AD #2027 – CARB Fires a Warning Shot, European Sales Hit 9-Year High, Reconfiguring Interiors for Autonomy
January 19th, 2017 at 11:48am
Runtime: 7:21
To watch this episode on YouTube click here.
- CARB Could Fight Trump Administration
- VW Forms EV Joint Venture in China
- Ford Says Big Shift Toward Electrics Coming
- Dodge Demon to Drop 200 lbs. From Hellcat
- Coker Reproduces Classic Muscle Car Tires
- European Sales Hit 9-Year High
- Yanfeng Develops Reconfigurable Interior for Autonomy
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On today’s show… a big fight is brewing between California and the Trump Administration over emissions, car sales in Europe reach a nine-year high and how car interiors can be reconfigured for autonomous driving. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
CARB FIRES A WARNING SHOT
Uh-oh. This could turn into a battle royale. The California Air Resources Board says if the Trump Administration substantially changes the mandate for electric vehicles, it may no longer co-ordinate its activities with the Environmental Protection Agency. The CARB says it will move to aggressively increase its mandate for Zero Emission Vehicles after 2025. It also says that automakers should not get more ZEV credits for selling plug-in hybrids since they use internal combustion engines. The incoming Trump Administration is nominating Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to become the next EPA Administrator. Both he and Trump say they want to ease up on environmental regulations. This sure looks like it’s headed towards a major fight between California and the federal government. Automakers do not want to see two different sets of regulations, one for California and another for the EPA.
VW FORMS A CHINA EV JV
But while the U.S. may end up backing off electric cars, the rest of the world is not. Volkswagen delivered nearly 4-million vehicles in China last year, making it the biggest foreign automaker in the country. And it’s continuing its push to grow. Not only will VW invest $4.3 billion in its joint ventures with SAIC and FAW, but it’s adding another JV to its list. It’s teaming up with JAC to produce electric cars and hopes to have the first vehicles rolling off the assembly line by 2018. China is rolling back its government tax incentives on cars with small engines at the same time it’s really pushing incentives to sell more electrics.
BILL FORD SAYS EVs WILL OUTSELL ICEs
And Volkswagen is not the only automaker focusing on EVs. Ford’s executive chairman Bill Ford says he sees a big shift toward electric vehicles coming as global demand continues to increase. The company believes EVs will outsell gasoline powered vehicles globally within the next 15 years. So, Ford is going to invest $4.5 billion to beef up its EV and hybrid vehicle lineup. Over the next five years we’ll see the company roll out 13 electrified vehicles, which will account for 40% of its lineup. That’s up from 13% in 2015.
And we’ll be back with more right after this.
DODGE’S DEMON DROP
For all of you who still want a thunderous V8 with heart-stopping horsepower lurking under the hood, have no fear. Dodge’s new Challenger Demon will be out soon and we’re learning a a little more about the car. Changes have been made to the wheels, steering, suspension, brakes and interior, which drops the weight by more than 200-pounds compared to the current Hellcat. Dodge will continue to release little tidbits like this about the Demon as it leads up to its debut at the New York auto show in April.
CLASSIC TIRES
If you own a classic muscle car and want to put on a set of vintage tires to give it the right look, you’re now in luck. Coker Tires is re-producing Firestone Wide Ovals for classic muscle cars. And while they look like the original bias-ply versions, they are actually radial tires. The new Wide Ovals retail for about $200 per tire, depending on the size and will be available later this month.
WORLD SAAR TOPS 100 M
Last year automakers in the U.S. sold a record 17.5 million passenger vehicles. But the U.S. isn’t the only region where sales are strong. European car sales reached a nine-year high in 2016, hitting 15.1 million units, which is a 6.5% gain. Volkswagen still is the market leader in the region but it lost share due to its diesel scandal. Renault and FCA posted the largest gains in 2016. And thanks to strong sales in the U.S. and Europe, a new report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch shows that the Global SAAR topped 100 million units for the first time in December.
Coming up next, a look at how the interiors of cars could be reconfigured for autonomous driving.
Don’t forget to join us for Autoline After Hours today. We’ll be down at the Detroit Auto Show talking about the best and worst of the show, along with some interesting guests who join John and Gary.
SIT DOWN MY FRIEND
Yanfeng is the name of the Chinese supplier that bought up the automotive interior operations of Johnson Controls. It’s showing off its vision of how the interiors of cars could be reconfigured in four different ways when driving autonomously. First off is the Drive Mode, which is how most cars are configured today. Once the car is driving autonomously, the interior can change to Family Mode, where the rear console moves forward, and the front seats rotate slightly towards each other so the occupants can talk more easily. The rear bucket seats also move outboard from each other. Then in Meeting Mode, the front seats move all the way to the rear of the interior while the rear seats fold out of the way. Or the front passenger seat can move forward, then turn completely around so the passengers face each other. And finally in Lounge Mode both front seats move completely to the rear, providing lots of room to spread out and relax. These are pretty clever ideas and show how one car could be configured to meet different consumer tastes, and that could also be very helpful to ride sharing services.
We love showing you the ideas that suppliers are showing to automakers. It gives you an inside peek at what will hit the market in the near future. But with that we wrap up today’s report. Thanks for watching and we’ll see you tomorrow.
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Comments (19)
January 19th, 2017 at 12:15 pm
I can hardly wait to drive a modified golf cart on the open road. better yet and autonomous golf cart on the course.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:22 pm
What global increase in demand for EVS? They sit on lots even with huge incentives. Unless the infrastructure is set up on the scale as Gas for ICE it’s never going to happen IMO. You can continue to try and force people to buy them ,but unless there is a cap on the production of ICE vehicles I just don’t see EVs ever selling in the numbers he is talking about. Also unless major cost savings are found how long will they stay in business losing money on every one they sell? Because right now that is all I hear about is how they losing big bucks on every car built.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:30 pm
XA, what Bill Ford is looking at is that sales of EVs and plug-ins are soaring in China. There were 300,000 of them sold last year, twice the 150,000 that were sold in the US. EVs and PHEVs were the fastest growing segment in the American market last year, up 30%. You’re right, no one is making money on these things right now. But in 5 to 10 years sales could be significant.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:47 pm
The re-configurable interior presented by Yanfeng looks like it works exactly the same way as the concept Chrysler introduced at CES. I guess there are only so many ways you can configure an interior and still comply with safety regulations.
January 19th, 2017 at 12:58 pm
@John McElroy, is Bill Ford predicting that pure EV’s will outsell gas cars globally within 15 years, or does he mean pure EV’s plus plug-in hybrids, plus regular hybrids will outsell gas vehicles? If he is predicting pure EV’s, I would be very surprised.
I’ve been considering a Prius Prime or Chevy Volt as an eventual replacement for my 2010 Prius. I may want to buy the new car sooner, rather than later, since the new regime is likely to take away the tax credit for plug-in hybrids.
January 19th, 2017 at 1:07 pm
Even if the range and recharging issues for EVs are solved in the near future, I still don’t like the idea of the battery degradation that they have. Pretty much, an ICE engined car will have the same range from the day one until it’s worn out. The EV will have been through a couple of $5-15,000 batteries by then. I just don’t see the economics in owning an EV.
January 19th, 2017 at 1:37 pm
Just like my three year old cell phone, the battery life continues to fall short every day. How many cycles can an EV go through before the battery needs to be replaced at great expense? The other day in a snow storm, I followed a Tesla who had a snow covered rear window. I finally realized that the owner was trying to make it home before he lost all power. I bet he must have had the lights, electric heater and front defrost, wipers, radio and more stuff killing his range. The rear electric defrost causes a huge drain of electricity. When you make it home, the car is useless for several hours while it recharges.
January 19th, 2017 at 1:45 pm
CARB (California Air Resources Board) might want to work with the New Administration rather than living in a land of make believe like their friends in Hollywood. The last time I looked there were 49 other States and the District of Columbia in our imperfect Union. Where was CARB when those Saturn EV1s were being crushed? They could not beat General Motors now they want to take on the New President and the Federal Government? CARB needs to ask the Trump Administration which regulations it is looking to ease up on? If CARB was so powerful than why is Elon Musk / Tesla’s Giga Factory in Nevada?
I agree with Bill Ford, EVs will one day be a vast majority of vehicles sold around the world.
We need to all work together local, state and federal governments with industry and others to improve our failing infrastructure especially when it comes to power generation and transmission throughout the US power grid. Everyone wants cleaner air and water. All eyes will be on the New Administration to fulfill it “Making America Great Again” campaign theme!
January 19th, 2017 at 2:08 pm
California has reason to want stricter air quality standards than most other parts of the U.S. Between the topography, and the population density of many parts of CA, most of the U.S. cities with the worst air quality are there, even with their stricter rules. There are some other states that follow CARB’s lead, regarding auto emissions.
We’ll see how things sort out, but Trump seems to want to divide the country as much as possible, with many of his appointees, like anti environment extremist Scott Pruitt to head the EPA.
January 19th, 2017 at 2:12 pm
7 I found that just the cabin heater of a Tesla S uses 6 kW, probably enough power to run the car at 30 mph. Then you add other accessories, and EV’s lose huge amounts of range in cold weather.
If you drive an EV where is is cold, it would be good to get one with twice the “normal conditions” range you need, if you want to stay warm when driving it in cold weather.
January 19th, 2017 at 3:04 pm
And then there is the folks that live out in the country.Just how fast do you think an electric charging infrastructure will be set up?
I know that electric vehicles will eventually replace all ICE,but it won’t be in my lifetime.
January 19th, 2017 at 3:23 pm
#7 – google battery life stats for Chevy Volts, you´ll be surprised that there are Volts with 300k miles out there with zero battery degradation. Chevy claims they have seen no evidence of degradation on any of the over 100,000 Volts in the wild. Different story for Leaf, e-VWs and other air cooled batteries.
It seems silly for the US to be debating CARB rules vs EPA, reversal of direction will unavoidably get the US behind everyone else on this, and I agree as charge points proliferate and long range electric vehicles become cheaper this is an irreversible change coming our way. Most of us who will be in the market for a new vehicle will be looking an electric car in 15 years is my prediction.
January 19th, 2017 at 3:40 pm
#12 Yep, that is what I have heard too. I know a fella that bought one when they came out (Volt). He loves it and has not experienced any degradation whatsoever. He doesn’t have 300k miles on it but he has put a lot miles on it.
There is very little doubt in my mind that the price of oil will be going up to profitable (for the oil companies) very soon and that will make availability of electrified vehicle important – and demand grow significantly. Now that with Europe’s love affair with diesels appears to be over, I suspect that their demand will also grow rapidly.
And I think that your last sentence Roger is spot-on. Yeah, I know . . . change is a bitch, but some of us that may be getting on in years might just be thankful that autonomous vehicles are on the way.
January 19th, 2017 at 4:33 pm
Two things I’d like to get your comments on:
1. I prefer small cars because they are easier to drive in the city. When autonomous cars are common, won’t everyone want F-250 sized cars to get all that room? 2. Gas taxes are a huge tax revenue generator, especially in Europe. When EVs are common, where is that tax revenue going to come from? Is Europe ready for $1000/year EV licensing?
January 19th, 2017 at 5:21 pm
every time the EV subject arises , I ask the same question—-Why not a minimal constant duty eng/generator , minimal batts. KISS !!
my working lifetime was spent in the world of cars 1945-1995 . just E-bayed my last project–
80 MGB ragtop. oldfrt@gmail.com
January 19th, 2017 at 6:34 pm
In Indiana, it now costs almost $600 to register a new car costing over $42,500.
January 19th, 2017 at 6:44 pm
14 As I’ve said here many times before, a series hybrid as you describe would be a GAS HOG. That’s why no one makes cars that way.
January 20th, 2017 at 1:30 pm
#13 & #16 – This is exactly what the Chevy Volt does. The problem with this idea is that you first convert energy from Gasoline to mechanical, then you convert from mechanical (engine) to electrical, then you lose a little in the storage (both in and out) to finally transform that electricity into motion. In a gas engine connected directly to wheels, you skip all losses associated with the energy conversions. The Chevy Volt gets 35 – 40 MPG in gas extended range, where an equivalent size gas only vehicle would get 40 – 45 MPG. The way the Prius works is more efficient than Chevy Volt and a gas only car, except Volt drivers get most of their mileage in electric only mode (most efficient of all energy conversion methods)
January 20th, 2017 at 1:52 pm
17 The Volt has a direct connection from the ICE to the wheels at highway speeds, which helps mpg. Still, a Prius, regular or plug-in does better on gas. A Volt is best for people who will do a lot of their driving on plug-in power.