AD #3401 – Jeep Goes EV Crazy; Renault Dismantling Old Trucks to Sell Parts; Tire Changing Robot Faster Than Humans

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JEEP GOES EV CRAZY
Big EV news for Jeep today. It says it will have 4xe or plug-in hybrid versions of all of its models by 2025 and will have a fully electric lineup by 2030, which includes Europe. Its first all-new BEV model will be a small crossover for Europe, called the Avenger, that launches early next year.

It’s styling is similar to the Compass, but it’s actually smaller than a Renegade. Jeep is targeting a 400 kilometer or roughly 250 mile range and the Avenger will be built at Stellantis’ plant in Poland. And while the Avenger will be offered in other markets, like Japan and South Korea, it will not be offered in the U.S. because Jeep says the segment for a vehicle like this doesn’t exist in the U.S. But the mid-size segment is growing and that’s where Jeep will enter the EV market in America. One of those vehicles is the Recon, a 4-door SUV that takes inspiration from the Wrangler, like removable door and roof panels.

The same design group that handles the Wrangler also designed the Recon, but even though there are similarities, Jeep insists it’s not an EV replacement for the Wrangler. Around the same time Jeep will expand its Wagoneer lineup with a BEV that is currently codenamed Wagoneer S.

And like the Recon, this is a mid-size, not a full-size. The Wagoneer S will have an estimated 400 mile or 640 kilometer range, 600 horsepower from more than one electric motor and will be able to do 0-60 around 3.5 seconds. Both the Recon and Wagoneer S will be made in North America and production is scheduled to kick off in 2024. Jeep has more than doubled its sales in the last 10 years and all of these new BEVs announced are new categories for the brand, not just nameplates that it has converted to electric, so we expect its sales growth to continue.

FORD E-TRANSIT CUSTOM GETS F-150 LIGHTNING BATTERY
Speaking of new EVs, Ford revealed details about the E-Transit Custom van for Europe. It comes exclusively with a 400-volt, 74 kWh battery pack that uses the same pouch cells as the F-150 Lightning. Depending on the setup, the E-Transit Custom will be able to go up to 380 kilometers or 236 miles on a single charge. Those setups include multiple body styles, wheelbases and the choice of either a 100 kW or 160 kW electric motor. The more powerful version allows owners to tow up to 2,000 kilograms or carry a payload of 1,100 kilograms. Production of the E-Transit Custom starts in Turkey in autumn of 2023.

RENAULT DISMANTLING OLD TRUCKS TO SELL THEIR PARTS
Renault is taking a unique approach to big commercial trucks that are at their end of life. Rather than sending them to the crusher, it’s recycling the trucks and reusing their spare parts. It created a dedicated plant where old trucks will be dismantled and good parts will be identified. Bad parts will be recycled, while the good ones are cleaned and sent back to the spare parts store to be sold. Renault says the parts are covered by a manufacturer’s warranty and will cost 50-60% less than new parts.

BMW IS GOING VEGAN
The BMW Group is going vegan. Starting next year, fully vegan interiors will be offered in both BMW and MINI vehicles. The company already offers fabric alternatives to leather but it says it developed a new bio-based material for steering wheels that meets its criteria for appearance, wear-resistance and durability. BMW says the new material reduces CO2e emissions by up to 85% along the value chain compared to leather.

MAGNA BUILDING AV DELIVERY PODS
The supplier Magna announced it is partnering with Cartken, an autonomous robots company based in San Francisco, to manufacture its Model C delivery pod. Magna is building the autonomous robot at its factory in Michigan and in the future, it will produce more models built on the same platform for different use cases. The Model C is currently being used for last mile use to deliver items in malls, hotels, universities and warehouses.

NISSAN LEAF GETS BI-DIRECTIONAL CHARGER
Nissan LEAF owners in the U.S. can now send energy back to the grid when plugging in their vehicle. The automaker just approved its first bi-directional charger for use with the LEAF. The charger was developed by vehicle-to-grid service provider, Fermata Energy. Now owners can plug-in and charge their vehicle or send energy stored in the battery back to the building or to the grid. Nissan didn’t reveal how much the charger costs but did say it won’t impact the LEAF’s battery warranty.

TIRE CHANGING ROBOT FASTER THAN HUMANS
RoboTire is a startup in Plymouth, Michigan that’s developing robots for tire changes. The robots can also mount tires on wheels and balance them too. In fact, RoboTire claims its robots can mount, balance and install 4 tires in 25 minutes. That’s faster than most techs. And the robots can do it all day long. They can easily lift the 150 pound tires that come off a Hummer H1 and the company is developing a system for semi trucks, too. Though RoboTire would not tell us what the system costs, it says it’s affordable for small, independent shops. The company is working with the Discount Tire retail chain and says it has a solid book of backorders. RoboTire says this will help tire stores that have a hard time finding techs to do this work and free up the techs they do have to do other work.

GM NAMES NEW PREMIUM IMPORT BRAND FOR CHINA
As we’ve reported, General Motors plans to import some of its higher-end models to China that it currently doesn’t sell there. And now we have more details about its plans. It will be a direct to consumer sales channel aimed at luxury buyers called Durant Guild, named after the company’s founder William Durant. It will host invitation only events and open “experience centers” in urban areas. GM didn’t say exactly which vehicles it plans to make available but it’s putting the GMC HUMMER EV and Yukon, and Chevrolet Tahoe, Silverado and Corvette on display at upcoming events. The company acknowledges it won’t sell vehicles in large volumes with the new platform but it hopes it will generate excitement around its other brands in China, which have seen sales drop by a third over the past five years.

JD POWER’S DOUG BETTS ON AAH
Are legacy automakers starting to make inroads in the EV segment? That’s going to be the topic on today’s Autoline After Hours. Doug Betts, the president of Automotive at JD Power will be on the show. He says buyer consideration for EVs from legacy automakers is going up fast. So, how fast and how much? We want to know too, and we invite you to join us this afternoon at 3pm eastern time on our website or our YouTube channel.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching.