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Runtime: 10:12
0:00 Shell Dumping Gas Stations for EV Charging Network
0:38 Geely Posts Stronger Sales, Profits
1:25 NEVs About to Hit 50% Market Share in China
2:06 Bankrupt EV Brands Revived in China
3:11 Stellantis Developing Lidar-On-A-Chip
4:17 German Auto Industry to Lose 100,000 Jobs
5:16 Forvia Posts Strong Sales, Profits
5:55 All-New Peugeot 5008 On Stella Large
7:29 Hyundai Santa Fe Pricing
8:20 VW & Mobileye Partner for Level 2 & 3
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
SHELL DUMPING GAS STATIONS FOR EV CHARGING NETWORK
Well, here’s something of a milestone in the transition to electric vehicles. Oil behemoth Shell is going to dump some of its gas stations to help build out its EV charging network. It will divest 500 sites this year and another 500 next year as part of its energy transition strategy. Shell wants to have 200,000 public chargers globally by the end of the decade, up from 54,000 today. And it will focus on opening them in China and Europe.
GEELY POSTS STRONGER SALES, PROFITS
Speaking of China, the car market there may be slowing down, the industry may be saddled with too much capacity and that on-going price war, but Geely pretty much shrugged off all the bad news. It posted sales and profit numbers for 2023 that easily exceeded investor expectations. Revenue came in at almost $25 billion and it posted a net profit of $738 million. That’s only a 3.6% profit margin, but that could improve with higher sales. The company expects to sell 1.9 million vehicles this year, up 13%, and spread across 11 brands that include Geely, Lynk & Co, Zeekr, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus.
NEVs ABOUT TO HIT 50% MARKET SHARE IN CHINA
Electrified vehicles are pushing ICE vehicles to the side of the road in China. New Energy Vehicles, or NEVs, which includes BEVs, PHEVs and fuel cell vehicles, hit 48.2% last week according to BYD’s CEO. And he expects NEVs to reach a 50% market share in the next three months. Last year, NEVs accounted for 35% of sales in China and just reaching a 45% share would increase NEV sales by 2 million units according to BYD’s CEO. And that folks, will be another milestone–when NEVs hit 50% of the market.
BANKRUPT EV BRANDS REVIVED IN CHINA
Even so, while NEV sales are soaring in China, there’s still too many EV brands there, which is what triggered the vicious price war that’s hurting profits for most automakers. Worse still, three defunct EV brands are now being resurrected. Zhidou Electric Vehicles, Haima Automobile and Aiways, which either went bankrupt or were teetering on the edge, are being brought back to life, mainly with cash infusions from local governments, which put a greater priority on the jobs those companies generate than their profits. But this doesn’t bode well for the Chinese EV market, it’s already overcrowded and last year only four of the top dozen companies hit their sales targets.
STELLANTIS DEVELOPING LIDAR-ON-A-CHIP
Hands-free driving tech keeps moving forward, and Stellantis is investing in a French startup called SteerLight that developed lidar on a chip. They call it silicon photonics and it could be significantly cheaper than today’s lidar systems. SteerLight says the chip develops full 3D images with no moving parts. Interestingly, Stellantis will work jointly with SteerLight to integrate the chip in future products rather than work with a supplier. It says by bringing it in house, it will get to market faster, do it at lower cost, and end up with a system that’s optimized for its vehicles. If it went with a supplier it might get something that’s commonized for many customers. Stellantis says lidar on a chip will be an order of magnitude cheaper than other systems, and will only cost a few dozen dollars. It expects to use 5 or 6 lidars per car, starting with its high-end vehicles from Maserati, Jeep and DS. But silicon photonics for cars is still about 4-5 years away.
GERMAN AUTO INDUSTRY TO LOSE 100,000 JOBS
We keep talking about how the auto industry is going through a historical transformation that is upending the old order. And here’s yet another example of how it’s disrupting the German supplier industry. Webasto, the supplier that makes roof modules, like convertible tops and sun roofs, is going to cut 10% of its workforce, which would eliminate about 1,600 jobs. Last year it only made about a €20 million EBIT on sales of €4.6 billion. Experts warn the German industry could lose 100,000 jobs by the end of the decade, so Webasto is now adding battery packs for EVs to its product portfolio. Other German suppliers like Bosch, Continental and ZF have let go thousands of employees. But it’s not just a shift to EVs that’s affecting legacy suppliers. Last year, new car sales in Europe were 5 million units below where they were pre-Covid.
FORVIA POSTS STRONG SALES, PROFITS
But then again, it just depends what part of the business you’re in. The German supplier Forvia reported a solid increase in sales and profits for last year. It makes things like high-tech headlamps, radar, and EV battery management systems. Sales were up to more than 10% to nearly €8 billion, and its operating income shot up 65% to €486 million. Forvia was created in 2022 when French supplier Faurecia merged with German supplier Hella. And based on these numbers it looks like it was a good idea to put the two companies together.
ALL-NEW PEUGEOT 5008 ON STELLA LARGE
Peugeot’s biggest SUV is migrating to Stellantis’ new STLA Medium platform. The all-new 7-passenger 5008 SUV will now feature mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric powertrains. The mild-hybrid pairs a 136-horsepower gas engine with a 6-speed DCT. The PHEV has a 92-kW electric motor, 150 horsepower engine and while Peugeot doesn’t say how big the battery is, it says it will have an estimated all-electric range of 80 kilometers or about 50 miles. The BEV version comes in front- or all-wheel drive. Front drive models come standard with a 157 kW or 210 horsepower electric motor or a 170 kW or 227 horsepower unit. AWD has two motors that combine for 237 kW or 317 horsepower. The battery chemistry is NMC, it’s 400 volts and has a capacity up to 98 kWh. That pack provides an estimated 660 kilometers or 410 miles of range. But there will be smaller versions that provide 500 kilometers or 310 miles of range. The interior has a lot of share edge designs and features a high-mounted digital screen that also takes advantage of ChatGPT. Peugeot says the new E-5008 will go on sale this fall.
HYUNDAI SANTA FE PRICING
The all-new Hyundai Santa Fe is now available at dealerships in the U.S. To me the design is more luxurious with a bit of a futuristic and technical flare. It’s not only come a long way from the original 2000 model, but it’s also a big departure from the previous generation, which is much less boxy. Powering the new Santa Fe is either a 2.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine mated to an 8-speed dual clutch transmission or a 1.6L turbocharged hybrid engine that gets paired with a 6-speed trans. Front wheel drive is standard but both can add AWD as well. Prices will start just over $35,000 and range up to over $48,000, including destination charges. Tack on another $1,800 for AWD.
VW & MOBILEYE PARTNER FOR LEVEL 2 & 3
The Volkswagen Group is strengthening its partnership with Israeli AV technology company Mobileye. The two companies are already collaborating on developing Level 2 and 3 assisted driving systems. And now they’ve announced that VW’s premium brands; Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche; will integrate Mobileye’s partially and highly automated driving systems in the future as well. Mobileye will also provide VW’s commercial division with the hardware and software needed to achieve Level 4 autonomous driving, which will be equipped on versions of the ID.BUZZ electric van. VW is working with Mobileye for now, but it says in the long-term it plans to rely on its own in-house stack that’s being developed by Cariad with help from Bosch.
STELLA’S MICKEY BLY ON AAH
We have a great Autoline After Hours coming up tomorrow afternoon. Mickey Bly, the head of global propulsion systems for Stellantis will be in the studio, and we’re dying to hear what he has to say about PHEVs, range extenders, new IC engines and even fuel cells. If you’d like to hear what he has to say too, join John and Gary when the show goes live at 3PM EST on the Autoline.tv website or our YouTube channel.
But that’s a wrap for this show. Thanks for tuning in.
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Gas stations have about a 20 year life, before the major expense of removing the old fiberglass tanks and replacing with new ones. For any station that needs replacement NOW, the owner needs to strongly consider alternate uses for the site. Profits from gasoline sales are going to vanish before the next 20 years is up. Worse, as more and more stations are looking for new uses, the value of obsolete stations will drop like a stone. Best to try out new uses now and see if you can make a go of it economically.
So will Shell advertise its recharging stations have more energy so you go further on a charge than other brands of electricity? I guess they want to get in the recharging business but once there are plenty of places to charge your electric vehicle people will go to the place with the cheapest cost I think so having a brand name isn’t important like it can be with gasoline because of different additives. The future is going to be quite interesting for sure.
I’m not sure how the transfer of gas station to EV charging station will work. Most gas stations have a small footprint not leaving much space for cars to be parked for 30-60min. Also, once you have used the restroom and walked the convenience store there isn’t much to do. Maybe Shell in China and Europe has other stuff to occupy your time. Just seems like charging stations are a better fit for places where people are going to spend an hour. Can’t say I’ve ever just wanted to hang out at the gas station for an hour.
It would be much smarter to pair charging stations with restaurants , hotels, movie theaters or malls where one would tend to spend a long time.
Oil companies are regularly closing stations. I don’t think there is much margin on gas, probably a lot more on electricity. The station location is usually excellent. If they build a new facility in the location with food, washrooms, lounge areas, they could capture a good portion of the travel charging business. With nice convenient facilities they don’t have the price pressure that they had with gasoline. EV drivers are more reluctant to change stations after they make a charging decision. I think facilities will beat price because of the longer stay.
If full self driving actually existed, a bar at a charging station might be good.
Old BEV I can see some concerns on time but with my new BEV charge time 10-15 minutes that is time to use the restroom and get a cup of coffee then time to hit the road again.
The other is who is the landlord at the station when it needs a refit the same large evil oil company?
Stations could actually offer some other services too. As Dave says, 10-15 minutes will be the most common case, especially to charge to 80%, as recommended. The station could offer a tire rotation and brakes/suspension inspection while the car charges in a lift bay. Or perhaps a quick all-round glass cleaning and interior vacuuming. I think a lot of people would go for services like these if the fees are reasonable.
Good info as always. Would be nice if a future discussion touched on ways car owners can provide car companies __acceptable__ information towards tracking down intermittent problems. Many like Subaru refuse to accept any dustomer documentation (cel phone videos, etc) and insist the problem must appear in front of the technician before they will even began trying to diagnose an issue. This situation will only get worse as cars become even more complex, and in my case (I have a technical background) that lack of support is a major turnoff towards acquiring new vehicle. Thank you.
Having spoke with a number of fuel station owners in Michigan over the years, a number of them have said that there is very little money in the sale of gasoline. Where the majority make their money is in lottery ticket sells, and all the other convenience goods inside the store. Whether you believes that is true is one thing, but I think it’s safe to say that there is not as much as we may think the is, on this side of the industry for the individual station owner. I’m sure someone is making big dollars, but the store/station owners are not at the top of the food chain!
Fuel stations that partner with other popular franchises seem to offer a lot for the customer, as many have said, point out and suggested. Yet, it seems that if Shell, B/P or Exxon/Mobil were to go it alone, they would really have to change or create a bigger draw, to attack customers to occupy their time, while their vehicle is charging.
Here is an interesting thought: If this transition to EVs is as successful and comes as quickly as they hope, there may come a time when purchasing a home, individuals may consider whether or not the property has or is home charging compatible?! If and when, when and if, solid state batteries come to market, they become lighter, and are able to recharge in a matter of minutes, with 600-to-700 miles of range (as Toyota, Mercedes and I think BYD have beeping promising), a local charging stations may start to disappear like the pay phone! Granted, such a thing may be 10, 15, 20 years away, but if I had an EV with 500 miles of range and can be recharged in five or so minutes, factoring 400 miles between charges, I could travel 1200 miles, from Michigan to Florida in about 4 charging cycles! I could charge at home once a week, or once every two weeks! So, oil companies, as well as fueling stations, may want to be thinking now about their plans in the near future. I fear that if EVs continue to grow, especially as cheaper models hit the market, there may be a lot of consolidation of local fuel service chains, as the need for gas for ICE vehicles shrinks.
Yep, since gas stations no longer do oil changes, grease jobs, brake jobs, water pump replacements, etc., stations depend on lottery tickets, coffee, cigarettes, beer, and hot dogs to make money. If EVs can get 500 miles of charge in 5 minutes, it will take charge rates measured in megawatts, so infrastructure is not nearly prepared for that. Time will tell for this to sort out. For now, overnight home charging works well for a lot of people for commuting, but for my twice a year 1100 mile road trip, I’ll stick with two 5 minute gas stops over five or six 20-30 minute stops.
wmb- I think most people would seriously consider an EV if full charging was 5-10 min and range was even close to 400 miles. Also, with the price somewhat close to current ICEs. Being able to charge at home and do almost all my trips to work without stopping at gas stations would be super convenient. I would even pay a bit more for a car like that as I would be getting something (convenience) for the extra money. But I struggle to pay more and get less. Which is where EVs are today. Soon as they get those issues conquered, I’m sure we won’t need tax rebates and incentives. They will sell themselves. I would like to see a government program that offers money to install a home charger. Like they did back during the energy crisis and offered tax incentives for new windows, Insulation and other energy saving home improvements. As that may provide a bunch of 120 and 240V home chargers at a much lower cost than installing public chargers. I have the ability and enough slots in my fuse panel to install a 240V charger outlet at my home and although I don’t have an EV currently if there was an incentive to my taxes, I would install one if for no other reason than as a selling point for my home.
Even if batteries could accept a full charge in 5 minutes, doing that seems unrealistic. To do that with a 100 kWh battery which would be needed for 350-400 mile range for a Cam/Cord size EV, you’d need to charge at 1500 amps at 800 volts, if the charging were 100% efficiency, which it isn’t. You’d need closer to 2000 amps at 800 volts. Is this practical, using connectors and wires going to a car?
50% NEV’s….did emissions, pollution and climate improve?…LOL