Day: November 19, 2021

Ford and Rivian abandon plans to build EVs together

2021-11-19 / Robert Vinet

After it’s IPO went wild this month, Rivian Automotive is now worth almost 50 percent more than Ford Motor Co., one of it’s early investors.

Michael Martinez / Automotive News 🔒 »

The two companies have scrapped plans to jointly develop an EV, Ford CEO Jim Farley told Automotive News. Ford already had canceled a planned Lincoln collaboration at the start of the coronavirus pandemic but still intended to work with Rivian on a different vehicle until recently.

“Right now, we have growing confidence in our ability to win in the electric space,” Farley said in an interview Thursday. “When you compare today with when we originally made that investment, so much has changed: about our ability, about the brand’s direction in both cases, and now it’s more certain to us what we have to do. We want to invest in Rivian — we love their future as a company — but at this point we’re going to develop our own vehicles.”

Ford is so confident in its abilities that it’s doubling its planned EV production capacity to 600,000 globally by the end of 2023, Farley said. The company aims to become the largest U.S. EV maker after Tesla in the same time frame, Farley said, and to challenge Tesla’s leadership after planned EV campuses in Tennessee and Kentucky come online several years later.

Reuters »

“We respect Rivian and have had extensive exploratory discussions with them,” a spokesperson told Reuters. “However, both sides have agreed not to pursue any kind of joint vehicle development or platform sharing.”

Ford owns about 12% of California-based EV maker Rivian, which went public on Nov. 10 and already is worth 1-1/2 times more than the 118-year-old Michigan automaker.

Ford believes it will be building 600,000 EVs annually within two years.

Elsewhere » CNBC / The Detroit News / The Drive

Vietnam’s VinFast to produce EV SUVs styled by Pininfarina

2021-11-19 / Robert Vinet

VinFast VF e35 and larger VF e36

Car and Driver »

After announcing Los Angeles as its home base for a new North American operation, Vietnamese automaker VinFast is turning its sights on launching two new electric SUVs. The company’s ambitious plans include production models of the compact VF e35 and the mid-size VF e36. Both wear stylish bodies designed by Pininfarina and boast claimed driving ranges as high as 422 miles per charge.

Two different sized battery packs will be available on each model. The compact VF e35 will come standard with a battery that should deliver around 285 miles per charge but a larger battery with up to 310 miles of range will be optional. The mid-size VF e36 will come with either a 301- or 422-mile range.

VinFast Global CEO Michael Lohscheller told Car and Driver that the company’s first two EV models will initially be produced in Vietnam and imported to the U.S. and Canada, but that there is a plan to localize production in North America starting in the second half of 2024.

Elsewhere » Autocar / The Detroit Bureau / MotorWeek / Electric Vehicle Web / Motor Illustrated / Auto123 / Business Insider / Electric Car Report

Hyundai CEO Jose Muñoz says ‘Everything is on the Table’ for US EV investment

2021-11-19 / Robert Vinet

Hyundai‘s investments in EV manufacturing will be greatly influenced by the structure of US federal incentives for EVs.

Hyundai operates a non-unionized assembly plant in Montgomery, Alabama. Kia operates another in West Point, Georgia.

Automotive News 🔒 »

“Everything is on the table with a situation like this, so we will see,” he told Automotive News at the auto show here.

Muñoz said Hyundai, which aims to sell 1 million EVs a year globally by 2030, is fully committed to the technology.

“We would like to achieve the 40 to 50 percent [EV] Biden administration objective by 2030, so we are fully in to achieve that,” he said. “But again, we will have to wait and see.”

A smaller subsidy for domestic manufacturers could possibly be overcome, he said, but a $4,500 difference is “huge,” he said.

“It’s making us think before we take a decision – we need to wait and see what is going to happen.”

Hyundai has publicly opposed a proposal to provide $4,500 more in tax credits for electric vehicles made by unionized workers in the US.

“Build Back Better Act is a slap in the face of 673,000 Americans”

2021-11-19 / Robert Vinet

Cody Lusk, President & CEO of the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA), today released the following statement »

The inclusion of the complex and discriminatory $4,500 UAW-only tax credit in the House of Representative’s final version of the Build Back Better Act is a slap in the face of 673,000 Americans who work in international nameplate manufacturing plants and dealerships. As written, the provision uses tax dollars to complicate the electric vehicle purchase process and advantage union workers ahead of other American workers. All American workers deserve their lawmakers’ respect. Now, international nameplate dealers must turn their attention to the U.S. Senate in hopes of regaining that respect and restoring a level playing field for American workers.

Fisker Ocean wins inaugural “THE ZEVAS” award at LA Auto Show

2021-11-19 / Robert Vinet

Fisker Ocean

The Fisker Ocean has won an inaugural THE ZEVAS zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) award, chosen at the Los Angeles Auto Show in conjunction with Electrify America.

The Fisker Ocean made its global debut at the 2021 LA Auto Show earlier this week. The Fisker Ocean won in the Crossover (US$50,000 and below) category.

The other finalist in the Crossover under $50,000 category were Alpha Motor Company Electric JAX, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Toyota looking at North Carolina site for US-based battery plant

2021-11-19 / Robert Vinet

Bloomberg »

Toyota Motor Corp. is planning to invest billions of dollars in a battery plant to be built on the outskirts of Greensboro, North Carolina, as part of the automaker’s efforts to ramp up output of electrified vehicles in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.

The car manufacturer hasn’t made a final decision, but is expected to partner with Panasonic Corp. at the facility, said some of the people, who declined to be named as the discussions are private. No formal commitment has been made and the plan could still evolve, these people said.

While details of the ownership and operation of the plant are still unclear, it will likely be via the two Japanese companies’ battery joint venture Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, one of the people said. Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said nothing new had been decided regarding the company’s U.S. battery investments. Prime Planet spokesman Masato Tokuhisa said the company is “always considering what’s best in regard to our production,” without commenting on specifics. Panasonic spokeswoman Yayoi Watanabe declined to comment.

2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS achieved 422 miles (679 km) range in real world test, far exceeding other EVs and EPA-estimates

2021-11-19 / Robert Vinet

2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS

The Mercedes Benz EQS 450+ overdelivers.

Edmunds »

Our EQS 450+ test car was surprisingly light on options. Options can add weight and sometimes introduce additional types of inefficiencies, so this particular EQS was primed for our test. It was equipped with the standard 20-inch wheels with “range-optimized summer tires” (Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, 255/45 R20) at all four corners, inflated to the factory-recommended pressure of 41 psi. Our test car weighed in at 5,500 pounds on the nose, which is exceptionally heavy for a sedan — to put that figure in context, the last S-Class we tested weighed in at 5,069 pounds.

Over the course of a lengthy 12-hour stint in the EQS 450+ at an average temperature of 67 degrees, we managed to travel a total of 422 cheek-numbing miles. That’s 72 miles more than the EPA estimate, an improvement of more than 20%. This stunning performance lands the EQS 450+ in first place on our leaderboard, and not by a whisker. The previous leaders from Tesla now trail the Benz by a whopping 77 miles.

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So, what can 2022 Mercedes-Benz owners expect to pay at “the pump”? After charging the battery back to full, which took about 20 hours on our Level 2 charger, we calculated an Edmunds consumption rate of 29.5 kWh/100 miles, which is 15.7% more efficient than the EPA estimate of 35 kWh/100 miles. If we lived in Hawaii, our 422-mile trip in the EQS would have cost us $41.08, while if we lived in Washington, that same trip would cost just $12.45.