18 Feb 2022 | VW CEO Herbert Diess Opens Up

Show #1378

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- VW Group CEO Herbert Diess hosted an AMA session yesterday on Reddit and got asked more than 1,000 questions.

- While he couldn't possibly answer all of them, he did offer some long-awaited updates for VW ID.4 owners, especially those in the United States. As it turns out, an important software update the automaker has promised last year is finally arriving this summer.

- "We will have a major OTA update for the ID.4 coming this summer, which will add features like Plug & Charge and Auto Hold, as well as a higher capacity onboard charge capability."

- The update will arrive in Vehicle to Home (V2H) form, which means ID.4 owners will be able to power their appliances from the car or the entire house in case of a blackout. Diess stopped short of offering specific details, so it will be interesting to see how VW compares to the Hyundai E-GMP platform output of 2-4 kW.

- "Bidirectional charging will be available this year for all ID. Models with 77 kWh battery, also via OTA update. In the beginning we will only offer Vehicle-to-home. This means you can run your dishwasher with electricity from abroad."

Original Source : https://insideevs.com/news/568191/vw-id4-plugcharge-bidirectional-charging/

- The 63-year old CEO also talked about simplifying the company structure and adopting a Tesla-like working style in which different engineering teams work together in the company.

“Volkswagen will remain a multi-brand mobility company working worldwide and being present in many segments. To reduce complexity we are focusing on platforms, even more in the future,” Diess said.

Volkswagen is banking on its next-generation mechatronics platform Scalable Systems Platform, or SSP, betting on CARIAD for its software needs and aiming to lower battery costs by up to 50% with a unified cells approach.

“But yes, in some segments we are still too complex in our product offering. We are making good progress in reducing complexity.”

Original Source : https://www.benzinga.com/news/22/02/25680772/volkswagen-sets-eyes-on-22k-ev-as-it-looks-to-rival-tesla-ceo-says-focus-on-simplifying-company-stru

- Volkswagen first introduced a 22kW bidirectional DC charging station in 2020, which it deployed across 20 sites for testing.  It is also dependent on regulatory approval by authorities and utility operators; V2H and V2G (vehicle-to-grid)-capable Nissan Leafs have been deployed in Japan where concerns about energy security amid typhoons, cyclones and nuclear disasters have driven its approval, but its use is still sparse on a global scale.  The capability differs from “vehicle-to-load” introduced by Hyundai and Kia in the Ioniq 5 and EV6, enabling owners to plug directly to the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery to power devices like kettles and lights when camping, or recharge batteries in electric bikes and power tools for example.

- Diess said that another software upgrade would enable “plug and charge” in the ID.4 my mid-2022, as well as faster charging and “autohold” which maintains the pressure applied in braking to make stopping and starting in traffic a more pleasant experience. “We will have a major OTA update for the ID.4 coming this summer, which will add features like Plug&Charge and AutoHold, as well as a higher capacity onboard charge capability,” he wrote.

Original Source : https://thedriven.io/2022/02/17/volkswagen-electric-cars-to-power-homes-by-end-2022-diess/

- Diess said the most emotional vehicle in Volkswagen’s history is “definitely the micro bus,” so his “first priority” was creating the ID.Buzz which will be unveiled next month. However, he admitted “many other emotional cars are possible on our scalable MEB platform.”

- Diess reiterated the company is “working on electric cars around 20k euros for entry segments.” Of course, this isn’t really news as Volkswagen unveiled the ID.Life concept at the 2021 Munich Motor Show and noted it “provides a preview of an ID. model in the small car segment that we will be launching in 2025, priced at around 20,000 euros.”

Original Source : https://www.carscoops.com/2022/02/vw-group-ceo-hints-at-electric-sedans-and-a-pickup-truck-during-reddit-ama/

- On Lidar, Diess surprisingly took a different tack than his friend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is adamant that Robotaxis can be made from only vision systems.

- Diess remarked that Lidar, or more specifically redundant perception, was integral to getting to Level 3 autonomy, saying:

“Lidar technology is still expensive, but todays the only way to offer redundant perception to the 360 camera systems which are a must. Safety is really crucial in autonomous driving. For level 3 driving you need redundant perception.”

- He clarified that Level 3 autonomy “requires”  redundant Lidar perception. Volkswagen has partnered with MobileEye for its Lidar systems, which have been dropping in price. 

“Yes, definitely level 3 requires redundant Lidar perception.”

- As for the when, Diess was a little less specific than Tesla’s “this year” timespan. 

“autonomous driving is the biggest gamechanger for the automotive industry. we will be able to drive our customers safe and comfortably. This will be a gradual process from taking over responsibility on open highways in good weather conditions getting to more complex environments and weather situations worldwide. So this will be a long process of competition for a long period to come. We are building up competencies to become a serious competitor in this race.”

Original Source : https://electrek.co/2022/02/16/vw-ceo-diess-disagrees-with-tesla-ceo-elon-musk-saying-l3-autonomy-requires-lidar-plus-vw-ev-pickup-summer-ota-and-more/

- Ford plans an all-electric version of its Puma small car slated for launch in the 2025 model year. The electric Puma will adopt the drive technology from the electric version of the upcoming Ford Transit Courier.

- According to the Australian portal Drive, Ford wants to launch the electric Transit Courier in 2024. With the introduction of the 2025 model year (which usually takes place in the second half of the previous year), the electric Puma would follow shortly afterwards.

- The report does not mention possible technical data on the drive for the panel van and the Puma. However, the information that Drive claims to have seen indicates that the electric Puma will not be a new generation of the small SUV but an electric version of the familiar model – using the same internal codename.

- Apart from the name, the SUV no longer has anything to do with Ford’s small sports coupe in 1997.

Original Source : https://www.electrive.com/2022/02/17/ford-to-release-electric-puma/

- Redwood Materials, the startup founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, is launching an electric vehicle battery recycling program in California with Ford and Volvo as inaugural partners as pressure mounts to source materials for EVs.

- The basic plan is that Redwood Materials will work with dealers and dismantlers in California to recover end-of-life battery packs in hybrid and electric vehicles. Straubel said the program will be free for those turning in vehicle batteries. The cost of retrieving, properly packaging and then transporting the batteries back to Redwood’s recycling facility in northern Nevada will be shared by the startup along with partners Volvo and Ford. Redwood will accept all lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride batteries in the state, regardless of the make or model of the vehicle.

- Redwood has launched a portal that scrapyards and dealers can use to organize the retrieval of the batteries.

- Earlier this year, existing partner Panasonic announced that battery cells made at the Gigafactory it operates with Tesla will use more recycled materials by the end of 2022 as part of an expanded relationship with Redwood Materials.

Original Source : https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/17/ford-volvo-join-redwood-materials-to-launch-free-ev-battery-recycling-program-in-california/

Original Source : https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-lifestyle-13dcbfd79de79cb1f4358c3f716e64ae

Original Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-changes-skorea-ads-after-antitrust-probe-faulted-batteries-2022-02-18/

Original Source : https://www.notateslaapp.com/software-updates/upcoming-features/id/703/tesla-to-offer-cheaper-annual-subscriptions-on-fsd-and-premium-connectivity

Original Source : https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1135102_aptera-is-tuning-its-1-000-mile-ev-and-it-can-outrun-some-sports-cars

Original Source : https://www.cdrecycler.com/article/aem-volvo-brokk-electric-equipment-construction-demolition/

Tesla recently updated the Model Y Standard Range and the 0-60 time slowed by 1.5 seconds. There was a time when Tesla fans dismissed any other EV because they weren’t quick enough, but when making a pucharsing decision, how important do you personally rate performance.

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