Author: Green Car Online News

Former Ford CEO suggests electric-car “reckoning” as US adoption lags

Many major automakers, including Ford Motor Company, have changed their tune on electric cars, and stepped up targets for EVs and electrified vehicles over the past several years.

But not everyone is so rosy about rapid growth of the electric vehicle market—including, apparently, former Ford CEO Mark Fields.

Appearing at the EcoMotion mobility conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, as reported by Automotive News, Fields said that the industry is going to be “under a reckoning over the next 2 to 3 years.”

2020 Ford electric SUV teaser

“My view is that yes, electrification is going to grow over the years, but it's not going to grow to the extent all the experts are telling you,” said Fields, who pointed to China’s industrial policy and noted that the adoption rate of electrified vehicles in the U.S. is going to lag that in other countries.

It’s possible Fields has an axe to grind. In the couple of years since the former CEO was shown the door, it has emerged that some in the company saw him as towing too conservative of a line with respect to electrification—even though he announced a $4.5 billion push toward those technologies during his tenure.

Under the leadership of CEO Jim Hackett, Ford has since gone bigger on plans for electric and hybrid vehicles, while pulling back on some of its autonomous-vehicle push that Fields had started. It’s in the midst of an $11 billion investment plan toward 40 electrified vehicles (and including several fully electric models) by 2022. Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand will have at least one of those fully electric models, and it will get electrified versions of all its models by 2022.

2020 Lincoln Aviator plug-in hybrid

Fields’ successor also led Ford’s slow exit from traditional sedans, toward future vehicles that would be more activity-based and configured around varying levels of electrification. “We’re all in on this and we’re taking our mainstream vehicles, our most iconic vehicles, and we’re electrifying them,” chairman Bill Ford said in January 2018. “If we want to be successful with electrification, we have to do it with vehicles that are already popular.”

The company has announced that it will be partnering with Volkswagen for vans and trucks outside of North America, and has an ongoing memorandum of understanding extending the conversation to other vehicle types and business areas. So it’s still within the realm of possibility that Ford could decide to step its targets and timelines up once again—regardless of what former executives might think.

Toyota Mirai gets deepest discount yet—amid hydrogen shortage

Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles aren’t exactly cheap to own or run—if you take them at face value.

The two modest fuel-cell models you can currently purchase (versus lease) both carry luxury-vehicle prices: a base $59,430 for the 2019 Toyota Mirai and a base $59,345 for the eco-focused Hyundai Nexo Blue. Trade-in or resale value remains an unknown. And at the last time we filled with hydrogen, last October, it cost $17.49 per kilogram—potentially up to a $75 fill for the 312-mile Mirai or a $110 fill for the 380-mile Nexo Blue.

However, today’s fuel-cell vehicles live in a world that turns a blind eye on face value. Highly subsidized leases factor in at $349 and $399 per month for the Mirai and Nexo, respectively, or $379 for the other lease-only alternative, the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. And all three include a big bank of subsidized hydrogen that will help ease at least the cost concern of refueling.

It follows that Toyota, which has been offering its Mirai for sale for several years, leases 95 to 99 percent of its fuel-cell vehicles. But now with multiple discounts, Toyota may be seeing if it can get any more takers on the idea of buying a Mirai.

As our partners at CarsDirect pointed out late last week, Toyota is offering a mammoth new dealer cash incentive of $15,000 on the Mirai.

Toyota Mirai emissions-scrubbing billboard

The deep discount is, from what we can tell, exclusive to the Bay Area—where, oddly, there’s currently a severe hydrogen shortage. And the discount appears to stack with the existing Trailblazer cash-back offer of $7,500.

That gets a whopping $22,500 potentially off the price of the Mirai. There’s also a $5,000 California Clean Vehicle Rebate―provided buyers stay under income caps of $150,000 for single filers, $204,000 for head-of-household, or $300,000 for joint filers. Clean Air Vehicle decals are another precious perk for vehicles that qualify for that rebate, even if the household makes too much money to claim it.

But hold on; the new $15,000 discount is what’s termed a “manufacturer-to-dealer incentive”—a kind of incentive that dealerships aren’t required to pass along to buyers.

CarsDirect crunched the numbers and found that for the savings (for a narrow subset of shoppers, admittedly) could add up to more than $42,000.

2019 Toyota Mirai

That includes the value of the hydrogen itself that Toyota wraps in, at up to $15,000. But even if your dealership doesn’t give you the full $27,000 discount they’ve tallied so far, you’re likely to end up with a vehicle that costs less than $40,000, with free fuel.

Don’t be led to believe that there’s any federal tax credit on fuel-cell vehicle purchase, though; that arm, called the Fuel Cell Motor Vehicle Tax Credit, formerly ranged up to #8,000 but expired at the end of 2017.

Green Car Reports has reached out to Toyota about whether the purchase-offer timing, which is good through July 8, is coincidental or intentional. Toyota remarked to CarsDirect that its incentive programs “are regional and flexible, allowing our regional sales offices to tailor incentives to their specific markets.”

Sometimes it’s funny the way timing works out for such offers. But perhaps in the middle of what’s been a rather sour, disruptive situation for some households, Toyota can make lemonade.

Audi E-tron recalled for battery seal, potential “thermal event”

Audi confirmed Monday that it is recalling 1,644 E-tron electric SUVs, including 544 vehicles that have been delivered to customers, due to an issue with the battery pack’s seal that it says could lead to “a short circuit or thermal event.”

Audi is not aware of any such shorts or thermal events, it says, insisting that the move to recall its first electric car was made “out of an abundance of caution.” According to Audi, there have only been five cases globally of the battery warning light illuminating that are related to this potential pack-seal issue.

The cause isn’t related to the cells or modules themselves in the Audi E-tron battery pack. Specifically, a defective grommet could leave a portion of the battery’s seal vulnerable to a breach, where moisture could enter the pack.

2019 Audi e-tron battery pack

Moisture entering the pack could lead to corrosion, and the increased chance of a short over time. It could also lead to the increased chances of a fire during a thermal runaway issue within the pack—the most likely after a severe collision.

Provided the yellow battery warning light on the instrument panel hasn’t signaled an issue, the vehicle is safe to continue driving until Audi is ready with a remedy for the affected vehicles—expected to arrive in August.

The warning light is something to take very seriously, however: “Should a yellow battery warning light appear, appropriate actions should be taken to stop and park the vehicle in the open, do not charge and contact roadside assistance to make arrangements to have the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection/service without delay,” instructs Audi.

2019 Audi E-tron

Audi says that E-tron vehicles that are unaffected by the recall remain available for delivery, and their reservation system remains open. As of the time this was published, recall documents hadn't yet been posted by the federal government.

The company has been proactively reaching out to customers over the past week. If customers do see the warning light, or if they choose not to drive their vehicle affected by the recall, Audi will pick up their vehicle at a place of their choice and replace it with an unaffected E-tron whenever possible. Otherwise it will substitute in an ICE vehicle as well as an $800 cash card to help cover the higher fuel expenses and any additional expenses the owner may incur.

The “abundance of caution” statement speaks volumes about the approach for battery packs being taken by Audi, and by Volkswagen and the entire VW Group. While Audi may have already encountered issues with LG Chem in cell supply, it’s treating the battery pack, its energy and power management, and its cooling to be an entirely proprietary component designed and engineered in-house—a choice that’s likely given Audi an advantage in troubleshooting and fixing issues like this when they arise.

Tesla opens first 250-kw charging stations at Fremont factory

With Tesla's Supercharger fast charging network, Tesla vehicles can now be charged faster than any other currently available electric car.

That status comes courtesy of eight new Version 3 Superchargers that the company opened at its Fremont, California, factory, which can charge a Model 3 at up to 250 kilowatts. That can give the car, which is rated at 3.86 miles per kilowatt-hour (or 130 mpg equivalent, for a typical Long Range Model 3,) up to 180 miles of charge in as little as 15 minutes.

Of course, it comes with a few caveats, primarily that it only works for the Model 3, and only for drivers who are within range of those eight Superchargers in Fremont. The company opened the Superchargers to some Tesla drivers in its Early Access test program in March, but as of Friday it has enabled any Tesla driver to use them.

Tesla plans to begin rolling out the fast Version 3 Superchargers across the country.

Other Tesla models still get a faster charge on the new Version 3 Superchargers, just not as fast. With both lower charging speeds and lower efficiency ratings (fewer miles from the same number of kilowatt-hours), the Model S can refill about 130 miles in 15 minutes, and the Model X about 115. That's still faster than cars can recharge at standard (V2) Supercharger stations.

Tesla's goal, the company said in a blog post, is to reduce wait times at existing Supercharger stations by charging each car more quickly. (The company has also instituted new idle-time fees for cars that remain parked and plugged in at Superchargers once their batteries are full.)

Other networks include even faster chargers, such as Electrify America and EVgo, both of which have installed several 350-kw DC fast chargers on their networks. However, no other cars today are designed to accept such a fast charge. The fastest, so far, is the Audi E-tron quattro, which can charge at a maximum of 150 kilowatts.

The first new electric car that will be able to take advantage of the new 350-kilowatt speed will likely be the Porsche Taycan, which is due out at the end of the year. In the meantime, Model 3 owners can rejoice that their cars can charge faster than any other car on the road—as long as they're in Fremont.

Rivian CEO confirms auxiliary batteries, truck-to-truck charging

The U.S.-based startup electric automaker Rivian is already showing plenty of signs that it's doing things differently than Tesla. While Tesla CEO Elon Musk discusses potential features of the company's new cars on Twitter, Rivian has held back on boasting about some of its most innovative ideas.

The latest, according to a wide-ranging new interview with Rivian founder RJ Scaringe, published last week in The Drive is the ability for Rivian trucks to charge each other.

Scaringe said the company's models would have the “capability you'd have in a Land Rover, with a lot of off-road capability….” Deep in the wilderness off-road, however, there are few gas stations, much less electric-car fast chargers. Off-roaders often carry extra gas cans, and often have to buddy up to help each other out.

In the Drive interview, Scaringe confirmed that Rivian trucks will be able to do that.

Scaringe confirmed earlier reports based on patent filings that the Rivian R1T pickup will be designed to accept accessory battery packs that fit into the bed like a toolbox or a false bed floor. The company still hasn't specified how big those accessory packs might be, but they will come on top of the truck's largest 180-kilowatt-hour, 400-mile battery pack. The R1T is will also be available with smaller internal battery options including 135 kwh and 105 kwh, though the company has not released range estimates for those battery packs. Adding the accessory battery packs would allow the truck to venture farther into the wilderness off the beaten path.

Rivian auxiliary battery
Rivian auxiliary flat battery for R1T

The CEO also announced that Rivian models will be able to share a charge, with one truck charging another on a peer-to-peer basis. If one truck runs out of range off-road, and another has the accessory batteries and enough juice to get home, the second driver could directly lend the first a charge, for example, like siphoning gas from one car to another or lending a gas can. That would be a first for electric vehicles.

Somewhat uncharacteristically, Scaringe also threw a little shade at other electric automakers announcing plans for ever faster charge rates. “There's a lot of misinformation on this, unfortunately,” he said. “The speed at which you charge has a huge impact on the life of the batteries. Regardless of what they're telling you, everyone is working with very similar sets in chemistry…. In the next five years, you’ll see a lot of demonstrations where things are charged in 15 minutes, but if you do that 30 times, the battery is shot. Those demos are not realistic or repeatable and we'll start to see those get replaced with real world charging speeds and rates.”

GM executive: Electric pickup will be built on EV-specific platform

General Motors president Mark Reuss confirmed Thursday that the company has an all-electric pickup in development and says it will be based on the company's BEV3 platform, expected to debut in a new Cadillac SUV sometime after 2023.

That chassis will be similar to the “skateboard” chassis that GM developed for its Autonomy concept car back in 2002, which included batteries and electric motors on a platform chassis that could accept a variety of car body styles.

Reuss made the comments at the UBS Global Industrials and Transportation Conference on Thursday, according to a report in WardsAuto. “We will have a complete electric lineup, including a pickup truck that’s in development,” he said.

“We can build everything on this (platform) from just three drive units: front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or e-all-wheel drive. This architecture is the canvas on which we will paint a profitable EV program,” he said.

Also Reuss stopped short of saying whether the pickup itself would be built using the same skateboard platform in a traditional sense (of body, and frame, and suspension), the statements confirm that the company is seeking to use the same battery technology and power units across its range.

GM is scrambling to keep up with the likes of startup automaker Rivian—which has revealed an all-electric pickup it is developing to go on sale in 2021 with 400 miles of range and potentially more with optional range-extending auxiliary batteries—and with cross-town rival Ford, which announced a few months earlier that it also developing an all-electric F-150, and which bought a $500 million stake in Rivian after a potential deal for GM to invest in the startup fell through. Ford has said its electric F-150 will be separate from the Rivian program.

Reuss expressed optimism about electric cars, saying the cost of building them will reach parity with internal combustion cars sooner than most people expect. “We’re going to reach parity a lot sooner than people think. (Internal combustion engine) compliance will become expensive. All these things and more will lead to greater consumer acceptance of EVs,” he said. “Plus, they are going to be great cars.”

At the Detroit auto show in January, Reuss announced that GM will shift the focus of its electric car efforts from Chevrolet to its luxury Cadillac brand with the BEV3 platform. The company's hope is to be able to charge more for electric cars to make them profitable. With Cadillac the focus of GM's electric car sales starting around 2023, it's not clear how long after that an electric pickup might follow, since it would likely be badged a GMC or a Chevrolet. At the earliest, it seems GM's electric pickup might appear in 2024.

In the meantime, GM is developing a new SUV based on the current Chevy Bolt EV, on GM's BEV2 platform, which will see it through at least 2022.

Automakers lay out mpg concerns for Trump: Talk to California, please

Ten months after the U.S. EPA and DOT proposed easing federal fleet fuel economy standards for 2021-2026, there has been no formal submission of the plan. And more than a year after the EPA suggested that it might challenge California’s waiver to set stricter standards, it hasn’t confirmed one way or another whether it will do that.

As if a rapidly evolving tariff situation and trade war weren’t enough, the uncertainty over mileage standards has also led to a great deal of unease in the auto industry. Thursday, 17 automakers sent a letter to President Trump asking for some reassurance on the mileage standards—and spelling out exactly what they presently want: one national standard for vehicle fuel economy, in the form of a final rule that California can support.

Audi e-tron, on the Golden Gate Bridge

The letter thanks the President for supporting “a vibrant and competitive auto industry in the United States,” and notes the different market landscape versus in 2011, when the standards were last revamped. Examples include lower-than-expected fuel prices, a higher rate of SUV and pickup sales, and a lower-than-anticipated adoption rate of vehicles with alternative powertrains.

The automakers stressed that the final rule, which would cover model years 2021 to 2026, would need to include “flexibilities that promote advanced technology for the sake of long-term environmental gains and U.S. global competitiveness.”

“For these reasons, we support a unified standard that both achieves year-over-year improvements in fuel economy and facilitates the adoption of vehicles with alternative powertrains,” said the automakers. “We encourage both the federal government and California to resume discussions and to remain open to regulatory adjustments that provide the flexibility needed to meet future environmental goals and respond to consumer needs.”

Tesla didn't signed to the letter. Direct mentions of electric vehicles, electrification, hybrids, carbon reduction, or climate change were also notably missing from the letter, which was sent in CC to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Kudlow.

Tesla factory, Fremont, California

Talks between the federal and California agencies, according to a joint statement from the EPA and Transportation Department, broke off in February as the California Air Resource Board “failed to put forward a productive alternative. CARB claims that talks never actually got to the depth of either discussing or negotiating policy.

The regulation proposal itself is overdue. What the EPA previously issued was just a notice of proposed rulemaking. The plan hasn’t yet been rolled out in any formal way, and Reuters noted that before it can even be published it needs to be submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.

The administration hasn’t yet rolled out the formal version of its plan, which was last reported to make a very small increase in fleet-wide fuel efficiency. Wheeler told Reuters in April that “our final regulation is not going to be the same as our proposal.”

Most automakers, who may have been eager to lobby for relaxed standards, have come to realize that a long fight with California isn’t in the interest of global competitiveness. And if the EPA decides to deny California of its waiver, the case could lead to an extended (read: years-long) state of unease as the case makes its way through the courts.

As the letter explained, a divided U.S. market “could prove as untenable as the current program.”

California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols (via Twitter)

CARB chairwoman Mary Nichols last month said that if it is denied its GHG waiver the state might get creative with fees, taxes, and perhaps even bans on certain types of vehicles and products.
Green Car Reports has reached out to CARB, which wasn’t officially looped in on the letter, and will update this piece when they provide a statement or reaction.

“Striking the proper balance will not be easy, but we know with your leadership it can happen,” the automakers swoon to Trump, in a conclusion to the letter. “We are eager to work with you to advance this outcome and strengthen our economy and technological leadership.”

Subaru and Toyota plan joint electric SUVs on flexible platform

What comes next after a partnership for sports cars? Potentially one for an electric SUV.

That's the latest plan from Toyota and Subaru, according to a joint statement from the automakers on Thursday.

The new joint project will develop a new electric mid-size SUV using electric-car technology from Toyota and all-wheel drive technology from Subaru, the companies said.

Toyota owns 16 percent of Subaru, and the two companies built a partnership to develop the joint Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 (formerly Scion FR-S) sports cars, though that project was reportedly fraught with disagreements over the powertrain. Since then, Toyota also shared the plug-in hybrid technology from its Prius Prime (and portions from the RAV4 Hybrid) with Subaru as a starting point for the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.

Both companies' product lineups, however, conspicuously lack any all-electric models.

Toyota-Subaru electric vehicle platform

In 2017, Toyota also formed a joint venture with Mazda, along with Japanese parts supplier Denso, to jointly develop components and a platform for electric cars. That partnership is expected to result in a new electric model from Mazda for 2020, likely with a short range and an optional available gasoline range extender, which could be a tiny rotary engine.

The new project will result in a joint platform (similar to the BRZ/86 project), that will underpin new mid-size electric SUV models from both automakers. In the joint statement, Subaru and Toyota said the platform will also be flexible enough to build future models including mid-size and large SUVs and sedans and “derivative models.”

In a related statement, Subaru said it will now shift its independent EV development resources to this joint project.

“The automotive industry is in the midst of a once-in-a-century period of profound transformation,” the companies said. “The commercialization of BEVs requires the use of large-capacity batteries, and, along with the popularization of BEVs, demands of a new dimension will be placed on battery supply.”

The agreement could represent a minor breakthrough in Toyota's approach to electric vehicles. Until now, the company has focused on its hybrid technology to the exclusion of developing EVs, and has publicly questioned consumer demand for electric cars and their viability.

With regulations around the world beginning to require emissions reductions that gas engines alone can't meet, however, the company needs a strategy to sell EVs and procure large battery supplies.

Perhaps Subaru's earthy customers can provide a bigger initial market for that technology.

Karma to expand dealerships to 13 US cities, 19 countries by year-end

Karma, the company, is starting its effort in earnest to revive sales of its Revero—the car that started life as the ill-fated Fisker Karma.

According to the federal government, Karma sold 231 of the cars in 2018, well down from the 2,667 that Fisker sold in the car's first year on the market.

That's partly the result of a paucity of dealers. The company says it has 18 stores—in addition to its new Moreno Valley, California, design center—worldwide selling the cars. Those dealerships are in the U.S., Canada, and Chile.

Now as the company gets ready to sell the updated 2020 Revero GT, with a longer 65-mile electric range and a new, more powerful gas engine from BMW, Karma announced that it will open new luxury dealerships in 13 U.S. cities and 19 new countries.

Last month the company unveiled its new retail environment with the new design center at its Moreno Valley, California headquarters. There, it says, customers will be treated to a new “VVIP treatment” where they can tour the factory, customize the features they want on their cars, and meet the workers who hand-built them.

It's an effort to become something over a latter-day Rolls Royce (without the room), or a would-be cutting-edge Aston Martin, with Southern California style and craftsmanship, rather than that of the Old World.

Artist's impression of Karma Customer Experience Center

Among the new world markets, Karma says, will be Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and China. It did not specify the 13 new U.S. cities where it plans to operate.

At the same time, Karma gave a first look at the interior of its new all-electric Pininfarina-designed SC1 roadster, which was revealed at the Shanghai auto show in April, along with a video showing the designers' artistic inspiration and the process of building the prototype.

The SC1 is expected to give rise to Karma's first electric car, but no date has been set. Karma is also seeking production partners in China for more mass-market models. In between, the company also has plans to build a plug-in hybrid SUV based on the Revero.

Chinese automaker GAC teams up with Nio for EV, postpones US launch

2019 Nio ES6
Nio last week announced a joint venture with state automaker GAC to sell electric cars in China.

It's especially of interest in the U.S. because both companies have their sights set on selling electric vehicles here.

The equal-split venture, to be called GAC Nio New Energy Vehicle company, will build and sell EVs under a new Hycan brand in China. The first, teased by a concept SUV at an investor event in Hangzhou, may offer a range of 600 km (373 miles), the companies said, although they didn't specify the driving cycle or reveal any more details about the vehicle.

CHECK OUT: Nio unveils ET Preview electric sedan in Shanghai

In its quarterly earnings call last week, Nio also announced that the Chinese government would provide what amounts to a bailout, investing $1.45 billion into a joint venture called Nio China, funded through the government's E-Town Capital company.

Nio has become known as the Tesla of China, selling two electric SUVs there, as well as home energy products and operating charging stations and a battery-swap station for its cars. It has announced plans to bring a car to the U.S. in 2020, and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange last year. It's also working on a self-driving system similar to Tesla.

READ MORE: GAC Motor shows electric three-row minivan concept, delays US brand launch to 2020

Last month, Nio showed a concept version of its first electric sedan, the ET Preview, at the Shanghai auto show.

GAC has been working to move into the U.S. market for years, and announced that it plans to be the first Chinese automaker to sell cars in the U.S. At this year's Detroit auto show in January, the company brought an electric minivan and announced plans to develop an all-electric crossover for the U.S. in 2020 (already delayed a year from earlier plans.)

In a statement Wednesday, GAC said it would postpone those plans again, citing “the escalation of China-U.S. trade frictions” and distribution “uncertainties.”

We've reached out to Nio to see how if at all this new venture might impact its U.S. plans.