Listen to “AD #3291 – NIO ET7 Has Impressive Specs; Shanghai GM Workers Sleeping at Plant; Car Design Starts with Central Computer” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 8:49
0:08 Shanghai GM Workers Sleeping at Plant
0:50 Nickel Demand Soaring for EV Batteries
1:31 IIHS Wants AEB That Works at Night
2:52 Ford Rattler Coming to Off-Road Market
3:44 NIO ET7 Has Impressive Specs
4:57 Honda Tests Hybrid IndyCar Engine
5:58 People Are Fixing Up Their Old Cars
6:59 Car Design Starts with Central Computer
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
SHANGHAI GM WORKERS SLEEPING AT PLANT
China is going lock-down crazy trying to fight Covid. Now it’s trying to lock down the city of Shanghai which has 26 million residents. And that’s having a big impact on the auto industry. Yesterday, Tesla suspended production at its Shanghai plant for four days. But General Motors figured out a work around. It’s keeping its Shanghai plant up and running by having workers live and sleep at the factory. China asked companies to do this to help fight the virus but keep the economy running. Tesla didn’t do it because it reportedly couldn’t get enough food and bedding for its workers to stay at the plant. So, it had to shut down.
NICKEL DEMAND SOARING FOR EV BATTERIES
The demand for EV batteries is sending the price of raw materials soaring. Sumitomo Metal, which is Japan’s largest smelter of nickel, said it expects global demand for nickel used in EV batteries to hit 410,000 metric tons this year, compared to 330,000 tons in 2021. That’s a 24% jump in one year, and the EV revolution is only getting under way. Even so, Sumitomo expects prices to fall over the long-term as automakers use less nickel or even develop batteries that don’t use any nickel at all.
IIHS WANTS AEB THAT WORKS AT NIGHT
Automatic Emergency Braking, or AEB, is a terrific safety feature except for one thing. It doesn’t work very well at night. So the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety wants to mandate AEB that can detect pedestrians and animals even when it’s pitch black outside. More than a third of pedestrian deaths happen at night on unlit roads. NHTSA is expected to mandate pedestrian AEB by 2024 but the IIHS wants to make sure it works day and night. And to us that means companies like FLIR and Adasky, which make thermal or infrared cameras are going to see their business take off.
FORD RATTLER COMING TO OFF-ROAD MARKET
Ford is offering a new version of the F-150, called the Rattler, that is kind of like an entry-level off-roader. It’s based off the XL series truck, but features content from the FX4 model, including skid plates, hill descent control, specially tuned shocks, electronic locking rear differential and all-terrain tires. It also features unique details, like Rattler badging on the fender vents, rattlesnake inspired graphics and bronze accents in the seats. No word yet on what it’s going to cost, but Ford sure does seem to like its off-road trucks. On top of all its other models, there’s the FX4 trim, the Tremor, which is more capable than the FX4, the Raptor, which is its top off-roader and now the Rattler, which goes on sale this fall.
NIO ET7 HAS IMPRESSIVE SPECS
Chinese EV startup NIO has a lot of potential to become one of the top electric vehicle makers in the world and it just hit another milestone. It delivered the first batch of its new flagship sedan, the ET7, to customers in China. It’s size is similar to a Tesla Model S, but it is a bit longer. That’s likely due to its larger battery, which is up to 150 kWh and can deliver 1,000 kilometers or over 620 miles of range. However, that’s based on the out-of-date NEDC testing cycle, which usually returns figures over 10% more than the EPA test. The ET7 also features automated driving, which is only really given away by the three protrusions on the roof of the car. A subscription service for the AV features is going to start rolling out in the 4th quarter of this year. And as for the interior, it’s a simple design with clean lines running lengthwise down the multi-layered dash, which provides the canvas for two large floating display screens, one for driver info, the other for infotainment.
HONDA TESTS HYBRID INDYCAR ENGINE
IndyCar is moving into the electric era and will require new hybrid power units for the 2024 season. So, manufacturer and engine supplier Honda is kicking off tests of its all-new 2.4L hybrid engine at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With the help of 6-time champion Scott Dixon, Honda shook down the engine, but not any of the electric components, on a modified version of the track that IndyCar typically uses. And more tests are scheduled for today as well. In case you were wondering, Chevrolet is the other engine supplier for the IndyCar racing series, and it’s developing a hybrid too.
PEOPLE ARE FIXING UP THEIR OLD CARS
Both new and used cars are selling for sky high prices. So more and more people are holding onto their cars and trucks and are getting them all fixed up, or even upgrading them with accessories. People are getting their cars detailed, putting on new tires, installing new headlamps, buying new floor mats and even getting the seat covers replaced. The Detroit Free Press quotes one aftermarket shop owner as saying 90% of his business used to be upfitting new vehicles. Now it’s 90% used vehicles that are over 5 years old. Customers who used to spend $1,500 to $3,000 are now spending anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, because that’s still nearly twenty grand cheaper than buying a used car. Business is booming for repair shops and it could even be going better except for one thing. Just like everything else, parts and accessories are in short supply.
CAR DESIGN STARTS WITH CENTRAL COMPUTER
For over 100 years’ automakers would start designing cars by laying out all the dimensions and hard points. Then they would design the car around that. Not anymore. Today, the leading-edge automakers start by designing the computer and electronic architecture, then build the car around that. On Autoline After Hours, Danny Shapiro, the vice president at NVIDIA talked about this new way of doing things.
“Companies like NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, these are companies that are doing very well in China. They’re not brands that are well known here, but it’s the Chinese Teslas, if you will. These are companies that have started from scratch. They’re designing the computer first. They’re building a car around it. And that’s how they get a software defined car.”
Shapiro says that in the past, automakers would simply bolt components onto their cars. But those components could never be updated with software. Today, automakers are transitioning to software-defined cars that can offer over the air updates and collect data that can be monetized. And that’s why the design of a new car today starts with the central computer and electronic architecture.
By the way there’s a ton of great information on that show which you can watch now on our website or YouTube channel.
And that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching.
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Seamus and Sean McElroy cover the latest news in the automotive industry for Autoline Daily.