AD #3994 – Renault Solves EV Battery Fires; Trump to Kill California ZEV Waiver; Scout EREV Motor Near Rear Axle

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SCOUT EREV MOTOR MOUNTED BY REAR AXLE
There sure seems to be a lot of interest in Scout Motors, and we just got more details about its powertrain setups from CEO Scott Keogh. He says the extended range electric or EREV version will feature a non-turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that’s mounted just in front of the rear axle and will help charge a 60 or 70 kWh battery pack. That pack is expected to provide a battery-only range of about 150 miles, but combined the battery and engine should provide over 500 miles of range. The pure electric version will have about double the battery capacity, 120 to 130 kWh, which could put range around 350 miles. Both packs use different chemistries with Keogh hinting that the EREV has a cheaper chemistry than the BEV, which could suggest it’s an LFP or lithium iron phosphate battery. While the BEV is expected to do 0-60 MPH in 3.5 seconds, a full second faster than the EREV, over half of all reservations so far are for the range extender. The Traveller SUV is also more popular than the Terra pickup truck, accounting for 70% of orders, but the models aren’t expected to launch until sometime in 2027.

HONDA WILL CONSIDER MERGER WITH NISSAN IF IT GETS RID OF CEO
Well, well, well. That Honda/Nissan merger may not be dead after all. But the Financial Times reports that Honda will only resume talks if Nissan gets rid of its CEO, Makoto Uchida. It also says that Nissan’s board members and its partner Renault want him gone, so it’s hard to see how this guy survives. Earlier this month, merger talks between Honda and Nissan fell apart when Honda demanded that Nissan become a subsidiary of Honda, which Nissan rejected. In the meantime, Nissan is looking for another partner and Foxconn and the private equity firm KKR say they’re interested in buying part of the company.

ZF CONSIDERS SELLING EV DRIVETRAIN BUSINESS
In another sign of how the EV segment has failed to reach expectations, ZF is considering selling off all or part of its EV drivetrain division. It says that slow EV adoption and high costs are dragging down the profit margins of its traditional powertrain business. It almost seems ironic because when the giant German supplier merged its EV drivetrain business into its traditional powertrain business back in 2020, employees on the ICE side worried that they would lose their jobs in the future. Now it looks like they have the safest jobs of all.

GM TO ADD TAHOE EV TO ORION PLANT
General Motors may have delayed plans to build more full-size electric SUVs, but it’s still going forward with them. Autoforecast Solutions provided some great intel, which says GM is going to start building the Tahoe EV, code named BT1, at its Orion plant in Michigan in June of 2028. That’s the plant that had been building the Chevrolet Bolt, and was supposed to start building the Silverado and Sierra EVs this year. Now, those trucks have been pushed back to 2026, and it’s interesting to see that GM is adding an electric SUV there. Right now, full-size electric SUVs and pickups aren’t selling very well. So we think GM is adding more vehicles for the plant to build, so it has better capacity utilization.

RENAULT & GEELY JOIN FORCES IN BRAZIL
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. We’ve already seen Stellantis team up with Chinese automaker Leapmotor. And now Renault and Geely are expanding their partnership to Brazil. They’re going to produce and sell zero- and low-emission vehicles there. Geely will become a minority shareholder in Renault do Brasil, giving it access to Renault’s plants, sales and service outlets. Those plants would make the vehicles for both Geely and Renault, in addition to the current Renault lineup and Renault will also distribute and sell Geely vehicles in the country. No financial details were disclosed and the deal still needs approval from regulators. Renault and Geely have a similar agreement in South Korea and the two companies also have a joint venture called Horse Powertrain, which makes ICE components.

RENAULT SOLVES BATTERY FIRES
While EV fires are not as common as gas cars going up in flames, it can take hours and tens of thousands of gallons of water to put out an EV fire. So, nearly 4 years ago Renault developed a way to put out EV fires in minutes and with 10-times less water. And now it’s making that patented piece of tech available for free to any automaker or supplier. Called “Fireman Access” it’s basically a sticker that goes over a hole in the case of the battery pack. If a fire breaks out, the pressure from the fire hose rips the sticker off and firefighters can pump water directly into the pack. Renault says anyone can get a free licence to use “Fireman Access,” but, in return, it says if they make any upgrades they have to share that with everyone else.

TRUMP TO KILL CALIFORNIA ZEV WAIVER
In his first term in office, President Trump rescinded California’s waiver from the EPA that allowed it to set its own CO2 emission standards. When President Biden came into office, he restored the waiver, and then had the EPA redraft it in a way that would make it very difficult to overturn in courts. The waiver now cites traditional pollutants, like NOx, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons as the justification for California’s waiver, not CO2. So Trump is going straight to Congress to repeal the EPA’s authority to grant California a waiver. With Republicans in charge of both houses in Congress, Trump will probably get what he wants and get it fast. But California will almost certainly sue and this case will likely end up in the Supreme Court. Automakers and dealers are opposed to California’s Zero Emission Vehicle regulation, which about 11 other states have also adopted, because 35% of all vehicles sold in those states have to be electric by the end of the 2026 model year, and that model year has already started. Even California will probably not be able to meet its own mandate and it has the highest EV sales rate in the nation.

VOLVO XC60 GETS NEW FRONT END
The Volvo XC60 got a mild refresh. Highlights include a new front fascia, including a redesigned grille, and a bigger center screen. That interior screen also features Volvo’s new-look user experience display and it runs off of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform, which is faster and provides better graphics than before. Volvo says depending on what market you’re in, the new XC60 can be ordered now.

TOYOTA PUTS SAUNA IN VAN FOR ELDERLY BATHING
Japan has one of the oldest populations in the world, so Toyota launched an initiative to assist older people with bathing. It installed a mist sauna in its HiAce van, which provides a similar effect to bathing after sitting in the room for 10 to 15 minutes. Believe it or not, the number of older people who drown in bathtub accidents in Japan is twice as high as traffic fatalities. But the sauna eliminates the risk of drowning and by installing it in a vehicle, caregivers can travel to a person’s home. Toyota says the trial run of the program went well and it’s now looking into commercializing the service.

But that’s a wrap for this show. Thanks for making Autoline a part of your day.