This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
STELLANTIS HIRES AMAZON EXEC AS NEW CTO
Stellantis is hiring the vice president of Alexa Automotive at Amazon as its next Chief Technology Officer. Ned Curic will join the automaker at the end of August. He’s worked at Amazon since 2017 and prior to that he was an executive vice president at Toyota for its Connected software engineers, data scientists and designers division. But to us, this hiring shows that CEO Carlos Tavares believes the future of the company is with data, data monetization and connectivity, not with EVs or fuel cells.
NEW STUDY SHOWS EVs CLEANER THAN ICEs OVER LIFECYCLE
Do you know who the ICCT is? It stands for the International Council on Clean Transportation. And its members are former government regulators who’ve dealt with fuel economy and emissions. That’s the organization that blew the whistle on Volkswagen’s cheating on diesel emissions. And it just came out with a study that says today’s electric vehicles emit less greenhouse gas emissions compared to all other fuels and drivetrains over the life of the vehicle, from raw material extraction to recycling and disposal. It looked at the European Union, the United States, China, and India, and found that EVs were cleaner–even in China and India which primarily use coal to generate electricity. Want to learn more about the study? We’ve got a link in today’s transcript or description box below.
A quick correction here. Yesterday we reported that Stellantis plans to move production of the Jeep Cherokee from Belvedere, Illinois to Toluca, Mexico. What we neglected to say is that it was AutoForecast Solutions that reported the change, not Stellantis. We think AutoForecast Solutions is a rock-solid source of information and want to give credit where credit is due.
BAIDU REVEALS ROBOTAXI RIDER COST
Yesterday we reported how Baidu is going to offer robotaxi services in several cities in China. So we reached out to Baidu to find out how much they charge for a ride. Baidu told us that in Guangzhou they don’t charge anything because it’s still a pilot program. But in Beijing, where they’re in full launch mode they charge about 30 yuan, which is less than five bucks.
ANOTHER COMPANY LAUNCHES ROBOTAXI SERVICE IN CHINA
There sure is a lot of interest in robotaxis. Another Chinese company, DeepRoute.ai, launched a robotaxi service in Shenzhen that people can access via an app on WeChat. But the taxis still have a safety driver on board in case anything goes wrong. DeepRoute.ai was founded in 2019 and wants to become a Tier 1 supplier to OEMs, suppliers, and logistics companies.
FORD, ARGO AI & LYFT PLAN AUTONOMOUS RIDE HAILING SERVICE
But wait there’s more. Ford, Argo AI and Lyft plan to launch an autonomous ride hailing service before the year is out. Lyft users, first in Miami, Florida and then Austin, Texas in 2022, will be able to select a Ford self-driving vehicle for a ride. But it’s not going to be a huge fleet. The goal is to get at least 1,000 AVs in Lyft’s fleet over the next 5 years.
MOBILEYE TESTING AVs IN NEW YORK CITY
And lastly, Mobileye expanded its AV testing to New York City. Mobileye too is preparing for commercial deployment, but right now is running day and nighttime tests, looking for scenarios like jaywalkers, double parking, construction, tunnels and bridges. One other thing to note, look how sleek the Mobileye system is compared to others. You almost don’t even notice it. Mobileye uses a camera-only system as its first and main mode of identification, but also has a lidar/radar subsystem for redundancy.
MERCEDES SHARES S-CLASS PHEV & HYBRID DETAILS
More versions of the new Mercedes S-Class are starting to launch, which means we’re getting more details. And here’s something you don’t see too often, the hybrid costs more than the plug-in hybrid. In Germany, the PHEV starts at a little over 123,700 euros, while the mild hybrid starts at more than 126,300 euros, or roughly an additional 2,600 euros. But look at the content list and you’ll see the reason why. Both produce about 500 horsepower but the mild hybrid does it with a big V8, which moves the heavy sedan from 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, rather than the 5.2 seconds of the PHEV. The plug-in on the other hand features a 367 horsepower in-line 6-cylinder engine and a 150-horsepower electric motor. Battery size is not in the press release, but with 100 kilometers or 62 miles of range, which is pretty decent for a PHEV, it must be on the larger side. Both the mild hybrid and PHEV are available in short and long wheelbase versions.
BUICK INTRODUCES AVENIR VERSION OF GL8 MINIVAN
I’m sure you’ve probably heard of Avenir, Buick’s upscale trim line. Well, now it’s offering it on a vehicle you may never have heard of before; a minivan, called the GL8, which it sells in China. Sold in 4-, 6- and 7-seat variants, the GL8 Avenir features premium appointments, like wider head and armrests, thicker carpet, better materials, more USB ports, soundproof glass and rear reading lights. Pricing for the van starts between $71,600 and about $82,500.
TESLA TO OPEN SUPERCHARGER NETWORK TO OTHER AUTOMAKERS
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter that it will open its Supercharger network to other automakers later this year. But he didn’t provide any other details, like if they’ll need plug adapters, since Tesla’s are different from everyone else. Musk has said he wants to help grow EV adoption and with 25,000 Superchargers globally, access to that network will help make his goal a reality.
CONSUMER REPORTS SLAMS TESLA FULL-SELF DRIVING BETA
And speaking of Tesla, Consumer Reports is once again criticizing the EV maker for allowing its owners to be beta testers for its Full-Self Driving prototype software. Tesla recently released the latest version, known as FSD beta 9, which automates even more driving tasks. But Consumer Reports still has concerns over its performance and safety based on videos posted by owners to social media. CR is critical of Tesla for testing the system on public roads since other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians aren’t aware they’re part of the experiment. It says at the very least Tesla should be monitoring the drivers in real time to make sure they’re paying attention while using the system.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching.
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Comments (26)
July 21st, 2021 at 12:26 pm
It wasn’t the ICCT that blew the whistle on VW. It was a scientist in California working for CARB. Don’t give credit where it wasn’t earned.
July 21st, 2021 at 12:37 pm
1 I thought it was university researchers in West Virginia.
July 21st, 2021 at 12:46 pm
AVs and EVs will never meet the transportation needs of a sizable part of North American and especially world transportation needs. The constant reporting on them seems more pipe dream than reality.
July 21st, 2021 at 12:47 pm
1 Not according to this article.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34519184
July 21st, 2021 at 12:54 pm
3 I wouldnt say “never”, but yes anyone that’s been through states like Nebraska knows that even a 300 mile range isn’t going to cut it until charging stations are as prevalent as gas stations. I drove through Arizona once where I was a bit worried finding a gas station let alone a charging station. Those desolate areas will take a while to justify the cost of adding charging stations for the few visitors that will need them.
July 21st, 2021 at 12:57 pm
That S-class sounds similar to my 2018 CT6 2.0E plug-in with 432 lb-ft of torque with 2.0T and battery combined and +40 miles of range.
July 21st, 2021 at 12:58 pm
Who can give a “Chart Reading for Dummies”
idea on what that “ICCT” chart means?
July 21st, 2021 at 1:06 pm
2) It was actually both. The researchers at WV tech did the work and report. They were being funded by the ICCT though. Had the ICCT never sponsored the study, it would have gone undetected.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/advanced-cars/how-professors-caught-vw-cheating
July 21st, 2021 at 1:37 pm
7 At the top of the chart you can see the 4 countries which each have two column’s a 2021 and 2030. Each column has ICE and BEV(I guess to show how they suspect less coal power plants so emissions will come down even more).
The key in the upper RH corner shows how much of the emissions is attributed to vehicle manufacturing, Electric production , maint, etc etc. The whole life cycle of a vehicle. So no yellow in the ICE column for battery production and no dark blue fuel consumption in the BEV column.
Shows China is worse for current ICE and India is worse for current BEV but by 2030 Europe will be worse ICE and India still worse for BEV pollution.
July 21st, 2021 at 1:38 pm
5 I was surprised how bad it would be to drive a Tesla on a southwestern US trip, like Oklahoma city to Los Angeles. Even with their longest range car, Model S Long Range, their trip planner takes you hundreds of miles out of the way.
https://www.tesla.com/trips#/?v=MS_2020_LongRange&o=Oklahoma%20City,%20OK,%20USA_Oklahoma%20City%20Oklahoma%20County%[email protected],-97.5164276&s=&d=Los%20Angeles,%20CA,%20USA_Los%20Angeles%20Los%20Angeles%20County%[email protected],-118.2436849
July 21st, 2021 at 1:41 pm
5,10 Nebraska doesn’t look like a problem for Tesla, though.
https://www.tesla.com/trips#/?v=M3_2020_StandardRangePlus&o=Chicago,%20IL,%20USA_Chicago%20Cook%20County%[email protected],-87.6297982&s=&d=Denver,%20CO,%20USA_Denver%20Denver%20County%[email protected],-104.990251
July 21st, 2021 at 1:42 pm
8 Thanks for the info. I didn’t know who had funded the work, or had forgotten.
July 21st, 2021 at 2:08 pm
Lambo at 5 . The elephant in the room with EVs is when charging. When it takes a hour to get a decent amount of range how are charging stations going to keep up. You would need a parking lot full of them . It’s not like a gas station where you pull in and 5-10 minutes later you pull out and someone else fills up. You will have vehicles sitting perhaps hours to get enough range to get where they’re going. if you have a gas station with 10 pumps realistically they can handle up to 60 cars a hour , 10 charging stations will charge hopefully 10 a hour. Do you want to be the one stuck waiting in line for a open charger? This is what will kill the desire for electric cars in the US. Home charging is great if you can pull it off. Apartment dwellers and those that have on street parking are out of luck.
July 21st, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Wow Tesla opening superchargers to others is the highlight of today’s report. Charger infrastructure is the single biggest bottleneck to going electric and is a key selling point to Tesla. Supercharger access and GM or Ford financing / reasonable lease options along with decent trade-in valuation can really steer lots of consumers to electrics. There are locations though where superchargers are already crowded (west coast), I wonder how Tesla owners feel about this.
July 21st, 2021 at 2:28 pm
#1 and #2. The ICCT hired West Virginia University to conduct tests of several VW and BMW diesel cars driving across the US. UVW had the necessary mobile test equipment which is why the ICCT hired them. It was these tests that showed the VWs emitted far more pollution in real world testing than they did on a dynamometer.
The ICCT says it conducted the tests to prove to EU regulators that they could tighten up their diesel emission testing procedures. Or did it have an idea that VW was cheating? The ICCT says no. But it wouldn’t be the first time the one automaker blew the whistle on another.
July 21st, 2021 at 2:33 pm
#14 continued – most people finance vehicles and have trades. Tesla is notoriously bad in interest rates and trade evaluation, not necessarily transaction prices alone. Giving a choice to buy a Mach-E and charge at Tesla infrastructure I suspect will be great for Ford. Same for Etron, Ipace, and others who have better lease and financing deals. And add insurance cost to that equation, too.
July 21st, 2021 at 3:03 pm
I’d read that the testing by WVU was commissioned to try to determine how VW made their diesels “clean” without need for the urea aftertreatment, while everyone else needed the urea. They found out.
July 21st, 2021 at 3:10 pm
I suspect Tesla is “opening up” the supercharger network to other cars, to better utilize installations like one in Kokomo, Indiana with 8 chargers, where I’ve never seen more than one in use. The Tesla owners in high use areas will not be happy, though, when they have to wait for chargers being used by VWs and Fords.
July 21st, 2021 at 3:22 pm
13 Totally agree and when you think about how many gas stations with 12 pumps are out there and a fill-up taking 10 min. That means in 8 hours 12 pumps can fill 576 cars. If it takes an hour to recharge (6x as long) you would need 6×12 or 72 charging stations.
If people only take 5 minutes 1152 cars can be filled. meaning you need 144 charging stations to recharge the same volume of vehicles.
So granted that’s assuming everyone is driving an EV and not charging at home but it puts the need into perspective.
Driving across country and needing to stop for an hour every 300 miles would be frustrating enough but if you add 45 min waiting for a person ahead of you to finish charging just so you can start to charge would be unacceptable for me.
July 21st, 2021 at 5:54 pm
Interesting reading up on the details of the emissions sleuthing again. Am I the only one who recalls Honda’s then-chief engineer saying they didn’t have a clue how VW was able to pull off their combustion magic? (Paraphrased from memory.) I think it was in an interview with the German Auto Motor & Sport. If eve he was puzzled, there must have been more “murmurings”.
10 Kit – That seems like a glaring lapse in algorithmic judgement. Get a grip on that trip, Tesla!
See abetterrouteplanner.com https://bit.ly/3wWHFrh
2:43 h total charging time with seven stops during the 1335 miles. It’s more efficient that way. Not that the idea of nearly an entire day spent driving is my thing.
I’ve been wondering for a while if car batteries will have several kinds of cells optimized for different parameters.
July 21st, 2021 at 7:57 pm
20 That’s surprising that the Tesla planner is so algorithmically challenged. Maybe they just want to keep you out of New Mexico, which I think still bans Tesla sales, but I think Arizona now allow sales.
July 21st, 2021 at 8:01 pm
20 I remember wondering about the “combustion magic,” when the VWs did not need the urea, while the Benz and BMW diesels did. Could it be a better combustion chamber shape?
July 22nd, 2021 at 5:39 am
22 Kit – More like the cheating chambers!
That Buick GL8 in the Avenir version has an interior that reflects something of the S-Class. And a price too. I’d be interested on a follow up of its sales.
An electrically augmented inline six could have been Buick’s signature propulsion system. Nice combo.
Also regarding SpaceX launches, two more Starlink missions to go, and then it’s other customers all through this year, including two US spy sats (I presume).
July 22nd, 2021 at 8:13 am
Off subject;
For anyone that likes cars and is interested in the American history of the automobile there is a great show on History Channel called “The cars that made America”.
Lots of information is well known but there is a lot of information not so well known. I learned that the Dodge brothers dies of the Spanish flu. They don’t paint Henry Ford in the best of light and sounds like he didn’t have much faith and treated his son Edsel pretty badly. You can watch first 3 episodes free here; https://play.history.com/shows/the-cars-that-made-america#episodes
Sorry if this is old news I know it was released in like 2017 but I watched the first episode a couple years ago and saw it was back on the history channel so I watched it again and the rest. Car people will find it interesting.
July 22nd, 2021 at 9:01 am
24 I watched the start of the History Channel show to see if they mentioned Elwood Haynes, who claimed to have made “the first car” in Kokomo, Indiana. They didn’t mention him by name, but briefly showed what may have been a picture of him in his car, which first ran about 12 years after Benz. I’ll watch more later. It is interesting.
22 Yeah, definitely cheating chambers. Things just didn’t make sense, until we learned what was actually going on. It’s still almost unbelievable that a huge company like VW would do that, not expecting to get caught at some point.
July 22nd, 2021 at 10:39 am
24) Henry Ford was not a person I would ever be friends with.