AD #3239 – German Teen Hacks Teslas; Nikola Approved for Huge Purchase Incentive; Honda Teases All-New U.S. HR-V

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

GERMAN TEEN HACKS TESLAS
Tesla may have the most advanced connectivity technology in its cars. But a teenager in Germany figured out how to hack into Model 3s and Ys. He found an open-source software program on Tesla’s network that revealed all the data about the car owned by Tesla’s chief technology officer. That included a full history of where the car had been and where it was at that moment. The teen then discovered he could activate commands, like opening and closing doors, turning up the music and disabling security features. The teen found 25 vehicles in Europe and North America that were vulnerable to the attack but he estimates there could have been hundreds more. He says he’s been in contact with a member of Tesla’s security team to share the details and NHTSA has been in contact with Tesla and offered to assist and evaluate the information.

TESLA’S HEAT PUMP FAILING IN EXTREME COLD
And speaking of Tesla and safety issues, Canada opened an investigation into the heating system in Model 3 and Y vehicles after receiving complaints that the heat pumps are failing in extreme cold weather. The safety regulator said it’s concerned that a defective HVAC system could “affect windshield defogging/defrosting and therefore driver visibility.” Canada has informed Tesla about the investigation but the company hasn’t commented on it.

TESLA DELAYS CYBERTRUCK TO MAKE CHANGES
And customers who have put down reservations for the Cybertruck are going to have wait a bit longer until they receive one. Reuters reports that Tesla is delaying initial production until the end of the first quarter in 2023. Production was supposed to start at the end of this year. The delay is due to the company making changes to some of its features and functions. And we should learn more about those changes when Tesla provides a product update during its earnings call at the end of the month.

NIKOLA APPROVED FOR HUGE PURCHASE INCENTIVE
Well this should help Nikola sell its Tre battery-electric Class 8 semi-truck. The company announced that the California Air Resources Board just approved the truck for its Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Program. That means it now qualifies for a $120,000 incentive per truck in the Golden State. Nikola began delivering the truck last month.

HONDA & LG FORMING U.S BATTERY JOINT VENTURE
There’s a lot of news today about advances in EV battery development. First off, Honda is forming a joint venture with LG to build a battery plant in the US. Reuters reports it represents a $3.4 billion investment and will have a production capacity of 40 gigawatt hours. That’s enough to power 600,000 vehicles. Remember, Honda is also going to be using GM’s Ultium batteries in the vehicles that GM will make for Honda. So Honda’s total capacity for EVs will likely be over 700,000 vehicles.

BMW WOULD RATHER BUY BATTERIES THAN MAKE THEM
Meanwhile BMW says it has no interest in bringing battery cell production in-house. Instead, it’s buying them from CATL, Samsung and Northvolt. BMW says no one knows exactly which battery technology will be used in the next 10 to 15 years, so it would prefer to buy instead of make.

6K SAYS IT CAN CUT BATTERY PRODUCTION EMISSIONS
BMW may have a point about not committing too soon to any battery technology. A startup out of Massachusetts called 6K says it has a plasma technology that can make battery production far more environmentally friendly. It says that if a conventional 16-GWh battery cathode production plant was converted to its plasma technology, it would reduce CO2 emissions by 70%; lower water consumption by 90%, and reduce wastewater production by 100%, while requiring a 50% smaller factory footprint.

HYBRID SOLID STATE BATTERIES COMING SOONER
Massachusetts is emerging as a hot bed of battery technology. Factorial is the name of another startup that’s developing solid state batteries. It’s got financial backing from Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and the Hyundai Group. Actually we should describe this as a hybrid solid state battery. It does use some electrolyte, so it’s not entirely solid state. But it can be made on existing manufacturing equipment for lithium ion batteries. This seems to be the path that others are following because these hybrid solid state batteries can be brought to market sooner, probably in the 2025 to 2026 time frame. Voltaiq, a company that does battery design and testing, tells Autoline that true solid state batteries with no liquid electrolyte are unlikely to go into production before 2030.

BUGATTI RECEIVES RECORD AMOUNT OF ORDERS
When every single one of your cars has a six-digit price tag before you select a single option, you know you’re not going to sell many examples. Bugatti announced that it received 150 orders in 2021, which was a record for the company. It also means that you can no longer get a new Bugatti this year because all order slots are spoken for, unless it decides to come out with another one-off car. Bugatti plans to build and deliver 80 cars in 2022 and after that should come an all-new car, built with joint venture partner Rimac.

HONDA TEASES ALL-NEW U.S. HR-V
You may remember that Honda debuted the all-new HR-V/Vezel hybrid last year, but based on new design sketches, it looks like the U.S. is getting a completely different version of the crossover. Here’s the version that launches in North America later this year, which to our eye has a less sleek and premium look and more of a rugged/sporty vibe. It also looks to sit a little more upright.

DOES LEXUS WANT TO SEEM MORE RUGGED?
Sticking with rugged crossovers from Japanese automakers for a moment, check out this vehicle from Lexus that debuted at the Tokyo show. It’s a plug-in hybrid version of the NX that’s been jacked up and fitted with off-road tires and a roof rack. But Lexus seems to have off-roading on its mind. It also revealed the ROV Concept, which is a side-by-side vehicle. What’s unique is that it’s powered by a 1.0L 3-cylinder engine that runs off compressed hydrogen gas.

TOYOTA SHOWCASES PERFORMANCE IN TOKYO
And while Lexus focused on off-road, Toyota went after performance. The GR GT3 Concept is meant to show that Toyota’s racing division can make cars for that class that customers would actually want to choose. What’s more, Toyota GAZOO Racing says it plans to develop mass-production cars using feedback and technologies from its motorsports activities. That could come in the form of vehicles like the new GRMN Yaris. It’s based on the GR Yaris, which is already a really good performing vehicle, and then reduced its weight even further, made it wider, lowered its height and gave it bigger brakes. It will only be sold in Japan and will be limited to 500 examples. The price is also shockingly high. It ranges from about $64,400 to $74,500.

But that’s a wrap for today and this week of Autoline Daily. Thanks for joining us and we hope to see you back here on Monday.