Rivian Delays Deliveries To September | 17 July 2021

Episode 1146,   Jul 17, 2021, 12:00 AM

Today’s big EV stories:
• Rivian delays first electric pickup deliveries to September
• Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe tells customers R1T truck deliveries delayed until September
• Older Tesla Model S Cars About To Lose 3G Connectivity
• Honda Open to New Alliances to Bring Down EV Costs
• Foxconn invests in Li-metal battery maker SES
• Ford, VW offer test drives of new EVs to drive sales of Mach-E and ID.4
• BYD Dolphin Will Be A $15,500 800V EV With Up to 400 Km of Range
• GM expands electric-vehicle charging initiative to fleet customers
• Porsche is on pace to double Taycan sales to 40,000 electric cars this year
• Homes with an electric charge point installed sell for 13% more
• Zero launches 2022 FXE, with a design inspired by consumer electronics
• VW ID.4 Max goes on sale with prices from £48,510

Show #1146.

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Saturday 17th July. It’s  Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

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RIVIAN DELAYS FIRST ELECTRIC PICKUP DELIVERIES TO SEPTEMBER

- Rivian has delayed the first deliveries of its long-awaited electric pickup truck again, this time until September. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe broke the news to buyers in an email sent Friday morning.

- The Amazon and Ford-backed EV startup originally planned to start delivering its electric pickup, the R1T, and its SUV, the R1S, in 2020. But it scuttled those plans at the beginning of the pandemic and said at the time that it would start deliveries in 2021 instead. Rivian eventually settled on starting deliveries of the R1T in June of this year, only to push that back to July, and now to September.

- Scaringe also copped to poor communication with reservation holders.

- Rivian was founded in 2009 but kept an extremely low profile until 2018 when it debuted the R1T and R1S at the LA Auto Show. Since then, it has raised an incredible amount of cash — more than $8 billion — from Amazon, Ford, and other institutional investors.


RIVIAN CEO RJ SCARINGE TELLS CUSTOMERS R1T TRUCK DELIVERIES DELAYED UNTIL SEPTEMBER

- "We know you can't wait to get behind the wheel of your vehicle. Earlier this summer, we announced that deliveries would begin in July; however, the timing for the first deliveries of the R1T has shifted to September, with the R1S shortly thereafter in the fall. I wanted to be sure you heard this from me directly,"

- "The cascading impacts of the pandemic have had a compounding effect greater than anyone anticipated. Everything from facility construction, to equipment installation, to vehicle component supply (especially semiconductors) has been impacted by the pandemic.

"Beyond these unforeseen challenges, launching three new vehicles while setting up a multi-vehicle manufacturing plant is a complex orchestra of coordinated and interlinked activities where small issues can translate into ramp delays."

- "We have now built hundreds of vehicles as part of our validation process, with many of those spotted out in the wild covered in unique vinyl wraps. I have been asked why we aren't delivering those vehicles or why we continue to test rather than deliver.

"We believe it is critical to both our long-term success and your ultimate satisfaction that the quality and robustness of our launch products truly sets the tone for what to expect from us as a brand,"


OLDER TESLA MODEL S CARS ABOUT TO LOSE 3G CONNECTIVITY

- Tesla Model S owners with pre-June 2015 builds of the company’s flagship sedan are set to lose some connectivity features in their vehicle as AT&T is gearing up to shut down its inferior 3G network.

- Due to the recent phase-out of older cellular networks like 3G, Tesla Model S vehicles built before June 2015 are still operating with the old MCU chip that cannot connect to LTE networks. AT&T’s decision to shut down the 3G network it has operated since 2004 in February 2022.

- vehicles without the MCU2 upgrade will lose certain connectivity features when the 3G network is shut down. The only way these features will continue to operate without the MCU2 upgrade is if the vehicle is connected to Wi-Fi.

- Infotainment Upgrades for owners who drive pre-April 2018 versions of the Model S or Model X are eligible to purchase the MCU2 upgrade as well, but it’s available for $2,000 plus tax unless Autopilot Computer 2.0 or 2.5 is installed. For these vehicles, the upgrade is only $1,500.

- the MCU2 upgrade is utilized to gain better performance with smoother instrument cluster commands, access to streaming music and the Tesla Arcade, the added ability to watch YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu, new Driver Assistance features like Driving Visualization, DashCam, and Cellular and WiFi connectivity.


HONDA OPEN TO NEW ALLIANCES TO BRING DOWN EV COSTS

- -Honda Motor Co's new chief executive said on Friday the Japanese automaker was willing to form new alliances to make electrification profitable.

- "If through an alliance Honda can accomplish early what it should aim to be, then we'd be willing to form an alliance," Toshihiro Mibe, who took the top job in April, told a press briefing, when asked how he envisions global alliances on electrification.

- Mibe's comments reflect the pressure on the global auto industry to share technology and costs to meet demands for cleaner vehicles. He has assumed the top role at Japan's second-largest automaker at a time of a growing shift in automobile technology to electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous driving.

- Honda could differentiate itself in the electrification race with next generation batteries for EVs, Mibe said.


FOXCONN INVESTS IN LI-METAL BATTERY MAKER SES

- Foxconn (Hon Hai) has disclosed it will invest in Singapore-based SES, a maker of Li-metal batteries, a move in line with its ambitious deployments in the electric vehicle (EV) sector.

- the move comes closely on the heels of its plan to invest NT$1 billion (US$35.56 million) in Giga Solar, which will the fund from Foxconn to expand its production for battery anode materials.

- SES's shareholders include SK Inc, General Motors (GM), Hyundai, KIA,

- SES makes the most competent battery packs with 400Wh/kg high energy density that are more likely to go in mass production than QuantumScape's batteries.

- Hyundai reportedly has invested US$100 million in SES. GM earlier also announced it will install production lines with SES and the investment is estimated at over US$100 million.


FORD, VW OFFER TEST DRIVES OF NEW EVS TO DRIVE SALES OF MACH-E AND ID.4

- It’s not a typical Chicago Auto Show. It’s about half the size and time of a traditional show, but automakers such as Ford Motor, Volkswagen and others are trying to make the most of it. That includes showcasing new electric vehicles. Aside from displaying vehicles inside the McCormick Place Convention Center, automakers are offering test drives and rides in new electric vehicles. Auto executives believe such experiential marketing efforts are one of the key first steps to increasing EV adoption.

- getting consumers into the Mach-E and allowing them to see new EVs such as the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup, which is expected to go on sale next year, is critical for people to understand that EVs are real and not science projects.


BYD DOLPHIN WILL BE A $15,500 800V EV WITH UP TO 400 KM OF RANGE

- The BYD Dolphin reminds us very much of the early Honda Fit (or Jazz, depending on where you live). That already suggested it would be a relatively affordable vehicle, but we did not expect it to cost less than RMB100,00 – the equivalent of $15,500 at the current exchange rate.

- Dolphin will have two derivatives. The SR (Standard Range) will be able to run 301 km under the NEDC cycle testing. It presents a 30.72 kWh battery pack

- BYD also developed the LR (Long Range) version with a 44.93 kWh battery pack. With the extra LFP cells in its Blade Battery pack, it could run up to 405 km – also according to the NEDC cycle.

- If the BYD Dolphin can really recover 150 km (93.2 miles) of range in only 5 minutes and there are enough fast chargers able to deliver that, a bigger battery pack might not be needed.


GM EXPANDS ELECTRIC-VEHICLE CHARGING INITIATIVE TO FLEET CUSTOMERS


PORSCHE IS ON PACE TO DOUBLE TAYCAN SALES TO 40,000 ELECTRIC CARS THIS YEAR


HOMES WITH AN ELECTRIC CHARGE POINT INSTALLED SELL FOR 13% MORE


ZERO LAUNCHES 2022 FXE, WITH A DESIGN INSPIRED BY CONSUMER ELECTRONICS


VW ID.4 MAX GOES ON SALE WITH PRICES FROM £48,510

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