AD #3516 – Tesla Redesigning Model 3 & Y; Prius Prime Gets 65 Mile EV Range; EU ICE Ban Could Collapse
March 1st, 2023 at 11:48am
Listen to “AD #3516 – Tesla Redesigning Model 3 and Y; Prius Prime Gets 65 Mile EV Range; EU ICE Ban Could Collapse” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 9:54
0:08 Tesla Redesigning Model 3 & Y
1:17 Tesla to Build Plant in Mexico
2:01 EU ICE Ban Could Collapse
3:22 More Details on Ram REV
4:21 Stellantis Invests in EV Components
5:21 Inside Buick’s Electra E5
7:06 Prius Prime Gets 65 Mile EV Range
8:14 USPS Buys Ford E-Transits
8:48 Chinese EV Offers Karaoke
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TESLA REDESIGNING MODEL 3 & Y
Elon Musk has always followed Henry Ford’s strategy with the Model T–just keep improving the car and don’t change the styling. But with BYD’s sales surpassing Tesla in China, and with Tesla losing market share globally, the time has come to change that strategy. Even Henry Ford came to realize that he needed new designs. Later today Musk will present the next steps in the company’s Master Plan, and that could include a look at the updated styling for the Model 3 and Model Y. Reuters reports that the redesign of the Model 3 is codenamed Highland and it will start production in China this September. The codename for the Model Y is Juniper and it will go into production in October of 2024. These don’t seem to be mild facelifts. They require Tesla to retool its plant in China to make the new versions, which include changes to the exterior and interior. And while over the air updates keep making Teslas better all the time, we think a styling change will definitely be a big boost to sales.
TESLA TO BUILD PLANT IN MEXICO
Mexico’s president Andres Obrador got a jump on Elon Musk and announced yesterday that Tesla will build a new plant in Monterrey, Mexico. Since the IRA provides generous subsidies of up to $45 per kilowatt hour for battery plants that are built in the US, we think what’s going into Mexico is a vehicle assembly plant, not a battery plant. And we think that it could build Tesla’s next-gen, low-cost car that Musk says will cost about $25,000. By the way, if you’d like to listen to Elon Musk’s Master Plan presentation, we’ve got a link in today’s transcript. It goes live at 4 pm Eastern time.
EU ICE BAN COULD COLLAPSE
Last week the EU officially introduced legislation to ban IC engines after 2035. But now Germany and Italy are saying, “hold the horses.” Last month, Italy said it prefers a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions, not 100%. And now Germany is pushing back, too. The country’s transportation minister isn’t happy about going all EV. He wants exemptions for ICE cars that run on e-fuels. And he wants fuel cell cars as part of the equation. And they’re not the only ones. Poland and Hungary are also against the ICE ban, and if they don’t go along with it, the whole deal could fall apart.
MORE DETAILS ON RAM REV
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares revealed a critical detail about the range extender going in the electric version of the Ram pickup. Rather than the engine providing any power to the wheels, Tavares says “By nature an extender is charging the battery… with your ICE engine revving at a constant speed.” It’s nice to start getting an understanding of how the system will work, but it could be a while before we’re able to fill in all the blanks. The Ram 1500 REV isn’t scheduled to launch until late next year. But Tavares also talked about making Ram a global brand. He said there’s big business in pickup trucks outside the U.S. for people that are buying the U.S. lifestyle and are paying a high price. And there’s only one place in the world that we think best fits that description and that’s China.
STELLANTIS INVESTS IN EV COMPONENTS
Speaking of Stellantis, it continues to make EV investments. Yesterday it announced it’s taking a stake in a copper mining company and now we can report it’s also pouring money into three plants in Indiana to make Electric Drive Modules. Stellantis is investing $155 million to make the modules, which combine the motor, power electronics and transmission into one unit. It will be used in both STLA Frame and STLA Large vehicles, like that Ram 1500 REV and the Peugeot Inception, and will provide up to 500 miles or 800 kilometers of driving range. The cover for the Electric Drive Modules will be made at a casting plant, then sent to a transmission plant for machining before going to another transmission plant for gear machining and final assembly. Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024.
INSIDE BUICK’S ELECTRA E5
Here’s the interior of Buick’s first all-electric SUV, the Electra E5, which recently went on sale in China. It’s about the same size as the Cadillac Lyriq and we see some basic similarities between the two. They both feature about the same amount of rear seat legroom. The E5 has just over 1,000 mm or roughly 40.5 inches of space. The armrest and center console area is also similar with a couple of cup holders and rotary control knob for the display. And as for the large screen, it’s more closely related to the one in the Lyriq than the EVs from Chevy and GMC. It’s a 30 inch 6K curved OLED display that runs off of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform, which also controls a 12.6 inch HUD. We’ve shown off the E5 in past shows as well as a slightly smaller E4 for the Chinese market, so we’re starting to wonder when Buick will announce its first EV for the U.S.?
PRIUS PRIME GETS 65 MILE EV RANGE
The plug-in hybrid version of the all-new Prius will have a lot more EV range than Toyota initially reported. It said it expected a roughly 50% improvement from the current model, which would have put it somewhere in the high 30s to low 40s miles of range. But with 17 inch wheels the new Prius plug-in gets 105 kilometers or 65 miles of EV range, according to the WLTC test cycle. That represents a 75% improvement over the current model. The version with 19 inch wheels also sees a big jump in range. It’s rated at 87 kilometers or 54 miles. Toyota’s new PHEV system consists of a lithium-ion battery, a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine and an electric motor that combine for roughly 220 horsepower. However, we haven’t seen any specs on the motor or battery yet. The new Prius plug-in will go on sale in Japan on March 15th, so we’d expect other markets to follow soon.
USPS BUYS FORD E-TRANSITS
The U.S. Postal Service announced it’ll buy 9,250 Ford E-Transits for its fleet. And the first ones arrive in December. The USPS is also ordering 14,000 charging stations that will be installed in at least 75 Post Office locations within the next 12 months. The USPS didn’t reveal how much the contracts it awarded are for but it’s part of an overall $9.6 billion investment to update its fleet.
CHINESE EV OFFERS KARAOKE
Some Chinese automakers are coming up with clever features in their cars. On Monday we showed you how the Wuling Bingo EV comes with an air mattress that fits in the back of the car with the rear seats down. Now take a look at the Yudo Yuntu which offers an optional karaoke machine. It includes two microphones, an extra subwoofer, and a game controller. Yudo says you can now sing impromptu anywhere, anytime. The little city electric has a range of 200 miles and starts at $12,400.
And that’s a wrap for today’s show. Thanks for tuning in. And let’s do this thing again tomorrow.
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Comments (19)
March 1st, 2023 at 12:24 pm
I hope the Tesla redesign will improve the displays and controls, adding a speed readout in front of the driver, a real wiper switch, and a few other things to improve user friendliness. To me, the Model 3 still looks fine on the outside, though it could use a “T” emblem or something on the nose.
March 1st, 2023 at 12:27 pm
Sean; Will the Tesla news, make Tesla the first EV manufacturer to last long enough for a redesign? Or did the BMW I3 go through a refresh?
EU doing as I predicted and back peddling already on the full out ICE ban. Common sense has to prevail and realize that EVs are not the answer to all the transportation needs.
March 1st, 2023 at 12:32 pm
It looks like Ram has confirmed that the range extender will be an engine-generator not connected to the wheels. It will probably compete with the late, ultimate gas hog V-10 Ram/Dodge for dismal gas mileage when the battery is run down. Hopefully, most people who buy them will plug them in regularly for most of their use.
March 1st, 2023 at 12:37 pm
2 Nissan Leaf had a major refresh, or maybe it was a complete redesign.
I’m not surprised that the EU is backing off of their compete EV ban. Also, I expect some car companies, like GM, to back off on plans to make only EVs after a hard date of 2035.
March 1st, 2023 at 12:41 pm
How come no word on the rebadged Mercedes Metris and (I believe) Dodge Promaster vans that USPS has been buying to supplement its aging delivery van fleet?
March 1st, 2023 at 12:54 pm
@Lambo – Yes, the i3 was refreshed. As Kit said the Nissan Leaf was redesigned as well as the Chevy Bolt and Jaguar I-Pace come to mind. The VW ID.3 with updated styling was just revealed. And you could probably argue the MINI Cooper Electric too.
March 1st, 2023 at 12:55 pm
There’s not a lot of difference between PHEVs and range extenders. Some range extenders power the wheels because it’s more efficient to do it that way than to generate electricity and run a motor.
I am most interested in the Ram range extender. Ostensibly it will allow better range when towing. However, towing is a high power activity. Up till now the range extender ICE was a little, efficient engine. This won’t have the power to keep the Ram’s electric motors working while towing uphill through the Eisenhower tunnel for example.
March 1st, 2023 at 1:41 pm
5 – USPS won’t buy any more Metris vans, but as part of this announcement, they also said they would buy the same quantity of RAM ProMaster ICE powered vans as they are the Ford e-Transits.
March 1st, 2023 at 1:43 pm
Not surprised the EU has backed off the all-electric mandate. Myself, I feel a more balanced energy usage approach would be a greater benefit to the environment, the industry, and the end user. Some applications scream for EV usage while others would benefit from other fuels.
March 1st, 2023 at 1:44 pm
On the RAM Rev, I expect the replenishing generator will be a small ICE engine, though probably larger than was found on the Volt and BMW i3. Perhaps a 4 cylinder. It would be easy to program the gas engine to come on line earlier when the truck is in towing mode to make sure it keeps the battery charge level viable.
March 1st, 2023 at 1:45 pm
Very disappointing to see the Cadillac interior design so closely copied in the new Buick. So much for that Cadillac exclusivity they talked about. This was their opportunity to really separate and elevate the Cadillac brand, but as usual, the savings through duplication are just too hard to ignore.
March 1st, 2023 at 1:53 pm
10 I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ram use a diesel generator. They are ideal for running a constant RPM and high torque plus more efficient than a gas genny. Just a matter of cost and emissions.
March 1st, 2023 at 2:07 pm
7 The only true series-only range extender sold in the US, under than the almost nonexistent Fisker Karma, was the BMW i3 REx. The i3 got a very mediocre 31 mpg combined EPA rating on premium gas. For comparison, the bigger, heavier Chevy Volt which mechanically connects the ICE to the wheels under some conditions got 42 EPA mpg on gas.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=42572&id=40924
For the RAM to work under all normal conditions, including pulling a big trailer at 80 mpg, it will need a big engine and generator, maybe 200+ hp. Maybe they will use GPS and software to put extra juice in the battery when possible, going flat or downhill, if it sees that you are approaching the uphill run of the Eisenhower Tunnel.
March 1st, 2023 at 2:09 pm
The range of the new Prius Prime makes it the perfect candidate to replace my current hybrid. It would be electric only for my commute and Hybrid for everything else that I do often. It is also roomy enough for what I need my daily car to do. Hopefully it won’t be a fortune to buy.
March 1st, 2023 at 2:09 pm
Maybe some in the EU are realizing that forced compliance isn’t going to work. I’m in agreement with those here that are saying a varied choice is the best. there a just things that EVs won’t do well and trying to ram a square peg in around hole is very foolish. Until the infrastructure can fully support all EV all the time it is a dead end street. I’ve said it before that until charge times are equal to filling a gas tank it is beating a dead horse. The amount of space and chargers to supply it is unobtainable.
March 1st, 2023 at 2:23 pm
14 I wish they’d just stretch the Prius by about a foot. Then, it could be a more efficient replacement for my Highlander. The Highlander is carrying around 1500 pounds of extra weight, and a foot of extra height, just to provide the floor length I need for my toys. The Highlander hybrid gets great mpg, though, for what it is, especially for lower speed, stop-and-go, and short trips.
March 1st, 2023 at 4:28 pm
#2 – The BMW i3 Rex refresh included: (1) solid, heavy duty engine mount, and (2) 2017 added more batteries. A former BMW i3-REx owner, the original plastic/aluminum engine mount broke and was replaced under warranty.
The replacement engine mounts were solid aluminum and the bolts increased in diameter a couple of mm.
March 1st, 2023 at 6:30 pm
Watching Tesla Investor Day, there is enough for 3-4 Autoline After Hours. Ask Sandy or Cory … better still, a team they provide and you’ all schedule a two hour, After Hours.
BTW, no new product announcements.
March 1st, 2023 at 9:30 pm
18 I’ll try to find a video. It might be interesting, at least if it talks about cars at all.