AD #3585 – GM Joins Tesla Charging Network; ICE Sales Down, EVs Up, Oil Declining; Porsche’s New Electric Hypercar

  

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

BARRA & MUSK ANNOUNCE EV CHARGING COLLABORATION
Well, we didn’t see this one coming. Yesterday afternoon, GM CEO Mary Barra got on Twitter with Elon Musk to announce that GM will adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard or NACS. Starting in 2024, GM EV owners can use an adaptor to access 12,000 Tesla Supercharger stations throughout North America. And GM will integrate the NACS port in its vehicles starting in 2025. GM will also add the Tesla Supercharging Network into its vehicles and mobile apps, to help customers locate stations and pay for charging. Ford already announced it will adopt Tesla’s NACS chargers, so GM had to react. Stunningly, Barra says Tesla’s NACS connector could become the single standard in North America, instead of the Combined Charging Standard or CCS plugs that everyone else uses. With Ford and GM joining Tesla, more automakers are likely to follow.

FORD TRIPLES LIGHTNING PRODUCTION 
Ford announced it’s going to significantly boost production of the F-150 Lightning, which will slash wait times for customers. It’s on track to hit an annual production rate of 150,000 units by the end of the year, or triple what it’s currently building. The XLT version of the truck will get the largest production increase, since it’s the most popular. Ford says a customer who places an order now for the Lightning XLT will receive it as early as September. It’s also taking orders for the Lariat and Platinum trims but the entry-level Pro model is sold out for the year.

RAM RAMPAGE GOING TO U.S. MARKET
Earlier this week, Ram showed off a uni-body pickup in Brazil called the Rampage. At the time we wondered if the company would bring it to North America and we didn’t have to wait long for an answer. It is. The Drive reports that a source within Stellantis, Ram’s parent company, confirmed the Rampage will be sold in the U.S. and that it will debut later this year. In addition to that, a couple of camouflaged versions of the truck were spotted testing in Colorado. As of now, the Rampage is only confirmed to be produced in Brazil, so the company will likely need to find another plant in North America to build it, so it can avoid the 25% Chicken Tax on imported light trucks.

ICE SALES DOWN, EVs UP, OIL DECLINING
There’s some fascinating stats from the latest Electric Vehicle report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. It shows sales of ICE vehicles are declining almost everywhere in the world while the only growth in the auto industry is coming from EVs. And the only developed country that saw ICE sales go up was Australia, which were only up 1%. The study says EV’s of all kinds, including 2 and 3-wheelers are already displacing 1.5 million barrels of oil a day, or about 3% of road transportation demand. So as EV sales ramp up we could see a significant drop in oil demand. 

LEXUS GX GETS COMPLETE MAKE-OVER
Off-road fans rejoice. A new Lexus GX is finally hitting the market. Styling is much boxier than the current truck and its ruggedness can be enhanced with a new Overtrail grade that, among other things, adds 33-inch tires. At launch, Lexus says it will be available with a 3.4L twin-turbo V6 that makes 349 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. A hybrid setup will come at a later date as well. The interior also looks like a big upgrade over the current model, at least much more modern. The highlight is a large, 14-inch center display screen. The new GX will be built in Japan and sales kick off early next year.

LEXUS UNVEILS BIG TX SUV
Lexus says the demand for 3-row SUVs keeps growing in the U.S. so it’s coming out with an all-new model. Take a look at the Lexus TX, which offers three powertrain choices: a V6 PHEV with 406 horsepower, a turbo 2.4-liter gas engine with 275 hp or a turbo 2.4 hybrid available only with an F-Sport package with 366 hp and 409 pound feet of torque. The PHEV is expected to deliver 33 miles of electric range and deliver 30 miles to the gallon. The TX is aimed at the American market and will be built in Indiana. Lexus did not release prices yet, but we think most versions will likely top $100,000.

BOSCH BETS HEAVY ON SOFTWARE
Bosch is investing heavily in software and mobility, and even reorganized those efforts into a new business unit called Bosch Mobility. And it’s massive, with 230,000 employees at more than 300 locations in 66 countries worldwide, with revenue expected to hit $84 billion by 2029. Bosch’s North American operations will deliver about $20 billion of that and will be run by Paul Thomas. One project Bosch Mobility North America is working on is an intelligent traffic system for Woodward Avenue in Detroit that will feature pedestrian detection and alerts, as well as controlling traffic lights to provide priority for authorized vehicles; as well as V2V and V2I communication. So Bosch will not just supply software for cars, but also for the environment they operate in. 

TOYOTA PUTS BATTERY R&D LAB IN MICHIGAN
Toyota is ramping up its EV development work in North America. It’s investing $50 million to open a battery R&D lab in Michigan, where it already has its largest engineering campus outside of Japan. The lab will work on developing new types of cells, including solid state batteries. And it will work on faster ways to charge EVs. It will also serve as the North American arm of Toyota’s “BEV Factory” which is the new business unit that was created inside the company to develop EVs, similar to Ford’s Model E business unit.

    

PORSCHE TOYS WITH ELECTRIC HYPERCAR
The Porsche Carrera GT is considered the last real driver’s car. A naturally aspirated V10 and no electronic ninnies. Just man and machine. And now I feel like Porsche could be going for the first real driver’s EV with the Mission X concept, which to me looks a little like the Carrera GT. The name is a continuation of the Mission E concept, which eventually became the Taycan. So, maybe the Mission X will too make it to production. And Porsche says if it does, it has four main goals. 1. Be the fastest road-legal vehicle to lap the Nurburgring. Tesla just took that title for an EV from the Taycan with a version of the Model S Plaid that’s available with a new track package. 2. Have a power-to-weight ratio of roughly one horsepower per kilogram. 3. Deliver significantly more downforce than a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. And finally 4. Offer about double the charging speed of the Taycan with a new 900-volt electronic architecture. It didn’t give any indications about possible battery size or range, but says the pack is mounted behind the seats to improve handling.

TOYOTA DEVELOPS HYDROGEN LE MANS RACER
Toyota keeps putting development time into hydrogen technology. It revealed a new race car that features a hydrogen-powered ICE that is scheduled to complete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2026. The ACO, the organization that puts on Le Mans, recently announced a new class that’s expected to debut in 2026, which will allow both hydrogen-powered ICEs as well as fuel cell EVs. Toyota didn’t reveal much about the engine going in the racing concept, other than it’s also paired with a hybrid system. But it could be one of a number of units. It’s been racing a hydrogen-powered 1.6L 3-cylinder engine in the Corolla since 2021. Toyota’s current hybrid Le Mans hypercar uses a 3.5L twin-turbo V6. And it’s also said to be working on a hydrogen-powered V8 with Yamaha. 

And with that we wrap up today’s show. Thanks for joining us and I hope you have a great weekend.