AD #3554 – EVs Headed For 50% Global Market Share; Tesla Testing Chargers For All In China; BMW i5 Uses Eye Gestures
April 26th, 2023 at 11:56am
Listen to “AD #3554 – EVs Headed For 50% Global Market Share; Tesla Testing Chargers For All In China; BMW i5 Uses Eye Gestures” on Spreaker.
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Runtime:10:17
0:00 EVs Headed For 50% Global Market Share
0:55 Stellantis Offers UAW Buyouts
1:55 GM Cruise Now Operates 24/7 In San Francisco
3:03 Lucid Readies Its First SUV
3:40 GM to Drop Chevy Bolt
3:59 Fisker Gets EU Ok to Sell Cars
4:26 Tesla Testing Chargers for All in China
5:04 Toyota bZ3 Uses BYD Tech
6:33 BMW i5 Uses Eye Gestures
7:43 Mercedes Unwraps New E-Class
9:17 Bosch Buys U.S. Chip Plant
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EVs HEADED FOR 50% GLOBAL MARKET SHARE
Sales of electric cars are growing strong in major markets around the world. The International Energy Agency says sales will shoot up 35% this year, hitting 14 million EVs. That represents 18% of the global passenger car market, up from only 4% just three years ago. At that rate, EVs would account for about 50% of all passenger vehicles in about 4 years. The Agency predicts that EVs will hit cost parity with ICE vehicles in about 2 years and that EVs will cut global oil demand by 5 million barrels a day by the end of the decade.
STELLANTIS OFFERS UAW BUYOUTS
It looks like Stellantis decided it doesn’t have time to wait to get ready for the transition to electrics. It is going to offer buyouts to 3,500 UAW workers and wants to see them start leaving at the end of June. Interestingly, Stellantis did not announce this. It was reported on Facebook by the president of UAW Local 1264 which represents a Stellantis stamping plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The company will offer $50,000 buyouts to employees hired before 2007, and others will get an unspecified lump sum. Manufacturing EVs don’t require as many jobs, so that may be one reason why Stellantis is offering buyouts. Another reason is that it will start negotiating a new labor contract with the UAW this fall and it probably wanted this off the table.
GM CRUISE NOW OPERATES 24/7 IN SAN FRANCISCO
Social media is increasingly becoming the go-to way to make announcements. Yesterday on Twitter, Kyle Vogt, the CEO of GM Cruise, announced they are now operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in San Francisco. Up to now Cruise could only legally operate from 10 pm to 6 am. Vogt says that their machine learning systems have proven their autonomous cars can work in San Francisco and that they’re going to expand to other cities soon.
LUCID READIES ITS FIRST SUV
Lucid hit the market with its sedan called the Air, but it’s soon going to add an SUV to the lineup. They call it Gravity and it’s undergoing final testing on public roads in the U.S. Lucid didn’t reveal any specifics about it, but did say it will seat up to seven people, have the driving dynamics of a sports car and have the longest electric range of any SUV on the market today. Now all the company needs to make sure it can build them in volume. It’s still going through its own production hell with the Air.
GM TO DROP CHEVY BOLT
And as one EV is entering the market, another is going away. GM will shut down production of the Bolt EV and EUV at the end of the year. The plant where the Bolt is made, in Orion, Michigan will get retooled to make the Chevrolet Silverado EV.
FISKER GETS EU OK TO SELL CARS
Fisker just got approval from European regulators for its Ocean electric crossover, which means it can start delivering the EV to customers. The first deliveries will start on May 5 and it’s aiming to deliver all launch edition models by the end of September. Presumably U.S. deliveries will follow Europe but Fisker didn’t give a specific timeframe.
TESLA TESTING CHARGERS FOR ALL IN CHINA
Tesla is launching a pilot program in China to open its charging network to non-Tesla owners. It will include 10 Supercharger stations and 120 Destination Charging locations, which will be available to 37 non-Tesla models. Tesla currently has 1,600 Supercharger stations and more than 10,000 Supercharger connectors in China. Tesla’s profit margins took a hit due to recent price cuts, so by opening its charging network to others it will help generate more revenue and profits.
TOYOTA bZ3 USES BYD TECH
Speaking of foreign automakers in China, Toyota’s 2nd bZ model, the bZ3, just went on sale. Like the bZ4X, it’s based on the automaker’s eTNGA platform. But unlike that model, the main drive system is Chinese. CarNewsChina reports that it formed a partnership with BYD to use its blade battery and sourced its motors from a BYD subsidiary. The battery packs come in 50 kWh and 65 kWh and provide up to 616 kilometers or 382 miles of range, while there’s two electric motor outputs, the top one being 180 kW or 241 horsepower. In China, the electric sedan sells for the equivalent of $24,500.
BMW i5 USES EYE GESTURES
BMW is introducing tech in the all-new 5 Series that will allow owners to control the car with their eyes. It will be available with Level 2 hands-free driving that includes automatic lane changes. And if the driver looks at one of the outside mirrors, and traffic is clear, the car will change lanes to that side. The system works up to 85 MPH or 130 km/h and the turn signal can activate auto lane changes as well as eye control. BMW also revealed a few other details about the all-new 5 Series that premieres in “just a couple of weeks,” like that it will include ICE, plug-in hybrid and pure electric powertrains. Because of that the chassis tuning is model specific and features a new control system for electronic dampers on the i5 BEV. That model will come standard with a heat pump that supplies the drive system, battery and interior and BMW says it paves the way for more rapid charging.
MERCEDES UNWRAPS NEW E-CLASS
Speaking of new luxury sedans, Mercedes revealed the all-new E-Class. Styling is not a radical departure from the current car, but you’ll notice plenty of new design accents, including around the grille and we especially like how the Mercedes 3-pointed star is picked up in the rear taillights. One thing that might only be picked up by current owners, is a longer wheelbase because it provides more trunk and rear seat legroom. And the interior of the new E-Class is like a mix of the EQE and EQE SUV. It has the upright digital driver’s cluster of the EQE and the center and passenger display under one piece of glass that covers the rest of the dash like the EQE SUV. Perhaps one of the biggest changes is a new electronic architecture that Mercedes says is more software-based, which means the car will have more OTA capabilities. Depending on the market, the E-Class is available with gas, which are all mild hybrids, diesel and plug-in hybrid as well as rear- and all-wheel drive. But no matter what, they’re all paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. Other highlights include Level 2 hands-free capability, an available air suspension system and rear-wheel steering. The new E-Class will be on sale before the end of the year.
BOSCH BUYS U.S. CHIP PLANT
Silicon carbide chips are a hot commodity because they can make electric vehicles even more efficient. So Bosch is buying an American chip company, TSI semiconductors, which is based in California. It will start making silicon carbide chips in 2026. Bosch plans to invest $1.5 billion at the site but it says it will be heavily dependent on receiving federal funds through the CHIPS and Science Act as well as incentives from California.
But that brings us to the end of this show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day.
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Comments (35)
April 26th, 2023 at 12:06 pm
Lucid has another problem in addition to volume … making them with an affordable selling price. For example, Tesla S and X sell for similar to Lucid prices but at an order of magnitude fewer units than the Tesla 3 and Y. Lucid risks becoming a boutique EV maker.
Fisker has been running YouTube ads for almost a year. Given his hybrid failed, I have no expectations.
April 26th, 2023 at 12:57 pm
The whole EV revolution has had some interesting approaches. No doubt Tesla was in the lead with the right product and features to become a serious contender. Kudos to GM for trying to be out in front leading with the anticipated but dismal Volt and mediocre Bolt and pathetic Cadillac ELR (rebadged Volt). Poor body design and battery fires didnt help. Ford maybe had the best strategy with the good looking Mach-e and Lightning capitalizing on the only two products they sell really well. While Stelantis let Dodge just keep pumping out more HP in more variations of the Hemi than ever before and placing it into more products while dabbling with hybrid versions of a few products. Everyone was shocked at Toyota’s lack to jump into the BEV market and they did lose sales to Tesla. But it appears the cost avoidance of jumping in early or releasing half hearted BEVs has probably saved them millions as they are releasing some BEVs now that appear to be serious competitors like they were never out of the game but just waiting for the right moment to strike.
I’ve been GM guy for years but have to say I’m a bit disappointed in gm’s attempt to change with the times and build anything with at least a little excitement minus the new Vette.
As controversial as the Mach-e name was it appears to have been executed quite well and same for the lightning.
Maybe I expect too much but the idea of attending an autoshow now seems about as exciting and a washing machine Expo. Yeah, they’re needed but nothing I need to run out and see.
April 26th, 2023 at 1:06 pm
Interesting observations:
I find it odd that both BMW and M-B are launching their competitive midsize sedans at the same time, yet only BMW will offer a pure BEV powertrain. Seems that M-B may have made a mistake there, given the rapid rise of EV sales.
Nice to see that Cadillac, Lincoln and Mercedes-Benz all manage to design a dash with integrated screens rather than the bolt-on tablet approach seen again today in the new Toyota BEVs. I have to imagine the interior designers hate that.
Aside from the recent low-key buyouts, I am sure that the Stellantis Belvedere plant will be a “concession” from Stellantis and a “victory” for Mr Fain and the UAW. What a silly game they play!
April 26th, 2023 at 1:08 pm
2 The Volt, especially the 2nd generation is far from “dismal.” It is a very good, but misunderstood car. It has 56 miles of EV range, and then a decent 40 mpg combined on gas. The Fisker Karma is a dismal car, short electric range, and then a dismal 20 mpg on gas.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=32516&id=40924
Yeah, the ELR was grossly overpriced.
Yeah, the ELR was grossly overpriced.
April 26th, 2023 at 1:11 pm
2 The “Mustang” Mach-E name probably didn’t affect Mach-E sales much, one way or the other, but using it has probably hurt Mustang sales.
April 26th, 2023 at 1:19 pm
3 Mercedes’s midsize BEV sedan is called EQE.
April 26th, 2023 at 1:33 pm
2 &4 – I owned a gen I Volt, it was a great car. Chevrolet here in texas was clueless as of how to service it. I considered a Bolt at the time to replace it, the chevy sales guy said ‘you don’t want that, its electric like a microwave oven’. Ended up with an ICE Mazda.
I think we need cars like the Bolt, only if it looked better. Hope Chevrolet makes an effort to sell and service its replacement.
April 26th, 2023 at 1:35 pm
3) Their all electric midsize is the EQE. You can be given some slack for not noticing as it is has all the design excitement of a bar of soap. That technically makes it a design competitor to Tesla products which are also as exciting design wise as a bar of soap.
April 26th, 2023 at 1:42 pm
7 To me, the Bolt looks ok, but to most people, it doesn’t. It’s closest replacement will be the electric Equinox, which should look much better to most people.
April 26th, 2023 at 1:49 pm
The new E-Class will be made as sedan and wagon, but the coupe and convertible will be gone. Of course, the wagon won’t be sold in the U.S., and 4WD will be mandatory in the U.S. I’ve disliked MBUSA for many years, because they would never sell me cars that I would have actually considered at one tome.
April 26th, 2023 at 2:17 pm
It’s interesting that both GM and Stalantis are adjusting head counts BEFORE labor talks this year!
April 26th, 2023 at 2:24 pm
I read in Car and Driver, that the new i5 will have from 270 to just over 300 miles of range, depending on with model you select, which is a little disappointing. You mean to tell me that after nearly 15 years, outside of the of the Lucid Air, the Model S still gets more range than most NEW BEVs on the market today?! Smh
April 26th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
4 Far from Dismal? The best sales year was like 25K worldwide. On par with the Cadillac Cimmarron. In comparison the Pontiac Aztec sold 29K just in the US. Yugo sold almost 49K in 1987.
Maybe you misunderstood me calling it dismal, as I was referring to the lack of sales after what was a huge build up and no less than 3 visits from Obama to the Hamtramck assembly plant.
The vehicle itself was a proper attempt by GM and pretty well executed, but fell flat when it came to performing sales wise. Maybe they forgot to get the sales force onboard. I was on the Volt program and had high expectations for the car. Seemed like a great EV with no range anxiety. But for whatever reasons GM couldnt get the public excited about it. Which comes back to my original comment that maybe trying to be out in front actually hurt them. I think that vehicle would be better accepted today but not now that they tried it.
Like they say the early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.
April 26th, 2023 at 2:47 pm
13 The Volt, as a car, is far from dismal. I’ve driven them, and friends have owned them. They work well. I was not talking about sales figures. Vega WAS a dismal car, yet 2 million were sold.
Volt ended up being so politicized the it no doubt hurt sales.
April 26th, 2023 at 4:10 pm
#13.) I agree that the Volt was a GREAT vehicle, yet the ELR was considered badge engineered. The ELR seemed to have been sold for the amount it cost Cadillac/GM to make them, while GM was eating the cost on the Volt. It seemed that the Volt was caught in a negative report as to whether it was an actual EV with a range, or a glorified hybrid?! That negative press, only moved potential buyers from it to the Toyota Prius. True EV or hybrid, it was still a great vehicle! As great as the original was, the 2 gen was even better, but damage done! As I am told, the fact that many of the salespersons didn’t have a clue, didn’t help either. That said, I wonder if we might get a Chevy Camaro Volt/Bolt BEV, sometime in the future?
April 26th, 2023 at 4:14 pm
…or a Chevy Volt/Bolt Z28???
April 26th, 2023 at 4:23 pm
14) The Volt was the better car to me. It was a good blend of tech and the second generation had a more appealing design than the angular first gen. I think the first gen design was so polarizing that by the second gen it was too late and everyone moved on to the venerable Prius.
The Bolt was where it all fell apart to me. It was very expensive for something the size of a Chevrolet Spark. It also didn’t have very impressive stats. It was a great city only car.
As a city only car, you have to worry about where to charge as most city people are using parking garages or street parking. They typically don’t have private garages like suburb drivers. Suburb drivers hate small cars regardless of propulsion system, so they are not buyers. The larger Equinox with the base battery would likely better fill the vacancy left by the Bolt for the same price. Won’t solve the problems of people who live in apartments, but would appeal to people that live in the suburbs with private garages at least.
April 26th, 2023 at 10:37 pm
17 The Bolt styling is not “the thing” for the U.S. market. I like it ok, but I’m an outlier. Bolt is not the size of Spark. It’s 20 inches longer, and 7 inches wider, but probably looks smaller than it is.
As far as stats, Bolt got a 6.8 second 0-60 by CR, much quicker than most “city cars,” and has 260 mile range. At $40K, no wonder it didn’t sell. At today’s prices, it is selling as well as they can build them.
April 26th, 2023 at 11:12 pm
The Bolt 50 kW charge limit killed it for me. A 50 kW charging rate is like breathing through a straw.
We had a BMW i3-REx that was also limited to 50 kW charging. It costs $24 and an extra hour to drive electric to Nashville. Returning on the gas powered Rex was an hour faster and cost only $6. Many chargers have a charge time, billing rate.
April 27th, 2023 at 7:22 am
14 Yes Kit the Volt was not dismal the sales were. But GM has a long history of doing that with oh so many models. They go cheap and then only offer a decent vehicle after they have already ruined its reputation. The Fiero was another prime example. Launched with an okay 4cyl but it had oil leaks that caused engine fires. But the second year they launched it with a proper 2.8L V6 but the damage was done. Development for the 89-90 models was being done for a turbo 4 which was crazy quick but just as GM got a decent suspension under it and power assisted Steering the car was canceled. Lasted only 4 years.
Especially when it comes to sportscars GM always launches with a mediocre powertrain then brings ou the actual performance version later. When in reality they should launch with the big engine first and then offer a more affordable option later. But seems like they are taking that approach with the EVs. Only the high dollar preimum models launch first then the affordable single engine smaller batteries come later. So maybe they learned something with the ICEs
April 27th, 2023 at 7:51 am
20 From what I’ve heard, most of the Fiero fires were the result of blown engines, when run out of oil. Rods come through the side of the block, and the oil mist causes the fire. The “iron duke” four only 3 quarts of oil, and burned more oil that most engines of the time. As a result, a lot of them ran out of oil in the hands of owners who didn’t check it regularly.
April 27th, 2023 at 7:54 am
20 “Especially when it comes to sportscars GM always launches with a mediocre powertrain then brings ou the actual performance version later.”
I guess you are talking about Solstice/Sky in the above statement?
April 27th, 2023 at 8:07 am
19 For people who use an EV for highway trips, low charge rate would be a real downer. For those who charge at home, and use the car for commuting, maximum charge rate is not an issue. Even 1.0-1.5 kW from a standard 120v outlet would work for a lot of people.
April 27th, 2023 at 8:14 am
Here’s a video about charging an EV using a standard 120v outlet. It is a viable option for a lot of people who use EVs for commuting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx-q4Y1LLvg
April 27th, 2023 at 8:15 am
test
April 27th, 2023 at 8:40 am
20) I have a Fiero. Great cars and almost nobody keeps them stock. There is so much that can be done with that car. Mine is an LSX engine, F40 transmission, Quaiffe LSD, and air ride suspension. I also threw in a modern interior to get rid of the blocky interior of the Fiero. With this set up that car is amazing. Rides/handles/accelerates like a modern car. Only the sound of the V8 gives it away that there is something different going on underneath that 80s body.
April 27th, 2023 at 8:49 am
24 A few years ago, I saw a Fiero at a show with a Northstar engine. I doubt if there are many of those conversions.
April 27th, 2023 at 9:25 am
25) The northstar is a popular option. Fits in nicely, develops a lot of power, and lightweight. They just have the typical northstar reliability issues. In a fiero that means that you are always taking it in and out to service it. The other cadillac motor that is very popular is the 4.9L V8 that preceded the northstar. Still a lot of power, for a Fiero, but more reliability so you are not taking the motor in and out so much. If I had to do it all over again, I would go for the 3800 Supercharged motor. Very reliable and plenty of power for a Fiero. Reasonable fuel economy also.
April 27th, 2023 at 9:55 am
My Lamborghini kit car was based on a Fiero that I bought in 87. I’m using the Northstar engine but a 07 after they fixed the headbolt issues. The chassis had to be stretched 11 inches so there is plenty of room for it.
The Northstar transmission 4T80e which was designed to handle the 300+ HP will bolt up to a LS4 so I see some going that route too. The LS4 was the only LS engine used in FWD applications, so it has a pretty small bell-housing pattern. Requires a few small modifications mainly for the starter since the Northstar starter is in the valley.
April 27th, 2023 at 9:58 am
I have a youtube video of the engine choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOIvyi-z1GM
April 27th, 2023 at 10:18 am
28 Interesting
April 27th, 2023 at 10:57 am
28) Very nice!
April 27th, 2023 at 11:26 am
#27 Lambo, have you seen the Roadkill show with a poorly done Fiero – Lambo kit. Funny.
April 27th, 2023 at 11:55 am
33 I have. I like that show.
April 27th, 2023 at 4:22 pm
I’ve read that a lot of Cadillacs have been junked because of problems with northstar engines. Have enough been crashed to provide engines for Fieros, or do a lot of the engines need serious work before re-use.