AD #3554 – EVs Headed For 50% Global Market Share; Tesla Testing Chargers For All In China; BMW i5 Uses Eye Gestures

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

EVs HEADED FOR 50% GLOBAL MARKET SHARE
Sales of electric cars are growing strong in major markets around the world. The International Energy Agency says sales will shoot up 35% this year, hitting 14 million EVs. That represents 18% of the global passenger car market, up from only 4% just three years ago. At that rate, EVs would account for about 50% of all passenger vehicles in about 4 years. The Agency predicts that EVs will hit cost parity with ICE vehicles in about 2 years and that EVs will cut global oil demand by 5 million barrels a day by the end of the decade.

STELLANTIS OFFERS UAW BUYOUTS
It looks like Stellantis decided it doesn’t have time to wait to get ready for the transition to electrics. It is going to offer buyouts to 3,500 UAW workers and wants to see them start leaving at the end of June. Interestingly, Stellantis did not announce this. It was reported on Facebook by the president of UAW Local 1264 which represents a Stellantis stamping plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The company will offer $50,000 buyouts to employees hired before 2007, and others will get an unspecified lump sum. Manufacturing EVs don’t require as many jobs, so that may be one reason why Stellantis is offering buyouts. Another reason is that it will start negotiating a new labor contract with the UAW this fall and it probably wanted this off the table.

GM CRUISE NOW OPERATES 24/7 IN SAN FRANCISCO
Social media is increasingly becoming the go-to way to make announcements. Yesterday on Twitter, Kyle Vogt, the CEO of GM Cruise, announced they are now operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in San Francisco. Up to now Cruise could only legally operate from 10 pm to 6 am. Vogt says that their machine learning systems have proven their autonomous cars can work in San Francisco and that they’re going to expand to other cities soon.

LUCID READIES ITS FIRST SUV
Lucid hit the market with its sedan called the Air, but it’s soon going to add an SUV to the lineup. They call it Gravity and it’s undergoing final testing on public roads in the U.S. Lucid didn’t reveal any specifics about it, but did say it will seat up to seven people, have the driving dynamics of a sports car and have the longest electric range of any SUV on the market today. Now all the company needs to make sure it can build them in volume. It’s still going through its own production hell with the Air.

GM TO DROP CHEVY BOLT
And as one EV is entering the market, another is going away. GM will shut down production of the Bolt EV and EUV at the end of the year. The plant where the Bolt is made, in Orion, Michigan will get retooled to make the Chevrolet Silverado EV.

FISKER GETS EU OK TO SELL CARS
Fisker just got approval from European regulators for its Ocean electric crossover, which means it can start delivering the EV to customers. The first deliveries will start on May 5 and it’s aiming to deliver all launch edition models by the end of September. Presumably U.S. deliveries will follow Europe but Fisker didn’t give a specific timeframe.

TESLA TESTING CHARGERS FOR ALL IN CHINA
Tesla is launching a pilot program in China to open its charging network to non-Tesla owners. It will include 10 Supercharger stations and 120 Destination Charging locations, which will be available to 37 non-Tesla models. Tesla currently has 1,600 Supercharger stations and more than 10,000 Supercharger connectors in China. Tesla’s profit margins took a hit due to recent price cuts, so by opening its charging network to others it will help generate more revenue and profits.

TOYOTA bZ3 USES BYD TECH
Speaking of foreign automakers in China, Toyota’s 2nd bZ model, the bZ3, just went on sale. Like the bZ4X, it’s based on the automaker’s eTNGA platform. But unlike that model, the main drive system is Chinese. CarNewsChina reports that it formed a partnership with BYD to use its blade battery and sourced its motors from a BYD subsidiary. The battery packs come in 50 kWh and 65 kWh and provide up to 616 kilometers or 382 miles of range, while there’s two electric motor outputs, the top one being 180 kW or 241 horsepower. In China, the electric sedan sells for the equivalent of $24,500.

 

BMW i5 USES EYE GESTURES
BMW is introducing tech in the all-new 5 Series that will allow owners to control the car with their eyes. It will be available with Level 2 hands-free driving that includes automatic lane changes. And if the driver looks at one of the outside mirrors, and traffic is clear, the car will change lanes to that side. The system works up to 85 MPH or 130 km/h and the turn signal can activate auto lane changes as well as eye control. BMW also revealed a few other details about the all-new 5 Series that premieres in “just a couple of weeks,” like that it will include ICE, plug-in hybrid and pure electric powertrains. Because of that the chassis tuning is model specific and features a new control system for electronic dampers on the i5 BEV. That model will come standard with a heat pump that supplies the drive system, battery and interior and BMW says it paves the way for more rapid charging.

MERCEDES UNWRAPS NEW E-CLASS
Speaking of new luxury sedans, Mercedes revealed the all-new E-Class. Styling is not a radical departure from the current car, but you’ll notice plenty of new design accents, including around the grille and we especially like how the Mercedes 3-pointed star is picked up in the rear taillights. One thing that might only be picked up by current owners, is a longer wheelbase because it provides more trunk and rear seat legroom. And the interior of the new E-Class is like a mix of the EQE and EQE SUV. It has the upright digital driver’s cluster of the EQE and the center and passenger display under one piece of glass that covers the rest of the dash like the EQE SUV. Perhaps one of the biggest changes is a new electronic architecture that Mercedes says is more software-based, which means the car will have more OTA capabilities. Depending on the market, the E-Class is available with gas, which are all mild hybrids, diesel and plug-in hybrid as well as rear- and all-wheel drive. But no matter what, they’re all paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. Other highlights include Level 2 hands-free capability, an available air suspension system and rear-wheel steering. The new E-Class will be on sale before the end of the year.

BOSCH BUYS U.S. CHIP PLANT
Silicon carbide chips are a hot commodity because they can make electric vehicles even more efficient. So Bosch is buying an American chip company, TSI semiconductors, which is based in California. It will start making silicon carbide chips in 2026. Bosch plans to invest $1.5 billion at the site but it says it will be heavily dependent on receiving federal funds through the CHIPS and Science Act as well as incentives from California.

But that brings us to the end of this show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day.