This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR NEW EV CREDITS
It looks like Tesla’s and General Motors’ lobbying efforts have paid off. A bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate yesterday to expand electric vehicle credits. Currently, once an automaker sells 200,000 electrified vehicles, the $7,500 credit phases out over 15 months. But the new bill would give each automaker a $7,000 tax credit for an additional 400,000 EVs, and phase out after nine months. It also extends the credit for fuel cell vehicles until 2028. This would be a big victory for GM and Tesla, who have already hit the 200,000-vehicle threshold. But there’s going to be plenty of opposition to the bill from the Trump Administration which wants to eliminate the EV tax credit altogether.
INFINITI’S FIRST PRODUCTION EV
Infiniti has been using recent auto shows to give a glimpse into its electric future and the new Qs Inspiration concept is a preview of its first production EV. The sedan rides on an all-new flexible architecture, which Infiniti says “enables a reinterpretation of traditional ‘three-box’ sedan design.” Note the raised body and seating position. The all-wheel drive Qs Inspiration will make its debut at the Shanghai auto show next week.
PININFARINA BATTISTA IS WICKED FAST AND PRICEY
And in other auto show news, the Pininfarina Battista will make its North American debut at the New York Auto Show next week. The electric supercar is powered by a 120-kWh battery and four electric motors, one at each wheel. That combination helps it produce an eye-popping 1,900 horsepower and nearly 1,700 lb-ft of torque. And it screams from 0 to 60 MPH in less than two seconds. But that won’t impact its range, which is estimated to be 300 miles. The Italian design house will hand build just 150 examples of the Battista and only 50 will make their way to North America, starting in late 2020. But it ain’t cheap, the Battista has a $2.5 million price tag.
D.O.E. ID’S HOW TO GET MORE TRUCK DRIVERS
Traffic jams keep getting worse as the population of people and cars continues to grow. According to the Department of Energy, Americans now face 1.2 billion hours of traffic jams every year. And that’s affecting the trucking industry. Trucks are wasting a lot of time sitting in traffic. The Energy Department believes that if we could use vehicle connectivity to reduce traffic jams, it could be the equivalent of adding 42,000 truck drivers. Right now, the U.S. faces a shortage of 50,000 truck drivers. So freeing up 42,000 drivers just by reducing traffic jams would almost take care of the problem.
Be sure to join us this afternoon for Autoline After Hours when we’ll have Masahiro Moro, the CEO of Mazda North America in the house. If you’ve got questions about where Mazda is headed, send us an email to [email protected], and then join us at 3 pm eastern time when we go live.
TESTING GM’S CARBON FIBER PICKUP BED
GM attacked Ford in a flurry of television ads, making fun of Ford’s use of an aluminum body and bed on the F-Series. Now, we’ll know if GM’s carbon fiber pickup bed that will be optional on the Denali version of the GMC Sierra can stand up to a truck buyer’s abuse. Production of the CarbonPro bed will start in June. GM put it through pretty rigorous tests, including drop, heat and corrosion tests. It even accelerated a snowmobile with metal studded tracks at full throttle with a 250-pound rider on the back to see how it would hold up. It only had minimal scratching. One of the obvious advantages of a carbon fiber bed is weight. It is roughly 60 pounds lighter. But other highlights include molded tracks for dirt and street bike tires and it also offers an additional cubic foot of cargo volume. If you’d like to learn more about the CarbonPro bed, we did an interview at this year’s Detroit auto show with Continental Structural Plastics, the supplier that developed it.
SOME COMMUNITIES THREATENED BY EVs
At some point in the next two decades, electric cars will hit a tipping point and sales will take off. Unless some communities get ready for that day, they’re going to get clobbered. A lot of communities rely on automotive factories for their tax base. These factories help pay for schools, police departments and a host of other services. But a lot of those factories make parts for piston engines, and their business will be threatened in the future. Factories that make pistons, and crankshafts and mufflers and radiators will do just fine for the next ten years. But in twenty years’ time they’re going to see a big fall off in their business as electric cars catch on. So the communities that rely on these factories better start figuring out right now how they’re going to deal with this. Because we usually don’t react until the factories start closing.
TESLA PLANS TO DRASTICALLY CUT WIRING IN ITS VEHICLES
On last week’s Autoline After Hours we were joined by Sandy Munro to talk about the Tesla Model 3. During that discussion he revealed that the company is planning to drastically reduce the amount of wiring in its vehicles and how it will make it work.
(The AAH preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
You can watch that entire show right now on our website, Autoline,tv or just look for it on our YouTube channel.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (37)
April 11th, 2019 at 12:27 pm
A. “new” EV Tax credits.
I am 100% DISGUSTED and 100% OPPOSED to these immoral wealth transfers from the average taxpayer to the RICH who buy EVs (their average income is $170,000+!)
They should NEVER have been tax credits but REBATES, and only below-average income taxpayers would get them.
Also, you are wrong to say “GM AND Tesla are the winners. Just because GM has sold 200,000 units as Tesla has, does not mean it can take advantage of the next 200,000 OR 400,000, because currently NOBODY Cares for ANYBODY else’s EVs but TESLA, which sells 10 times what anybody else sells. AND GM’s 200,000 already were NOT pure EVs, but their vast majority were dirty plug-ins (VOLTS).
So this is a huge victory for Tesla ONLY, but I am still 100% OPPOSED to the disgusting, immoral legislation.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Pininfarina JOKE. Maybe it is better looking than the new Tesla Roadster, which costs a mere 10% of the Pininfarinan JOKE, BUT I seriously doubt it is any BETTER, and proably is much worse performance-wise. Oh, and in addition, the Tesla Roadster has an UNREAL Range of 620 MILES, more than double than that of this RIPOFF.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:33 pm
PS In other news: Guess which was the best selling vehicle in the obscenely wealthy “Land of Milk and Money”, Switzerland, where every evil dictator and his mother-in-law have numbered bank accounts?
Did anybody say the TESLA MODEL 3?
April 11th, 2019 at 12:40 pm
Wow, the Battista is very fast….too fast to control. Since there will only be 50 delivered to the U.S. @ $2.5M, I better get on the list right away; I mean,.. considering the tax credit discount it’s a bargain!!!
Just fun’in.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:43 pm
The propaganda regarding traffic congestion solved by the “magic” of “V2V” communication really is reaching for justification of taxing the drivers by the mile.What about all the claims for self driving “solving congestion”. There are still on so many lanes in a road that connects point A to point B.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:48 pm
So who is going to buy a Sierra Denali so they can get a carbon fiber bed; yeah the carbon fiber is strong and would work well but those superior beds need to be in the working mans truck (not a Denali that the boss drives or some suburbanite/rancher that uses it for more mundane uses would). It’s probably a cost thing for offering it on the Denali but those that could truly use it; yikes, not for a while at least.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:49 pm
For anyone who needs to move their motorcycle in their truck, the GMC box looks really well thought out.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:50 pm
1 Larry you make no sense. You are disgustingly opposed to tax payer money being given as a tax credit but are okay with a rebate but to only lower income folks when you even state the average income of EV buyers is 140K. So then no one?
The government wants to jump start the sales of EVs and the rich are the majority of people who will buy them at first. They also give credits to folks that install solar panels and wind mills.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:57 pm
8 I make PERFECT, 100% Sense and I am 100% TRUE to my PRINCIPLES. EVs need NO Handouts, but if coNGRESS GIVES THEM ANY, they SHOULD NOT be the current tax credits. I explained it 100% and repeatedly and if you still don’t get it i DO NOT KNOW how else to say it.
April 11th, 2019 at 12:59 pm
I would think that things like Google Maps can help with congestion better than V2V. I know maps will notify me of a traffic jam and reroute me. So I have it on often times even when I know where I’m going.
April 11th, 2019 at 1:00 pm
I guess that expensive electric car is named after Fidel Castro’s predecessor in Cuba, Fulgencio Batista, but they spelled it wrong. There is only one “t” after the “a.”
April 11th, 2019 at 1:06 pm
9 Writing in bold doesn’t make your nonsense any more clear. I got what you said. You don’t agree with tax credits but if they are handing out money on EVs it should be a government rebate and only to lower income folks that are not buying EVs since the average income is 140K. Clear as mud.
BTW EVs don’t need handouts, and Tesla doesn’t need a cheerleaders, but they have one anyway.
April 11th, 2019 at 1:11 pm
the EV credit was to give a helping hand to get the industry going for environmental reasons well the technology is in hand already one company in particular makes a superior car, say no to corporate welfare bums
April 11th, 2019 at 1:16 pm
I miss the old forum with serious comments about the content, not rants and arguments.
April 11th, 2019 at 1:21 pm
13 you miss the point. It should never have been a TAX CREDIT. DO you understand the difference between a REBATE, especially a rebate that ONLY the below-average income buyers get, and a Tax credit, which these people CANNOT use, because they pay far les than $7,000 to the IRS??????
April 11th, 2019 at 1:35 pm
On the Infiniti’s concepts… It is an interesting character “line” where the hood meets the front fascia/grill. In the first image, it almost looks like a very poor example of “fit and finish”. In the second image, it is a little more pronounced but still does not look “right”. It seems like this step would really hurt aerodynamics and be a good “bug catcher”.
April 11th, 2019 at 1:35 pm
If there is a tax credit, it should be usable over multiple years, so lower income people could use it. Overall, though, it probably doesn’t make much sense to have the credits, or rebates at all. Lower income people don’t, or shouldn’t buy new cars anyway, especially expensive ones, and wealthy people can buy their $40K and up EVs without the subsidies.
April 11th, 2019 at 1:47 pm
The Senate EV credit proposal discussed here does retain the subsidy as a credit with the noted economic inequities deficiencies. There is a House proposal in the works that makes the subsidy a true rebate that can be applied at the time of purchase, thus benefiting more EV buyers. Both will have a difficult time becoming law with the current administration’s dislike for “21st century” technology.
April 11th, 2019 at 2:28 pm
14 Apologies for my part.
17 Glad to see you have a clear understanding that credit or rebate makes no difference when low income people are not buying 40K cars so would not take advantage of either.
18 I don’t believe the current administration has a dislike for modern technology, but rather an issue with handouts that are currently a benefit to people that do not really need it.
Current US household income (not individual) is 61K. So I doubt many people or couples under that are buying 40k EVs.
April 11th, 2019 at 2:41 pm
LarryD, As a foreigner, I appreciate you continuing the tradition of the ‘ugly American’. If someone doesn’t understand you, just repeat your original statement LOUDER!
April 11th, 2019 at 3:41 pm
18 The current administration seems to either have a dislike for modern technology, or wants to do what they can to hurt the environment. At least DJT really loves coal, but wants to disincentivize solar. That’s a discussion for another place, though.
I certainly agree that the EV incentives, at least in their current form, are used mainly by people who don’t need them.
April 11th, 2019 at 4:20 pm
Why not change the EV credit into a voucher?
The holder would be allowed to use $1500 of the voucher for road use, since they do not pay fuel taxes. The remaining $5K can be transferred to a friend or family member (college student) for a fuel efficient vehicle, but not a gas hog truck or suv.
IMO, EV buyers are either ego trend setters or just environmentalists; Either way, giving a voucher for a good cause should tickle their fancy.
April 11th, 2019 at 4:36 pm
Better yet take the money that being used for tax credits and use it to install more EV charging stations, making EVs more attractive. That benefits everyone that buys one today and into the future not just the folks that buy now. It supports the goal of promoting EVs and does not discriminate on which manufacturer is selling 10 EVs a month or 5000 EVs.
April 11th, 2019 at 4:41 pm
Indiana has a $150 surcharge for electric cars, about 9500 miles worth of tax driving a 30 mpg car, or about 14-15K miles of tax for a Prius, driven “normally,” not driving to maximize mpg. Some other states do something similar.
April 11th, 2019 at 4:55 pm
Lambo… good idea, but this really should be done by the manufactures and related suppliers. If they believe in their product, they are the ones who should be at the fore front in developing charging stations.
I believe big investors will create EV stations in mass, just like gas stations; As a result, the cost to charge up will be comparable to gas prices if not higher. Unless you have a home charger, I doubt The EV buyer of the future will see the cost savings they hoped for. I could be wrong.. but I doubt it.
April 11th, 2019 at 5:19 pm
So far, most EV drivers buy them because they like them, not to save money. Also, so far, Tesla, with their “superchargers,” is the only company trying to make EVs closer to “do everything” cars, but the only way I’d buy a pure EV would be if I had home charging.
April 11th, 2019 at 6:56 pm
For Elon Musk fans, and haters, the second Falcon Heavy just launched, and it sounds like all three booster sections landed successfully, two on land, and one on the barge in the Atlantic. I saw it launch from about 15 miles away, and saw two of the boosters most of the way back down.
April 11th, 2019 at 8:16 pm
Wow Kit, you sure are lucky! That must have been something to see first hand. Isn’t it amazing that we have learned how to do so many remarkable things. Take pix next time.
April 11th, 2019 at 8:22 pm
Even though this is after the fact and my suggestion is hypothetical, I think in order to stimulate E sales, the credits should have been discounts of a more equitable nature and limited to the first million vehicles and available derby style. By that I mean whoever sells the EV, they get the bonus; no limit of 200k each, just the first million. Now that would have set up a competition. Pie in the sky, maybe, but what we have now didn’t work so hot either.
April 11th, 2019 at 8:30 pm
I have a couple phone videos, but I’m too far away for the pics to be very good. It’s cool to see, though. It was almost dark when the previous SpaceX Heavy landed two boosters, and that was really cool to see.
April 11th, 2019 at 9:05 pm
26 Even more impressive than the falcon Heavy, which was impressive enough for me to post the 15 min video on my FBN page. This one landed all 3, and one on a barge in the ocean? REALLY impressive.
Cannot resist making the comparison of Musk’s genius with Hackett’s clueless destruction of Ford Equity on silly ventures and cancelling all the cars, a truly idiotic move.
April 12th, 2019 at 7:44 am
The first Falcon Heavy landed the two outer boosters on land, but failed the landing of the center one on the barge, apparently because it ran of of igniter fluid for the engines. The one yesterday landed all three. There are multiple burns for the landing sequence, and from my condo ~7 miles away, I can see the descending boosters only during the burns.
April 12th, 2019 at 9:17 am
GM announces official C8 reveal date of July 18, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Cjv3-j2AY
April 12th, 2019 at 9:46 am
It will be interesting. I probably won’t want to be first on my block to buy on, even if it is marginally in my price range, but I look forward to the announcement.
April 12th, 2019 at 10:09 am
32 if it debuted just 5 days later, it would be right on my birthday
April 12th, 2019 at 11:20 am
24 I’m not sure why the manufacturers should be responsible for EV stations anymore than they are for gas stations. Someone who is willing to make a buck will install them and as you pointed out the savings will probably not turn out to be all that great. Honestly though until charging times are reduced and range is close to 300 miles I don’t really see many people who even buy an EV using them for long trips. So what you’ll end up with is a saturation of EVs that are 95% charged at home or work and rarely see any long distance trips. So even having more charging stations might not be enough to encourage someone to buy one.
April 12th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
I agree with #14!!!!!!!!