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Runtime: 11:35
0:07 Bosch & Weichai Improve Diesel Engine Efficiency
0:53 Kandi Reveals EPA Range
2:03 Top 10 Chinese Automakers by Market Cap
2:52 Volvo Adds Air Quality Tech to Vehicles
3:44 Baidu Demonstrates Autonomous Technology
5:10 Toyota Develops Fuel Cell Power Supply Truck
5:54 Hyundai Exporting Fuel Cell Systems to Europe
6:47 Features That Make the C8 Corvette Stand Out
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BOSCH & WEICHAI IMPROVE DIESEL ENGINE EFFICIENCY
Even though the diesel engine has been around for 130 years, they’re still finding ways to make it more efficient. Bosch and the Chinese diesel manufacturer Weichai worked together to boost the thermal efficiency of diesels for heavy trucks from 46% to 50%. That may not sound like a lot, but boosting the thermal efficiency by four percentage points is a significant improvement. Neither company released many details, but it seems to center on the fuel injection system, which runs at 2500 bar. That’s over 36,000 psi. High pressures provide finer atomization of the fuel which then burns cleaner and more completely.
KANDI REVEALS EPA RANGE
The Chinese EV company Kandi is going to sell cheap little EVs in the U.S., starting in Texas. And it just got its EPA numbers for the two models it’s selling. The bigger K23 can go 111 miles with its 41.4 kWh battery pack, and gets a combined 90 MPGe rating. The smaller K27 only goes 59 miles and gets a 114 MPGe rating. So how cheap are they? The K23 starts just under $20,000, including the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, while the K27 starts just under $10,000. We can’t wait to see the kind of crash rating they get. The cars go on sale later this year.
TOP 10 CHINESE AUTOMAKERS BY MARKET CAP
We ran across an interesting report that lists the top 10 car companies in China by their market capitalization. And the results are surprising, because the largest manufacturers are not necessarily at the top of the list. Number one is BYD which is worth $35 billion. Next up is the Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation, or SAIC, valued at at $32.7 billion. Nio comes in at $24 billion. Geely is worth $20 billion. Great Wall at $18.8; XPeng at $16.5; Guangzhou or GAC at $16; Li Auto at $15; the First Auto Works or FAW at $10, and Changan at $8.6 billion.
| CHINESE OEMS BY MARKET CAP | |
|---|---|
| BYD | $34.9 Billion |
| SAIC | $32.7 |
| Nio | $24.5 |
| Geely | $20.5 |
| Great Wall | $18.8 |
| XPeng | $16.5 |
| GAC | $16.0 |
| Li Auto | $15.1 |
| FAW | $9.9 |
| Changan | $8.6 |
| Source: China Auto Update | |
VOLVO ADDS AIR QUALITY TECH TO VEHICLES
When Li Shufu, the founder of Geely, bought Volvo, he said he wanted Chinese consumers to be reminded of Scandinavia when they breathed the air in their cars. So Volvo is putting the equivalent of a face mask on its cars. The V90, XC90, and 60 Series models get cabin filters that eliminate 95% of particulate matter down to 2.5 microns. In China, customers can also use a display to compare the air quality in their car to the air outside. It’s a great marketing feature. In China, consumers are far more aware of the daily air quality ratings due to the high levels of pollution. And breathing clean air in a car is a real selling point.
BAIDU DEMONSTRATES AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGY
Baidu is one of China’s leading tech companies and it really wants to get into autonomous taxis. It showed off its AV capabilities this week, including an autonomous car driving around the streets of Beijing. It also demonstrated a remote control station where a human being can remotely take command of an autonomous car if it encounters a situation it can’t handle. All of that communication is handled via a 5G connection. Robin Li, the billionaire entrepreneur who co-founded the company, predicts AVs will really scale up in five years. He says they will reduce traffic congestion by 15% to 30% and says China’s top tier cities will no longer have to restrict new car sales. In 10 years, he says the technology will be there to eliminate traffic congestion all together. He says AVs could boost GDP growth by 4.8% and that “the economy will really take off.”
TOYOTA DEVELOPS FUEL CELL POWER SUPPLY TRUCK
You may remember a recent story about a Toyota bus jam packed with Honda generators. It’s all about delivering power to areas that have been hit by storms, fires or earthquakes. Now Toyota is partnering with a company called Denyo to develop a fuel-cell power supply truck. Based on a Toyota medium-duty truck, it’s equipped with 27 tanks that hold about 65 kilos of hydrogen. That’s enough to generate 612 kWh of power and 450 liters of water. Not only could a vehicle like this be used in a disaster, Toyota also says it would be good for outdoor events, like concerts.
HYUNDAI EXPORTING FUEL CELL SYSTEMS TO EUROPE
In other hydrogen news, Hyundai is now exporting its fuel cells to Europe. It’s the same system used in the NEXO, but these fuel cells will be used for stationary power supply. They’ll be used in buildings to generate electricity at peak times, and as mobile hydrogen generators. By making fuel cells for non-automotive applications Hyundai will get more manufacturing scale for the ones that go in its cars and trucks.
We had a C8 Corvette in the Autoline Garage this week, and coming up next, I have something to say about it.
FEATURES THAT MAKE THE C8 CORVETTE STAND OUT
(The Corvette impressions are only available in the video version of today’s show.)
It’s true, the C8 is the finest machine I have ever driven.
Before we go, I want to remind you to join us next Wednesday, for a special live 1-hour post mortem of Tesla’s Battery Day. We’re bringing in two of the foremost experts in EVs to help us understand Tesla’s latest technology. Bob Galyen and Sandy Munro will be on the show sharing their knowledge. And if you have questions that you’d like to ask Sandy and Bob, send an email to [email protected] or send a tweet to @Autoline.
And with that we wrap up this weeks’ worth of shows. Hope you have a great weekend and we’ll be back on Monday.
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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.
