AD #3289 – Cybertruck Delayed Again; Stellantis Unveils All New IC Engine; Could China Mandate Battery Swapping?

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

CYBERTRUCK DELAYED AGAIN
Looks like Tesla’s Cybertruck has been delayed. Again. Originally, Tesla said it would go into production in late 2020. Then that got pushed back to late 2021. Then it was going to start production this month, then later this year. Then it got pushed to the spring of 2023. And now Autoforecast Solutions reports that it will not go into production until October of 2023. These delays have got to be driving 1.3 million people up the wall. That’s how many of them placed reservations for the Cybertruck. But Elon Musk already warned customers that since Tesla can sell every car it can make right now, it doesn’t make sense for the company to add new models to its lineup. 

U.S. POST OFFICE WARMS UP TO EVs
The U.S. Postal Service is starting to change its mind about EVs. It placed an initial order worth nearly $3 billion with Oshkosh for 50,000 next-gen delivery vehicles, which will go into use late next year. But instead of 10% being electric, like it originally planned, it’s doubling that to 20% or more than 10,000 EVs. The U.S. Postmaster says it’s making the move due to “our improving outlook.” That should come as little surprise to the regulars here. As we reported the USPS was using outdated numbers, like assuming that gasoline was only going to cost $2.18 a gallon. That’s how it justified its previous EV plan. I know there will be people out there who wish the Postal Service went even further, since 80% of the new vehicles it’s buying get less than 9 MPG. But there’s a chance for more EVs. This was just an ‘initial order.’ The USPS is slated to get as many as 150,000 next-gen vehicles, so if its outlook improves again, then the next order could have a lot more electrics.

COULD CHINA MANDATE BATTERY SWAPPING?
There’s a fascinating report in Reuters about China’s push into battery swapping for electric vehicles. If it’s successful, it could make Tesla’s Supercharger network obsolete. NIO and Geely are teaming up with a battery swapping company to build 24,000 swapping stations by 2025. And Sinopec, which has the most gasoline stations in China, says it will add 30,000 swapping stations by 2030. But for swapping to really take off, car companies would have to standardize their battery packs. And none of them are interested in doing that right now, because battery design is one way that automakers differentiate their EVs from the competition. Moreover, fast charging is getting faster, and car owners may not feel the need to have to swap their batteries. Even so, CATL, which dominates the battery business, is working on swappable batteries with NIO and FAW. And Reuters quotes one expert who asks, what if Beijing mandates battery swapping for all EVs? It would force every foreign automaker to offer swapping because the Chinese market is just too big for them to ignore.

STELLANTIS UNVEILS ALL-NEW IC ENGINE
People made a big stink when Ford started dropping V8s and V6s in favor of turbo 6s and 4s, but it seemed to have little impact on the company. Now Stellantis is going down the same route. It’s coming out with an all-new, twin-turbo 3.0L in-line 6-cylinder engine, codenamed Hurricane, that’s going to be offered in place of larger and less efficient engines. Some of the highlights include an aluminum block, forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, dual overhead cams, special cylinder bore coating, integrated exhaust manifold and high pressure direct injection of over 5,000 PSI or 350 bar. Two outputs are available. Standard is 400 horsepower with 450 lb-ft of torque, while High Output versions will make 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. Even so, it’s up to 15% more efficient than larger engines. The hurricane engine will be made in Mexico and start showing up in larger Stellantis vehicles sometime this year.

PEUGEOT 3D PRINTS ACCESSORIES
Sticking with Stellantis, but shifting our focus to Europe, Peugeot is coming out with some clever new car accessories thanks to 3D printing. They’re small pieces made out of a flexible plastic that feature a unique mesh pattern and fit right into the cupholder of the Peugeot 308. They’re meant to hold sunglasses, a can, cards and even a phone. It’s also a great way to add a little flair to your car, but it does take vacuuming, sandblasting and painting the part after its printed just to get that look.

JEEP’S MILITARY-LIKE MOAB CONCEPT
And in one last bit of Stellantis news, here’s another teaser of a vehicle it’s taking to the Easter Jeep Safari. This one is said to be an homage to a Jeep vehicle of the past that blends military grit and determination with Jeep’s 4xe plug-in hybrid technology. The off-roading event kicks off on April 9th in Moab, Utah.

CHINESE NEV CO’S FORCED TO RAISE PRICES
The chip shortage, soaring raw materials prices and the removal of government subsidies for New Energy Vehicles or NEVs, is forcing automakers in China to raise prices. Gasgoo reports that both startups and traditional carmakers are raising the price of their NEVs, which includes plug-in hybrids, BEVs and fuel cell vehicles. For example, XPeng increased the price of its P7 model by more than $5,000 this month while Tesla boosted the price of its models between $1,500 and $3,000. We expect more automakers to follow suit and we also wonder when price hikes will hit the U.S. market. Maybe automakers can hold off on doing that because the fat margins they’ve earned can offset the rising costs.

VW DELAYS ID.5 OVER UKRAINIAN WIRE HARNESSES
Volkswagen is delaying the launch of the ID.5 because it doesn’t have enough wire harnesses to build the EV. Ukraine is a major source of wire harnesses for European automakers, and Russia’s invasion of the country caused shortages that led to production disruptions, including the ID.5. It was supposed to launch next month but VW will now introduce it the first week of May.

COVID POSTPONES BEIJING AUTO SHOW
COVID is once again disrupting the auto industry in China. Earlier this month, several automakers had to suspend production after the government implemented lockdowns because of a surge of the virus. And now the Beijing auto show is being postponed. It was supposed to be held in late April but organizers decided to delay the show because of COVID. A new date for the event hasn’t been decided on yet.

HONDA BUILDS WIND TUNNEL IN OHIO
Even though aerodynamic simulation is quite sophisticated, the computers can’t predict everything. There’s still a need to test cars in a wind tunnel. So Honda spent $124 million building one in Ohio. They call it HALO, which stands for Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio. Honda is using it to refine the aerodynamics of its production cars, as well as to reduce wind noise. And it’s also testing race cars there, because the tunnel can simulate speeds up to 190 miles an hour. One of the most impressive features is a modular moving ground plane. For production cars, Honda may only need to use a narrow moving belt. But for race cars it wants a wide moving ground plane to simulate turbulence from the wheels. And note how the cars sit on an giant indexing pad so they can be turned sideways to test for the effects of yaw angles on aerodynamics. To trace sources of wind noise, Honda technicians can install an array of microphones and cameras inside the wind tunnel. And Honda says this is critical for reducing wind noise in electric cars. 

But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you have a great weekend.