AD #3491 – VW Developing Ranger Based EV Pickup; Tesla Expands Nevada Gigafactory; BMW Launches New M3

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

TESLA EXPANDS NEVADA GIGAFACTORY
Tesla is planning a significant expansion to its Gigafactory in Nevada. The EV maker is investing $3.6 billion to build two new facilities at the site. One will be to produce the Semi in volume production but it did not say what the capacity will be. And the other is a 100 GWh, 4680 battery cell factory, which will be able to produce enough batteries for 1.5 million light-duty vehicles annually. The expansion will add around 3,000 new jobs. Since 2014, Tesla has invested $6.2 billion in the Nevada Gigafactory, and that doesn’t include the new investment.

TESLA NOW QUALIFIES FOR FULL GERMAN EV INCENTIVES
And in other Tesla news, this should help out with sales. Thanks to its price cuts, all variations of the Model 3 and Y now qualify for maximum tax incentives in Germany, 6,750 euros or about $7,000. Like the U.S., Germany has price caps on EVs to qualify for incentives. Factoring in both the cuts and credits, the Model 3 now costs just over 40,000 euros and the Model Y is just over 41,000 euros. Tesla is currently building 3,000 Model Ys a week at its Berlin factory and it’s aiming to boost that to 5,000 soon.

VW DEVELOPING FORD RANGER BASED EV PICKUP
Instead of Ford using Volkswagen’s MEB platform for EVs, it looks like it could be the other way around. The head of VW’s Commercial division says an EV pickup, like the ID.Ruggedzz Concept, is “still on the agenda.” But instead of being MEB-based, it would share a platform with the current Ford Ranger, which is also the base for the Volkswagen Amarok. Although, it will need a fair amount of modification to go electric. It sounds like Ford will handle most of that work and would require at least a 110-kWh battery pack to provide enough towing and range. VW likely won’t bring its version of this truck to the U.S. It’s got Scout for that. But as we reported yesterday, Nissan is likely developing a mid-size electric pickup and we’ve got to believe so are the other major truck makers.

ADIENT SLASHES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The auto industry is doing a good job of reducing greenhouse gasses that goes beyond just making electric vehicles. Take the seat supplier Adient, for example. Last year it slashed its use of water by 16 million liters. It cut 25 kilowatts hour-equivalent of fuel, it got rid of 5,363 metric tons of waste, and cut its electricity waste by 42 million kilowatt hours. It also cut over 6,000 metric tons of CO2e. So what the heck is CO2e? We had to look that up. It stands for CO2 equivalent and includes other greenhouse gasses.

BMW LAUNCHES NEW HIGH-PERFORMANCE M3
BMW is launching the high-performance version of the M3, the CS, which stands for Competition Sport. It comes with a similar engine as the M3, a twin-turbo 3.0L in-line 6-cylinder, but thanks to higher boost pressure and a software tune, it produces 543 horsepower, an increase of 40 horsepower. That’s fed through an 8-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive, which helps get the M3 CS from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. One of the upgrades we’d like to highlight is the brace over the engine. It’s more elaborate than your typical strut tower brace, also extending forward to the radiator surround, and is meant to help improve handling and responsiveness. As will specially tuned electronic dampers and roll bars, carbon ceramic brakes, unique alignment settings and steering ratio as well as high performance tires. The CS has its own unique look too, including special treatment to the grille, aero accessories and sport seats backed in carbon fiber, which is also picked up on other parts of the interior. Production of the M3 CS, which kicks off in March, will be limited and prices start at a shade under $120,000, including destination charges.

LUCID SUPPLYING FORMULA E WITH ELECTRIC DRIVE UNITS
If you didn’t know Lucid, the maker of the all-electric Air sedan, also provides the battery pack for the all-electric Formula E racing series. And now it’s supplying the electric drive units as well. Mounted in the front of every Formula E car this season is the new Lucid unit, which combines the motor, inverter, differential and transmission all into one. It’s said to have 469 horsepower and can spin up to 19,500 RPM, despite weighing just 70.5 pounds or 32 kilos. Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson says “some of the technical advancements introduced may in turn make their way to future Lucid road cars.”

FORD MAY SELL GERMAN PLANT TO BYD
As we reported yesterday, Ford is planning to shrink its footprint in Europe by cutting 3,200 jobs, mostly in Germany. And now the Wall Street Journal reports that Ford could sell one of its plants in Germany to Chinese automaker BYD. Ford executives will travel to China this month to discuss a potential deal. But it’s not known how much Ford is seeking for the plant. BYD has been slowly ramping up its presence in Europe and last year it said it is considering a plant in the region, so it makes sense why it would be interested in the Ford plant. Other companies are also reportedly interested in acquiring the plant. The factory, which opened in 1970, currently only builds the Focus and Ford plans to end production there in 2025.

TIRE RACK: AFTERMARKET EV TIRES BETTER THAN FACTORY TIRES
Aftermarket EV tires are better than the ones from the factory. It’s typically the other way around but according to tests done Tire Rack, which sells and tests tires among other things, aftermarket tires for the Long-Range version of the Tesla Model 3 outperformed the ones that originally came on the car. Specifically, it tested the Continental and Michelin tires that come on the EV and compared them to aftermarket alternatives from the same manufacturers. And in both cases the aftermarket tires provide better traction, braking, and lateral grip. The braking improvements were especially impressive, reducing braking distance by one to two car lengths. It goes to show that tires can make a huge difference on EVs. As we reported in the past, switching from aggressive tires, like the ones that come on the Rivian from the factory, to less aggressive tires can have a big impact on range.

Could automakers ever develop new cars and trucks without ever making a prototype? That’s the goal of a company called VI-grade–zero prototypes. They make driving simulators that allow engineers to test out cars and components in the virtual world before they ever have to make any hardware. And this approach is slashing the time it takes to develop new vehicles. That’s the topic on Autoline After Hours tomorrow. Michael Hoffmann from VI-grade will be on the show. So join John and Gary when the show goes live at 3 pm eastern time. 

But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and please like and subscribe if you enjoyed the video.