shinymetalboxes

Cars, culture & contingent considerations

Big Change in the Cost of EV Batteries

Posted on October 8, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

A huge concern in the auto industry—always and everywhere—is cost. The cost of batteries for EVs is showing an impressive decline.

By Gary S. Vasilash

One of the things about electric vehicle development that doesn’t get quite the amount of attention that it deserves is the rate at which the prices of lithium-ion battery packs are declining.

According to the US. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office, the cost of a Li-ion battery pack declined 87% between 2008 and 2021, based on 2021 constant dollars.

The DOE estimates that the cost of a Li-ion battery pack circa 2021 is $157/kWh based on a usable energy basis (i.e., the battery pack may have more stored energy but it is not used because it is important to maintain the health of the battery).

Back in 2008 that number was $1,237/kWh.

Impressive decline in battery costs. *(Image: DOE)*

Recognize that what is happening is that there are improvements in technologies and chemistries, as well as in manufacturing economies of scale. (Did you notice that when people are talking about battery plants they typically refer to them as “gigafactories”? They’re big and make lots of batteries, which leads to the economies of scale. It is somewhat odd, if you think about it, to know that Mars makes about 15 million Snickers per day and there is no mention of a “megafactory.”)

The improvements in technologies and chemistries are probably the real, as they say, game-changer in batteries.

Realize that you have vehicle manufacturers, Tier One suppliers, battery companies, chemical companies, electronics companies, utility companies, energy suppliers, research organizations, universities, and undoubtedly others working on batteries.

Nowadays only a fraction of them are working on eking out improvements for internal combustion engines, which leads to the hypothesis that with time ICEs are going to run out of time.

That 87% is a big number. And the decline in price-performance will undoubtedly continue to change for the better.

Accessory for the Rolls Lifestyle

Posted on October 6, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

Where to house your aperitifs or digestifs

By Gary S. Vasilash

We can’t put it any better than this, which comes from the House of Rolls-Royce about its latest addition to the Rolls-Royce Connoisseur’s Collection, the Rolls-Royce Cellarette:

The polished aluminium chassis, enveloped by embossed Rolls-Royce Havana leather complete with an Obsidian Ayous Open Pore veneer serving tray with Spirit of Ecstasy inlay, makes the Cellarette the perfect accessory for any Rolls-Royce owner with a passion for convivial hosting.

Said Cellarette can be fitted in the back of one’s Rolls, however the company notes that “it truly comes into its own as a centrepiece at an al fresco dining experience, or as an accompaniment at an intimate gathering.”

Cellarette?

It is something that carries bottles of whisky and holds cigars.

Of course it does.

The “Apex Predator” Goes to Europe

Posted on October 5, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

That’s what the Ram folks call the TRX. A bit of a dig at the Ford Raptor, of course. The TRX is being judged in Croatia.

By Gary S. Vasilash

The Ram 1500 TRX is a half-ton pickup with a 702-hp, 6.2-liter HEMI V8 under its hood.

It has a top speed of 118 mph and goes from 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds

This is a truck.

The Ram 1500 TRX. Yes, it is a daily driver, too. *(Image: Ram)*

A big truck.

As in being 232.9 inches long, 88 inches wide and 80.9 inches high.

You’re not going to see that HEMI without a step ladder.

It has a 5-foot, 7-inch box on the back. You’re going to want to make sure that things in the TRX are tied down because there are those inertial forces.

Although the interior of the vehicle—both in terms of materials and tech—are nothing short of first class. Yet one of the development goals of the Ram team was to develop the “quickest, fastest and most powerful mass-produced truck in the world,” one that can handle off-road and on-road demands with solid performance.

While the truck has been available in the U.S. for about a year now, it made its way to Europe in July.

And today (October 5) it is in Croatia, where it will be judged as part of the 2022 IPUA—International Pick Up Award.

Somehow it is hard to imagine anything less European than the TRX.

Still, it is so over-the-top (and capable, too) that its odds are probably very good.

Lincoln Approaches 100

Posted on October 4, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

Yet it is working to maintain freshness and relevance in the market by paying attention to the market

By Gary S. Vasilash

One of the aspects of vehicle ownership that probably doesn’t receive as much attention as it ought to is the act of ownership itself.

As in purchasing the vehicle. Then the on-going owning of the vehicle.

To be sure, the product itself has to be worth acquiring. Features, functions, capabilities and the like. Style and technology.

Lincoln, which is now predicated on a lineup of SUVs, is going to be launching an electric vehicle next year and will be offering a fully electrified lineup by 2030.

Lincoln is readying the launch of the Lincoln Intelligence System, a cloud-based system that provides extensive capabilities for its vehicles, including over-the-air updates.

Lincoln will soon be launching its Lincoln ActiveGlide hands-free driving system.

And there is more.

But one of the more interesting aspects of what Lincoln has been steadily doing is providing excellent customer—it calls its purchasers “clients”—service. According to a recent J.D. Power survey, Lincoln is number-one in sales satisfaction among luxury brands.

2022 Lincoln Navigator *(Image: Lincoln)*

It has developed what it calls the “Lincoln Way,” which is a customer-centric approach to the buying and ownership experience, which it is initially launching in China—an important market for the brand—and then will roll out in North America.

Michael Sprague is Lincoln’s North America Director, which means he is in charge of marketing, sales and service for the marque in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

And on this edition of “Autoline After Hours” Sprague talks to “Autoline’s” John McElroy and me about what Lincoln is doing to help increase the momentum that it is building with not only vehicles like the Navigator, but with its approach to the customer both during and after the sale.

Sprague is one of the most thoughtful and articulate people in the industry, so his observations about the brand—which will be 100 next year (at least will have been part of Ford for 100 years, since it was founded by Henry M. Leland in 1917, and he sold it to Ford in 1922. . .and it is worth noting that Leland had earlier founded another company: Cadillac)—are worthwhile for those with interest in the industry.

In addition to which, McElroy and I talk with Patrick Lindemann, president, Transmission Systems, E-Mobility, Schaeffler, and John Waraniak, CEO, Have Blue, about the Indy Autonomous Challenge, which will be run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 23.

This race will pit 10 vehicles, all Dallara AV-21s, that have been engineered by student teams from around the world, in a race with $1-million going to the winning team.

No, it will not go to the winning driver, because as the name of the race indicates, there are no drivers, this is an autonomous event.

And you can see all of this right here.

GM BrightDrop Announces EV600 Build

Posted on October 1, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

An approach to vehicle production at a fast rate: have someone else do it

By Gary S. Vasilash

General Motors is proud because in a rapidly changing industry, it shows that it can go fast.

“Getting our first electric vehicles on the streets in record time before another peak holiday shipping season is the best gift we could receive this year, especially when we consider the supply chain headwinds the world is facing right now,” said Travis Katz, BrightDrop president and CEO.

BrightDrop is the GM business that is developing products—such as electric delivery truck and associated material handling equipment—for companies like FedEx Express and Verizon.

The classification is “eLCV,” for “electric light delivery commercial vehicle.”

Katz is referring to the production of the EV600.

BrightDrop EV 600 *(Image :General Motors)*

From concept to development in 20 months.

Speaking of the build speed, Katz continued, “This is a strong statement to the market of how our unique operations setup, which marries the cutting-edge innovation, agility and focus of a technology startup with the scale and manufacturing might of a major automaker, can deliver real value to both customers and the planet.”

An interesting aspect of this.

The early builds of the EV600 were done for General Motors by automation supplier Kuka AG.

Perhaps that is the “unique operations setup.”

To be fair, GM will be building the EV600, the EV410 and possibly other vehicles at its CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The plant is currently being transformed for the production.

The first EV600 is expected to go off the line at CAMI in November 2022.

Or 13 months from now.

Leibovitz & Hyundai

Posted on September 30, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

Legendary photographer working with the car company

By Gary S. Vasilash

For those of a certain age, Annie Leibovitz is synonymous with some of the most classic covers of Rolling Stone of all time—when Rolling Stone was a journal that had massive resonance among those who were seriously interested in music.

Things change.

And now Annie Leibovitz is partnering with. . .Hyundai.

Annie Leibovitz for Hyundai. *(Image: Hyundai)*

She has shot eight Hyundai owners and 17 employees that are meant to “humanize the Hyundai brand,” according to Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America.

Leibovitz is quoted about her motivation for what is being shown on HyundaiJourneys.com, “I grew up looking at the world through the frame made by the window of our family’s car. My dad equated driving with being alive, with living. When I was a young photographer, in the seventies, being on the road was at the heart of my work. I used time in the car as a think tank. It was so freeing. There were so many incredible stories with this project.”

The work speaks for itself.

But it is a long way from John & Yoko.

A Car, Not the Bond Film

Posted on September 29, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

Rolls-Royce getting somewhat closer to its first EV

By Gary S. Vasilash

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (to give the full name its due) announced today that it is on the precipice (sounds fancier than “edge”) of testing its first full electric vehicle, named “Spectre.”

According to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, this is “an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first – and finest – super-luxury product of its type.”

Yes, it is absolutely true that it will be the first product of its type, as it will probably be the type.

As this is an electric vehicle (in disguise), presumably the smoke is supposed to evoke the name, “Spectre.” *(Image: Rolls-Royce)*

Citing the history of the company for some sort of presumed advantage in the EV space, Müller-Ötvös noted, “it was Charles Rolls who truly prophesied an electrified future for automobiles. In April 1900 he experienced an early electric motor car named the Columbia and declared its electric drive to be ideal.”

While that is certainly notable and impressive, that was also 121 years ago.

What’s taken Rolls (the company, not the man) so long?

And given that deliveries are expected to commence (better sounding than “start,” eh?) not until the fourth quarter of 2023, roughly two years from now, by which time it is hard to imagine that there won’t be EVs from essentially every automotive company on the planet, the excitement seems a bit, shall we say, outré.

Acura NSX Sets Track Record in Long Beach

Posted on September 28, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

Perhaps it is home track advantage. Or the paint.

By Gary S. Vasilash

A 2022 Acura NSX Type S, driven by Ricky Taylor of Wayne Taylor Racing, who happens to drive an Acura in IMSA racing, set a record for a production car on the street course in Long Beach, California, which happens to be the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach circuit.

He lapped the two-mile course in 1:32:784, besting the 2019 record time set by Peter Cunningham of 1:35:663. Cunningham also drove an Acura.

Ricky Taylor setting a record on the streets of Long Beach in an Acura NSX Type S. *(Image: Acura)*

The car that Taylor drove—realize that this is a car that you can get at your local Acura dealer—produces 600 hp and 492 lb-ft of torque.

And it is a hybrid. (Makes you rethink the econo-characteristics of hybrid powertrains, eh?)

It is worth noting that they’re going to produce a total of 350 Type S models this, the NSX’s final year, of which 300 will be available in the U.S.

So maybe you should head on down to your dealer at Ricky Taylor speed.

One more thing about the record-setting car: the color it is painted is Long Beach Blue Pearl.

Coincidence?

AlixPartners Describe Auto Reality

Posted on September 27, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

The consulting firm couldn’t be much more clear

By Gary S. Vasilash

“Of course, everyone had hoped that the chip crisis would have abated more by now, but unfortunate events such as the COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia and continued problems elsewhere have exacerbated things,” said Mark Wakefield, global co-leader of the automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners.

Certainly, that was the case. The chip crisis continues to make the forecourts of new vehicle dealership look like basketball courts: empty.

The comment about the COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia is a bit surprising.

Who knew that Malaysia had a role to play in the production of a crossover in Michigan?

Keep that in mind when people talk about (1) supply chains and (2) how there is truly a global network in goods. Those chains are long and those networks are complex.

AlixPartners’ Wakefiled continued:

“Also, chips are just one of a multitude of extraordinary disruptions the industry is facing—including everything from resin and steel shortages to labor shortages. There’s no room for error for automakers and suppliers right now; they need to calculate every alternative and make sure they’re undertaking only the best options.”

That’s resin as in the stuff used to make all of those plastic components that are part and parcel of vehicles. Steel shortages that are driving up the price of this ferrous material (shortages are contributing to rising sticker prices; no surprise there). And labor shortages just aren’t affecting that local restaurant down the street. Seems like workers everywhere have disappeared like that scene in the Marvel movie when the bad guy snapped his fingers.

As for the best options: Seems like OEMs are producing the high-ticket vehicles so as to maximize their venue potential.

A question, however, is whether this isn’t going to have some problems down the proverbial road assuming that the supply chain and network problems are resolved and there are people sitting there with exceedingly expensive vehicles in their driveways and exceedingly long payment schedules for said vehicles.

Euros to Make More EV Batteries

Posted on September 24, 2021 by shinymetalboxes

Mercedes joins Stellantis and TotalEnergies

By Gary S. Vasilash

If nothing else, you’ve got to give General Motors credit for naming the jv company it is running with LG Chem for electric vehicle battery development “Ultium,” because it sounds like something from the Marvel Universe, which isn’t an entirely bad thing when it comes to attracting younger buyers for the EVs GM will have in dealerships.

Contrast that name with a Europe-based battery company, one that had been established by Stellantis and TotalEnergies (the company that used to be simply named “Total” before it recognized the need to expand its portfolio beyond petroleum) and has now been joined by Mercedes-Benz:

Automotive Cells Company.

Hope no one stayed up too late at night trying to come up with that.

They should have had the packaging designers work on the name because it is suitably of-the-moment. *(Image: ACC)*

ACC is also being supported by the French, German and European authorities because they don’t want Europe to be left behind when it comes to battery tech.

The company is still young, having been established in August 2020. With the addition of Mercedes, the investment is on the order of seven billion euros. Each company has a one-third equity stake.

By 2030 it may be making 120 GWh’s worth of batteries.

Given that both Stellantis and Mercedes have aggressive EV plans, they’re going to need capacity.