AD #1629 – GM Pushes High Tech, New Miata’s Powerplant Frame, Ford Opens Electrified Patents
May 28th, 2015 at 11:32am
Runtime: 6:54
- Chevy Goes Even More High Tech.
- Opel Improves Connected Driving
- Volvo XC90′s New Infotainment Screen
- MX-5 Miata’s Effective Powerplant Frame
- Ford Opens Electrified Patents Vault
- Public Charging Stations Set to Explode
- 3D Printing Race Engine Parts
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On today’s show… Ford opens up its EV patents, Chevy and Opel add Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to their line-ups and a look at a new feature on the Miata that really caught our eye. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily for May 28th, 2015.
CHEVY PUSHES HIGH TECH…
Just the other day, Hyundai was boasting about being the first automaker to offer Android Auto and Apple Car Play in one of its vehicles, the 2015 Sonata. The technology allows the screen on your dashboard to look like and work just like your smartphone. But in the automotive industry, you don’t stay exclusive very long. Chevy quickly trumped Hyundai, announcing it will offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in 14 models starting with the 2016 model year. Chevy is trying to build up its image as a technology leader. It’s the first to offer 4G LTE on most of its line-up.
…AND SO DOES OPEL
And this is not just a move in the American market. GM will offer the same technologies under its Opel brand as well. The next-gen Astra will be the first to feature Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while the rest of its mini, small, compact and midsize lineup will see it come during the 2016 model year.
THE BIGGER THE BETTER
Tesla was the first to put a giant screen on the dashboard, and now the rest of the auto industry is trying to catch up. The new Volvo XC90 has a 9.2 inch screen, and while not nearly as big as Tesla’s 17 inch monster, it is about the same size as an Apple i-Pad. To make sure drivers are not too distracted by it, Volvo says there will not be any diver-critical information displayed. The critical stuff will be on the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, and on the optional head-up display. You can pinch and swipe the screen, just like an i-Pad. There are four tiles displayed at the bottom of the screen, one for calling up the navigation system, one for your phone, and one for the media you want to play. Those are factory installed. The fourth tile is for the driver’s preference, such as a weather or news app. The system only works with Apple Car Play.
And we’ll be back with more right after this.
IN GOD WE TRUSS
There’s a feature on the new Mazda Miata MX-5 that really caught our eye. Take a look at this aluminum truss that is bolted between the transmission and the rear differential. Mazda calls it a powerplant frame. You might think that it’s a structural element, but it’s not. It’s there to reduce engine wind up, that is, the twisting movement of an engine on its engine mounts when you accelerate. The truss reduces wind up, which in turn improves throttle response. The truss is isolated with rubber mounts and does not contribute to the structure of the car. It works. We found the new Miata to have very responsive throttle input. Uh-oh, did I just break the embargo on driving impressions?
WANT TO MAKE AN EV?
Last summer Tesla made its patents available to anyone in hopes of spurring the growth of electric vehicles. Earlier in the year Toyota did the same thing with its hydrogen fuel cell patents. And now Ford is opening up the vault to its hybrid and EV patents. However, unlike Toyota and Tesla, Ford is charging a fee for anyone interested in its patents. Clearly, Ford is hoping to recoup some of its R&D investment in electric cars, because so far its battery electric and plug-in models are sales duds. In fact, the entire EV segment is far below where the experts thought it would be.
PLUGGING IN, IN PUBLIC
But maybe this will change that. A report from IHS Automotive predicts that the global EV charger market is set to explode. It says the number of public charging stations will hit 12.7 million units by 2020 up from just 1 million in 2014. AC stations are currently the most popular type of charging stations and researchers expect them to remain in the lead long term because they’re cheaper and more convenient than DC stations. The report also says that plug-in hybrid production will exceed pure-electrics for the first time by 2016 and will stay that way for the short to mid-term.
Coming up next, a look at how Ford is using 3D printing.
3D ENGINE PARTS
About a month ago we told you about how BMW is using a 3D printed water impeller on a few of its race cars. Well it’s not the only automaker using 3D printed parts in race cars. Ford is using a 3D printed intake manifold for its EcoBoost engine that powers its Daytona Prototype racecars, including the winner of this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona. If you’d like to learn more of how the automotive industry is using 3D printing, check out the show we did called “The Secret World of 3D Printing.” You’ll be astonished at the progress that is taking place.
We love keeping you up to speed on all the latest developments in connected cars and mobility services. So be sure to watch for our coverage of the TU Automotive Detroit conference next week, where the best minds in the business will be sharing their latest technologies and services.
Don’t forget to join us for Autoline After Hours. If you want to watch the show live, tune in at 3 pm Eastern time this afternoon. Or, you can always catch the show later on our website or our YouTube channel. Join John McElroy and Gary Vasilash for some of the best insights as to what’s really happening in the automotive industry.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (31)
May 28th, 2015 at 11:45 am
John, is Miata’s truss the same, similar or different from Corvette’s torque tube (looks like it is in the same configuration.
May 28th, 2015 at 11:58 am
EVs are sales duds – fact. So what makes any expert think we need explosive growth in charging stations?
May 28th, 2015 at 12:18 pm
It’s pretty hard to predict the future. VW missed their US sales target by thousands of vehicles yet they still sell vehicles here.
May 28th, 2015 at 12:20 pm
1. The truss is looks like the side of a truss style bridge. It’s not a tube at all. Miatas have had this feature since the beginning, I believe.
Embargo respected
May 28th, 2015 at 12:29 pm
2 EV’s would be a lot more useful if there was a place to charge them. Right? I’d certainly consider an EV or plug-in hybrid if I had a way to charge it at my condo. That might not be considered a “public” charging station, though, as the show refers to.
May 28th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
Did anyone watch the video of the Volvo with auto stop hitting a couple of bystanders caused it FAILED? Funny stuff, lucky no one cot killed, yeah there is a future for autonomous cars, I can see pedestrians scattering when they see one approaching them. Also another client with a Civic hybrid whose battery had to be replaced after only 2 yrs. Anyone knows if it’s battery or system failure that causes this, while the Prius does not have this problem?
May 28th, 2015 at 12:45 pm
As for the larger touch screens, I believe the first automaker to integrate a removable tablet into the dash will find huge success. You could remove it and familiarize yourself with the screens at your leisure. You could download apps, navigation, music, contacts even movies and take them with you. Oh and best part would be when your car is 6 years old, you buy a new tablet and have the latest technology and not 6 year old software like the competition.
May 28th, 2015 at 12:50 pm
The automakers should be developing apps to control the HVAC system and provide vehicle information to a tablet. Concentrate on building great cars and let the silicon valley folks develop software.
May 28th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
8 If carcos don’t stay on top of the tech consumers demand, they will cede control of their industry to the silicon tech world. Look at the music industry. The geeks are always looking for models to disrupt. Oops, did I just say Apple?
May 28th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
6 The 2010 and earlier Civic Hybrids have NiMH batteries like a Prius, so it seems that the charge-discharge algorithms of the Prius are easier on the batteries. I’m guessing that the Honda discharges the battery deeper, while the Prius only uses the middle part of the charge-discharge cycle, which is easier on batteries. That’s just a guess, though.
The difference in battery failure rate between a Civic hybrid and a Prius is dramatic, REALLY dramatic, in CR’s 2013 survey results. 0.1% of Priuses had battery failures, while 32% of Civic hybrids had battery failures.
May 28th, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Personally, I see autos becoming a compliant part of the new landscape of the planet where we’re surrounded by and ensconced within thinking sensors whose inputs and outputs are mediated for profit inside remote data centers. Billions and billions of sensors.
Just me?
May 28th, 2015 at 1:11 pm
10 That 0.1% vs 32% is for 2010 cars. Going to older ones, 14% of 2004 Civic hybrids had battery failures, but only 1% of same year Priuses.
May 28th, 2015 at 2:22 pm
Pedro,
From my understanding, it did not fail. It was not installed on the vehicle they select to use.
May 28th, 2015 at 2:30 pm
#13 That is one big OOPS! or since it was a Latin country, it would have been AY CARAMBA! Kit this Civic was most likely a 2012 or 13 since the 3 yr lease is up, no more hybrids for this family.
May 28th, 2015 at 2:41 pm
Yes correct, they did not order the option on that model, this is really funny now! The headline is very misleading. Volvo needs to start filing law suits over this, cause you know it’s gonna get reported incorrectly over and over again. It will hurt sales for sure.
May 28th, 2015 at 3:10 pm
This gives the name “crash test dummies” an all new meaning.
May 28th, 2015 at 3:46 pm
I’m holding out for Toyota’s pure electric, minimal batts, constant duty gas powered linear gen. The present Prius puts the rest to shame.
May 28th, 2015 at 3:47 pm
14, Pedro, a ’12 or ’13 Civic hybrid would have a lithium battery, rather than NiMH, but it still sounds like they are running the battery too low, or charging it too high. I wouldn’t want a hybrid either, if the battery only lasted two years, even though it would be on warranty. Maybe he should try a Toyota hybrid. Still, it’s surprising to me the Honda doesn’t have this figured out, and fixed. They’ve been selling hybrids longer than anyone else.
May 28th, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Yes, I believe Mazda’s MX-5 has had the “truss” from day one, 1990.
May 28th, 2015 at 6:07 pm
F
I just read in the Automotive News that Ford’s F series trucks account for 90% of the company’s global profit. This according to Morgan Stanley. The Franchise indeed.
F
May 28th, 2015 at 6:28 pm
Somehow Honda does not care about hybrids, the Accord did not sell well, the Insight was horrible. I cannot believe that they could not compete with Toyota and offer a decent Hybrid, too bad since the Civic was a nice platform upon which to build a good hybrid, but battery issues and mediocre mileage kept it extremely low volume in sales.
May 28th, 2015 at 6:32 pm
It looks like the Miata truss is to make the differential rock back and forth with the engine. Is that the case?
May 28th, 2015 at 6:36 pm
…or to prevent the engine rocking, by tortionally connecting the engine and diff.
May 28th, 2015 at 6:42 pm
The truss bolts to the back end of the transmission and to the front of the diff. It’s kind of meaningless to talk about which end of the drivetrain is stabilized. Responsiveness of the contact patches to the throttle is the idea. Now, maybe the coming truss is even stiffer than before.
May 28th, 2015 at 6:48 pm
I think it’s safe to say that the journos who’ve driven the 2016 Miata are very impressed, and Mazda knows it. One of the things I’d like to know more about is to what degree the driver can turn off the nannies: Come on, it’s only about 155 horsepower.
May 28th, 2015 at 6:52 pm
24 Actually, maybe it is the engine that’s being stabilized, since the diff is bolted to a sub-frame already. I guess I have more to learn. I know that a fault of the Civic is that under certain circumstances you can wind up the motor and feel it bounce around against its mounts. Miata never treated me that way.
May 28th, 2015 at 7:06 pm
It sounds like the Miata truss does the exact same thing as a torque tube, but looks different.
With a front driver, the entire torque multiplication is transferred to the engine, rather than just the transmission, less differential as with rear drivers. Front drivers use torque reaction arms, etc. to control it, but there is a lot of force trying to rotate the engine/transaxle in a front drive car.
May 28th, 2015 at 7:11 pm
26 I haven’t experienced it in years, but when my van was newer, and I did a few aggressive launches, it would sometimes get into a nasty oscillation where it felt like it was breaking something. It probably would have broken something if I’d done it very often.
May 28th, 2015 at 7:18 pm
Interesting that Mazda hasn’t offered me a press car yet.
May 28th, 2015 at 10:01 pm
Actually the Volvo was equipped with an auto raking system. But they failed to re-initiate the system after they had a battery disconnect. Nevertheless, it was a huge embarrassment to Volvo.
May 28th, 2015 at 10:09 pm
When I was a Ford engineer, we looked at doing the Mazda type truss on a car, can’t remember which one, but I think it was an early ’80s Tbird. Never did it though. We called it a torque arm, and as Kit said, it performed the same function as a torque tube. It’s an old idea. I’ve seen them on Pierce Arrows from the ’30s.