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Runtime: 8:15
0:07 Trump’s Fight with California Gets New Backers
1:05 ZEV States Should Buy More Electrics
1:53 VW Retools for Big Boost in EV Production
2:44 MINI Sets U.S. Sales Date & Price for 1st EV
3:47 Continental Helps Motorcycle Riders
4:22 BorgWarner Creates Dual Clutch Unit for EVs
5:05 Hyundai Wants Into U.S. Commercial Vehicle Market
5:55 R8TR Takes the Worry Out of Online Car Shopping
6:49 Waymo to Offer Rider-Only Service
7:13 3D Illusion Helps Clear Up Handicap Parking
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on all aspects of the global automotive industry.
TRUMP’S FIGHT WITH CALIFORNIA GETS NEW BACKERS
Lines are being drawn in the sand over the Trump Administration’s fuel economy fight with California. General Motors, FCA and Toyota, along with the Association of Global Automakers, have sided with the Administration. The automakers are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit between California and the government, to argue in favor of the administration’s position of their only being one fuel economy standard for the entire nation. This is in contrast to Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen, who signed a deal with California, to boost the fuel economy average of their fleets to 50MPG by 2026. The Justice Department has launched an anti-trust investigation into the agreement. The Trump Administration is also seeking to revoke California’s ability to set its own standards. And as we’ve said all along, this will likely end up being a lengthy court battle.
ZEV STATES SHOULD BUY MORE ELECTRICS
California has a mandate for automakers to sell electric cars, but it also offers incentives for people to buy new and used electrics and it’s building a charging infrastructure. No wonder California leads the world in the adoption of EVs. So far 10 states have adopted California’s mandate, but not all of them offer these kinds of incentives. If these states are mandating that automakers sell electric vehicles, shouldn’t they at least buy them for their state-owned fleets? Most states own thousands of vehicles, but they buy very few electrics. It’s very easy for states to make mandates like this. But they ought to put their money where their mouth is. Otherwise, this just comes across as a bunch of political grandstanding.
VW RETOOLS FOR BIG BOOST IN EV PRODUCTION
Volkswagen has bold plans to boost its EV production. Reuters reports the company is retooling eight plants around the world by 2022 to produce around one million electric cars. That includes two plants in China that will have a production capacity of 600,000 vehicles. And by 2028, the VW Group will be able to produce 22 million electrics. By increasing its scale, VW hopes to push the price of its EVs to around 20,000 euros or a little over $22,000. And how will it help fund the shift? VW plans to increase sales of SUVs with combustion engines to 40% of overall sales by next year, which would be up from 23% in 2018.
MINI SETS U.S. SALES DATE & PRICE FOR 1ST EV
MINI’s first fully electric vehicle, the Cooper SE is going on sale in March of next year and is said to be available across the country, which leads us to believe it will not be sold in just California and the 10 states that have adopted its zero emission mandate. Price for the EV starts at $30,750, including destination charges, but not including any incentives. The Cooper SE has a 32.6 kWh battery that MINI claims has 235 to 270 kilometers of WLTP range, which would be about 130 to 150 EPA miles.
CONTINENTAL HELPS MOTORCYCLE RIDERS
Here’s a new technology that might interest motorcycle riders. Continental has developed a connected services solution that allows users to keep their cell phone tucked away someplace safe. Once the Continental app is downloaded users can integrate other services, like turn-by-turn navigation and music players right into the app. That information will then display in the instrument cluster. And since the system is connected to Continental’s cloud, information like possible road hazards or incoming weather could also be displayed.
BORGWARNER CREATES DUAL CLUTCH UNIT FOR EVs
BorgWarner is using its know how in internal combustion engines and drivelines to improve electric vehicles. Traditional torque vectoring systems for electric vehicles require two electric motors on the rear axle, but BorgWarner has developed a Torque-Vectoring Dual-Clutch unit that eliminates the need for one of those motors. Each of the two clutches can handle up to 2,600 Nm of force, can independently distribute torque to the left and right rear wheels and even has a disconnect feature when all-wheel drive is not needed. Borg says production will kick off in the first half of 2022 for a major OEM’s electric vehicle.
HYUNDAI WANTS INTO U.S. COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MARKET
Last week, Hyundai teased a fuel cell truck concept and now it just made its official debut at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta. Called the HDC-6 NEPTUNE, it’s a Class 8 semi-truck whose styling was inspired by steamliner railway trains from the 1930’s. While the truck is meant to show off its fuel cell technology, it’s also to signal the company’s interest in jumping into the commercial vehicle market in the U.S. Hyundai sells commercial vehicles in 130 countries but this is the first time it’s shown one in the U.S.
R8TR TAKES THE WORRY OUT OF ONLINE CAR SHOPPING
Have you ever shopped for a used car online but were afraid you might get ripped off? Well, here’s a service that could alleviate your concerns. R8TR is the name of a startup that developed an app that allows automotive experts to evaluate used cars and send a report to any potential buyer. The service costs about $80, though they charge more for low volume and exotic cars. The rater follows prompts on the app to look for oil leaks, rust, and dents and any other problems.That way if you buy a car online at least you know what you’re getting into, and maybe use that info to negotiate a better price. R8TR already has 500 specialists to inspect cars but it’s looking for others too. So if you really know cars and are interested in making some side money look them up at R8TR.com.
WAYMO TO OFFER RIDER-ONLY SERVICE
Waymo took a big step with its autonomous ride-hailing service. Reuters reports it’s now offering rides without a safety driver onboard for a limited number of users in Phoenix, Arizona. CEO John Krafcik did not say when or if it will expand the rider-only service. Waymo is also testing its self-driving technology in Peterbilt trucks as a way to expand its business.
3D ILLUSION HELPS CLEAR UP HANDICAP PARKING
That striped area next to handicap parking space is there for a reason. It allows enough room for the ramp of a wheelchair accessible vehicle to deploy and for the person to get in and out. But what we didn’t know is too often people park in that access isle. So, in an effort to boost awareness, wheelchair accessible vehicle maker BraunAbility developed a 3D illusion painted into a parking space that might make someone think they’re going to damage their vehicle if they try to park there. With October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, FCA has rolled out similar spots at its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
But that wraps up today’s report, thanks for watching.
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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.