AD #2497 – Germany’s Ultra-Fast EV Charger, UAW Faces More Corruption Charges, People Prefer EVs Over PHEVs

On today’s show…Hyundai shakes up its management…BMW says it can completely charge an EV in 15 minutes…and U.S. consumers show a clear preference for EVs over PHEVs, or do they? All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

This is Autoline Daily the voice of the automotive industry.

UAW FACES MORE CORRUPTION CHARGES
This sure doesn’t look good for the UAW. Federal prosecutors say that the UAW’s department that represents Fiat-Chrysler was riddled with corruption. In fact, it says the union is “fatally compromised in its ability to represent the best interests” of its members. Some union leaders spent lavishly on themselves using money that was supposed to be designated for training workers. Those workers rejected the labor contract with FCA when it first came to a vote, but later ratified an amended version. And those union workers will no doubt hold their leadership’s feet to the fire when new contract negotiations start late next summer.

HYUNDAI SWEEPS OUT TOP OFFICERS
Hyundai just made a significant management shakeup. It’s been suffering from declining sales and plunging profits for several years. Top officers who reported to chairman Chung Mong-koo are being swept out and appointed to work at Hyundai affiliates. The chairman’s son, Euisun Chung, is the one making these changes and he is expected to take the chairmanship position soon. As part of the changes, Albert Biermann, who Hyundai hired away from BMW M, will become the in charge of research and development. Hyundai’s stock shot up on the news, though it is still down 23% for the year.

Automakers thought car buyers would prefer plug-in hybrids over EVs, but they got it wrong. That’s coming up next.

GERMANY’S ULTRA-FAST EV CHARGER
One of the reasons why consumers don’t want to buy an electric vehicle, is the long time it can take to recharge it. That’s why BMW, Porsche, Siemens and several other companies have partnered to develop an ultra-fast charger. They’ve installed a working prototype in Bavaria that’s able to provide up to 450 kW of charging capacity. It can provide 100 kilometers, or about 62 miles of range in just three minutes. And it can fully charge a vehicle in 15 minutes. It’s available to use right now for free and is compatible with Type 2 charging connectors which are common in Europe.

Sales of electric cars were up a staggering 176% in the U.S. market in November. But Tesla gets all the credit. Take Tesla out of the equation and EV sales were down about 58%.

PEOPLE PREFER EVS OVER PHEVS
Meanwhile, sales of plug-in hybrids were up a strong 15%. Interestingly, sales of EVs are much higher than sales of plug-ins, even though there are only 12 EV models in showrooms–mainly in California, while there are 23 models of plug-ins that are sold in more states. While many people thought that consumers would prefer plug-ins over EVs because of range anxiety, that’s not the case. But again, it’s Tesla skewing the numbers. It’s not so much that consumers prefer electrics over plug-ins, it’s that they simply prefer Tesla’s over everything else.

US Sales, November 2018

EV 21,310 +176%
PHEV 10,460 +15%

Source: Wards

Coming up next, Enterprise is partnering with General Motors to greatly expand its fleet of connected cars.

GM & ENTERPRISE REALLY GET CONNECTED
People increasingly want their cars connected to all the other things they do. And they want that convenience in a rental. That’s why Enterprise is partnering with General Motors to add 100,000 connected vehicles to its fleet in 2019. They’ll be able to automate tasks like checking fuel levels, vehicle condition and odometer readings. And rental locations will automatically receive that information when a customer drops off a rental. The vehicles will also be available with OnStar, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Eventually, Enterprise wants to have connected cars across its entire fleet.

Don’t forget to join us for Autoline After Hours this afternoon, when we’ll be talking about what’s going on in the retail part of the industry. Ryan LaFontaine, the Chief Operating Officer, of the LaFontaine Automotive Group will be joining us when we get going live at 3 pm eastern time which you can watch at our website, www.Autoline.tv or check it out on our YouTube channel. Just look for the Autoline Network.

But that wraps up today’s report, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.