10 May 2022 | VW Boss: We Didn’t Expect Tesla To Be So Fast

May 10, 2022, 11:05 AM

➤ Ford F-150 Lightnings Seen Stockpiled At Dearborn Test Track ➤ VW CEO thinks they can sell more electric cars than Tesla by 2025 ➤ Ford E-Transit Custom Is a New Electric Commercial Van For Europe ➤Tesla halts most output at Shanghai plant, April sales dive ➤ Tesla recalls 130K vehicles; touch screens can go blank ➤ Tesla reportedly now offers loaner vehicles to UK owners during warranty-covered repairs ➤ SpaceX to increase on-site solar and Tesla Powerpack battery capacity at its Starbase facility ➤ Rivian’s venture into its first renewable energy project ➤ Hyundai may build EV plant in Georgia ➤ China’s Geely Auto To Buy 34% Of Renault Korea Motors In Bid For South Korean, Export Markets ➤ Ford EV Batteries Will Switch Over To Lithium Phosphate Soon ➤ Mercedes Teases New Vision AMG Concept That Looks Like A Performance EQXX ➤ NSW offers grants to fund thousands of EV chargers at key tourist sites ➤ Electric models drive second-hand car sales higher ➤ Electric scooters have been legalised in the Queen's Speech today

Show #1461

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, you trusted source of EV information. It’s Tuesday 10th May, it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.

FORD F-150 LIGHTNINGS SEEN STOCKPILED AT DEARBORN TEST TRACK

- Production of the Ford F-150 Lightning began back on April 26, but instead of all of those electric trucks ending up in the hands of buyers, it seems as though a good chunk of the EV pickups are "starting to pile up the company test track in Dearborn, MI," according to our spy photographers who are on the scene.

- Numerous convoys of F-150 Lightning trucks have been seen coming from the direction of Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, and entering a side entrance at Ford’s Dearborn test track.

- Could the Lightning be another victim of the semiconductor shortage? Ford has not said anything about this so far, or announced any possible reasons why Lightnings would not reach owners in time, but why else would it be stockpiling them like that?

- It may not necessarily be a lack of chips - it could be another supply chain-related issue that is keeping Ford from shipping these off.


VW CEO THINKS THEY CAN SELL MORE ELECTRIC CARS THAN TESLA BY 2025

- Herbert Diess, the CEO of the Volkswagen Group, believes that the German automaker can sell more electric cars than Tesla by 2025. Is that goal even possible?

- At the FT Future of the Car 2022 conference today, Diess said that VW has for goal to beat Tesla to the become the top EV automaker by 2025 – though he admitted that it will be difficult (via Reuters):

- “It will be a tight race but we won’t give up on it. I have to say we didn’t expect our main U.S. competitor to be so fast and well-prepared.”

- By 2025, Tesla will likely have a production capacity of more than four million electric cars per year. I’d be surprised if VW can jump from 400,000 to four million units in just three years.

- With Tesla seemingly being willing to give up the lower-end of the market, there’s an opportunity for VW to come in and deliver a lot of volume in the large market of vehicles that start under $30,000.



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- Spain will be Volkswagen’s second European electric vehicle hub after Germany! Therefore Volkswagen Group is investing 7 billion euro in Spain, the overall investment of 10 billion euro including 62 companies in the Spanish #PERTE program - the biggest industrial investment Spain has ever received.

- For Volkswagen and SEAT,SA this means: a new Gigafactory in Sagunto close to Valencia supplied by renewable energy, and the electrification of our plants in Martorell and Pamplona. From 2025 onwards several small electric cars of Volkswagen,  CUPRA  and ŠKODA AUTO a.s.  will be manufactured in Spain.

- To be very clear: CUPRA is not replacing SEAT, but helping it to become much more profitable.

- In times of limited supply of semiconductors for sure we prioritize producing the higher margin CUPRAS over some SEAT entry models. Also for electrifying we prioritize the higher margin CUPRA models or are even launching new models solely under this brand - makes economically a lot of sense. Also our dealers are benefitting from this setup.

- So, as SKODA is working well beyond its own brand interest for the group, i.e. designing the new Passat, managing India, taking over platform responsibilities, ….. I am really looking forward for more group contribution from the SEAT team.


FORD E-TRANSIT CUSTOM IS A NEW ELECTRIC COMMERCIAL VAN FOR EUROPE

- Europeans will soon be getting an electric version of the popular Ford Transit Custom commercial van. Predictably coined the E-Transit Custom, Ford has released limited details and several images of the upcoming EV, which like its gas-burning counterpart isn't expected to be sold in America.

- Its face is more assertive than the bug-eyed design worn by its internal-combustion stablemate. The electrified version also has chiseled lines around its wheel arches and across its flanks. Just below the passenger-side headlight is a charging port, but Ford hasn't revealed the van's battery capacity or powertrain specs.

- E-Transit Custom is expected to have a driving range of around 263 miles on a single charge—we assume this is on the WLTP standard.

- E-Transit Custom will start production in the second half of 2023 at its Otosan factory in Turkey.

- As with the full-size Ford E-Transit that's sold in the U.S., the smaller Custom model will have Pro Power Onboard, which is a built-in AC power source that's useful at work sites or wherever electricity is needed.


TESLA HALTS MOST OUTPUT AT SHANGHAI PLANT, APRIL SALES DIVE

- Tesla Inc has halted most of its production at its Shanghai plant due to problems securing parts for its electric vehicles, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, the latest in a series of difficulties for the factory.

- The automaker’s sales in China had already slumped by 98% in April from a month earlier, data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Tuesday, underscoring the hit from China’s hard COVID-19 lockdowns.

- Tesla planned to manufacture fewer than 200 vehicles at its factory in the city on Tuesday, according to the memo, far below the roughly 1,200 units per day it had ramped up to shortly after reopening on April 19 following a 22-day closure.

- After reopening, the factory produced 10,757 vehicles by the end of April, selling 1,512 of them, the CPCA said.

- That compared to 65,814 cars sold in March

- Tesla did not export any China-made Model 3s and Model Ys from the Shanghai plant in April, the data showed.


TESLA RECALLS 130K VEHICLES; TOUCH SCREENS CAN GO BLANK

TESLA REPORTEDLY NOW OFFERS LOANER VEHICLES TO UK OWNERS DURING WARRANTY-COVERED REPAIRS

SPACEX TO INCREASE ON-SITE SOLAR AND TESLA POWERPACK BATTERY CAPACITY AT ITS STARBASE FACILITY

RIVIAN’S VENTURE INTO ITS FIRST RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT

HYUNDAI MAY BUILD EV PLANT IN GEORGIA

CHINA’S GEELY AUTO TO BUY 34% OF RENAULT KOREA MOTORS IN BID FOR SOUTH KOREAN, EXPORT MARKETS

FORD EV BATTERIES WILL SWITCH OVER TO LITHIUM PHOSPHATE SOON

MERCEDES TEASES NEW VISION AMG CONCEPT THAT LOOKS LIKE A PERFORMANCE EQXX

NSW OFFERS GRANTS TO FUND THOUSANDS OF EV CHARGERS AT KEY TOURIST SITES


ELECTRIC MODELS DRIVE SECOND-HAND CAR SALES HIGHER

ELECTRIC SCOOTERS HAVE BEEN LEGALISED IN THE QUEEN'S SPEECH TODAY



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