Ford EVs Will Run on Google Android | 03 Feb 2021
Ford to use Google Android | VW CEO Tells Managers to Prepare for ‘Significant’ Market Upturn | Gasoline is becoming worthless | Tesla recalls 135,000 cars after pushing back against regulators | First look at Tesla Model S and X front ‘megacasting’ | Lynk & Co Zero EV Interior Teaser | Push to Go Electric Could Wipe Out Japan’s Cheap Microcars | Nissan Note e-POWER orders more than double the monthly target | Norway’s Best Ever January At 81% Plugin Electric Vehicle Share
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On today’s podcast:
- Ford to use Google Android
- VW CEO Tells Managers to Prepare for ‘Significant’ Market Upturn
- Gasoline is becoming worthless
- Tesla recalls 135,000 cars after pushing back against regulators
- First look at Tesla Model S and X front ‘megacasting’
- Lynk & Co Zero EV Interior Teaser
- Push to Go Electric Could Wipe Out Japan’s Cheap Microcars
- Nissan Note e-POWER orders more than double the monthly target
- Norway’s Best Ever January At 81% Plugin Electric Vehicle Share
Show #980
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Wednesday 3rd February. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.
FORD TO USE GOOGLE ANDROID
"Ford will install Google's Android operating system on all new vehicles starting in 2023, giving passengers access to more personalized services and potentially unlocking new lines of business for the automaker." says Axios: "Ford's decision, part of a broader technology partnership with the tech giant, is an acknowledgment that carmakers need Silicon Valley's help to adapt to seismic changes in the transportation industry."
"Android Automotive OS is an embedded version of Android that Google developed specifically for automakers to include in their vehicle models. The infotainment systems in Ford and Lincoln vehicles will be built on top of the Android operating system. Eventually millions of Ford and Lincoln vehicles will be powered by the Android Automotive OS, which means that popular Google apps and services such as Maps and Google Assistant will be built-in to the vehicle's infotainment system without having to sync a cellphone. " according to FutureCar: "The Android OS supports OTA updates, so Ford customers will always have the latest software installed in their vehicles. Ford vehicles will also feature Google Maps as the primary navigation provider. Google Maps is one of the company's most used apps and includes voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic information, automatic rerouting, lane guidance and more. The open-source Android ecosystem also allows Ford and third-party developers to build their own apps that provide a more-personalized ownership experience for Ford customers."
We've seen this in Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40.
https://www.axios.com/ford-google-android-vehicles-6bb6d356-9343-4e77-9ccb-ca9e67373e15.html
VW CEO TELLS MANAGERS TO PREPARE FOR ‘SIGNIFICANT’ MARKET UPTURN
"Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess provided an upbeat outlook for the back half of this year even as Covid-19 and a global shortage of semiconductors is poised to hit first-quarter results." reports Bloomberg: "Europe’s largest automaker lost the top spot in global sales to Toyota Motor Corp. last year, but it sold more electric cars than Tesla Inc. in Europe and is escalating the world’s biggest push into purely battery-powered vehicles. VW will roll out the ID.4 crossover under its namesake brand in 2021 and add more versions of the Audi e-tron and Porsche Taycan models. The two luxury brands generate the biggest chunk of profits for the German industrial giant. VW expects to sell roughly 600,000 purely battery-powered cars this year"
And they're all profitable.
GASOLINE IS BECOMING WORTHLESS
"You still have to pay a couple bucks for a gallon of gas (more in California, as always), but automakers are discovering that gas-powered cars may be a liability that detracts from their valuations, instead of an asset that enhances values." according to Yahoo Finance: "New research from Morgan Stanley argues that traditional internal combustion engines—the mainstay of automobiles for more than a century—are destined to become money-losers as early as 2030. he Morgan Stanley analysis suggests market forces may now drive a move from carbon-fueled vehicles to electric ones, at least as much as government policy. The investing firm recently surveyed institutional investors on the value of internal-combustion technology at GM and Ford. Seventeen percent said ICE technology had no value or negative value today. Sixty percent rated ICE technology as slightly positive. But essentially all of the growth in powertrain adoption in coming years will be electric, while ICE powertrains are certain to decline. With investors viewing internal-combustion powertrains as a dying technology, there’s likely to be little new investment, with research dollars flowing instead to the electrification efforts investors value. That will speed innovation and lower costs."
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gasoline-is-becoming-worthless-210636353.html
TESLA RECALLS 135,000 CARS AFTER PUSHING BACK AGAINST REGULATORS
"Tesla (TSLA) is recalling 135,000 Tesla Model S sedans and Model X SUVs because their large center touchscreens can fail. Tesla had previously objected to a push to issue a recall from regulators, as it claimed that the problem wasn't a safety issue." according to CNN: "The recall applies to some 2012 through 2018 Model S and 2016 through 2018 Model X vehicles. Under the recall, which will begin on March 30, Tesla must notify owners of cars with the failure-prone touchscreens and replace a computer chip that controls the screen. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) considers this a safety issue because without a functioning center screen, drivers lose the display for the car's backup camera and controls for the window defroster and defogger., Tesla said in its letter to NHTSA that it will make the recall repairs for free and will offer a discount on upgraded screen hardware."
From NHTSA: ""We note that your report states that Tesla believes that this matter does not have a safety risk," read the letter, signed by Alex Ansley, chief of NHTSA's Recall Management Division. "In our view, this statement has no force or effect in terms of Tesla's obligation to undertake and complete the recall, and NHTSA does not agree with it.""
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/02/business/tesla-screen-recall/index.html
FIRST LOOK AT TESLA MODEL S AND X FRONT ‘MEGACASTING’
"A recently leaked image from the Fremont Factory has provided what could very well be the first look at the Tesla Model S and Model X refresh’s front “megacastings.” Provided that the leaked images are accurate, it would appear that Tesla’s updated flagship vehicles would feature some of the company’s most advanced casting technologies. " reports TEslarati: "Model S and Model X refresh features two castings in the front underbody and two in the rear underbody. This means that the flagship vehicles’ front underbody is now tied together by the dash and central underbody. The rear underbody, on the other hand, now features two castings linked together by stamped and welded aluminum. With such a system in place, there could be one megacast for each of the flagship vehicles’ wheels."
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-s-model-x-refresh-megacast-first-look-photos/
LYNK & CO ZERO EV INTERIOR TEASER
"Geely's Lynk & Co has just released a new teaser of the interior of its upcoming high performances and long-range all-electric model - Lynk & Co Zero. We must admit that it looks cool. There is a dashboard display that reminds us of the one in Ford Mustang Mach-E, and a 15.4" central touchscreen that, on the other hand, reminds us of the one in Teslas." says InsideEVS: "The Zero EV is expected on the Chinese market in the fourth quarter of this year, as the first model based on the Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA). The specs will be really strong, including:0-100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 4 seconds. long-range of more than 700 km (435 miles) - under the NEDC test cycle"
https://insideevs.com/news/484189/lynk-co-zero-interior-teaser/
PUSH TO GO ELECTRIC COULD WIPE OUT JAPAN’S CHEAP MICROCARS
"Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged last year to decarbonize Japan by 2050, with plans to ban the sale of new gasoline-only vehicles by the mid-2030s. That’s created a dilemma for Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and other makers of compact cars, with the added cost of technology making them less affordable for buyers." says Bloomberg: " Prices for electric-vehicle battery packs fell 15% from 2019 to 2020, whereas plug-in hybrid packs only fell 5%, according to BloombergNEF. Hybrid pack prices didn’t change significantly. The worst scenario for Japanese kei makers is that affordable electric cars from China will enter the market and lure kei customers, Miyao said. SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co.’s four-seater hatchback Mini EV has become a best-seller in China and is one of the cheapest on the market, costing less than $5,000."
NISSAN NOTE E-POWER ORDERS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE MONTHLY TARGET
"Orders for the all-new Nissan Note e-POWER have surpassed 20,000—more than double the compact car’s monthly sales target—since it was released in Japan in late December. (Earlier post.) Equipped with Nissan’s e-POWER electrified powertrain, the fully refreshed Note went on sale on 23 December with a monthly sales target of 8,000 vehicles. As of 1 February, Nissan has received orders for 20,044." says Green Car Congress: "e-POWER comprises a high-output battery and the powertrain which is integrated with gasoline engine, power generator, inverter and a motor. In conventional hybrid systems, the wheels are driven by an electric motor and a gasoline engine. However, in the e-POWER system, the gasoline engine is not connected to the wheels; it simply charges the battery. And unlike a full EV, the power source is the engine, rather than just the battery."
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/02/20210202-epower.html
NORWAY’S BEST EVER JANUARY AT 81% PLUGIN ELECTRIC VEHICLE SHARE
"Norway, the world’s leading nation in the electric vehicle transition, saw 80.7% plugin share in January, significant growth from the 64.4% of a year ago. The overall auto market was up 7.7% in volume year-on-year, with the country’s bestsellers being the Audi e-tron and Peugeot e-2008." says Dr Max Holland for Clean Technica: "January’s combined plugin result of 80.66% comprised just over 53.0% full battery electrics (BEVs) and just over 27.6% plugin hybrids (PHEVs), a slight swing toward PHEVs from full year 2020’s contributions."
"Strong volume by the Peugeot e-2008, the Volvo XC40 and Polestar 2 saw them join the Mercedes-Benz EQC and Nissan LEAF in the top 6 positions in January"
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/02/02/norways-best-ever-january-at-81-plugin-electric-share/
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