AD #3283 – Tesla Outranks Renault; A-Pillars Are Killing Pedestrians; Ford Uses Robot To Run 3D Printing Machines
March 17th, 2022 at 11:50am
Listen to “AD #3283 – Tesla Outranks Renault In Revenue; A-Pillars Are Killing Pedestrians; Ford Uses Robot To Run 3D Printing Machines” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 9:38
0:07 A-Pillars Are Killing Pedestrians
1:17 JLR Makes Energy Storage Systems with Used I-Pace Batteries
2:16 Top OEMs Ranked by Revenue
3:59 Ford Uses Robot to Run 3D Printing Machines
4:58 Honda Bets on Hybrids
5:23 Geely Develops Battery Swapping for Big Trucks
6:25 Lamborghini Sets All-Time Sales and Profit Record
7:34 Li Auto L9 Has 745 Miles of Range
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A-PILLARS ARE KILLING PEDESTRIANS
Cars and trucks are killing more people in the United States. Pedestrians, to be exact. Pedestrian fatalities have increased every year since 2009. Last year, 6,500 pedestrians were killed and another 54,700 were injured. Big trucks and SUVs seem to be at the root cause of the problem. The IIHS found that SUVs, pickups and vans are way more likely to hit a pedestrian while making a turn, especially left turns. The IIHS attributes it to the size of the A-pillar, which can be huge in full size trucks. And that creates blind spots. Here’s our Autoline Insight. The A-pillars are so big because safety regulations stipulate they have to support two-and-a-half times the weight of a vehicle. That’s to protect occupants in a roll-over. Even so, 30% of all fatalities involve rollovers. And that rule has triggered the law of unintended consequences. While trying to save people in one area, it’s killing them in another.
JLR MAKES ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS WITH USED I-PACE BATTERIES
Critics of electric cars, and there’s a lot of them on social media, say, “what about those batteries? Nobody knows how to recycle them.” Well, we do know how to recycle them, and automakers are working with a number of startups to mine used batteries for raw materials. But before they get to that stage, EV batteries can be used to create energy storage systems. That’s why Jaguar Land Rover teamed with a company called Pramac to make the storage systems out of used I-Pace batteries. You can get a system with a 125-kWh battery, which is enough to fully charge an I-Pace or power a home for a week. JLR used it at a Formula E race where it powered its team diagnostic equipment and supplied auxiliary power to its pit garage. The market for used EV batteries in storage systems could be huge. JLR says it could be worth $30 billion by 2030.
TOP OEMS RANKED BY REVENUE
Last week we ranked the top car companies in the world by car sales. Someone in the comments section suggested we ought to show how they rank by revenue–that is how much money they bring in on the top line. So here goes. VW and Toyota are in a class of their own. They’re in the more-than-two-hundred-billion-dollars-a-year club. Then, about $100 billion behind them, comes a middle group, led by Stellantis, which surprisingly is the third largest car company in the world ranked by revenue. After that you come to the group that hasn’t cracked the $100 billion ceiling. And we were surprised to see that Hyundai hasn’t done that considering its Number Four in the world based on how many cars it sells. And lookee here. Tesla will probably surpass Nissan this year and already sailed past Renault, even though Tesla sells less than half as many cars as they do. By the way, we love presenting this kind of information to you because you’re not going to find it anywhere else.
| TOP OEMS RANKED BY REVENUE | |
|---|---|
| VW Group | $276 Billion |
| Toyota Group | $253 Billion |
| Stellantis | $167 Billion |
| Mercedes-Benz | $147 Billion |
| Ford | $136 Billion |
| General Motors | $127 Billion |
| BMW | $122 Billion |
| Hyundai Group | $96 Billion |
| Nissan | $66 Billion |
| Tesla | $54 Billion |
| Renault | $54 Billion |
| Source: Annual Reports | |
FORD USES ROBOT TO RUN 3D PRINTING MACHINES
3D printing could turn out to be one of the greatest advances in manufacturing. And now Ford is taking it to a new level. It’s operating 3D printers using a mobile robot from Kuka without any help from humans. Nicknamed Javier by Ford’s 3D printing team, it doesn’t need a camera to “see.” Ford also developed an interface program to allow the robot to communicate with the 3D printer because equipment from different suppliers typically don’t come ready to interact with one another. Since no human supervision is needed, the robot can operate the 3D printer all-night long in a lights-out setting. It’s currently being used for low-volume, custom parts like brake line brackets for the Mustang GT500. Not only can the robots help with 3D printing, Ford says they can be used in other areas of manufacturing to simplify equipment and add flexibility to the assembly line.
HONDA BETS ON HYBRIDS
While the rest of the industry is spending big on BEVs, Honda still believes in hybrids. It’s investing just over a billion dollars to upgrade its plant in Ontario, Canada to build the 2023 CR-V Hybrid. Honda also builds the Civic in Canada and has the capacity to produce about 400,000 vehicles annually in the Great White North.
GEELY DEVELOPS BATTERY SWAPPING FOR BIG TRUCKS
As you know, several car companies in China offer EV battery swapping. But now Geely is testing it for heavy-duty vehicles, like cement mixers and semis. It had to modify the process because of the weight of the trucks. Instead of trying to lift the vehicle to swap out the battery from underneath it, Geely’s station uses a crane above the vehicle to hoist the battery out, which is located behind the cab. It takes about five minutes to swap a battery and a single station can swap batteries for up to 50 trucks. The station is modular in design, with a footprint of only 200 square feet, so it can be constructed quickly in just about any location.
LAMBORGHINI SETS ALL TIME SALES AND PROFIT RECORD
Lamborghini shrugged off the Covid pandemic and the chip shortage, and set all-time records for sales, revenue and profits. It sold 8,405 cars, which brought in nearly €2 billion in revenue, and posted an operating profit of €393 million. The Urus SUV topped the sales chart, with over 5,000 of them going into customers hands. It sold nearly 2,600 Huracans and nearly 800 Aventadors. Lambo’s biggest market is the US, which accounted for nearly 30% of sales. China accounted for 11%; followed by Germany at 8% and the UK at nearly 7%. Lambo says these are the last of its pure piston powered cars. It’s investing nearly €2 billion over the next 5 years to develop hybrid and electric models. The first of those is a hybrid version of the Aventador which comes out next year, and sometime in the second half of this decade it will come out with its first battery electric model.
LI AUTO L9 HAS 745 MILES OF RANGE
Li Auto, the Chinese startup, unveiled this smart looking crossover this morning. Meet the L9, the second model in its lineup. It’s priced between $71,000 and $79,000. It’s a BEV with a 44.5-kilowatt hour battery pack and a 1.5-liter turbo range extender. The L9 delivers 200 kilometers in pure EV mode, that’s about 124 miles. The range extender adds another 1,000 kilometers, or another 624 miles, for a total range of 745 miles. Inside, the instrument panel has two giant screens offset towards the front passenger, while the driver gets a head-up display for instrumentation. Note the bump above the middle of the windshield. That houses a lidar unit because the L9 comes ready for L4 driving even though that’s not legal yet in China, but could be approved soon.
AUTOLINE AFTER HOURS & THE RIGHT TO REPAIR
Be sure to join us for Autoline After Hours later this afternoon, as we dive into one of the most controversial topics involving car repair. Independent repair shops are running into problems trying to access the data they need to repair cars. Automakers are making it increasingly difficult to get that data. So why and how are they doing that? We’ll get answers from Gabrielle Hopkinds, from the Auto Care Association will be on the show. Richard Truett from Automotive News is coming on too.
And that wraps up today’s report, thanks for making Autoline Daily a part of your day.
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Comments (45)
March 17th, 2022 at 11:56 am
Aren’t many, or most of those rollover fatalities probably the result of unbelted occupants being ejected, and either the 5000 pound vehicle landing on top of them, or the person flying into another object?
March 17th, 2022 at 12:07 pm
Those Bentleys and Lamborghinis really add to VW group’s top line, even though the volume is low. Porsche and Audi also help offset the high volume of not-too-pricey VWs, Skodas, and Seats.
March 17th, 2022 at 12:16 pm
I thought Renault and Nissan (and Mitsubishi) were the same company. Is that not the case?
March 17th, 2022 at 12:21 pm
There are ways to make the A pillar less bulky. Once again, we may need government to step in to mandate the obvious.
I’ve rented cars with enormous A pillars, mostly from trim. I’ve also had issues with the location and slope of the A pillar. On one very twisty road on Vancouver Island, I felt I spent half the time looking out the side window.
The position of the rear view mirror can also be an issue when turning right. Maybe blind spot technology could help.
March 17th, 2022 at 12:22 pm
1, And what about the corollary of the increase of device carrying pedestrians that are oblivious to traffic and put them self in harm’s way.
Using BEV batteries for power stations is a good idea, but ultimately, it still just delays the inevitable, which still requires a battery recycling program at a grand enough scale.
Battery swapping for trucks makes more sense to me than in autos. It is kind of the advantage BEV trucks and fuel cells trucks can more fully take advantage when those vehicles return home after a day’s work schedule (on a more regular routine).
March 17th, 2022 at 12:26 pm
I guess we know why VW Group didn’t sell of Lamborghini, when there were rumors suggesting that they were considering it! While divesting some of Bugatti might have cut some of the group’s expenses with engineering and development cuts (which they probably weren’t makingba lot of money on when you consider how much the were spending on it), keeping Lambo close definitely helps their bottom line!
March 17th, 2022 at 12:32 pm
Tesla.a profitable? Elon said they would be , way back in 2017, and yesterday mnbc was a piece about what company and country will lead in BEVs and the US has a very limited time to get in there before that window in time closes, a special contributer there is Michael Duune of ZOZOGO , often guest in Autoline daily, John McElroy should know him a bit.
I HO Tesla will have 4 million units capacity / year by 2025 -26, and legacy auto are in for the EV SHOCK of their life.
March 17th, 2022 at 12:48 pm
I really have to echo Chucks comment that I could easily see the increase in pedestrian accidents being attributed to people on their phones not paying attention and getting hit when it normally would be avoided. The increase in it being trucks and SUVs could also be because that’s what everyone buys now. Remember how sedan sales have dropped off so of course pedestrian/truck accidents will increase accordingly. Not saying the A-pillar isn’t a problem but as John pointed out to have the strength and include side airbags they grew.
A more rectangular shape angled toward the driver so the thinnest area obstructs their view would help but would probably look funny.
March 17th, 2022 at 12:50 pm
7 If gas prices stay as they are now, or go a lot higher, the north American legacy car companies will be in big trouble, at least in the near term. I haven’t seen numbers yet, but I suspect sales of pickup trucks and big SUVs have crashed. Probably the most expensive ones will be least affected, because people who buy Escalades, Range Rovers, and Navigators probably don’t care much about fuel cost.
March 17th, 2022 at 12:56 pm
A High School girl developed a camera system that allows the driver to “see through” the A pillar. I saw this on the local news here in the Philly area a few years ago. It looked like a great innovation . I wonder why it’s not being used
March 17th, 2022 at 1:01 pm
https://didyouknowfacts.com/teenage-girl-invents-a-simple-and-innovative-way-to-get-rid-of-your-cars-blind-spots/
March 17th, 2022 at 1:05 pm
10 Did it display what’s on the other side of the A pillar on a screen on the A pillar? I remember reading about something like that.
7 At some point, Tesla will need to come up with a smaller, less expensive car than the Model 3, which now costs $47K in its least expensive form. The cheapest Model Y is $63K.
The Tesla site now gives May of 2022 as estimated delivery for a Model 3 Long Range or Performance, so it looks like they are nearly keeping up with demand. I suspect they are adjusting prices upward to keep it that way.
March 17th, 2022 at 1:07 pm
I think Jag also showed a concept with cameras to see thru the A pillar.
March 17th, 2022 at 1:08 pm
11 That’s what I remember. You posted the link while I was typing.
March 17th, 2022 at 1:11 pm
John; When weight reduction was the huge target in the auto industry we used to hear figures like XXX weight equaled 1 mpg depending on vehicle and engine. Have you heard any such thing when it comes to BEV’s? Like 200lbs reduces range by X amount. Cause as manufacturers try and get more and more range the larger batteries/weight can become counterproductive.
So if 95% of your driving in under 200 miles but you can get a 500 mile range battery but it adds 600lbs your basically carrying extra weight for that 5% of the time you need more range. I guess it would probably be in terms of Kw per mile and how that changes per each size battery offered.
As for that LI Auto L9 a 1.5L turbo seems pretty small for that size SUV.
March 17th, 2022 at 1:21 pm
#15. Lambo, I have seen data that shows the extra battery cost and lower range caused by extra weight, but I don’t have that info at hand. Let me see if I can get my source to show that to me again.
And you’re right about choosing the right battery size for the amount of driving you’ll be doing. Too many people are fixated on max range when they don’t need it +90% of the time. Ford is getting commercial customers to choose battery sizes based on their actual daily driving, which in the vast majority of cases is a total of 80 miles a day, or less.
March 17th, 2022 at 1:24 pm
John, I totally agree with you ” While trying to save people in one area, it’s killing them in another”. When the rollover standards where increase several times, no one seemed to realize the negative aspect that would be created. The larger A pilers and how they interfere with visibility, the extra weight of the A piler that raises the center of gravity and increases the likelihood of a rollover, the extra weights effect on gas mileage and braking distances which leads to more accidents.
March 17th, 2022 at 1:46 pm
Does IIHS acknowledge their role in increasing the size of A-pillars? When NHTSA modified FMVSS 216 to require a 2.5x roof strength factor, IIHS was pushing a 3.5x factor. Their only justification for 3.5x was to cite one compact car that already attained it. But they paid no attention to the scale-up requirements for larger vehicles. Engineers they are not.
March 17th, 2022 at 2:01 pm
Specifically, IIHS requires a 4.0x to earn a Good rating, 3.25-3.99 to earn an Acceptable rating, 2.5-3.24 to earn a Marginal rating, under 2.5 gets a Poor rating.
Crushed roofs provide graphic TV images, but are not the primary cause of injury. Major injuries are caused when unbelted and loosely belted occupants will have their heads jam into the roof BEFORE the roof collapses.
March 17th, 2022 at 2:33 pm
In 2010, Congress passed the “Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act” that mandated ‘quiet cars’ (i.e., Prius) have noise makers for pedestrians, especially the blind. However, the early data showed the driver side turning bias in often fatal car-pedestrian accidents.
When turning left closest to the driver, the A-pillar sweeps and blocks a stationary point in the cross walk. One eye is directly blocked and the other has a natural blind spot in the retina. This deadly bias was evident in the flawed NHTSA study that falsely justified adding the noise makers.
Tesla AutoPilot has 3 of 8 cameras on the windshield just forward of the rear view mirror. No camera is blocked by the A-pillar (see web link.) BTW, no car radar unit would detect pedestrians on a crosswalk.
March 17th, 2022 at 2:34 pm
In the early 2000s, Volvo (still owned by Ford then)showed the SCC2 Safety Car Concept that featured a see-through A-pillar. I suspect that would never meet roof crush standards today.
https://www.media.volvocars.com/us/en-us/media/photos/798
March 17th, 2022 at 2:50 pm
As a Tesla stock holder, I approve increases in prices to exploit the demand that has some deliveries out to November. The price increases and improved manufacturing means Tesla Q1 2022 profits will more than cover the startup costs of the new Austin and Berlin factories.
Then there is the $12,000 Full Self Driving (FSD) option that buyers can get an earlier delivery. Tesla is following the principle of accelerating deliveries of the highest profit margin vehicles.
FYI, I bought my 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus for $24,000 by trading in a Toyota Prius Prime PHEV that did not work out. I also bought FSD in October for $6,000. GOOD; FAST; CHEAP … pick two.
March 17th, 2022 at 2:56 pm
I just saw a pedestrian almost get hit, while I was walking back from the beach about 1/2 mile away. The pedestrian started to walk when the blue “walk” light came on, as an 18 wheeler was running the red light. The yellow at this location is pretty long, but still, the light was red when the truck went through. Red light cameras are needed, it seems.
March 17th, 2022 at 2:59 pm
15 I’d think weight would make less difference with EVs, and hybrids, than with ICE cars, because part of the energy used to get up to speed is recovered when slowing down. Still, weight would matter, because the energy recovery is far from 100%, even when slowing at a rate where you don’t use the friction brakes.
March 17th, 2022 at 3:02 pm
Couldn’t strong A pillars be made more-or-less elliptical, with the small dimension facing the driver, so there wouldn’t be as much blockage of the driver’s view?
March 17th, 2022 at 3:08 pm
22 According to the Tesla web site, deliveries of the most popular Model 3, the Long Range, are estimated for May, as is the Model Y Performance. For the Y Long Range, it’s September.
Yeah, it makes sense to charge what the market will bear, which is quite a bit at this time. As more and better competition becomes available, the price increases will need to slow, but for now, production and demand about match, even with the increases.
March 17th, 2022 at 3:28 pm
Bob, Tesla decided to bet on camera technology and take a cost saving from the more robust camera-radar combo. Cameras and radars each have their own weaknesses. Like humans, cameras can be blinded in low sun light and bright oncoming lights, and be inconsistent at night. Radar needs a relatively hard object to reflect (obese pedestrians and puffy winter coats are challenges). Beneficially, radar is not affected by high or low light. This is why the most robust systems use both radar and camera sensors.
March 17th, 2022 at 3:28 pm
the great white North? Well i live here and its great,but seldom white.
March 17th, 2022 at 3:43 pm
@4, 5, 10, 18, 19, 20, 27 and others: thanks for your insightful comments. I am enjoying this Comments section.
March 17th, 2022 at 3:57 pm
#27 – Posted “. . . from the more robust camera-radar combo.” Tesla pointed out the radar stack was giving false signals that slowed down the full optical-radar stack. Removing (and disabling) the radar makes the optical system more robust.
I noticed phantom braking significantly reduced after a downloaded firmware disabled the radar. Speculation but radar multi-path can easily return a false indication and suddenly the car brakes. Your experience may be different.
March 17th, 2022 at 4:05 pm
30) That is because TESLA uses an old outdated and cheap radar system that was used for cruise control systems since the early 2000s. Radar is the wrong name for the correct combination which is Cameras and LIDAR. There is no camera solution that is better than LIDAR on any day of the week. And that is where the self driving companies are all going.
March 17th, 2022 at 4:41 pm
Bob, a well tested and developed radar (antenna and calibration) can minimize those false positive events. But such a development involves millions of simulations and real world miles. This is the trade off versus Tesla’s Speed of Thought… customers become the beta testers. If the problem was the hardware (e.g., antenna), then no OTD update can fix it. Instead, they turned off the radar and expanded the role of the cameras. My advice – don’t rely on the system at sun rise, sun, set, or at night. It may seem like it’s working, but it is not robust.
I could tell you dozens of stories about the conditions that confuse AV sensors.
March 17th, 2022 at 6:00 pm
Dr Demming once said, ‘Without data, everything else is opinion.’ The web link is safety data Tesla shares each quarter. Where is your safety data?
March 17th, 2022 at 6:37 pm
31,32,33 etc.
I might buy a Tesla at some point in the future, but I will pass on paying $10K for “full self driving” which isn’t even close to that.
March 17th, 2022 at 6:56 pm
#34 – Hindsight says standard AutoPilot is enough. A FSD beta tester, I opted out after the last draconian Tesla warning. I like FSD but Tesla can stuff their threats to take it away where the Sun don’t shine.
March 17th, 2022 at 9:58 pm
When it comes to the A pillar, IMHO, it’s not just the size of the pillar, that creates the blindspot(s). With vehicles shapes being so aerodynamic and wedge like, when the exterior mirrors are placed at the intersection of the A piller and the base of the car door window, it creates the biggest blindspots on both sides of the vehicle, while turning! At times things larger then people have been hiden behind the A piller and the side mirrors! Or…maybe it’s just me?
March 17th, 2022 at 10:34 pm
I agree that A-pillar size has become a visibility problem through the years.I have autocrossed several vehicles through the years-
1989 Dodge Shadow ES,1995 Dodge Neon ACR,2004 Neon SRT-4,2014 Dodge Dart GT.Each car got larger A-pillars which made it more difficult to see the cones on the autocross course.My current vehicle,a 2019 Jeep Cherokee,which I have not autocrossed due to its height,is about the same as the Dart as far A-pillars.
March 17th, 2022 at 10:34 pm
I agree that A-pillar size has become a visibility problem through the years.I have autocrossed several vehicles through the years-
1989 Dodge Shadow ES,1995 Dodge Neon ACR,2004 Neon SRT-4,2014 Dodge Dart GT.Each car got larger A-pillars which made it more difficult to see the cones on the autocross course.My current vehicle,a 2019 Jeep Cherokee,which I have not autocrossed due to its height,is about the same as the Dart as far A-pillars.
March 18th, 2022 at 8:17 am
37,38 I had a 1992 Spirit R/T that I autocrossed a couple times. It was a real “sleeper” on the street, but Neon ACRs were much better autocrossers.
March 18th, 2022 at 8:36 am
The blind spots have not only increased with pillar size but as people move away from sedans you’ll find most of the large SUV and trucks have much larger mirrors which hides even more area. Mirrors on most sedans are like 3×5 while a truck mirror even without the extended towing ones can be 5×7.
March 18th, 2022 at 9:02 am
My Fiero has very thin A-Pillars. Yet in a roll over there is no other car I would rather be in. That is because there is a massive safety hoop directly behind the head of the occupants due to the unique space frame structure of the Fiero. It is impossible to crush that hoop in a roll over. It is also very light so that also makes its more favorable in a roll over.
That space frame structure is also quite strong in full overlap front/rear impacts. They never tested it in partial overlaps but I would assume it to be pretty decent as there is a ton of structure in that space frame. More than any modern car I have taken apart. Throw some airbags and better seat belts in it and it would be a fairly safe car to drive. Even with the lack of airbags/better belt technology, I don’t feel unsafe in a Fiero.
March 18th, 2022 at 11:14 am
F1 practice 2 now on ESPNEWS.
March 18th, 2022 at 9:43 pm
A-pillors. Good thing they are saving big trucks with rollovers and probably strength in accidents too because many people did get injured not many years ago. Something nit mentioned and spoke from many people with experience. Newer cars have more swept/sloped A-pillor as well for aero/mpg making it have to be thicker than a more box shaped. Also many people now drive larger cuv/suvs/trucks. Many of the seating positions are made for people of all sizes especially greater than 5’10”. If you are shorter to reach pedals you are way up close to the wheel blinded by A pillor. That is why I like the jeep grand cherokee, bmw x 5 , teluride sitting position and squareness of the roofline/a pillor. Although great vehicle the worst for me was the mazda cx9 which obscures view for shorter people but is very aero shaped. Some cars as well do this not to pick on mazda.
March 18th, 2022 at 9:43 pm
A-pillors. Good thing they are saving big trucks with rollovers and probably strength in accidents too because many people did get injured not many years ago. Something nit mentioned and spoke from many people with experience. Newer cars have more swept/sloped A-pillor as well for aero/mpg making it have to be thicker than a more box shaped. Also many people now drive larger cuv/suvs/trucks. Many of the seating positions are made for people of all sizes especially greater than 5’10”. If you are shorter to reach pedals you are way up close to the wheel blinded by A pillor. That is why I like the jeep grand cherokee, bmw x 5 , teluride sitting position and squareness of the roofline/a pillor. Although great vehicle the worst for me was the mazda cx9 which obscures view for shorter people but is very aero shaped. Some cars as well do this not to pick on mazda.
March 18th, 2022 at 9:43 pm
A-pillors. Good thing they are saving big trucks with rollovers and probably strength in accidents too because many people did get injured not many years ago. Something nit mentioned and spoke from many people with experience. Newer cars have more swept/sloped A-pillor as well for aero/mpg making it have to be thicker than a more box shaped. Also many people now drive larger cuv/suvs/trucks. Many of the seating positions are made for people of all sizes especially greater than 5’10”. If you are shorter to reach pedals you are way up close to the wheel blinded by A pillor. That is why I like the jeep grand cherokee, bmw x 5 , teluride sitting position and squareness of the roofline/a pillor. Although great vehicle the worst for me was the mazda cx9 which obscures view for shorter people but is very aero shaped. Some cars as well do this not to pick on mazda.