AD #2623 – BMW’s M Division Looks Into the Future, Ford’s New Technology is a Tattletale, Chevy Silverado HD Impressions
June 25th, 2019 at 11:40am
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Runtime: 7:20
0:07 Old LEAF Batteries Could Power Soccer Stadiums
0:44 Paris Considers Flying Taxis for 2024 Olympics
1:18 BMW Vision M NEXT Unveiled
3:11 Barn Find Revealed
4:23 Ford’s Belt Monitor System
5:17 Chevy Silverado HD: Quick Impressions
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OLD LEAF BATTERIES COULD POWER SOCCER STADIUMS
Eaton, a company which makes hydraulics, truck transmissions and other industrial products, is finding new life for used Nissan LEAF batteries. It’s taking battery cells and repacking them into new units to store power in both industrial and residential buildings. Reuters reports that Eaton is in talks with six European soccer teams, to power their stadiums with them. While it’s a relatively small market for now, Eaton says these used EV battery units could represent a $2.3 billion market by 2025 in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
PARIS CONSIDERS FLYING TAXIS FOR 2024 OLYMPICS
We’ve talked about how some automakers and suppliers are getting involved in passenger drones and now the city of Paris is working with Airbus to study the feasibility of using them during the 2024 Olympics. The flying taxis would transport passengers from Charles de Gaulle airport into the city, a trip that normally takes an hour by bus or train. Traffic congestion is only going to get worse in the future and passenger drones could be the perfect solution to avoid traffic jams.
BMW’S M DIVISION LOOKS INTO THE FUTURE
BMW unveiled its vision of a future that’s just around the corner with a concept car it called the Vision M NEXT. It showcases new technology, new design and new ways to use materials. It’s a cleaner, pared down version of the BMW i8, with a distinctive wedge shape. Splashy colors and textures created with recycled carbon fiber, anodised titanium, and woven synthetic materials are used throughout the car. The designers clearly had some fun, too. Check out the taillights that look like the BMW roundel logo, but read BMW when you step on the brake. Inside the instrument cluster is displayed on an array of floating, see-through screens, and it’s framed by a Formula One inspired steering wheel. There’s also an augmented reality, head-up display, and note the exposed roof structure. BMW says the Vision M NEXT offers two driving modes, one called Boost when the driver is in control and one called Ease, when the car is driving semi-autonomously. This is a PHEV with a total of 600 horsepower on tap and a total EV driving range of 62 miles. There is a ton more of information about this car and you can get it by clicking on the headline in the show notes that you can find on our website.
BARN FIND REVEALED
We’ve been getting a lot of good feedback on the Barn Find pictures we showed yesterday. There were a number of guesses that it’s a Packard, but the shape of the front window opening and the how running boards flow into the fenders is not right. Some of you said it’s a LaSalle, but the C-pillar rake and headlights that are incorporated into the fenders take the LaSalle off the list. For a while we thought it was 1939 Buick 90 sedan, but viewer Gary Blakely put us on the right track. He says, “The Barn Find is NOT the same as the Buick shown. I would venture it is a Cadillac limo.” And sure enough, when we started searching for Cadillacs, it’s pretty clear that this Barn Find is a 1940 Cadillac Series 72. This is a rare car. 1940 is the only year it was made. And kind of makes you wonder how it ended up on a back road in Arizona. We’d love to hear that story. But a big thanks to Dan McCammon for taking the time to send these pictures in and if you run across anything cool, wild or weird, snap a shot and send it our way to viewermail@autoline.tv
FORD’S NEW TECHNOLOGY IS A TATTLETALE
Most vehicles have some sort of annoying sound if passengers forget to buckle up, but now Ford is turning its attention to passengers who unbuckle. The Belt Monitor system alerts the driver, via a message in the instrument cluster, if someone unbuckles and what seat they’re in. Now kids may think parents actually do have eyes in the back of their heads. Belt Monitor is available on Explorer, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator; standard on the Ranger; and will roll out to the rest of Ford’s North American lineup over the next two years.
QUICK IMPRESSIONS OF CHEVY’S NEW SILVERADO HD
When Chevy revealed the new Silverado Heavy Duty pickup last year, reaction to its styling was a bit polarized, to say the least. But customers will likely be more than satisfied once they get behind the wheel of one. We recently got to drive the truck and came away quite impressed. Here’s a quick recap of the engines. The 6.6L V8 gas engine, which was purpose built for the HD models, is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and can tow up to 17,400 pounds. And the 6.6L V8 turbo diesel is mated to a 10-speed auto and has a whopping 910 lb-ft of torque. Its max towing capability is 35,500 pounds. We got a chance to tow with each engine and the diesel really stood out. For someone who doesn’t have a lot experience towing it really made the job easier. We were also impressed with how quiet it is in the cab for both engines but especially the diesel. The new transparent trailer camera system also took a lot of stress out of towing. It provides up to 15 camera views, including the side of the trailer and a view that lets you see right through the trailer, so you know if there’s any traffic behind you. The new Silverado HD trucks go on sale this summer.
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Comments (19)
June 25th, 2019 at 12:06 pm
It looks like the new 6.6 gas engine for the HD Silverado is a stroked version of the gen V small block 6.2, but with an iron block.
June 25th, 2019 at 12:15 pm
The interpretation of the twin kidney grille on the BMW Vision M NEXT is pretty compelling. I can imagine that as becoming more prevalent on future models.
June 25th, 2019 at 1:20 pm
As for the flying taxis; I cant really see that being feasible unless they get approval to fly them without a pilot onboard. The weight capacity needs to be saved for passengers alone. However not sure why they couldn’t provide Drone like capability as a back-up with a pilot on the ground capable of taking over remotely if necessary. Seems a bit risky that they would want to first try this flying over a heavily populated area as Paris during the Olympics. Certainly there will be many trials in all kinds of weather conditions before they get the okay. I think its cool but doubt I would get in line for a ride quite yet.
June 25th, 2019 at 1:35 pm
Old Leaf batteries; Are there that many used Leaf batteries? What is the advantage of having a battery supply? I assume they are charged during “off peak” hours and then used during peak hours for power.
Does everyone not think that as EVs and systems like this become more popular that eventually there will not be an off peak hour to save on your electric bill. At that point the storage of power will be of no advantage.
June 25th, 2019 at 2:07 pm
4. If the area in question has solar arrays and wind turbines, they could charge the batteries when the sun is shining and/or when the wind is blowing. As you say, though, I wouldn’t think there’d be that many leaf batteries floating around. The car has only been around about 10 years, with a total of about 300,000 sold globally. Do the batteries last less than 10 years of normal use for a car?
June 25th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
5 Well a quick search on Ebay and 75 used batteries showed up in just North America. anywhere from $80 to $1500. Some were single cell others were multiple cells. Seems like it might be a good option for all those people moving toward living off the grid. Wonder how long that could power a fridge and LED lights?
June 25th, 2019 at 3:18 pm
@Kit & Lambo – Eaton does not re-use the LEAF battery packs as a whole unit. The packs are broken down into cells. Eaton currently offers a number of home units, the largest being 10kWh. 1st-gen LEAF batteries are 24kWh, so Eaton could make nearly two and half of its large home units out of one old LEAF battery pack. I’m not sure how large it plans to make the packs that could help power a stadium.
June 25th, 2019 at 3:57 pm
I found that a refrigerator uses 1-2 kWh of power a day, so if a “retired” Leaf battery has 15 kWh capacity, it would run a 1.5 kWh/day fridge 10 days, if your dc/ac convertor is 100% efficient (it’s not, of course) Still, I could see how someone could spend a few thoussnd dollars on a Leaf, or Eaton battery, some electronics, and some solar cells, and get by “off the grid,” especially if they don’t use a/c, or just a small window unit or two, and use gas for cooking and heating.
June 25th, 2019 at 4:00 pm
7 They’d probably need several of those batteries to power a stadium, if it’s lighted for night games, but LED lighting, if used, would be much more efficient than older lighting tech.
June 25th, 2019 at 4:26 pm
I love that belt monitor feature.
June 26th, 2019 at 6:48 am
BMW concept: All Hat and no Cattle, as they say in TX. it is not looking into the future. It is looking to get the attention of the teens which will be its future customers.
A few years ago when I took my 740 iL to a free clinic at the dealer, I looked around in the showroom and no car there was good enough for me to want to drive it. The interiors were all industrial looking, not a square inch of wood veneer, among other flaws. And of course the prices were ludicrous.
And while my7, which I donated to charity (Mother Waddles, which let you deduct the full Kelly Book value back then), is now a bit dated, here is a review by a omnipresent Youtube reviewer (he has done 100s of reviews of everything that rolls)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litO7FrTwDI
“Here’s Why the 2001 BMW 7 Series Is the Best Luxury Sedan Ever”?
Generally not much else to comment on today.
June 26th, 2019 at 8:50 am
11 Interesting video, and a nice looking car. He didn’t get into gas mileage, which wouldn’t have been very good, but that V12 would have been smooth. I like the simple wheels, kind of like Prius wheels with the plastic covers removed.
June 26th, 2019 at 9:24 am
11 All things considered it would be a stretch to say the the 2001 BMW 7Series was the best luxury car ever. Following actual data from owners on sites like True Delta 39% of owners had engine problems and 24% had electrical and A/C problems not to mention the car was recalled 4 times by the NHTSA for what they deem as serious safety concerns recalls.
I was only aware of the engine problems as many of the guys on the Lamborghini replica site I’m on have cautiously used those engines to maintain a V12 in their build. I remember there being a particular engine code in the VIN they would always say to avoid. Cant remember what that was as I had no plans to used one. But either way not the best ever.
June 26th, 2019 at 11:12 am
13 Videos like that are for entertainment value, rather than to be serious. Saying any car is “the best luxury car ever” is highly subjective. One could say a 2010 Lincoln Town Car was “the best luxury car ever,” and come up with some valid reasons, handling not being one of them.
To me that BMW looks good, and I’m sure drives well for a car that size, but it had too many useless gimmicks, as is standard for cars in that class. It looks like the owner of that car has done a very good job of maintaining it, and fixing what has gone wrong. I’d like to see a car like that at a show, along with the half dozen ’67 Camaros, not that I have anything against ’67 Camaros.
June 26th, 2019 at 12:57 pm
12, 13, 14
Lambo, did you watch the whole 22 mins? Even as he calls it that, he gives it a total score of only 53, he is a very harsh grader and biased against older models as you can easily see.
Re the MPG, the 5 lt V12 is only 0.6 lt larger than my misnamed 4.4 lt V8. THe HP differenc is puny, 18 and 22 HP on either side of 300.
I am quite familiar with the mpg of the v8, it would give 23-25 MPH HWY at fairly high speeds, it begs you to go three digits. Of course, around town in the winter, half that for short trips. But who would care about the MPG of a flagship sedan? One would not use this car for 100 mile daily commutes, and if one did, one would get the above 25 or more at lower speeds.
June 26th, 2019 at 1:01 pm
14 it is NOT for entertainment value any more than your opinions here are. This is HIS well-documented in a 22 min video, personal opinion, and he is not only fully entitled to it, I would put much more weight on his opinion than on the opinion of any of the commenters here, not because Munro is any smarter, but because, if you look at youtube, he has more such detailed tests of all kinds of awesome cars than even Jay leno.
June 26th, 2019 at 1:06 pm
“To me that BMW looks good,”
Actually I liked the color of mine much more, it was Arctic Silver (Artktissilber in German), a truly spectacular sky-blue mettalic kind of color. My interior was greenish-hrey leather that at first reminded me of the uniforms of Nazi generals in war movies, but later I got used to it and liked it better than tan or other usual colors.
” and I’m sure drives well for a car that size”
This must be the understatement of the year. You really need to drive one to find out, as you clearly do not believe the tester in the video. The Impala may drive well for a car that size. THis one, as most BMWS, this is their biggest strength, even better in this aspect than the zmuch more expensive S class nd FAR better than assorted Caddys, Buicks and the LS400-430-460.
June 26th, 2019 at 2:21 pm
15 The EPA numbers for the V12 were 12/18, and for the V8 were 15/22. Yeah, anyone who bought these cars, especially those who bought them new would not care about the gas mileage.
June 26th, 2019 at 2:32 pm
16 It was for entertainment, just a “worst cars ever” lists are entertainment, especially when they include stupid stuff like including the Model T Ford as one did. Yeah, the Model T was primitive, but when it hit the market, it cost about 1/4 as much as other cars, but was more reliable than most.
Was the video REALLY even his true opinion? I doubt it. Best luxury car ever? It would have been the best driving high end luxury car at the time, but in ways that most people would define luxury, an S-Class, an LS, and maybe even some Cadillac or Lincoln might have been better.
In all liklihood, I’d like that 7 series better than it’s contemporaries, because of the way it drives, but that doesn’t make it the “best luxury car ever.”
15 I’ve seen a few of his other videos, and yeah, he is really harsh with the numbers he assigns.