Honda Sets Unambitious EV Targets For U.S. | 21 Sep 2021

Show #1218

If you get any value from this podcast please consider supporting my work on Patreon. Plus all Patreon supporters get their own unique ad-free podcast feed.

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Tuesday 21st September. 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.

"Honda Motor Co's U.S. unit said on Monday it is targeting initial annual sales of 70,000 for its planned electric Prologue sport utility vehicle when it goes to market in 2024."

"Honda plans to add additional electric vehicle models as it aims to have sold a total of 500,000 electric vehicles in the United States by 2030"

"GM will assemble the Prologue and the Acura SUV -- both of which will go on sale in 2024 -- but Honda has not disclosed which plant will build the vehicles or the name or volume targets for the Acura. Dave Gardner, executive vice president of national operations at American Honda Motor Co, said in a statement Honda will initially focus Prologue sales on California and other states like Texas and Florida. He said Honda plans to add hybrid-electric systems to more U.S. models."

1.2million vehicles a year in the U.S. and they want 6% to be EV by 2024.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/honda-targets-annual-sales-70000-prologue-electric-vehicles-us-2024-2021-09-20

"Here is an interesting finding of two prototypes of upcoming electric vehicles - the GMC Hummer EV pickup and Nissan Ariya. Both were seen at Electrify America's fast-charging station by EV, Eh?, who was driving from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) to Normal, Illinois to see Rivian R1T"

"While at a Supercharger today that happened to be next to an Electrify America, I ended up spotting the Hummer SUT EV, the Polestar2, and the Nissan Ariya. All of them are unobtanium as far as I know? I guess its not a surprise given that the EA was near Detroit... I will be posting more content on this soon!"

"The Ioniq 6, Hyundai's second bespoke electric car, has been spotted out on the road for the first time, but reports from Korea suggest the final design will change substantially" reports Felix Page for Autocar.

"According to the Korean Economic Daily, the launch of the Ioniq 6 has been pushed back to mid-2022 to allow the body to be lengthened by 20mm, the bumpers and lights to be restyled and the battery to be upsized from 72.6kWh to 77.4kWh. "

"The EV's belated launch has also been attributed to a delayed overhaul of the Asan factory where it will be produced. That site currently builds the combustion-engined Sonata saloon and needs refitting to build cars based on the E-GMP platform."

"The 77kWh battery pack is already available in sibling brand Kia's new EV6 crossover, which suggests the Ioniq 6 could be more closely related to that car technically, in line with its performance billing."

Source: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/report-new-hyundai-ioniq-6-delayed-redesign-bigger-battery

"Two of BP's key renewables investments, by contrast, are losing tens of millions of dollars, according to a Reuters review of financial filings with Companies House, Britain's corporate registry. BP owns half of Lightsource, a solar energy company that lost a combined 59.3 million pounds ($81.8 million) in 2018 and 2019, the last year for which data is available. The company's UK-based electric-vehicle charging firm, bp pulse, lost a combined 22.3 million pounds ($30.8 million) over the two years."

The company acknowledged that its fast-growing clean-energy business - including its solar, EV-charging and wind ventures - continues to lose money. BP does not expect profits from those businesses until at least 2025.

"For bp pulse, that means operating 70,000 charging points by 2030, up from 11,000 now."

"BP Chief Executive Bernard Looney, who took office in February 2020, is gambling that BP can make the clean-energy transition much faster than its peers.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/bp-gambles-big-fast-transition-oil-renewables-2021-09-20/

"LG battery plants in Holland and Hazel Park, Michigan, have resumed production. In addition, LG is adding capacity to provide more cells to GM. As a result, replacement battery modules will begin shipping to dealers as soon as mid-October.

The root cause of the rare circumstances that could cause a battery fire is two manufacturing defects known as a torn anode and a folded separator, both of which need to be present in the same battery cell.

LG has implemented new manufacturing processes and has worked with GM to review and enhance its quality assurance programs to provide confidence in its batteries moving forward. LG will institute these new processes in other facilities that will provide cells to GM in the future."

“GM will continue to prioritize Chevy Bolt EV and EUV customers whose batteries were manufactured during specific build timeframes where GM believes battery defects appear to be clustered. The company has established a notification process that will inform affected customers when their replacement modules will be available.”

The good news for owners is that the new batteries will include an extended battery 8-year/100,000-mile limited warranty."

Source: https://electrek.co/2021/09/20/gm-says-chevy-bolt-ev-battery-production-has-resumed-defect-leading-fire-risk-fixed/

"It was only a couple of weeks ago when Mercedes unveiled the EQE and now our spies have stumbled upon a prototype depicting the spicy AMG version. Even though it's fully camouflaged, one can easily notice the large multi-spoke wheels with a two-tone look that appear to be borrowed from the larger AMG EQS." says Motor1.com

"The amped-up EQE rides low to the ground on low-profile tires and hides a bigger spoiler at the back. Mercedes has previously referred to the EQS as playing in a league of its own, claiming the EQE will be its direct answer to the likes of the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, and Audi E-Tron GT. "

"UK startup Fering is gearing up to build electric vehicles for cross-continental explorers. It's starting out with the Pioneer, a go-anywhere brick outhouse of a thing designed for monster range figures under the most extreme circumstances on Earth."

" Fering has gone with a lithium-titanate-oxide (LTO) battery pack. These have advantages and drawbacks; they're renowned for extremely long life cycles, they can charge quickly and they work from -40 to 60 °C"

"the Pioneer can only go about 80 km (50 miles) on pure, silent, zero-emissions battery power.   e Pioneer also carries a 70-kW (94-hp), 800cc, three-cylinder biodiesel combustion generator to keep the batteries topped up. Running constantly at its most efficient speed, the combustion engine is capable of delivering impressive fuel efficiency around 50 miles per gallon. With long-range tanks fitted, Fering estimates a whopping 7,000-km (4,350-mile) range between fuel stops."

"Drive comes from a pair of electric motors at the front and rear axles, offering some 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of torque. "

"Fering, founded by former McLaren Head of Advanced Concepts Ben Scott-Geddes, has got its first prototype up and running, and it's undergoing a series of tests both by Fering and by early customer organizations evaluating it for various use cases. The company says it's targeting the first half of 2022 for the start of serial production."

Source: https://newatlas.com/automotive/fering-pioneer-4wd-electric-expedition/

"According to CEO Thomas Schäfer, Skoda is “intensively thinking about an E-Octavia”. However, Schäfer says the volume model, which has so far been offered as a combustion engine and plug-in hybrid, will not be launched as a purely electric vehicle until after 2025."

"The Skoda boss told the German business magazine Handelsblatt: “For the second half of the current decade, we are thinking intensively about an E-Octavia – the electric counterpart to our most successful model for decades, the core of our brand.” "

Source: https://www.electrive.com/2021/09/20/skoda-considers-an-electric-octavia-for-2025

"Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told the Wall Street Journal that Tesla should address “basic safety issues” before the carmaker expands its so-called “full self-driving” (FSD) mode."

"Homendy had harsh words for Tesla’s use of the term “full self-driving,” which she called “misleading and irresponsible,” adding that Tesla “has clearly misled numerous people to misuse and abuse technology.” The NTSB can conduct investigations and make recommendations, but has no enforcement authority."

"In May, Tesla’s director of Autopilot software had told the California Department of Motor Vehicles that Musk overstated the capabilities of the company’s advanced driver assist system, a precursor to FSD. In February 2020, the NTSB found Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system was one of the possible causes in a fatal 2018 crash, stating that the driver, who was playing a mobile game while using Autopilot, was overly confident in Autopilot’s capabilities."

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/19/22682272/ntsb-official-tesla-safety-elon-musk-full-self-driving

Either how long have you waited, OR, how long would you wait, to have an electric vehicle once you’ve decided to purchase?

Email me your thoughts and I’ll read them out on Sunday – hello@evnewsdaily.com

It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast.

And  if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing.

Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, I’ll catch you tomorrow and remember…there’s no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.

PREMIUM PARTNERS

PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE

BRAD CROSBY

PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI

VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST

NATIONAL CAR CHARGING ON THE US MAINLAND AND ALOHA CHARGE IN HAWAII

DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL

RICHARD AT RSEV.CO.UK – FOR BUYING AND SELLING EVS IN THE UK