AD #2614 – Eclipse Cross Impressions, EVs Bring Environmental Baggage Too, Mercedes Claims 4-Cylinder Crown

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

GATES VISITS BUFFETT WITH ELECTRA MECCANICA EV
There sure are a lot of electric startups these days, and one of them is Electra Meccanica which makes what it calls the eRoadster. But all of you will instantly recognize it as a fiberglass kit-car copy of the original Porsche Speedster. The car actually came out last year, but what caught our eye is that Bill Gates recently did a video where he pulled up to Dairy Queen in an eRoadster and was served a milkshake by none other than Warren Buffet. Electra Meccanica, which makes the eRoadster in Vancouver, says it can go 155 miles on a charge, it will do 0-60 mph in 6 seconds and costs just under $125,000. No one seems to know if Bill Gates actually owns this car, so if you know, let us know.

EVs BRING ENVIRONMENTAL BAGGAGE TOO
Industrial production can cause environmental problems and electric cars are no exception to the rule. Bloomberg reports that lithium production in the Atacama Desert in Chile to make batteries for electric cars is sucking up the water table and destroying the ecosystem. Mining companies and the Chilean government say there is no significant impact on wildlife, but Bloomberg says recent studies and testimony from local residents show the water table has fallen dramatically. The mining companies say they are working on new mining techniques to re-inject water back into the mines, but they’re still in the development stage. There are plenty of environmental problems with internal combustion engines, but it’s ironic to see that electric cars bring their own environmental baggage.

MERCEDES CLAIMS 4-CYLINDER ENGINE CROWN
Mercedes-Benz claims it now builds the most powerful 4-cylinder engine ever made, and the numbers sure are impressive. They call it the M 139 and it’s a hand built 2-liter turbo that generates over 200 horsepower per liter. Mercedes says it “demonstrates that the internal combustion engine still has further potential.” Let’s talk numbers. 416 horsepower. 369 pound-feet of torque. Redline at 7,200 rpm. One way they made it more efficient was turning it 180 degrees compared to the outgoing engine, so the turbo and exhaust manifold are at the rear, by the firewall and the intake manifold is at the front. Mercedes says that is the flattest possible configuration which improves the aerodynamics of the front end of the car. The turbo housing is divided into two flow passages and there are divided ducts in the exhaust manifold, to prevent individual cylinders from influencing each other negatively. To make sure the turbo spins up quickly, the compressor and turbine shafts have roller bearings for the first time. To cool the turbo, they even designed the engine cover as an air deflector and put ducts beneath the hood to blow cool air on the housing. There are a lot more details about this engine which you can get to by clicking on the link in the headline on the transcript to today’s show.

MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS IMPRESSIONS
We have a lot of vehicles come through the Autoline Garage and here’s Sean sharing his impressions of one of the latest vehicles.

(The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Impressions are only available in the video version of today’s show.)

From the company that revealed the secrets of the Tesla Model 3, Munro & Associates will host an Electric Vehicle Conference on Friday, June 21st at its headquarters in Auburn Hills. Munro will provide a deep dive into the Motors, Batteries, and Electronics of the Tesla Model 3, BMW i3, Chevy Bolt and Jaguar I-PACE. Purchase tickets on Eventbrite or at leandesign.com. Hurry, only 100 spots are available.

DENSO & HONEYWELL PARTNER ON PASSENGER DRONES
A lot of people think that passenger drones are for the birds, but we keep seeing more automotive companies developing the technology. Daimler and Geely already invested in passenger drone companies, Audi and Aston Martin did design studies, and Uber expects to start a pilot program in a couple of years. Bell Helicopters stunned people at the 2019 CES show when it unveiled the drone it wants to supply to Uber. Now the automotive supplier Denso is teaming up with Honeywell Aerospace to develop hybrid-electric and fully electric propulsion systems for passenger drones. It’s all about coming up with technology to get around traffic congestion with cars, which continues to get worse around the world. Denso wants to explore mobility-as-a-service and create propulsion systems that make air travel cleaner, quieter, more efficient and easier to maintain.

The structure of cars and trucks used to be made mostly from steel. Now we’re seeing a mix of all kinds of materials and that’s making it a lot more challenging to repair them. So on Autoline After Hours this Thursday we have Stacey Wesselink from I-CAR, the collision repair association, coming on the show. She’ll be talking about how I-CAR can help you make sure your car gets repaired the right way if you ever get in an accident.

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