Listen to “AD #2944 – Should Executives Race Cars?; Tesla’s Operational Advantage; Fiat Introduces 3+1 Electric 500” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 10:46
0:07 Hamburg Offers Free Autonomous Shuttle Rides
0:58 Tesla’s Operational Advantage
1:49 Should Executives Race Cars?
3:30 FCA Updates Online Buying Experience
4:18 Hummer EV Off-Road Specs
5:09 Electric Fiat 500 Gets Big Discount in Italy
5:47 Fiat Introduces 3+1 Electric 500
6:58 Genesis GV80 Engine Details
7:52 You Said It!
9:21 Mercedes Recalling Vehicles with Illuminated Grille Star
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
HAMBURG OFFERS FREE AUTONOMOUS SHUTTLE RIDES
Another day, another story about autonomous vehicles. This time it’s over in Germany where the city of Hamburg is testing self-driving shuttles with passengers on public streets. The shuttle only travels up to 25 km/h or about 15.5 MPH but that’s because it’s only operating in the city’s downtown area. From now until the end of November, you can ride on the shuttle for free, which you can book via a smartphone app. A vehicle attendant and a technical support specialist are always on board but due to the pandemic, only three other passengers are allowed at a time, who of course need to wear a mask. Once the initial trial is complete, the service will take a break in the winter and resume again next spring. That will give operators time to further develop the system and review the data they collected.
TESLA’S OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGE
As traditional automakers try to figure out how they’re going to compete with Tesla, here’s something they need to keep in mind. Not only does Tesla operate differently than traditional automakers, it also operates differently than other startups. That’s because Tesla treats all the major operations in the company as a startup. On Tesla’s earnings call this week Elon Musk said that when they set out to design their own power electronics, they treated that effort as a startup company. Same goes for making motors, selling insurance, designing AI computer chips and developing autonomous technology. So while traditional automakers use a top-down, command and control approach to running their companies, Tesla runs its operations as if they were a collection of startups. And that could help explain how Tesla moves so fast.
SHOULD EXECUTIVES RACE CARS?
Some car executives are true gear heads. Mark Reuss, the president of GM races cars. So does Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Peugeot. Akio Toyoda does and so does Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford. But some business experts say this is too dangerous and that those companies should put a stop to it all. One professor says that anyone on the board of directors that allows this to happen doesn’t deserve to be a director. We say that professor needs a better education. Taking cars out on a track requires 100% concentration and it lets these execs get their minds off all the pressures at work. We’re glad to see people who work in the auto industry play with the products they actually make. How about you? If you were on the board of directors, would you let your CEO race?
FCA UPDATES ONLINE BUYING EXPERIENCE
FCA updated its online car buying experience with several new features so you don’t have to spend as much time at the dealership. Called E-Shop, it actually launched six months ago ahead of schedule, to help dealers during the pandemic. And it’s available for all of its brands. Customers are able to complete the entire purchasing process online including, pricing information, trade-in value, financing options, e-signature to complete final paperwork and in most cases home delivery. Other features include, online chats, test drive appointments and reservations. FCA says since E-Shop was implemented, 45% of its monthly sales originated from internet leads, last year it was about 25%.
HUMMER EV OFF-ROAD SPECS
We’ve got more info on the GMC Hummer EV. It will have the same size profile as a GMC Sierra AT4 pickup, and will be as long and wide as a Ford Raptor. Thanks to its 4-wheel steering, it will have a turning radius less than a Tesla Model 3. When you raise the suspension to its fullest, what GMC calls Extract Mode, it has almost 16 inches of ground clearance, a nearly 50-degree approach angle and a 38-degree departure angle. It can climb over an 18 inch wall and drive through water that is 32 inches deep. Those are pretty good specs. GM claims the program only started 18 months ago, so it moved pretty quick. And what saved a ton of time is that it’s really built off the Cadillac Lyric EV.
ELECTRIC FIAT 500 GETS BIG DISCOUNT IN ITALY
New car buyers in Italy are about to get access to an inexpensive EV. Fiat announced it will launch its full range of electric 500s this weekend with a starting price of just under 26,000 euro or a little over $30,500. But that doesn’t include a 6,000-euro incentive offered by the Italian government or an additional 4,000-euro discount for those who scrap an old car. With those added into the equation, the price for a 500 BEV is actually less than the most popular version of the gasoline-powered 500.
FIAT INTRODUCES 3+1 ELECTRIC 500
And in an effort to make the electric 500 appealing to more customers Fiat revealed a 3+1 version that features a small half-door on the passenger side of the vehicle. Obviously, this is to make access into the 2nd row even easier. The extra components needed for the door adds about 65 pounds to the overall weight of the vehicle, but otherwise the 3+1 is exactly the same as other electric 500s. And it doesn’t seem like that extra weight has a negative impact on the WLTP-rated range. The electric 500 comes in two battery sizes; 23.8 kWh or 42 kWh. The smaller pack returns 180 kilometers or nearly 112 miles of range, while the larger provides 320 kilometers or about 199 miles.
GENESIS GV80 ENGINE DETAILS
About a decade ago it looked like automakers would use direct fuel injection on all their engines. But GDI, or gasoline direct injection, proved to be particularly sensitive to gasoline quality, which could cause clogging and carbon buildup. So some automakers started using dual fuel injectors. They use port injectors, which inject fuel into the intake manifold, and also use direct injectors that inject it directly into the combustion chamber. We ran across this chart about the new Genesis GV80 that maps out when the engine is running on multi-port injection, or MPI, and when it’s running on GDI, or when it’s running on both. The y-axis on the left shows torque, while the x-axis on the bottom shows rpm. You’ll note that unless you’re really stepping on the gas pedal, the engine will run on MPI in most driving situations.
YOU SAID IT!
And now it’s time for some of your feedback. Sam Fiorani from AutoForecast solutions saw our coverage of Nissan’s all-new compact crossover and says, “You reported on the new Nissan Magnite and noted its lack of a “V-Motion” grille. The reason for this is that the Magnite was intended to be a Datsun model, and they wear/wore that grille that looks like chrome parenthesis. Since the demise of Datsun, models already in development have moved over to the Nissan brand.” That makes a lot of sense and we would expect that if a refreshed version ever comes it will wear a V-Motion grille because otherwise this model looks really out of place in the lineup. Yesterday we talked about how the Hummer EV is able to charge its battery faster, but someone that commented under the name Cycles says, “A small correction about charging the Hummer at 800V. What I suspect is happening is that the system has essentially two 400V packs that normally run the vehicle in parallel. For fast charging it seems they can connect the packs in series for charging. Currents get very high which becomes the limiter to charging speed. By connecting in series this doubles the voltage and power without current that would require huge cables and cooling.” I’d just like to say thanks for the feedback and keep it coming. It helps us make a better show.
MERCEDES RECALLING VEHICLES WITH ILLUMINATED GRILLE STAR
Wow, those expensive light up logos just don’t seem worth it. We recently reported how Rolls-Royce has to scrap its $4,600 illuminated Spirit of Ecstacy and now Mercedes is recalling nearly 13,000 SUVs with light up three-pointed stars in their grilles. Turns out an improper ground in the wiring system for the feature could also take out the power steering, driver’s side headlight and wipers. We don’t normally report on recalls, especially ones this small but there’s something about the thought of someone shelling out $500 for this purely cosmetic feature, which could take out really important functions that, well, quite honestly, makes me chuckle a bit.
And so, hopefully with a smile on your face, we wrap up this week’s worth of shows. Thanks for watching and have a great weekend.
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.