Random Thoughts Thread

[G. David Felt]

Interesting, it would seem that LG has maxed out in regards to personel and ability to build GMs 4th battery plant and as such, Friday Yonhap News Agency reported that Samsung SDI and GM would be building the 4th plant together and this plant will build both pouch and cylinder battery cells for various GM autos depending on brand.

Samsung SDI to build battery plant with GM -Yonhap | Reuters

What makes this interesting even more is that some news agencies are reporting that this will be announced on March 8th 2023. Yet all my searching even in Korean is coming up blank for the actual Yonhap News Story.

While I think it is good for GM to have multiple battery cell suppliers, I do have to wonder what all is really going on with battery cell production for GM.

Interesting times we live in!!!

[G. David Felt]

News Worthy, Sorry folks no time to write up full stories, but here is a quick coverage:

Mercedes EQE SUV- Mercedes-Benz USA Announces Pricing and Packaging Structures for Alabama Built EQE SUV (mbusa.com)

Magna has become the primary Tier 1 vendor for GM's Ultium Battery enclosure and will first be used on the Chevrolet Silverado.

Magna Wins Battery Enclosures Business on First-Ever Chevrolet Silverado EV

Hyundai just released Version 2.0 of the Hyundai Kona EV.

All-new KONA Upscaled Multiplayer Accelerates Hyundai's Electrification Vision with Extended Range and Advanced Features - Hyundai Newsroom

Why Hyundai has even higher expectations for the new Kona EV | Automotive News Europe (autonews.com)

Hyundai says the new Kona electric will outsell gas, hybrid variants (electrek.co)

Hyundai CEO expects the Kona to outsell the Hybrid and ICE versions as Version 2.0 Kona EV was built as a true EV with big input from existing customers and global group studies to deliver on bigger interior space, better rear opening plus more. There is also available N-Line Performance version.

304 miles battery pack on the U.S. market Kona

215 HP / 188 lb-ft of torque

Available Colors

Exterior: Abyss Black Pearl, Atlas White, Serenity White Pearl, Shimmering Silver Metallic, Cyber Gray Metallic, Ecotronic Gray Pearl, Ecotronic Gray Matte, Engine Red, Ultimate Red Metallic, Soultronic Orange Pearl, Jupiter Orange Metallic, Neoteric Yellow, Mirage Green, Amazon Gray Metallic, Cypress Green Pearl, Meta Blue Pearl, Denim Blue Pearl, Denim Blue Matte and Sailing Blue Pearl, with the last three scheduled to start mass-production in November 2023.

Interior: Black Mono, Grey Two-tone, Black and Sage Green, Black and Beige, Black and Red point (N Line variant only), Dark Gray Mono (Eco pack only) 

 

 

[G. David Felt]

A Truck Called “Georgia” (theblock.com)

[oldshurst442]

It COULD be because its yet another shytty CUV but I got deeeeep Chevy vibes with this one.  Lots of sameness is what Im saying. 

BTW, I actually like the Chevy...maybe its all that pollution that we've done  killing our planet that has started to affect my brain and its decisions to start liking CUVs like that Chevy  Equinox EV thingy...  

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

[G. David Felt]

Interesting comparison, they give the win to BMW unless you go offroad or play anywhere but in the suburbs to city, then the Rivian is the one to get.

LifeStyle EVs.

Edmunds: Edmunds Compares: 2023 BMW iX vs. 2023 Rivian R1S | AP News

[G. David Felt]

A very interesting and well-done review.

Frozen: Sorting F-150 Lightning cold-weather fact from fiction (greencarreports.com)

The conclusion at the end is probably one of the best clearly stated objective looks at EVs.

Nearly everything laid out above isn’t unique to Ford’s electric pickup truck. A lot of it could be about a Mustang Mach-E, a Tesla, a Lucid, or a Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Where things are different is the fact, the Lightning is a pickup truck that is advertised to do truck things.

Today, big electric pickups are not ideal for towing long distances or taking road trips in cold weather. Both of these facts say more about today’s battery technology and infrastructure than they do about the F-150 Lightning.

Two key differences help put this all-in perspective. The first is the fact that a gallon of gasoline is by volume 13 times more energy dense than the best lithium-ion batteries today. However, electric cars are far more efficient at using the energy they do have. The most efficient gas engine in production is at about 40% whereas electric motors operate near 90% efficiency.

The overarching question for truck buyers: Do you honestly need to be able to drive 300 or 400 miles at any time with a moment’s notice? A recent study showed F-150 owners frequently use their trucks to run errands 87% of the time and only frequently tow 7% of the time. Seems for a large swath of consumers buying pickup trucks, if you’re honest with yourself, the F-150 Lightning will be more than adequate for Starbucks runs, soccer practice, and hitting up Home Depot, if there’s time.

I bolded the final paragraph above as I think this is a very honest question many of us even auto enthusiasts have to ask ourselves about any auto we own or buy.

Yes, if you have the money, then by all means buy what you want. Most people do not have this luxury and as such have to honestly ask themselves what works to get their life needs done versus what one desires.

FYI - How big is big when it comes to EVs?

@Drew Dowdell @Robert Hall @surreal1272 @ccap41 @smk4565 @riviera74 @trinacriabob @oldshurst442
Sorry for those I am drawing a blank on adding to this that might actually find this interesting.

Charged EVs | April 2023 Conference Sessions - Charged EVs

Charged is an EV Engineering Conference Free to all who are interested.

A Virtual Conference on EV Engineering: April 17-20, 2023.
All live webcast sessions are free to attend and will be recorded and available to watch on-demand after the event. Register for a session below and reserve your spot to watch it live or on-demand.
 

This is just a few of the many events one can attend to learn about specific technologies of focused learning.

[G. David Felt]

Guess my battery on my laptop is dying as it was showing only 10% charge and so I turned off my laptop, undocked it and then reseated the battery. Once I attached it to the dock and plugged it back in, the battery now says the following:

[G. David Felt]

Seems one of the German companies, BMW or Mercedes is finally updating to 800V. BorgWarner has announced a major global auto OEM that has been producing 400V EVs will now use their updated 800V silicon carbide (SIC) inverters as they move to 800V EVs while still producing 400V EVs.

Sadly, they say the OEM will use the 800V 250 kW version in passenger cars and AWD crossovers and the 350-kW version will be in their top end luxury autos / performance autos.

Interesting is that upon rereading this press release, I see production of the new 800V inverter version is slated for 2025 with an annual volume of 400,000 units.

So clearly the German Company BorgWarner as well as the OEM is not seeing a need to make all EVs fast 800V, as they will have slow 800V and clearly continue to build many 400V version EVs.  

BorgWarner Expands Silicon Carbide Inverter Business with Major Global OEM - BorgWarner

[G. David Felt]

Very cool and far more proper in charging by the kW rather than time on the machine.

@oldshurst442 you should be happy to see this happening in Canada.

Charged EVs | Canada allows DC fast chargers to bill by energy usage instead of charging time - Charged EVs

At the bottom, it seems a bill in Georgia is moving forward to allow the same thing rather than time.

Interesting read about battery plants in the U.S. and why European auto companies are quickly moving forward with local battery plants due to section 45X in the IRA passed bill.

Charged EVs | Automakers are shifting battery plant plans from Europe to the US. Does the European Commission have a solution? - Charged EVs

Finally, the USPS is moving forward with the right idea, 9,250 Ford E-Transit vans for postal delivery and a change to the bulk program with OshKosh where 45,000 of the 60,000 postal vehicles will now be EV.

Charged EVs | US Postal Service finally places an order for EVs—but there’s a catch - Charged EVs

Interesting read and now proof that Toyota is at least half a decade behind the rest of the world in bringing quality EVs to market.

Charged EVs | Tesla Model Y teardown shows Toyota what it’s up against - Charged EVs

Very cool read on the future of EVs next-gen motors.

Charged EVs | Tesla’s chief motor engineer discusses the potential of next-generation motor technologies - Charged EVs

[trinacriabob]

I was going to go to the auto show this year and then didn't.  The industry is in such a state of flux.  And I'm not an early adopter, if that hasn't been obvious on this forum for a long time ... lol.

So, I'll put forth a simple question:  With just the domestic automakers, what percentage of their offerings at this very time is "EV : ICE?"  30 : 70, 40 : 60, 50 : 50, something else?  Just an approximation, and not in numbers of units sold, but just by models/trims available to consumers.

[G. David Felt]

57 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I was going to go to the auto show this year and then didn't.  The industry is in such a state of flux.  And I'm not an early adopter, if that hasn't been obvious on this forum for a long time ... lol.

So, I'll put forth a simple question:  With just the domestic automakers, what percentage of their offerings at this very time is "EV : ICE?"  30 : 70, 40 : 60, 50 : 50, something else?  Just an approximation, and not in numbers of units sold, but just by models/trims available to consumers.

I would say actual available models is like a 15% EV - 85% ICE roughly. Expect this to change big time over the next 24 months due to the large onslaught of EVs coming out. Going to be a very busy next couple of years as new EVs come out. Next one to be revealed and opened for preorder is the EV9 on the 15th of March.

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, David said:

I would say actual available models is like a 15% EV - 85% ICE roughly. Expect this to change big time over the next 24 months due to the large onslaught of EVs coming out. Going to be a very busy next couple of years as new EVs come out. Next one to be revealed and opened for preorder is the EV9 on the 15th of March.

That's way lower than I would have guessed.  It looked to me like it might be higher.  Maybe because the automakers are publicizing EVs disproportionately the cars with ICEs.  

I used to get a kick and also get annoyed by how Italians, and many Europeans in general, seem to rag on cars with automatic transmissions.  All the EVs being sold over there are indeed automatic.  They will be going electric.  And automatic!

I'm going to stay with a conventional car a little longer.   When the calculation pencils out or is moot, I wouldn't mind have an EV.

[Drew Dowdell]

While the number of models offered is increasing in percentage, there are still some significant bottlenecks in the supply of EVs such that nationally, sales are still only around 6%.  Until these new battery plants come online, I think that supply will remain constrained.

Genesis, for example, only sells its EVs in a handful of states so far.

[trinacriabob]

Good morning ...

... well, not really.

[G. David Felt]

10 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Good morning ...

... well, not really.

Makes me want to 

[G. David Felt]

Interesting reading on this 6 Hellcat stolen and then to find out that this happened only 6 months earlier from the same dealer.

How does one dealer get so many Hellcats when others cannot get any. Very weird allocation system for Dodge.

Watch Thieves Steal Six New Dodge Challenger Hellcats In Under 45 Seconds (Updated) | Carscoops

Amazing the idiots driving every day, glad the guy was not hurt.

Cannot find anything on Hyundai's global or European site but CarScoops says Hyundai will have an electric Mini Cooper like crossover to sell in Europe and the Asian rim next year.

Hyundai’s Future EV Lineup: Mini Electric Crossover Geared For Europe Coming By 2024 | Carscoops

 

[G. David Felt]

Alfa Romeo CEO Hints At The Return Of The Alfetta As A Compact EV Hatch | Carscoops

2025 Kia Mid-Size Truck: What We Know About The Pickup For Global Markets, Except The USA | Carscoops

That’s A New One: Illegally Parked Mercedes Loaded Onto Tow Truck With Forklift | Carscoops

Full video here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpbFictDD65/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[G. David Felt]

Very cool read about the 6.6L L8T V8 engine coming to trucks, suvs and crate solutions near you.

Here’s What We Just Learned About GM’s New 6.6-Liter L8T V8 Crate Engine
https://www.hotcars.com/gm-l8t-v8-crate-engine-facts/

403 cubic inches

401 hp / 464 ft-lbs of torque on 87 octane gas.

4,000 rpm peak torque, 5,200 peak horse power,  5,600 recline rpm.

Wire harness, ecu and emission capable sold separately unless you buy the connect and cruise package.

[oldshurst442]

26 minutes ago, David said:

Very cool read about the 6.6L L8T V8 engine coming to trucks, suvs and crate solutions near you.

Here’s What We Just Learned About GM’s New 6.6-Liter L8T V8 Crate Engine
https://www.hotcars.com/gm-l8t-v8-crate-engine-facts/

403 cubic inches

401 hp / 464 ft-lbs of torque on 87 octane gas.

4,000 rpm peak torque, 5,200 peak horse power,  5,600 recline rpm.

Wire harness, ecu and emission capable sold separately unless you buy the connect and cruise package.

 

Its an iron block.  Its specifically made for their trucks.  

https://poweredsolutions.gm.com/products/l8t-engine/

 

from GM's site:

Quote

The L8T is meant for grunt work, thanks to an impressive 464 lb-ft. of peak torque that arrives 200 rpm sooner (and is 22 percent more) than GM’s previous 6.0L V-8 HD gasoline engines. Direct injection technology provides precise fuel control and enables a higher compression ratio that broadens the torque curve and contributes to a power output of 401 hp. This broad torque band provides a stronger feeling of on-demand power at all speeds.

 

One could dump this in a classic GM muscle car...but it be heavy over the front axles. Sure...no heavier than a big block, or small block that resided there.  IMO, it be better to ignore this engine (as an iron block) and keep the status quo with an aluminium blocked LS or LT from a wrecked Corvette or Camaro...    GM also still offers the crate LT1 and yes, its aluminium blocked.  Until the L8T becomes aluminium for possible Corvette or Camaro duty, I aint too enthused by this piece of news.  Sure its a brand new V8  but the LT1 is lighter producing more horsepower albeit a gtad less torque.  Pick up a wrecked C8, and the LT2 produces even more HP and MORE torque than the L8T.  And lets not forget: Aluminium which equals LIGHTER. 

PS:  maybe the LT1 crate has been ditched, but the L87 coded engine could be made to produce LT1 HP easily...   Its rated @420 instead of the LT1's 455.   The torque rating is rated @ 460 4100 RPM  as opposed to the L8T's 464  4000 RPM

Edited March 13, 2023 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

11 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Its an iron block.  Its specifically made for their trucks.  

https://poweredsolutions.gm.com/products/l8t-engine/

 

from GM's site:

 

One could dump this in a classic GM muscle car...but it be heavy over the front axles. Sure...no heavier than a big block, or small block that resided there.  IMO, it be better to ignore this engine (as an iron block) and keep the status quo with an aluminium blocked LS or LT from a wrecked Corvette or Camaro...    GM also still offers the crate LT1 and yes, its aluminium blocked.  Until the L8T becomes aluminium for possible Corvette or Camaro duty, I aint too enthused by this piece of news.  Sure its a brand new V8  but the LT1 is lighter producing more horsepower albeit a gtad less torque.  Pick up a wrecked C8, and the LT2 produces even more HP and MORE torque than the L8T.  And lets not forget: Aluminium which equals LIGHTER. 

PS:  maybe the LT1 crate has been ditched, but the L87 coded engine could be made to produce LT1 HP easily...   Its rated @420 instead of the LT1's 455.   The torque rating is rated @ 460 4100 RPM  as opposed to the L8T's 464  4000 RPM

Spoken like a true car person, but for me as a Truck/SUV person, this engine is great. One you put in a hot crank and turbo or better yet supercharged, this thing would rock in a full size truck or SUV.

Reminds me of the 454 Pickup Truck that Chevrolet built and sold.

[oldshurst442]

32 minutes ago, David said:

Spoken like a true car person, but for me as a Truck/SUV person, this engine is great. One you put in a hot crank and turbo or better yet supercharged, this thing would rock in a full size truck or SUV.

Reminds me of the 454 Pickup Truck that Chevrolet built and sold.

Except a truck or SUV could also benefit greater from an aluminium block V8...

Your Trailblaser SS LS2 is an aluminium block 6.0 liter.

ALL Escalade V8s from 2007 have the aluminium block.   Yup.  That is correct. 

You praising supercharged V8s on trucks, but Escalades have aluminium blocks SINCE 2007 and the V Escalade has a supercharger...with an ALUMINIUM block LT straight from the Camaro and Corvette.  

You could try to tell me about trucks ALL you want, ALL day long...and I wont say a thing to the contrary...BUT...when you want to introduce speed performance, a modern aluminium block engine is MORE beneficial.  Alumimium casting TODAY...COULD handle ALL the horsepower one desires.  And because aluminium equals lighter than iron..advantages galore... 

Edited March 13, 2023 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

29 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Except a truck or SUV could also benefit greater from an aluminium block V8...

Your Trailblaser SS LS2 is an aluminium block 6.0 liter.

ALL Escalade V8s from 2007 have the aluminium block.   Yup.  That is correct. 

You praising supercharged V8s on trucks, but Escalades have aluminium blocks SINCE 2007 and the V Escalade has a supercharger...with an ALUMINIUM block LT straight from the Camaro and Corvette.  

You could try to tell me about trucks ALL you want, ALL day long...and I wont say a thing to the contrary...BUT...when you want to introduce speed performance, a modern aluminium block engine is MORE beneficial.  Alumimium casting TODAY...COULD handle ALL the horsepower one desires.  And because aluminium equals lighter than iron..advantages galore... 

Sorry Olds did not expand enough and that is my fault. You are CORRECT, lite aluminum blocks are great for performance. Yet from a commercial standpoint, many want a harder block, so the iron block comes into play. 

I see and understand the benefits of both versions of V8's. Aluminum blocks with cast iron sleeves pressed in or a true cast iron block.

In this case, if I had to have a working-class Full-Size truck or SUV, then I can totally go that route as I have in my Suburban. A bored-out Iron block to 402 cubic inches. Hauls great and yet due to the hot crank and the performance fuel injection carb on it, I get some fun time too in performance even with such a large beast.

If performance was the only thing, then yes, an Aluminum V8 makes total sense. If you're wanting to haul plus have some fun, I can see going Iron block then.

I think it comes down to use cases.

[oldshurst442]

7 minutes ago, David said:

Sorry Olds did not expand enough and that is my fault. You are CORRECT, lite aluminum blocks are great for performance. Yet from a commercial standpoint, many want a harder block, so the iron block comes into play. 

I see and understand the benefits of both versions of V8's. Aluminum blocks with cast iron sleeves pressed in or a true cast iron block.

In this case, if I had to have a working-class Full-Size truck or SUV, then I can totally go that route as I have in my Suburban. A bored-out Iron block to 402 cubic inches. Hauls great and yet due to the hot crank and the performance fuel injection carb on it, I get some fun time too in performance even with such a large beast.

If performance was the only thing, then yes, an Aluminum V8 makes total sense. If you're wanting to haul plus have some fun, I can see going Iron block then.

I think it comes down to use cases.

Sure.  And iron block is cheaper to produce making these types of V8 engines plentiful.  

One thing I dont know is how tough an aluminium block is compared to its iron block brother. 

I gather that a workhorse LT iron block 6.2 liter V8 Silverado could handle pull and haul loads far more  greater and longer longevity than an aluminium blocked LT 6.2 liter Silverado. 

Yes. You were correct that my take on the L8T was focused on performance and as a crate engine to be swapped in a classic muscle car.  

 

 

[G. David Felt]

Very cool battery tech if they can mass produce it.

Incredible new ‘air’ technology offers futuristic replacement for lithium-ion batteries: ‘The next generation of batteries’ (msn.com)

[G. David Felt]

Totally agree that they should be able to sell to more and Amazon needs to let Rivian sell to everyone their delivery van.

Rivian Wants Out of Exclusive Amazon Electric Van Deal: Report (thedrive.com)

[smk4565]

On 3/10/2023 at 11:56 AM, David said:

A very interesting and well-done review.

Frozen: Sorting F-150 Lightning cold-weather fact from fiction (greencarreports.com)

The conclusion at the end is probably one of the best clearly stated objective looks at EVs.

Nearly everything laid out above isn’t unique to Ford’s electric pickup truck. A lot of it could be about a Mustang Mach-E, a Tesla, a Lucid, or a Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Where things are different is the fact, the Lightning is a pickup truck that is advertised to do truck things.

Today, big electric pickups are not ideal for towing long distances or taking road trips in cold weather. Both of these facts say more about today’s battery technology and infrastructure than they do about the F-150 Lightning.

Two key differences help put this all-in perspective. The first is the fact that a gallon of gasoline is by volume 13 times more energy dense than the best lithium-ion batteries today. However, electric cars are far more efficient at using the energy they do have. The most efficient gas engine in production is at about 40% whereas electric motors operate near 90% efficiency.

The overarching question for truck buyers: Do you honestly need to be able to drive 300 or 400 miles at any time with a moment’s notice? A recent study showed F-150 owners frequently use their trucks to run errands 87% of the time and only frequently tow 7% of the time. Seems for a large swath of consumers buying pickup trucks, if you’re honest with yourself, the F-150 Lightning will be more than adequate for Starbucks runs, soccer practice, and hitting up Home Depot, if there’s time.

I bolded the final paragraph above as I think this is a very honest question many of us even auto enthusiasts have to ask ourselves about any auto we own or buy.

Yes, if you have the money, then by all means buy what you want. Most people do not have this luxury and as such have to honestly ask themselves what works to get their life needs done versus what one desires.

FYI - How big is big when it comes to EVs?

@Drew Dowdell @Robert Hall @surreal1272 @ccap41 @smk4565 @riviera74 @trinacriabob @oldshurst442
Sorry for those I am drawing a blank on adding to this that might actually find this interesting.

Charged EVs | April 2023 Conference Sessions - Charged EVs

Charged is an EV Engineering Conference Free to all who are interested.

A Virtual Conference on EV Engineering: April 17-20, 2023.
All live webcast sessions are free to attend and will be recorded and available to watch on-demand after the event. Register for a session below and reserve your spot to watch it live or on-demand.
 

This is just a few of the many events one can attend to learn about specific technologies of focused learning.

That highlights an issue with EV's in general.  EV's are expensive because people want a 100 kWh battery for the emergency 300 mile trip that they can't stop to charge for.  Which isn't a good way to buy a car.  That 87% of buyers that just run errands probably drive under 40 miles per day, so why pay for a 300 mile battery that adds $10-15,000 in cost to the vehicle?  It would be like the F150 selling 100 gallon fuel tank and raising the price $10,000, no one would buy that.

 

[G. David Felt]

This cracks me up, $500,000 super cars are beat by the Lowly Tesla.

 

[Robert Hall]

Sounds like this new V8 is like the one Ford introduced a few years ago, for the super duty trucks as an alternative for the diesels.  

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Sounds like this new V8 is like the one Ford introduced a few years ago, for the super duty trucks as an alternative for the diesels.  

Found the full details on the GM Performance website. Cast Iron Block, but everything else is Aluminum, performance spec.

L8T Tech Specs

• Part Number: 19433748
• Engine Type: Gen V Small Block V-8 direct injection spark ignition
• Displacement (cu. in.): 400 (6.6L)
• Bore x Stroke (in / mm): 4.060 x 3.860 (103.25 mm x 98 mm)
• Block (P/N 19420904): Cast iron with 6-bolt nodular main bearing caps
• Crankshaft (P/N 12708884): Forged steel
• Connecting Rods (P/N 12675746): Forged powder-metal
• Pistons (P/N 12699527-R, 12699529-L): Hypereutectic aluminum
• Camshaft Type (P/N 12672469): Billet steel hydraulic roller
• Valve lift (in): 0.500 intake / 0.492 exhaust
• Camshaft Duration (@0.050 in): 193° intake / 199° exhaust
• Cylinder Heads (P/N 12703610): Aluminum rectangular port D/I with 59.02cc chambers
• Valve Size (in): 2.130 hollow intake / 1.590 inconel exhaust
• Compression Ratio: 10.8:1 (nominal)
• Rocker Arms (P/N 12619829): Investment cast roller trunnion
• Rocker Arm Ratio: 1.8:1
• Intake manifold (P/N 12639087): Composite
• Throttle body (P/N 12730580): 87mm diameter (single-bore)
• Fuel delivery: High-pressure direct injection (2,175 psi / 150 bar)
• Recommended fuel: 87 octane
• Ignition system: Coil-on-plug
• Maximum Recommended RPM: 5600 rpm
• Reluctor wheel: 58X
• Balanced: Internal

L8T Crate Engine | Chevy Performance Parts (chevrolet.com)

[G. David Felt]

“SAE Power Rating” Can Now be Applied to Electrified Vehicles

Cool 

[ccap41]

Rivian's stock is just tumbling. It closed at $13.03 today. 

At this point, I'm glad I never got in when it was close to IPO prices but I'm getting the itch to jump in now that it's close to $10. 

[G. David Felt]

BMW news, a 5 series EV will be revealed October 2023. 

Digital, dynamic, and now also fully electric: the BMW 5 Series enters a new era. (bmwgroup.com)

BMW is also rolling out in their product line of ICE/EV a all-new Panoramic Vision HUD.

The BMW Panoramic Vision. (bmwgroup.com)

This all-new HUD will be across the complete bottom of the windshield.

Drivers view

Passengers view

Last teaser before the final seventh model is revealed on the 20th of March.

Stellantis Media - ‘Last Call’ Countdown: Teaser Video No. 4 — ‘HEMI® Vice’ (stellantisnorthamerica.com)

[G. David Felt]

Have to say I find this press release of leading the way to be ROFLMAO funny.

Collaborations Show There’s More to Electrification Than BEVs - Toyota USA Newsroom

The press release talks about how Toyota is building leadership collaborations with charging stations companies and software companies that will allow future ease of management of your EV.

@oldshurst442 @ccap41 Thought you guys might like this. Hyundai is planning to bring racing success to their company with their class racing wins starting with Daytona and expecting to continue with racing at the Sebring.

Hyundai Primed for Success in Sebring - Hyundai Newsroom

[G. David Felt]

@oldshurst442 Seems Magna is expanding in your neck of the woods. Six site that will expand and create over 1,000 more jobs.

Magna Announces New Facility and Expands in Five Other Locations Across Ontario to Support New Business

Details of the new and expanding facilities include:

• Brampton: A new 490,000 square-foot leased facility to manufacture battery enclosures for electric vehicles. Operations to begin in Q2 2023, roughly 560 new jobs are expected at full production.
• Guelph: Magna is adding e-coat, molding and welding capacity to its exteriors plant to support new electric vehicle production. The expansion will total 120,000 square-feet, and production is planned to begin in Q2 2023. Approximately 175 new jobs are expected.
• Belleville: Magna’s lighting plant is adding to its capabilities for printed circuit board assemblies and will start operations in Q4 2023. Up to 100 new jobs are expected.
• Newmarket: Magna’s mechatronics facility which produces vehicle access systems including side door latches, electronic control units, and power systems – is growing its business and expects approximately 75 new jobs.
• Windsor: Magna’s mechatronics plant adds new business for powered aluminum tonneau covers. The facility has recently started those operations and is planning to add roughly 110 new jobs.
• Penetanguishene: Magna’s mechatronics facility is growing its tailgate hinges production and more than 15 new jobs are planned.

Magna's SmartAccess Power Door System Hits the Market in Style

Seems the Ferrari Purosangue will be the launch vehicle for these new SmartAccess doors.

The system will launch with several other Asian and North American automakers in 2023. SmartAccess™ can also offer a host of additional consumer-related features including:

• Ability to customize the door feel to specific consumer desires,
• Gesture control allowing the wave of a hand to open or close the side door,
• Non-contact obstacle detection where the side doors can sense a post or adjacent vehicle and stop the door in a controlled manner, and
• Keypad for seamless keyless entry.

[G. David Felt]

LOL, this was too funny to read.

Toyota Hydrogen Racecar Pulled When One Thing You Don't Want to Happen Did Using This Fuel (motorbiscuit.com)

Leaking fuel in the engine bay created fire, safety valves shut off to protect the driver, but still not worth the risk and especially when you consider the following as to why Hydrogen will never replace Gas or EVs.

80lbs of Gas needs 410 lbs of Hydrogen on top of the complexity of the Hydrogen auto. EVs just make more simple sense.

[G. David Felt]

WOW, BMW FAILURE for the M Badge EV.

2023 BMW iX M60 Driving Notes: Excellent In Theory (motor1.com)

[G. David Felt]

Very cool, Cadillac is leading the luxury segment in selling XT4 class SUVs.

Cadillac XT4 Sales Outpace BMW, Mercedes, Acura In Q4 2022 (gmauthority.com)

[G. David Felt]

WOW, racers bend frame and still win their class.

Chevy Colorado ZR2 Race Truck Bends Frame, Still Wins Class (gmauthority.com)

[oldshurst442]

9 hours ago, David said:

@oldshurst442 Seems Magna is expanding in your neck of the woods. Six site that will expand and create over 1,000 more jobs.

Magna Announces New Facility and Expands in Five Other Locations Across Ontario to Support New Business

Details of the new and expanding facilities include:

• Brampton: A new 490,000 square-foot leased facility to manufacture battery enclosures for electric vehicles. Operations to begin in Q2 2023, roughly 560 new jobs are expected at full production.
• Guelph: Magna is adding e-coat, molding and welding capacity to its exteriors plant to support new electric vehicle production. The expansion will total 120,000 square-feet, and production is planned to begin in Q2 2023. Approximately 175 new jobs are expected.
• Belleville: Magna’s lighting plant is adding to its capabilities for printed circuit board assemblies and will start operations in Q4 2023. Up to 100 new jobs are expected.
• Newmarket: Magna’s mechatronics facility which produces vehicle access systems including side door latches, electronic control units, and power systems – is growing its business and expects approximately 75 new jobs.
• Windsor: Magna’s mechatronics plant adds new business for powered aluminum tonneau covers. The facility has recently started those operations and is planning to add roughly 110 new jobs.
• Penetanguishene: Magna’s mechatronics facility is growing its tailgate hinges production and more than 15 new jobs are planned.

Magna's SmartAccess Power Door System Hits the Market in Style

Seems the Ferrari Purosangue will be the launch vehicle for these new SmartAccess doors.

The system will launch with several other Asian and North American automakers in 2023. SmartAccess™ can also offer a host of additional consumer-related features including:

• Ability to customize the door feel to specific consumer desires,
• Gesture control allowing the wave of a hand to open or close the side door,
• Non-contact obstacle detection where the side doors can sense a post or adjacent vehicle and stop the door in a controlled manner, and
• Keypad for seamless keyless entry.

It seems Ontario is on a roll lately as the Province also bagged Volkwagen's first North American battery factory.

Great news for Canada and especially Ontario.   Im a little saddened for Quebec and the news about VW's choice for Ontario rather than Quebec...but Quebec's backwards politicians sometimes focus on antiquated issues and scare the population that the French language is in danger and therefore introduce stupid laws to 'protect' the French language and also continue to ever so whisper about separation from Canada into the equation and thus scare away big global endeavors away from the Province.       

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-volkswagen-picks-ontario-for-its-first-north-american-ev-battery-plant/

 

Canada’s effort to position itself as a major player in electric-vehicle manufacturing, and to prove that it can compete with massive new U.S. subsidies for automakers, has received a major boost from Volkswagen Group.

The German auto giant on Monday announced that it has chosen St. Thomas, Ont., as the site for its first battery factory outside Europe, after considering locations in both Canada and the United States.

Details of the planned investment, including the dollar amount and production capacity, were not provided and are expected in the coming weeks. But federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne pointed to Volkswagen’s description of the facility as a “gigafactory” – a term that is meant to indicate massive scale – to describe it as “probably the largest single investment in the auto sector in Canada’s history.”

[G. David Felt]

6 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

It seems Ontario is on a roll lately as the Province also bagged Volkwagen's first North American battery factory.

Great news for Canada and especially Ontario.   Im a little saddened for Quebec and the news about VW's choice for Ontario rather than Quebec...but Quebec's backwards politicians sometimes focus on antiquated issues and scare the population that the French language is in danger and therefore introduce stupid laws to 'protect' the French language and also continue to ever so whisper about separation from Canada into the equation and thus scare away big global endeavors away from the Province.       

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-volkswagen-picks-ontario-for-its-first-north-american-ev-battery-plant/

 

Canada’s effort to position itself as a major player in electric-vehicle manufacturing, and to prove that it can compete with massive new U.S. subsidies for automakers, has received a major boost from Volkswagen Group.

The German auto giant on Monday announced that it has chosen St. Thomas, Ont., as the site for its first battery factory outside Europe, after considering locations in both Canada and the United States.

Details of the planned investment, including the dollar amount and production capacity, were not provided and are expected in the coming weeks. But federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne pointed to Volkswagen’s description of the facility as a “gigafactory” – a term that is meant to indicate massive scale – to describe it as “probably the largest single investment in the auto sector in Canada’s history.”

We are a multi-cultural world and if the idiot politicians cannot get over the move by society to various languages or the business standard of using English, they will hurt and fall behind society losing out and humans will move leaving them behind for forward growth elsewhere. Morons in my book.

[oldshurst442]

2 minutes ago, David said:

We are a multi-cultural world and if the idiot politicians cannot get over the move by society to various languages or the business standard of using English, they will hurt and fall behind society losing out and humans will move leaving them behind for forward growth elsewhere. Morons in my book.

The deal is that most French Quebecois IN the Montreal region ARE bilingual and speak French AND English.   The deal is that English speaking Quebecois IN the Montreal region, whether of English decent or of other nationalities speak 2 or 3 languages.  French included.  And none have an issue with that.  French people in the Montreal area have NO issues with the English language.  They understand the realities of what you said.   The scare tactics are for the French people AWAY from Quebec's business,  sector, which so happens to BE Montreal.  Sure, French people living far from Montreal do NOT speak English. They dont need to.  But its a common way to get elected.  Scare tactics and faslehoods being spewed...   In fact,  our Premier BOTH times he was elected, he had the numbers to get elected from regions that have NOTHING to do with Montreal.  Montreal and most of its  surroundings did NOT vote for this party in power.  But...there are 2 other Quebec parties that follow in those protect the French language footsteps and are MORE of a separatist nature than the one in power now to the lone Liberal party of Quebec that seems to want to protect the English language but phioques everything else up.  English, French AND the other nationalitiles are not really trusting the Liberal party of Quebec the last 15 years....  So...a lot of not good in the political realm here.  Quebec is still doing not too bad in the economic side of things, but for EVs and whatever that entails in the world of electricity and batteries when Hydro-Quebec is a GLOBAL force in, this is NOT good news and a very very big step backwards in my opinion. 

 

[riviera74]

8 hours ago, David said:

Very cool, Cadillac is leading the luxury segment in selling XT4 class SUVs.

Cadillac XT4 Sales Outpace BMW, Mercedes, Acura In Q4 2022 (gmauthority.com)

I find it interesting that in this shrinking segment, the Acura RDX has arguably fallen off a cliff, while the Envision and the XT4 are fighting to be second to the best-selling Lexus NX.

[ccap41]

14 hours ago, David said:

@oldshurst442 @ccap41 Thought you guys might like this. Hyundai is planning to bring racing success to their company with their class racing wins starting with Daytona and expecting to continue with racing at the Sebring.

Hyundai Primed for Success in Sebring - Hyundai Newsroom

It's nice and all that they're racing but that's a pretty low series. It'll be more exciting when they have their hands in series like F1, NASCAR, or one of the GTD or prototype classes in IMSA. 

[G. David Felt]

18 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

It's nice and all that they're racing but that's a pretty low series. It'll be more exciting when they have their hands in series like F1, NASCAR, or one of the GTD or prototype classes in IMSA. 

At least they are racing cars they make.  

Not auto related, but I was cracking up laughing at the lack of being able to explain what Woke is in this interview by one that attacks woke people.

‘This is Gonna Be One of Those Moments That Goes Viral’: Conservative Pundit Short-Circuits When Asked to Define ‘Wokeness’ (msn.com)

[ccap41]

10 hours ago, David said:

Very cool, Cadillac is leading the luxury segment in selling XT4 class SUVs.

Cadillac XT4 Sales Outpace BMW, Mercedes, Acura In Q4 2022 (gmauthority.com)

I mean, only if you exclude the Corsair and NX. I'm not sure why you'd exclude those as luxury vehicles though. 

[G. David Felt]

40 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I mean, only if you exclude the Corsair and NX. I'm not sure why you'd exclude those as luxury vehicles though. 

Not sure what you are meaning, I did not exclude any of the vehicles. Cadillac is not the lead auto here but is in the leading group. Guess my wording was confusing.

[ccap41]

6 minutes ago, David said:

Not sure what you are meaning, I did not exclude any of the vehicles. Cadillac is not the lead auto here but is in the leading group. Guess my wording was confusing.

Ohhhh you mean the XT4 is the leading Cadillac, in sales? 

Maybe I'm still confused what you meant by, "Very cool, Cadillac is leading the luxury segment in selling XT4 class SUVs."

[G. David Felt]

Seems someone slipped as it no longer shows on the Cadillac Accessory website, but good chance we will see a V edition of the LYRIQ.

Internal Leak Suggests Cadillac Lyriq-V Is Coming For 2024 Model Year (cadillacsociety.com)

[G. David Felt]

Seems Bollinger Motors has stopped trying to build SUV/Truck for personal use and is focused on the commercial market as they have moved forward with producting mid-size commercial EVs.

The B4 at Work Truck Week 2023 (mailchi.mp)

They still talk about the SUV and Truck that led them to their B5 commercial trucks they are building now. So I guess everyone that put down reservations on the Bollinger SUV/Truck lost out.

Electric Truck Manufacturers - Electric Heavy Duty Truck (bollingermotors.com)