AD #3508 – California Startup 3D Prints EV Batteries; Mercedes Going Direct Sales In EU; Suzuki EV Uses 2-Speed Transmission

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

NHTSA FORCES TESLA OTA RECALL
Tesla and NHTSA keep butting heads. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered Tesla to recall 362,000 cars with Full Self Driving because it violates some safety laws and could cause accidents. But some of the violations seem relatively minor. NHTSA says FSD may complete left turns at an intersection when the traffic light is yellow. It may use a turn-only lane while making a lane change. And it allows drivers to set speeds above the posted limit. Tesla says it will fix those issues with an over the air update.

TOYOTA SLASHES bZ4X PRICE IN CHINA
Toyota was forced to cut the price of the electric bZ4X in China. After loping $4,300 off the price, the base model now sells for under $25,000. The reason was slow sales. The car went on sale in October but by the end of last month Toyota only sold 3,844 of them. In the US, the base model sells for $42,000 but it comes with a 71.4 kWh battery while the one in China has 50.3. And if slow sales were the reason for cuts in China, maybe Toyota will consider a price cut in the US. Last year it only sold 1,220 of them.

 

MERCEDES GOING DIRECT SALES IN EUROPE
Mercedes-Benz is going to bypass its dealers in Europe and start selling more cars directly to customers. And it’s all about boosting profit margins. CEO Ola Kallenius says that when you change yourself from a wholesaler to a retailer, it changes the way you run the business. And it also addresses customer concerns that maybe they could have got a better price from a different dealer. Mercedes expects a tough business climate in Europe and China this year and that’s why it’s going to rely more on direct sales–in Europe, at least. In the United States, it would be illegal for Mercedes to do that since it would violate dealer franchise laws.

FORD’S AMAZING TRANSIT VIP IN CHINA
Ford is coming out with an awesomely amazing, funky and luxurious version of the Transit Custom van for China. CarNewsChina brings us these pictures of the van, which is called the VIP and features all-new styling, including a deep, plunging grille and tons of chrome accents. But our favorite part of the exterior is the Ford hood ornament. The interior is wrapped in premium materials, it gets 2nd row captain’s chairs and large displays for the driver and rear seat passengers. The curtains over the windows are a nice touch too. It’s said vans like these are popular with companies that want to shuttle management around as well as with business owners in second- and third-tier cities that like to show off.

DS PUTS FORMULA E LESSONS TO WORK
DS Automobiles, which is part of Stellantis, is taking what it’s learned on the race track and applying it to its electric cars. It joined the Formula E racing series in 2015 as a way to accelerate its hardware and software development for EVs. DS says one of the key factors to being competitive in Formula E is energy recovery and so it designed special software algorithms to optimize regenerative braking. And this software was applied directly to the plug-in hybrid version of the new DS 7. By measuring the pressure applied to the brake pedal more precisely, it optimized energy recovery and is thus more efficient than previous systems. However, it does not say exactly how much more efficient. 

ERNIE AVAILABLE ON MORE CHINESE CARS
We told you AI tech like ChatGPT would start making its way into cars. Just a few days ago we reported that Jidu, a joint venture between Geely and Baidu, would integrate Baidu’s ChatGPT-like ERNIE Bot into its vehicles. It allows for more interactive experiences along with more natural communication with the system. Now several other Chinese automakers are adopting ERNIE Bot, which stands for “Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration.” EV maker Aiways says it’s going to use the system and so will VOYAH, which is the electric luxury division of Dongfeng. ERNIE Bot will first launch next month.

 

NEW CAR SALES KEEP DROPPING IN RUSSIA
New car sales in Russia continue to plummet. New car production fell 59% last year as most foreign automakers pulled out of the country. And now Russians are feeling the full impact of sanctions because of that special military operation thing that’s going on in Ukraine. So Russians are mostly buying used cars instead of new, but that is causing used car prices to soar. And it’s all a windfall for Chinese automakers. They’re rushing into the new car market to fill the void left by everyone else.   

CALIFORNIA STARTUP 3D PRINTS EV BATTERIES
A company, called Sakuu, which is based in California, announced that it successfully 3D printed a fully functioning battery. What makes this so intriguing to us is that the shape of the battery can be custom made to whatever it’s going in and it even shows how it could leave openings in the battery for cooling purposes. It says it can print Lithium Ion, Lithium Metal, and Solid-State batteries. Sakuu has already teamed up with a division of Porsche to design the gigafactories where the batteries will be made and it plans to break ground on its first two next year. And it has a goal of making 200 GWh of batteries by 2030.

SUZUKI EV USES 2-SPEED TRANSMISSION
Suzuki will not have its first BEV in the market until 2025. But the EV-X concept it revealed a month ago has an interesting feature. It’s going to use a 2-speed transmission, versus the 1-speed gear reduction unit that most EVs use. That trans is made by Canadian company Inmotive. The analysts at LMC Automotive say this could allow Suzuki to reduce the size of the e-motor and battery, or use it to provide a longer driving range. But since small cars in developing markets are extremely price sensitive, and that’s where this car will primarily be sold, the smaller battery idea sure makes a lot of sense to us. Suzuki is a master at making small cars. One way it cut the weight of its cars was with its “One Gram Strategy.” It asked every supplier to cut the weight of their components by 1 gram. And since there are thousands of components in a car, it took out kilograms worth of weight. What a great idea. Anyone can figure out how to get rid of one gram.

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