California Mandates Zero-Emissions Ridesharing Vehicles

Posted on 22 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on California Mandates Zero-Emissions Vehicles for Ridesharing

This is also consistent with  public commitments that ridesharing companies have made. Now, they will actually have to solve the problem.

The California Air Resources Board has mandated that rideshare companies begin electrification of their  fleets starting in 2023. This is the latest step in California’s longstanding – pre- and post-Trump – quest of meeting what are now the state’s 2030 climate goal of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 40% below 1990 levels and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. This aids implementation of Governor Newsom’s Zero Emission Vehicle Executive Order (N-79-20) , aka the state’s air quality goals.

The transportation sector accounts for almost 50% of GHG emissions in California and is responsible for the majority of the state’s air pollution. Though rideshare vehicles are a relatively small portion of California’s vehicle fleet, they often travel many miles beyond the average of other vehicles, so electrifying them can provide significant environmental benefits. Continue reading →

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First Look – 2022 Hyundai Tucson

Posted on 21 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on 2022 Hyundai Tucson

A pleasant up to date SUV in a crowded segment. Click to Enlarge.

Will the last passenger car maker please turn out the lights when exiting? That’s the way things are heading industry-wide as the 2022 Hyundai Tucson motors into a marketplace overwhelmed by SUVs and trucks. Hyundai Motor America’s total March SUV sales were up 133% compared with March 2020. Hyundai’s 2021 first quarter SUV sales are up 41% year over year. SUVs now represent 67% of total Hyundai vehicle sales. Easy to understand why Hyundai plans twelve new and “significantly enhanced” SUVs through calendar year 2021.

The most notable thing about the latest Tucson is that a sub-compact  albeit long-wheelbase version was developed for the U.S. and Canadian markets to meet buyer demand for bigger vehicles. Tucson now offers a 2.5-liter, direct-injected and multi-port-injected gasoline engine as well as a 1.6-liter, direct-injected, turbocharged hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Continue reading →

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First Look – Kia EV6 Joins Electrification Parade

Posted on 20 May 2021 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Kia battery-electric EV6The first dedicated Kia battery-electric vehicle, the EV6 crossover, comes to the “US early in 2022,” after a global reveal last March. EV6 goes on sale in all 50 states, but the performance GT version won’t be available until late 2022. So much for Kia’s original positioning as the sporty brand within the Hyundai auto conglomerate.

Starting with the EV6, Kia’s lineup will  the “EV” designation followed by a number that indicates the car’s position in the lineup. The so-called E-GMP* modular platform allegedly “maximizes development efficiency and enables the Kia brand to expand its dedicated EV portfolio across multiple vehicle segments – sedans, CUVs, SUVs – in a short time and with minimal complexity.” (Hyundai Motor, Kia to build American-made Electric Vehicles) Continue reading →

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EV Pickup! Ford is Betting Lightning Can Strike Twice

Posted on 20 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Ford F-150 Lightning EV pickup

The original Lightning – a fast V8-powered gas guzzler – was the first truck on the cover of Car and Driver.

F-Series, America’s best-selling truck for four decades is about to offer the F-150 Lightning with full electrification and connected technology. Lightning will have an aimed for 563 horsepower and 775 lb.-ft. of torque – the most torque of any F-150, and the ability to power a home if needed. Powered by dual in-board motors and with standard 4×4, F-150 Lightning has a high-strength, aluminum alloy body, a new independent rear suspension claims improved ride comfort, while an all-new frame uses the strongest steel ever put in an F-150 frame and supports a maximum 2,000-pound payload and up to 10,000-pound towing capacity. (Ford – 100 Years of Trucks – 1917 Model TT to 2017 Raptor)

Two giant questions lurking the floors of the Dearborn Glass House are: When Ford builds it next year in 2022 will they come; Can Ford build a complicated new technology vehicle without a series of recalls, glitches and bugs that have been standard equipment on previous high-technology launches including the current generation Explorer? (See AutoInformed* below) Another unknown is EV tax credits. The maximum Federal tax credit is $7,500 for any vehicle no matter the cost. It ceases for automakers at 200,000 total EVs sold. Both General Motors and Tesla have hit the subsidy wall and currently do not qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. The Biden Administration could change this. Continue reading →

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Stellantis, Foxconn JV for Digital Cockpits, Connected Services

Posted on 18 May 2021 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Stellantis and Foxconn to Create Digital Cockpits, Connected ServicesStellantis NV (NYSE / MTA / Euronext Paris: STLA) and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., (“Foxconn”) (TPE: 2317), together with its subsidiary FIH Mobile Ltd., (“FIH”) (HKG:2038), today announced the signing of a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form Mobile Drive, a 50/50 voting rights joint venture aimed at accelerating development timelines to bring “in-vehicle user experiences enabled by advanced consumer electronics, HMI interfaces and services.”

Leaving the marketing babble aside, Mobile Drive will combine Stellantis’ global vehicle design and engineering with Foxconn’s development in the changing software and hardware realms of smartphones and consumer electronics. It’s hoped that the combination will position Mobile Drive ahead of other automakers in the global race to global provide in-cabin information and entertainment capabilities. At best these could be connected inside and outside the vehicles in which they are installed. Continue reading →

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Canoo Lifestyle Van or Pickup Priced at $35-50k

Posted on 17 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Canoo Lifestyle van pre-orders

The bare-bones chassis from a bare bones startup with big ideas to flesh out.

EV startup Zoom said today that pre-orders are now open for purchases of its so-called Lifestyle van and Pickup Truck. Starting today, the Lifestyle vehicle, MPDV and pickup truck can be reserved in the United States with a $100 deposit per vehicle at www.canoo.com. The Lifestyle Vehicle will be the first vehicle to market late in 2022, it’s promised, and has targeted pricing starting from $34,750 -$49,950i for Delivery, Base and Premium models, before incentives, or optional equipment. Range topping Adventure trim pricing will be announced in the coming months. Deliveries for the Pickup truck and scaled production for MPDV are scheduled to begin “as early as 2023.” (First Look – Canoo EV Pickup Truck)

It’s not coincidental that Zoom is scheduled to announce its Q1 financial results after the New York markets close. The larger story, perhaps, is the company, not the vehicle. Canoo is a Los Angeles-based company that has, arguably, pioneering technologies. Its business model drops traditional ownership and is a glimpse at the future of automobility that other companies are also pursuing. Canoo will not have a physical sales network. The company will offer its product directly to customers via subscription, not ownership. Continue reading →

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Hyundai Motor, Kia to build American-made Electric Vehicles

Posted on 14 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Hyundai Motor Group to Invest $7.4 Billion in U.S. by 2025

Hyundai Delivers First 2019 NEXO Fuel Cell SUV December 2018.

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. plan to invest $7.4 billion in the U.S. by 2025 to produce future EVs, enhance production facilities and further its outlays in smart mobility solutions. The Korean automaker claims Hyundai Motor Group’s investment will enhance overall product competitiveness by highlighting future mobility technologies, including electrification and hydrogen energy.

Hyundai Motor will offer a line of American-made electric vehicles to U.S. consumers starting next year. Hyundai and Kia will monitor the market conditions and U.S. government EV policy to finalize its plan to enhance its U.S. production facilities and gradually expand its local EV production. Continue reading →

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Honda Motor Posts FY 2021 Operating Profit of ¥660.2 Billion

Posted on 14 May 2021 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Honda Motor Profit of 660.2 billion Yen FY 2021Honda Motor today in Japan said that notwithstanding unfavorable factors such as a decrease in demand due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of semi-conductor supply shortages, it made a consolidated operating profit for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 (FY21) of 660.2 billion yen ($6.036B). This was due “primarily to control of selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses and cost reduction efforts based on a review of business activities, as well as an increase in profit due to a year-on-year difference in the amount of the provision for credit losses recorded for financial services business.”

Consolidated profit for the year attributable to owners of the parent company faced a year-on-year increase that amounted to 657.4 billion yen, due also to an increase in the share of profit of investments accounted for using the equity method. Continue reading →

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Mazda FY 2021 Financial Results – Net Income -81%

Posted on 14 May 2021 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Mazda Fiscal Year 2021 Financial ResultsMazda Motor Corp.’s global sales volume from April 2020 through March 2021 decreased 9.3% year-on-year because of decreased sales in Europe and other regions. China and the US posted ~7% gains. Continue reading →

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Equivalent Gas Tax or Fee on EVs to Offset Lost Revenue?

Posted on 14 May 2021 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on taxing electric vehicles to offset gasoline tax lossesWhat happens to the  badly depleted Highway Trust Fund as the use of EVs grows and gasoline taxes no longer apply? Right now about 1% of the U.S. vehicle fleet is electric, but automakers and governments are moving toward a fossil-fuel free economy, with implications for the “business-as-usual” Congress when or if voters realize that the roads can get even worse than they are now. The federal gasoline excise tax is 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel fuel right now. Attempts to raise it since October of 1993 have failed. Worse, it is not indexed to inflation. If it were it would be roughly 80% higher. The low-profile debate about the issue recently arose in a Congressional hearing that went largely unnoticed.

CBO said that if Congress were to levy an annual fee on EVs in an amount that is approximately proportionate with the amount paid in gasoline tax? Taking as a starting point an average driver of a light duty passenger vehicle with a gasoline engine, how much revenue could be raised during the next five years? Moreover, what percent of the anticipated shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund would that be? Continue reading →

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Volkswagen, Argo AI to Start Autonomous Driving Tests

Posted on 13 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Volkswagen and Argo AI Start International Autonomous Driving Tests

It’s ugly but it will get itself there…

The first self-driving prototypes based on the future Volkswagen ID. BUZZ will begin operations in Munich this summer. It marks a milestone in the Group’s international collaboration, part of which sees Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) facilitating the development of Level 4-capable autonomous driving technology* for self-driving vans. ID. BUZZ, a VW Microbus-like EV, will arrive at dealerships after a compact four-door ID. model in 2022. Volkswagen is mainly targeting markets in North America, Europe and China with both the ID. BUZZ and the ID. family overall.

Current conventional automaker wisdom (wishdom?) has is that light commercial vehicles are the first, logical place for using autonomous transportation of people and goods. “Our aim with the self-driving version of the ID. BUZZ is to ease commercial deployment of transport and delivery services starting in 2025,” said divisional director Christian Senger during a digital press conference. VW Mobility service provider MOIA will first launch autonomous service in Hamburg, Germany. Continue reading →

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Ford DIY COVID-19 Air Filtration Kit?

Posted on 13 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Ford DIY COVID Air Filtration Kit

Click to Enlarge.

Ford claims that its COVID-19 air filtration kit co-developed with Lasko is effective in fighting the spread of the deadly virus. It cites a scientific journal as proof. The kit is based on Ford research as well as scientific studies by academic and government agencies. It can be assembled at home or in school.

An article, titled “Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 and Mitigation Using Box Fan Air Cleaners in a Poorly Ventilated Classroom,” was published this week in the journal “Physics of Fluids.” Led by Ford with the University of Minnesota, the article cites an investigation using supercomputer air flow analysis to determine if a low-cost box fan air cleaner can mitigate the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19 in a classroom equipped with a single horizontal unit ventilator. Continue reading →

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AARP, Toyota to Provide Rides for Vaccine Appointments

Posted on 13 May 2021 by Ken Zino

AARP, Toyota and local Dallas organizations via a new transportation initiative* are using the AARP Ride@50+ program where multiple modes of transit can be found can now book rides, including transportation for COVID-19 vaccine appointments. It’s just one of the progressive initiatives that Toyota funds and supports. The support in Texas is ironic given Republican control of state and local politics, the ongoing support of GOP lies about the Presidential election results, and active anti-democracy attempts to suppress voting and other constitutional rights.

AARP also actively promulgated Republican denials about the seriousness of the Covid pandemic, going to the absurd point of giving Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator under President Donald Trump from 2020 to 2021, a forum. Dr. Birx sat idly by at a White House briefing as Trump promoted the use of bleach taken by humans to fight Covid. Continue reading →

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April Global Sales – North America Up, Elsewhere Unsettled

Posted on 13 May 2021 by Ken Zino

The global Light Vehicle (LV) selling rate slipped to 86.5 million units/year in April, from 87.8 million units/year in March, according to Consultancy LMC. In year-on-year (YoY) terms, sales rose 77.6%. However, this seeming jump in market performance is distorted by the global-pandemic caused shutdowns in March of 2020. In the US, sales jumped, while China’s sales were hurt by the semiconductor famine. In Europe, fluctuating restrictions in several markets blocked any significant improvement from March 2021. (see chart following Continue reading jump)

Helped by President Biden’s economic stimulus in the face of Republican obstructionism, and states re-opening, the record setting rate of  US Light Vehicle sales continued in April. Sales of 1.54 million units were the highest-ever volume for that month. Continue reading →

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Toyota FY2021- Net Profit Surges 10% on $20.6B in Revenue

Posted on 12 May 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota FY2021 Financial Results

Click to Enlarge.

Toyota posted solid FY 2021 results this morning in Japan leaving other global automakers in the dust. The world’s top-selling automaker in 2020 at 9.5 million vehicles revealed consolidated financial results of: Sales revenue at 27 trillion 214.5 billion yen; Operating income of 2 trillion 197.7 billion yen; Pre-tax income of 2 trillion 932.3 billion yen and, Net income of 2 trillion 245.2 billion yen. Excluding the overall impact of foreign exchange rates, swap valuation gains and losses and other factors, operating income increased by 10-billion-yen year-on-year.

Although operating income significantly decreased in the first half of the fiscal year, it increased in the 2nd half. In Japan, Europe and other regions, operating income decreased  mainly due to the decrease in sales volume. However, in North America and Asia, operating income increased year on year, thanks mainly to marketing efforts and cost reduction efforts. Toyota is also thus far unaffected by the semi-conductor shortage that is closing plants at competitors. Continue reading →

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