AD #3002 – U.S. Federal Fleet Going Electric; Lotus Announces New Sports Car Family; Odyssey Loses HondaVac for 2022
January 26th, 2021 at 11:48am
Listen to “AD #3002 – U.S. Federal Fleet Going Electric; Lotus Announces New Sports Car Family; Odyssey Loses HondaVac for 2022″ on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 9:08
0:07 Federal Fleet Being Replaced by U.S.-Made EVs
0:42 Shell Buying UK Charging Company Ubitricity
1:23 Automotive Stock Performances
3:36 Ford’s Design Leader, Moray Callum, Retiring
4:17 BMW Motorrad Drops Out of Major Trade Shows
5:13 Mitsubishi Teases All-New Outlander
5:49 Lotus Announces New Sports Car Family
6:47 Odyssey Loses HondaVac After Supplier Goes Under
7:23 JLR Lightweighting EVs for Bigger Batteries
8:09 Volvo Safety Sunday
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U.S. FEDERAL FLEET BEING REPLACED BY U.S.-MADE EVs
President Biden announced plans to replace the entire federal fleet of vehicles with EVs that are made in the U.S. There are more than 645,000 vehicles in the federal fleet, which includes civilian, military and post office vehicles. It’s an ambitious plan but Biden did not give any specifics like a time frame for replacing the vehicles, how much it will cost or the companies it plans to purchase from. But in the long run, converting the fleet to electrics will provide savings in fuel and maintenance costs.
SHELL BUYING UK CHARGING COMPANY UBITRICITY
And speaking of making the switch to EVs, Shell announced it’s acquiring Ubitricity, the largest public charging network in the UK. Financial details weren’t disclosed but the deal is expected to close later this year. Ubitricity integrates EV charging into existing street infrastructure, like lamp posts. Shell already has chargers installed at 430 of its stations in the UK and this acquisition helps it expand into on street parking. The UK plans to phase out ICE vehicles by 2030, so this move will help it prepare for that transition.
AUTOMOTIVE STOCK PERFORMANCES
It was a down day on Wall Street for automotive stocks yesterday. And it was an across the board drop including automakers, suppliers and retailers. But there was one segment that did well, the one for EV startups. Tesla had a solid day, closing at $880 a share, up 4%. Workhorse, the electric truck company in Cincinnati, Ohio, was up $1.20, or 5%. And Nikola, yes that Nikola, was up sixty two cents, or 3%. Amongst the Chinese companies, BYD was up 6% and Kandi was up 2%. But Li Auto, NIO, and XPeng all posted sharp drops. The biggest mover of all the automotive-related stocks was Luminar, the lidar startup in Orlando, Florida, which was up an impressive 10%. Interestingly, Orlando is home to the largest operations that the U.S. Defense Department has in lasers and photonics and Luminar is tapping into that ecosystem.
| Company | Current Price | $ Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | $880.80 | +$34.16 | +4.0% |
| Workhorse | $24.71 | +$1.20 | +5.1% |
| Nikola | $20.74 | +$0.62 | +3.1% |
| Luminar | $37.45 | +$3.45 | +10.1% |
| BYD | $35.26 | +$2.02 | +6.1% |
| Kandi | $8.34 | +0.16 | +2.0% |
| Li Auto | $31.99 | -$2.45 | -7.1% |
| NIO | $59.99 | -$1.96 | -3.2% |
| XPeng | $54.65 | -$1.74 | -3.1% |
FORD’S DESIGN LEADER, MORAY CALLUM, RETIRING
Ford’s long time head of design is retiring. Moray Callum, who is 62, is stepping down after 38 years in the auto industry. He definitely comes from an automotive design family. His brother, Ian, recently retired as the head of design at Jaguar Land Rover. Interestingly, Ford went outside of the company to find his replacement. Anthony Lo is the new head of design, and he brings a wealth of experience. Born in Hong Kong, his resume includes stints at Lotus, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, GM Europe and most recently he was the head of exterior styling at Renault.
BMW MOTORRAD DROPS OUT OF MAJOR TRADE SHOWS
Automakers have been pulling away from auto shows for years and now the phenomenon is making its way to motorcycles. BMW Motorrad announced it will no longer exhibit bikes at major trade shows and will instead hold its own in-person and digital events. The motorcycle maker said this format will allow it to time world premieres and product launches more flexibly. And it thinks it will have better interactions with current and potential customers. But don’t think it’s giving up on them all together. BMW Motorrad will still show off its lineup at select regional motorcycle shows. While trade shows, automotive, motorcycle or otherwise, will always be the best way to experience a lot of different models in one place, we think we’ll see more companies hold their own events, instead of big reveals at shows where only a limited number of people can watch.
MITSUBISHI TEASES ALL-NEW OUTLANDER
Mitsubishi is going to unveil the all-new Outlander on February 16th and is providing a few details as we lead up to its debut. It sits on a newly developed platform, which Mitsubishi says returns a bigger and bolder Outlander compared to the previous generation. The automaker is finishing up final testing on the SUV, which includes putting its latest Super All-Wheel Control system through its paces on the snow. Along with a new drive mode selector, the all-new Outlander is expected to deliver enhanced driving performance.
LOTUS ANNOUNCES NEW FAMILY OF SPORTS CARS
Lotus, the small sports car manufacturer, has been around for 73 years and has come out with some pretty amazing cars during that time, including the Elise, which was launched in 1995. But its run, along with the Exige and Evora are coming to an end. Those three models, which have combined sales of about 55,000 units, are entering their last year of production as Lotus revealed it’s going to come out with a new family of sports cars, starting with the Type 131. It says the new car will blend the learnings of the past with the innovations of today and tomorrow. To us that means more electrification.
HONDA ODYSSEY LOSES VACUUM AFTER SUPPLIER GOES UNDER
The Honda Odyssey is losing one of its coolest and most convenient features. Its integrated vacuum cleaner, called the HondaVac is no longer an option for the 2022 model year. It was supplied by Shop-Vac but the company went out of business last September because of the economic downturn related to the pandemic. Shop-Vac was talking to a potential buyer but the deal fell through and that’s why Honda had to drop the vacuum. But don’t worry, the automaker is looking for a new supplier, so it sounds like it will be available again at some point.
JLR TO LIGHTWEIGHT EVs FOR LARGER BATTERIES
Jaguar Land Rover is developing lightweight vehicle structures for electric vehicles using advanced composites like carbon fiber. It’s aiming to increase vehicle stiffness by 30% and cut weight by 35 kilograms or 77 pounds. By reducing weight, JLR says it can equip vehicles with larger batteries in order to get more range. By next year, the automaker will have a fleet of prototype vehicles to test and research. This is part of a project led by Jaguar Land Rover that includes academic and industry partners with the goal of preventing 4.5 million tons of CO2 emissions between 2023 and 2032.
VOLVO SAFETY SUNDAY
The NFL’s big game is on Sunday February 7th and it’s not just the Kansas City Chiefs or Tampa Bay Buccaneers who can win big, so can you. If a safety is scored during the game, Volvo is going to give away $2 million worth of vehicles. You can build a vehicle on Volvo’s configurator or have one recommended to you and if the safety happens, Volvo will pick winners at random. I don’t really care who wins, I’ll just be rooting for a good game and now also a safety so some people can get some free cars.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.
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Comments (36)
January 26th, 2021 at 12:14 pm
Chances are Volvo won’t be giving away any cars, as a safety is scored in only about one NFL game in 14.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:20 pm
The government and auto manufacturers continue their push for EV’s. My question is where is all this extra electricity going to come from? The US power grid is already pushed to its limits and much of the infrastructure is past due for replacement and upgrading.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:26 pm
I understand the thinking with manufacturers wanting to have there own show but many people- like me- do not live near these areas and travel to come see the show. We aren’t going to make the trip over and over again to see each manufacturer’s coming out day. Seems short sighted to me.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:28 pm
2 A few weeks ago, I determined that adding 100 million EVs would only increase US electricity use by about 10%. The issue will be places to charge the cars, more than the power generation, especially if cars are charged mainly at off-peak times.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:31 pm
As automotive media sources indicate, it would be easier to find a government in a developed country that isn’t moving towards EV. To make the change, the US is making a big push to develop a green infrastructure to meet the demand. For the near-term the fleet is going to remain a mix of power sources. Underdeveloped countries will be dependent on fossil fuels for a longer period of time, so manufacturers are going to have to address all recipients.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:31 pm
2, I somewhat agree, though since the uptake of BEV’s is still small and (I think) going to be slower than some of these predictions, power may be able to keep up. I’ll add a question: where are they going to get all these EV buyers that they speak of?
1, Kit, I don’t know this for sure, but don’t a lot of these giveaways get backed by insurance companies that back the guarantee payout if it transpires. So maybe Volvo puts upfront money to the insurance company of a lower amount and the insurance company ‘takes the bet’ (that it won’t happen); the payout?
January 26th, 2021 at 12:36 pm
6 On the possible car give away, I suspect Volvo/Geely would be taking their own bet. Two million would be a small amount to a large company like that.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:43 pm
@7 I would agree, it’s a gorilla advertising kind of approach. Throw out something like that, sit back and watch everyone advertise for you for free, didn’t even have to pay the NFL their pound of flesh.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:50 pm
To be honest, I doubt I would take any Geely product.
It is a sad day when this football game, that is as American as apple pie, becomes sponsored by the Chinese!!! I wonder how long it will take to learn a lesson that China will do anything to own you.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:51 pm
It will be interesting to see what the new Lotuses will be like. The outgoing ones are, basically, street legal race cars, and very “rough around the edges” compared to most cars. I suspect they will try to add a little “luxury” to the new ones, to make them a little closer to Cayman/Boxster in that regard.
January 26th, 2021 at 12:53 pm
9 Lotus is also Geely, or at least partly so.
January 26th, 2021 at 1:28 pm
It seems a little bit two faced when Americans criticize Chinese consumers who stopped buying Japanese or South Korean cars then China had issues with those countries but think that it is perfectly normal, maybe even patriotic, for American consumers to boycott Chinese vehicles when the American government has issues with China. A real car guy buys the best car period and leaves his politics at home. As a Canadian, I can say that, since the US and Japan long ago destroyed the car industry in my country.
January 26th, 2021 at 1:31 pm
Its interesting that Lotus is going to redo their entire lineup, unless that falls apart like it did the last time, but I digress.
At least two EV companies have launched their businesses by converting Lotus Elise models to electric power. So, I guess its about time that Lotus jumps in too. For those of you wondering, the two companies are Tesla and Detroit Electric. One decidedly more successful than the other.
January 26th, 2021 at 1:41 pm
@9, 11: Daimler is at least 14.7% Chinese-owned (Tenaciou3 Prospect Investment Limited and BAIC Group).
January 26th, 2021 at 1:47 pm
#9) cwolf, I see your point, but how much of the players uniforms, padding, the turf the play on, the audio/video equipment, screens and televisions we watch the game on, are made in the US, but come from that region of the world? Yet I don’t think that that knowledge alone will stop anyone from watching the Super Bowl.
Regarding Lotus, I just don’t understand where they fit in the Geeky family tree. Volvo has made it clear, that they are going to be a manufacturer of premium/luxury BEV’S. Yet Polstar was set to be the step up from Volvo, as they would build luxury BEV sports cars from their platforms. Lotus, when they were “purchased” by Geely, was going to follow Porches example, by adding a Volvo sourced CUV and build up their product line from the back of this potential crossover Cash Cow! Now they seem to be taking the EV route, which seems to put them head to head with Polstar in the Geeky portfolio. I get it, that a common BEV architecture would save cost for all of Geely’s brands, but what isn’t clear, to me anyway, is how they the will keep Polstar and Lotus from over lapping. Adding to that, isn’t Lotus claim to fame ‘incredible handling through light weight’? EV’s and light weight are as close as the sun rise is to night fall! I guess they have a plan and we’ll see how it plays out in the next few years.
January 26th, 2021 at 2:04 pm
I would echo #2′s (Roger)comment on availability of electricity for all these new proposed EVs. As a 40 year veteran of the electrical industry, I’ve been puzzled for the past 10 years about these pie-in-the-sky proposals. At last count, only 18 of the 50 states are neutral or positive in their generation capacity vs. usage, and that’s at peak generating capacity. California, for example, operates at ~30% production deficit and again, that’s at peak generating capacity. That’s one reason the state is actively talking about rationing power in the short term. This appears to me to be the “800 lb gorilla” sitting in the corner about which few industry professionals are talking.
January 26th, 2021 at 2:16 pm
I suggest anyone interested in EVs to go to TFLcars youtube page and watch there shootout between the tesla Model 3 and the Mach E . None of the public chargers that they used charge anywhere close to the rates advertised and it took 3 different chargers to get the Mach E to charge at all. Can you imagine the carnage that will happen when 10 people want to charge and 2 chargers function as they should and still take 3 times as long as promised ? As long as these are still issues EVs will never be mainstream . The government can push rope as much as they want it won’t get them anywhere. Are you really surprised that Biden had no details ? He just throws crap out there with no real idea of how to accomplish what he is trying to push. It’s going to be a long bumpy 4 years .
January 26th, 2021 at 2:23 pm
17 – Kennedy had no idea how to land a man on the moon, but he set the goal for the experts to target. Biden may not be a Kennedy, but it’ll be interesting to see how the GAO and Department of Transportation handle the challenge.
January 26th, 2021 at 2:25 pm
13 When I first knew of the Tesla Roadster based on the Elise, I never would have imagined what Tesla would become.
12 I have a Canadian car, my 1989 Dodge Caravan, from Windsor, Ontario. I think Chrysler minivans are still made in Windsor, but a huge GM complex in Oshawa is now gone, or mostly gone.
January 26th, 2021 at 2:43 pm
15 I suspect Lotus’s new product will remain a hard core sports car, while the Polestar stuff is, and will remain more semi-luxury.
Electricity generating capacity is increasing, much of the increase being renewable. The issue with charging EVs away from home, except Tesla, is getting the electricity to the cars, kind of like a major issue with covid vaccine is getting it into people’s arms.
16 What do state lines have to do with electricity production? It would seem that density populated areas would be “importing” power from less densely populated areas, which might be on the other side of a state line.
17 The Mach-E will be used mainly as a commuter car, charged at home, as are most EVs so far.
January 26th, 2021 at 2:47 pm
4 – “2 A few weeks ago, I determined. . . ”
we can all rest easy now
January 26th, 2021 at 3:21 pm
21 Smart a$$, I looked up total power usage in the US and found similar numbers from multiple sources. One hundred million (cars) driven 12K miles a year at 25 kWh/100 mile gave a number of kWh for the additional cars. That number divided by the total power usage in the US was about 0.1. Look up the data and calculate it yourself, if you don’t believe me. If proven wrong, I’ll readily admit it.
January 26th, 2021 at 3:23 pm
At least we now know who will buy all those $70k Electric trucks since the price sensitive retail market was unlikely to buy them.
January 26th, 2021 at 3:58 pm
surprised shop vac is gone,at one time they were pretty much everywhere.
January 26th, 2021 at 4:17 pm
24 I was surprised too. It may be because we use “shop vac” as a generic term, but maybe few of them are Shop Vac brand. Mine is Craftsman.
January 26th, 2021 at 5:37 pm
SDG&E claimed last year to have no issues with electricity availability and at the first heat wave we had “brown outs” and they were calling for users to raise their thermostats. Even in off peak hours I’m not sure the grid can supply enough electricity to charge that many cars in So CA. I guess maybe well see. Sorry, no stats of links to support, just my gut feeling.
January 26th, 2021 at 5:40 pm
Honda needs to team up with Dyson for a new vac.
January 26th, 2021 at 5:56 pm
I noticed only Ford and GM were mentioned and not Tesla. Perhaps it is union penetration. Tesla could unionize their service centers. It would not impact service center performance yet get union credentials.
January 26th, 2021 at 6:24 pm
27 the vacuum would cost as much as the car.LOL
January 26th, 2021 at 9:01 pm
27,29. Maybe Hoover
January 27th, 2021 at 5:11 am
Perhaps Dyson might provide the Honda VAC since they stopped their EV project.
January 27th, 2021 at 8:19 am
22) I did some back of the napkin math on how many windmills need to be added to increase electric generation capacity by the 10% you determined. My back of the napkin math put it at about 64,000 new windmills. Currently there are around 58,000 windmills in the USA. So we basically need to double that if we want to charge cars using renewables. As most of the current windmills are located everywhere except the traditional south eastern US states. That is where I would propose putting another 64,000 windmills.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/11/every-one-of-americas-57636-wind-turbines-mapped/
January 27th, 2021 at 9:34 am
32 There is generally a steady wind where I am in Florida, but the area is built up, so there would be no good place to put them, unless off shore. There should be a lot of good places to put them in rural areas in the southeast, but maybe the wind is not good. Solar can be good in the southeast, and there is some solar in Florida, but less than 2% of power produced.
January 27th, 2021 at 10:59 am
Seems like solar would be a better solution in the southern states, with more consistent sunshine than we see here in the north. Every home going off the grid with their own solar power would ease the load quite a bit.
January 27th, 2021 at 11:29 am
34–Solar also works well outside of the South. There are excellent “sun ratings” in other locations. My garage faces south and my system payed for itself in three years. I’m looking at adding more. And I’m located in Oregon.
17–Biden has people in place who are knowledgeable and understand the infrastructure issues. No, we’re not there yet, and it’ll be years to get there, but you have to start somewhere. And me, I’m glad the last four years are behind us.
January 27th, 2021 at 11:41 am
35 I was surprised to see that some of the states with the highest percentage of power from solar are northern, like Minnesota and Massachusetts.
https://www.nei.org/resources/statistics/state-electricity-generation-fuel-shares