Show #1562
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, you trusted source of EV information. It’s Sunday 14th August, it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don’t have to.
STELLANTIS MAY INVEST BILLIONS TO MAKE EVS IN MEXICO
Stellantis NV is considering renovating a plant in Mexico to build hybrid and electric vehicles as it transforms its lineup to meet surging demand for battery-powered transport.
The owner of the Jeep, Peugeot and Ram brands is contemplating a retooling of its factory in Saltillo, Coahuila, one of northern Mexico’s industrial hubs about 200 miles from the Texas border, according to people familiar with the deliberations, who asked not to be named without permission to speak publicly.
Stellantis already makes the compact Jeep Compass crossover at its Toluca assembly plant. The automaker plans to bring electrified versions of the Compass to that plant in 2024
The automaker’s strategic plan calls for it to make 75 fully electric models by the end of the decade and convert 50% of U.S. sales and 75% of European sales to battery-powered vehicles.
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/stellantis-may-invest-billions-make-evs-mexico
FORD CEO JIM FARLEY RESPONDS TO RECENT F-150 LIGHTNING PRICE HIKES
After announcing a series of price hikes for the Ford F-150 Lightning lineup, Ford CEO Jim Farley has responded to concerns.
According to CNBC, Jim Farley has responded to criticism of price hikes that apply to the in-demand Ford F-150 Lightning. The vehicle’s price hike, raising as much as $8,500 for some trim levels, is apparently in reaction to the rising costs of battery materials. The Ford CEO said, “I don’t think there’s going to be much relief on lithium, cobalt, and nickel anytime soon.”
Ford has announced that it will be working with CATL to bring LFP batteries to their EV products to help battle the rising costs of battery materials.
Ford is not alone in being forced to raise prices and innovate to combat rising battery costs. Tesla has famously continued to raise prices for every vehicle in its lineup despite working with battery chemistries and suppliers to decrease costs.
https://www.teslarati.com/ford-ceo-jim-farley-f-150-lightning-price-hikes-response/
ARRIVAL GETS READY FOR UPS VAN PRODUCTION
EV startup Arrival, perhaps best known in the industry for its microfactory approach, is gearing up for the start of its electric Van model production in one of those microfactories. The company revealed this week it is focusing on this model in the near term, while hinting that its Bus (and likely the passenger Car model as well) are now on the back burner pending the influx of more capital.
Arrival plans to begin producing the Van in Bicester, UK, this quarter, slated for deliveries to UPS and other customers this year. The Van already received European Whole Vehicle Type Approval earlier last spring, but production in Charlotte, North Carolina, near the company’s US headquarters, has been moved to 2023.
The startup reported an $89.6 million loss in the second quarter as it approaches the start of production, ending the quarter with $513 million in cash and cash equivalents. It’s normal for startups to go through a lot of cash in the run up to the start of production, though Arrival notes that its 2022 production volume will be lower than previously predicted.
https://www.autoweek.com/news/green-cars/a40880333/arrival-ups-ev-van-production/
CAN F1 CHAMPION, NICO ROSBERG, HANDLE THE RIMAC NEVERA?
During his first ride, Rosberg had Rimac chief executive Mate Rimac in the passenger seat. He took the electric supercar on some straight lines, but also on some mountain roads. Needless to say, he loved the way the car drives, and he shared a few thoughts with us.
He thinks the Nevera delivers ridiculous acceleration, features an awesome design, and racing it feels insane. In the Track mode, the response is a lot more instant, and this is his favorite way to drive the supercar.
NEXT-GEN VOLVO XC90 EV DESIGN ALLEGEDLY REVEALED IN PATENT IMAGES
New renderings shared at the Worldscoop forums claim to show the next Volvo XC90. They appear to be patent images, though we were unable to confirm a specific source. However, the plot thickens a bit as we did find a recent trademark filing from Volvo for the name EXC90. Is it merely a coincidence that images and a name appeared at the same time?
We know Volvo is going all-electric. An EV successor to the XC90 has already been confirmed, and Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson confirmed last year that its name will begin with a vowel. At the time, we speculated that it could be called Embla, as that was a trademark Volvo was protecting. Obviously, simply adding an E to the familiar XC90 moniker also meets the criteria, so it all seems pretty straightforward. This could well be the all-electric Volvo EXC90 before you’re supposed to see it. Maybe.
In February 2022, Samuelsson stated that the XC90 would remain in production and be sold alongside the next-gen EV, at least for a little while.
https://uk.motor1.com/news/604132/next-gen-volvo-xc90-ev-design-leaked/
TESLA MODEL Y WITH STRUCTURAL BATTERY FROM BYD ALREADY HAS EU APPROVAL
Teslamag was able to confirm that Tesla will produce the Model Y in Germany with a structural and module-less LFP (LiFePO4) battery from BYD. This is great news!
The battery is estimated to have a capacity of 55 kWh and provide a 440 km range in WLTP. Compared to the version with the 60 kWh battery from CATL that provides a 455 km range, the Model Y with BYD battery will weigh 66 kg less (2.087 instead of 2.153 kg) and the energy consumption will improve to 15,5 kWh/100 km.
However, we still don’t know if Tesla will use this opportunity to upgrade to a 800-volt system like the BYD Seal. Tesla already said that a change to 800 V would reduce costs.
Finally, automakers that are serious about mass producing good electric cars should adopt simple 800-volt batteries that are structural, module-less and easy to repair like the one in the BYD Seal. This is the opposite of the unrepairable structural battery pack with 4680 format cells that Tesla recently introduced in the USA, which is an example of planned obsolescence and environmental crime that would make Apple proud.
GM ANNOUNCES ‘CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM’ TO FIX HUMMER EV’S BATTERY CONNECTOR CORROSION
General Motors is asking all GMC Hummer EV owners to make an appointment with one of their service technicians for a preventative measure related to the car’s high-voltage battery connector. It’s not a recall, GM clearly states, as the automaker has essentially moved to act before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could get involved. Rather, the Hummer manufacturer calls this a “Customer Satisfaction Program.”Say what you will about that wording, but here’s what’s happening: an estimated 424 Hummers and BrightDrop EV600 vans may suffer from corrosion of that connector, inviting water to seep into the high-voltage battery pack, GM Authority writes. Should that happen, the vehicle’s instrument cluster display should alert the driver to the issue.
WILL ELECTRIC CAR RACING BE BETTER? WORLD RALLYCROSS THINKS SO
Just as horses remain popular for racing while not being a regular form of transport anymore, motor racing will be one of the last preserves of the internal combustion engine as other forms of vehicle go electric. But one race series has bitten the bullet and is switching over right now. Rallycross has been running on fossil fuel for over 50 years, and the FIA accredited World Rallycross (RX) version since 2014. Starting this weekend, World RX has ditched dinosaur juice and chosen a fully electrified future.
When rallycross was invented in 1967, it was aimed at TV, and to make them more broadcast-friendly the races are short and full of action. The tracks are twisty, often very hilly, and the cars only have to complete a few laps in each session. So powerful acceleration is essential, but there is no need to last for hours. This makes rallycross a perfect candidate for electric cars, which provide huge power and torque from the moment you touch the accelerator but might not manage a very long session when this is deployed most of the time.
YOU CAN NO LONGER CALL INTERNAL COMBUSTION VEHICLES ‘LUXURY’
I got to spend almost a week with the Mercedes EQS as my daily driver and it sure was interesting to see what it was like owning a $130,000 car. One thing’s for certain and stood out however, electric propulsion takes luxury to a new level. In fact, at this point, I’d be reluctant to call anything with an internal combustion engine a luxury vehicle.
https://electrek.co/2022/08/12/mercedes-eqs-review/
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