery EVs underpinned by five common platforms, they said.

 

– That is in addition to 10 billion euros the group has already spent on electrification

 

– The three-firm alliance has developed and partly deployed four common EV platforms.

 

– One underpins EVs such as Nissan’s upcoming Ariya and Renault’s Megane EV, and another supports affordable no-frills cars by Nissan and its China market partner Dongfeng, as well as for Renault’s Dacia brand. The other two are platforms for micro minis, called “kei cars” in Japan, and light commercial vehicles.

 

– The automakers are expected to use common batteries and other key components. The alliance plans to jointly invest in capacity to produce in France, Britain, China and Japan a total of 220 gigawatt hours of battery capacity by 2030 under the plan, the sources said.

 

Original Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/exclusive-renault-nissan-mitsubishi-unveil-2030-ev-plan-this-week-2022-01-23

 

DONGFENG E70 LAUNCHED WITH A SOLID-STATE BATTERY, 50 DEMONSTRATION CARS DELIVERED

 

– On January 22, Dongfeng Motor Corporation announced the delivery of its first 50 Dongfeng Fengshen (Aeolus) E70 pure electric vehicles powered by high-specific energy solid-state lithium batteries

 

– The new E70 with a solid-state battery pack also supports battery swapping.

 

– Conventional (liquid) lithium-ion batteries used in all today’s cars have liquid electrolyte between the cathode (positive) and anode (negative). This electrolyte serves as a medium where ion moves between cathode and anode.

 

– And here is the change – in the solid-state battery, the electrolyte is not liquid but – surprise – solid. Usually, it is glass, ceramic, or other solid material.

 

– The problem with solid-state batteries is the technology is still experimental, and no automaker has reached mass production. Nio said they will unveil their solid-state technology this year, Toyota and Volkswagen in 2025, while Mercedes, BMW, or Renault in 2030.

 

Original Source : https://carnewschina.com/2022/01/23/dongfeng-e70-launched-with-a-solid-state-battery-50-demonstration-cars-delivered/

 

APPLE’S SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT HITS ANOTHER SPEED BUMP AS ENGINEERING MANAGER DEPARTS

 

– In the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports that Apple has lost another manager from its Project Titan self-driving car team. This is only the latest departure in what has been a revolving door environment for Apple.

 

– According to Gurman, Joe Bass, who was the head of software engineering program management for Apple’s car team has recently left the company after seven years. Bass confirmed this change on in his LinkedIn page.

 

– Apple is internally targeting a launch of its self-driving car in four years, faster than the five- to seven-year timeline that some engineers had been planning for earlier this year. But the timing is fluid, and hitting that 2025 target is dependent on the company’s ability to complete the self-driving system – an ambitious task on that schedule.

 

Original Source : https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/23/apples-self-driving-car-project-hits-another-speed-bump-as-engineering-manager-departs/

 

LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SUCCESSOR WILL BE A V12 PLUG-IN HYBRID

 

– Rumors are swirling about the successor to the Aventador throne, and according to UK-based site CAR, Lamborghini chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed this week that the replacement will be a plug-in hybrid model.

 

– “In 2023, we will have the follow-up for the Aventador, which will be the first plug-in hybrid, with a complete new V12 engine,” Winkelmann told CAR. “And then in 2024 we will have the Urus and the Huracan follow-on as well, plug-in hybrid cars. This will close the first step of our strategy, which will cut CO2 emissions by 2025 compared to today by at least 50 percent.”

 

Original Source : https://www.thedrive.com/news/43985/lamborghini-aventador-successor-will-be-a-v12-plug-in-hybrid-report

 

SHANGHAI MAYOR WANTS MORE CHIP PRODUCTION FACILITIES TO SUPPORT NEW-ENERGY VEHICLE GROWTH

 

– The mayor of Shanghai municipality, Gong Zheng, said after the annual session of the city’s legislature on Sunday that the local government is pinning hopes on the new-energy vehicle (NEV) sector to drive its economy, and that “allocating resources for increasing the capacity of automotive chips” would help that goal.

 

– He did not elaborate on how Shanghai would produce more chips, which require wafer fabrication plants that typically cost billions of dollars and take years to construct.

 

– Last week the Shanghai government rolled out generous new incentives to attract talent and firms in the semiconductor supply chain, including a 30 per cent subsidy for investments in chip materials, equipment and design projects in the city

 

Original Source : https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3164446/shanghai-mayor-wants-more-chip-production-facilities

 

NEW QUESTION OF THE WEEK WITH EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM

 

Tom Moloughney’s Lucid Air 70mph range test yielded a real world highway range of 500 miles. That raises the bar by a huge amount and make the Lucid Air easily the longest range EV ever tested. But…do EV’s ever need a range of 500 miles?

 

Email me your answer now: hello@evnewsdaily.com

 

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