The starting price of an Aston Martin is on the order of $144,000.
Just as its buyers are well-heeled, one might imagine that the company itself is, as well.
But no OEM can’t use some additional funding, particularly in the area of R&D.
Aston Martin has been awarded £6 million of UK Government funding.
Forthcoming Aston Martin Valhalla. (Image: Aston Martin)
The grant, which is going through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) UK, is for the development of lightweight, 100% recycled aluminum castings to be used in future Aston Martin vehicles.
Explains Roberto Fedeli, Group Chief Technology Officer of Aston Martin:
“The award of funding from the APC is a major boost to Project PIVOT, which seeks to leverage advanced metal solidification and digital-twin simulations to manufacture low-carbon alloys which will ultimately uplift the level of recycled content we feature in Aston Martin models.”
Presumably whatever it is that the company comes up with will be shared with other British OEMs.
After all, £6 million of government money is, well, £6 million of government money.
Several years ago, when I was covering advanced automotive manufacturing technologies, Volvo invariably came to the fore in one area: Laser welding.
I can’t think of a conference where there were presenters from other companies talking about that subject.
While you might be thinking, “Erm, ah, good for Volvo. Good for laser manufacturers,” it really is significant in terms of the product.
Typically, vehicles are assembled with spot welds.
And the spot welds go along a seam like this:
• • • • • • •
Laser welds go like this:
______________________________________________
Or sometimes there are spaces:
______________ _______________ _______________
The point being that the long(er) laser welds are superior to the spots make with resistance welders.
And again you’re thinking, “Gee, that’s just swell for manufacturers, but I’m not a builder or a welder, so. . . .”
Why I bring this up is because lasers provide a better build.
One of the consequences of this is encompassed in statements like this:
“Safety is at the core of everything we do at Volvo Cars. As part of our company’s longstanding commitment to safety, we constantly strive to raise safety levels. The Volvo XC90 reflects our safety legacy, and we are proud it was recognized by the IIHS given our shared dedication to the advancement of automotive safety with the goal of reducing traffic related deaths and injuries.”
That’s Mike Cottone, Head of USA and Canada at Volvo Cars, this past August after the XC90 received a 2024 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Volvo XC90 Recharge: A PHEV SUV with lots to like. (Image: Volvo)
Among the reasons why the vehicle did well are:
Solid structural performance in the updated moderate overlap test
Excellent passenger protection for the driver
Good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side tests
All of this goes to the point of how the vehicle is put together.
Of course, it isn’t just about the welding (and I don’t know the extent to which lasers are used), but the types of materials used in construction. And again, I recall Volvo presenters being ahead of the curve when it came to discussions of things like boron steels.
To be sure, a stronger structure is a safer structure. And using the right materials can help assure that the structure is stronger where it needs to be.
Yes, but. . .
No one likely buys a premium midsize SUV thinking, “Yes, I think I’ll get this because when I get into an accident I’ll be safer.”
But that safety is an advantage, even if it isn’t thought about.
There is a characteristic that all of this leads to that is experienced each time you’re behind the wheel of an XC90, one that is highly satisfying: It feels solid. Substantial.
And going back to the “right materials,” it doesn’t feel like something that is overbuilt and wallowing.
It feels right.
Hush
What’s more, there is something that the structure brings that’s less: noise.
Think of the silent solidity of a vault and compare it to something like a mobile home.
A huge difference.
And when in this trim level, that structural silence makes the 1410-Watt, 19-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system sound all the better.
Power & economy
The XC90 Recharge, which has seating for six or seven (depending on the type of seats selected), is a plug-in hybrid. Which essentially means that when the battery is charged up the SUV has the ability to travel up to 32 miles on electricity alone. But once that’s depleted, then the vehicle operates as a hybrid, meaning the turbocharged four-cylinder engine works in concert with an AC motor: together there is a system horsepower of 455.
Yes, this vehicle moves with alacrity when needed.
A word about fuel economy. Because it can go on electricity alone, there is an EPA rating of 58 MPGe. Then there is the gasoline-alone rating, which the EPA has at 27 mpg combined. Conceivably you could go 530 miles with a full lithium-ion battery and a full fuel tank. Unless you are fairly diligent you’re probably going to let that battery run down and simply operate the vehicle as a hybrid most of the time.
In a Detroit-Chicago round trip I got an average of 25 mpg, lower than the EPA estimation, but given factors like the air conditioner working hard to deal with the ambient temperatures and the wildly fluctuating speeds predicated on extensive I-94 construction, I was more than pleased, premium gasoline notwithstanding.
To the point of several hours behind the wheel I found the seat (heated (didn’t need) and ventilated (did)) to be both supportive and comfortable. While there is Google built-in and accessed through a nine-inch touchscreen well integrated into the IP, I used CarPlay for Waze rather than Google Maps and listened to Spotify.
Sizable
While I was on a quick trip and certainly didn’t need it, there is a cargo capacity of up to 85.7 cubic feet.
The vehicle is 195 inches long, 69.9 inches high, 84.3 inches wide (with mirrors), and has a 117.5-inch wheelbase, which means it is sizable, yet it was easy to drive in congested Chicago traffic and in comparatively compact parking structures. (The blind-spot information system helps with the former and a four camera system for a 360-degree view around the vehicle the latter.)
The long run
The starting MSRP for the top-of-the-line Ultra trim is $80,895.
Which brings me back to some of those manufacturing conferences.
Another topic that was frequently discussed was the “life-cycle assessment.” When it came to investment in things—say laser welding equipment—while the upfront cost might be more, when considered over the life of the system, it very well could be more economical than something that was less expensive at the start.
I suspect that someone investing in the XC90 Recharge is going to have it for a long time. Consequently, spread out over a number of years, that initial price is more than made up for—especially when the attributes of the vehicle are taken into account.
Generally, when offices are moved around in an organization so that someone gets someone else’s job, who then gets another, it is treated like a series of internal moves.
And if as part of that movement there’s a decision made to change some of the focus of the individual operations, that tends to be an emendation to the titles of the people who have moved.
But at BMW Group, changes that will become effective October 1 for several members of the design team, the company is making much ado about it.
There is a substantiative change (beyond the one for whatever company has the contract to print business cards, because that company will have a nice contract): Maximillian Missoni, who recently left Polestar, is joining the BMW Design team.
The rationale for (1) consolidating Colour and Material Design across all the brands and (2) dividing the brand team into two studios (this is a bit vague, however, as tehre seem to be a studio for compact and mid-size vehicles and upper mid-size and luxury vehicles, although there is still Rolls-Royce Design) is, says Adrian van Hooydonk:
“Technology and customer preferences are currently changing faster than ever. Automotive design has become more diverse. Designing digital experiences and sound also plays an increasingly important role, along with sustainable and recycled materials. The design showcases all the innovative potential of our products and brands. That’s why, more than ever, every single detail matters, as well as the holistic and harmonious integration of the various elements.”
Fifty-three percent of people in the Netherlands—people who are from ages 18 to 64—ride a bike at least twice a week for transportation, according to a Statista survey.
Rounding out the top three are Poland at 36% and Germany at 34%.
And in the top 10 the U.S. comes in at nine, with 16% of adult bike riders. (And in case you are curious: Korea is number 10, at 12%.)
Which probably explains why Bosch, which is headquartered in Gerlingen, Germany, is bullish on bikes.
eBikes.
And they are taking it still further.
Bosch is bringing AI to eBikes. (Image: Bosch)
“We’re confident that Connected Biking is the future. Only by merging the physical riding experience with the digital world can the full potential of our eBike systems be realized. With the integration of AI, we are taking the next logical step in developing and creating priceless added value for eBike riders: Mile by mile, the eBike learns more and unnoticed, becomes a smart and connected companion along the way.”–Gregor Dasbach, Vice President Digital Business at Bosch eBike Systems.
Bosch has developed what it calls the “eBike Flow” app that provides riders with specific information about their journey.
There’s AI-based Range Control that allows a rider to know precisely how much battery charge will remain in the bike after reaching a destination that has been programmed into the nav. While that may not seem all that clever, this takes into account factors including the overall weight (bike + rider), elevation along the route, and riding behavior based on previous rides. Yes, this is something predicated on having used the system.
Then there’s an array of post-ride stats available to the rider, such as the amount of braking during a ride, including, for those bikes equipped with Bosch ABS, how many times the ABS was activated.
Clearly, those who are serious about their biking would be interested in things like that.
Perhaps eBikes will become an alternative means of transportation for more Americans as there are systems like this that can provide higher degrees of confidence that they can get where they need to be when they need to be there.
What do Aretha Franklin, Edsel Ford, Rosa Parks, and John and Horace Dodge all have in common?
They’re buried in the same cemetery, Woodlawn, in Detroit.
The Dodge brothers had some other interesting connections while still on the upper side of the ground.
In 1901, the bros moved from Niles, Michigan to Detroit to open a machine shop (it is surprising they didn’t move to someplace like South Bend, Indiana, because there was a non-trivial amount of machining going on there back then; in 1906 two other brothers, John and Miles O’Brien, established South Bend Lathes, which became the world’s largest producer of lathes for a period,and numbered Henry Ford among its customers).
They were contacted by Ransom E. Olds, who had a fire in his factory and required some transmissions, which the Dodge brothers supplied.
Henry Ford put the Dodge brothers under contract in 1903. Henry had to pay the Dodges with stock when he was having some financial difficulties. That stock was then used by the brothers so that in 1914 Dodge Brothers was formed.
Remember when people talked about the COVID pandemic in relation to the so-called “Spanish flu” outbreak in 2018?
Both of the Dodge brothers contracted the flu (and pneumonia) in 1918. Both of the brothers died in 1920.
Their company was sold to an investment bank, which sold it to Chrysler in 1928. At that time, Chrysler Corporation, was just three years old.
The brothers were featured in a series of TV ads in 2014-15 for vehicles including the Dodge Charger, showing that they were non-conformists who were interested in performance.
Which, 104 years after they physically passed, is something that is part and parcel of the company.
2025 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Hammerhead: presumably the thing that John and Horace Dodge might take out for a spin. (Image Dodge)
Which is exemplified by the 2025 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Hammerhead special-edition introduced earlier this week.
Perhaps all that need be said about that SUV is that it is powered by a 710-hp HEMI.
And as we have taken a massive historical trail to get to that vehicle, it is notable that the Durango, which is in normal fitment essentially a three-row family-hauler, was first equipped with a HEMI in 2004, or 20 years ago.
How it is going to leverage manufacturing to advantage
By Gary S. Vasilash
Ostensibly the briefing was to see up-close-and-personal the Acura Performance EV Concept which had only otherwise been shown during Monterey Car Week.
Who doesn’t want to see what is likely to be very similar to the electric vehicle that is going to go into production in Ohio in late 2025?
Acura Performance EV Concept. (Image: gsv)
Two points about the concept:
It is a concept vehicle, something that is becoming less and less common in the industry today—because of the time, effort, energy, and investment made in these full-scale models. Sure, there could be the argument made that this can all be done digitally. But Honda and Acura have those digital tools, too, and there is something to be said for a physical model.
Dave Marek, who is executive advisor for Design for Honda R&D and Global Honda (which essentially means he’s the go-to guy for design considerations across the company), points out that Honda and Acura typically hew rather closely to their concepts when it comes to production vehicles, so the Acura Performance EV Concept, which he says features “hydrodynamic design” principles—think “superyacht”—may be something rolling off the line at what is being called the “Honda EV Hub.”
Which brings us to the second part of this, which is an explanation of the strategy and the tactics of the EV Hub by Mike Fischer, who is the lead on the project and an executive chief engineer to boot.
First of all, the “Hub” is not a singular place.
Rather, Honda is retooling the Marysville Auto Plant, the East Liberty Auto Plant, and the Anna Engine plant to have the capabilities to produce EVs in a highly efficient manner that produces high quality, consumer-valuable products, processes that are both human- and environmentally-friendly.
But here’s the thing, and not something that Fischer and his colleagues just came up with during the past few months when EV sales softened.
Fischer explains that this “reimagining of Honda manufacturing” is something that is predicated on flexibility.
So they are developing production capability that will allow them to build EVs, hybrids, and ICE-vehicles all on the same line.
(One way this will be accommodated is by having feeder lines that will do the subassemblies for the varying types of vehicles that then feed into the main line.)
Yes, they are developing a dedicated EV platform that will allow various models to be derived from it.
Yes, they are installing 6,000-ton high-pressure diecasting machines—there will be six of them—in the Anna plant to perform “megacasting” of the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) case; the case houses the battery and associated electronics and functions as part of the vehicle platform.
But what’s notable is that in this undertaking, which the company is investing more than $5-billion and which will serve as a model for Honda facilities around the world, Honda is getting back to its manufacturing roots in essentially taking a clean-sheet approach to the way things are done.
While product certainly matters, the ability to produce those products so that they meet customer demands—cost, quality, availability—is something that Honda has shown itself to be superb at over the years, so while some argue that it is comparatively late to the game in terms of EVs, the flexible manufacturing capability Fischer and his team are developing will more than make up for any delay—and will provide Honda and Acura with the powertrain options that its customers are looking for.
That will put it not merely in the game, but quite possibly ahead of it.
There’s a whole lot of plastic pollution in the Pacific. Kia is supporting its removal. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
(Image: Kia)
That, of course, is a ship. An ocean-going ship. Specifically, the System 03. It is operated by The Ocean Cleanup.
It is here because it is supported by Kia.
The System 03, in the photo, is sailing in to the Port of San Francisco.
Its predecessor, the System 01, went on its maiden voyage from San Francisco six years ago.
Both ships didn’t travel on some sort of cruise where there are endless cocktails, second-tier entertainment, vast quantities of food, and people suffering everything from sun stroke to mal de mer.
It didn’t sail to some exotic private island.
Rather, they traveled to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP).
Which is a floating accumulation of mainly plastic debris.
This isn’t some simple eye sore.
It has a surface area estimated to measure 1.6 million square kilometers.
That’s twice the size of Texas. (Or for recent Olympic fans: three times the size of France.)
While some people might think that that is nothing more than a proverbial spit in the ocean, the Pacific measures 165.3 million kilometers, so that 1.6 million, while a small percentage, is still sizably not good.
The Ocean Cleanup ships have conducted 23 trips and more than 100 plastic extractions.
This has resulted in the removal of more than a million pounds of plastics (and presumably whatever gets snagged in it).
That’s 0.5% of the floating pollution removed.
Which means 99.5% by mass of the massive floating trash-berg.
Kia is not only being a good global citizen with this support. It is also being one by targeting 20% of the plastics in its vehicles being from recycled sources by 2030.
(Yes, it is using recycled plastics now, for things including carpet and seat fabrics.)
Extended range electric vehicles are just the thing for engine manufacturers. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
Not only is there an array of electric vehicles of all sizes and price points rolling out of Chinese factories, another type of “New Energy Vehicle,” the Chinese government’s term for things that are electrified, that is also proliferating is the extended range electric vehicle (EREV).
Essentially an EREV is like a plug-in hybrid. It uses an internal combustion engine, electric motor and battery. The engine doesn’t turn the wheels, the electric motor does. The engine performs as a generator, adding power to the battery.
If you’re in a company that produces internal combustion engines then hybrids—including EREVs—are ideal because they require what you’re producing, unlike a full battery electric vehicle that sees engines as nothing more than tech that has passed its sell-by date.
HORSE is a company that makes engines. It used to be the powertrain operations of Renault Group. A decision was made to hew it off from the company.
And Geely, the Chinese OEM that is making EVs, EREVs, and other electrified vehicle variants, invested in HORSE.
Renault owns 45%. Geely owns 45%.
The remaining 10%
Aramco. Yes, the petroleum company.
EVs don’t need liquid fuels. Things with engines do.
HORSE is working with Marcopolo, the largest bus manufacturer in South America, and WEG, a Brazilian manufacturer of electronics.
The Volare Attack 9 microbus for the South American market is powered by a range extender (a.k.a., internal combustion engine that operates like a generator). (Image: HORSE)
They’ve developed the Volare Attack 9 microbus.
It is an EREV. And its engine will be powered by bioethanol. It’s a 85-kW turbo 1.0-litre, three-cylinder.
The bus, which is to become available in 2026, will have a range of 280 miles.
Certainly a good thing for a microbus.
Patrice Haettel, Chief Executive Officer at HORSE, said: “We hope this will be the start of what will be a range of sustainable solutions using this technology to debut in the region and beyond.”
Yes, more range extenders.
Presumably Geely’s EREV expertise has more than a little to do with the powertrain in the Volare Attack 9.
And the propulsion system makes a lot of sense for those who are not ready to fully embrace electric vehicles or for whom EVs simply don’t make sense.
EREVs in the U.S.?
Wait until next year. Ram will bring out the Ram 1500 Ramcharger to kick things off.
Seems curious how traditional OEMs are lagging in what is likely to become an ever-more important space.
You might recognize the building in the background. BMW headquarters in Munich. The four cylindrical towers (partially obscured here) that are meant to resemble the four cylinders in a combustion engine.
Then you look at the vehicles. The one on the left and the center are from Toyota, a Hilux and a Mirai; the one on the right a BMW iX5.
All of these vehicles are powered by hydrogen.
The two gents are Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG (left) and Koji Sato, President and Member of the Board of Management (Representative Director) Toyota Motor Corporation.
The two are shaking on their further partnership in the development of fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology.
Toyota has had FCEVs available to consumers.
Soon—or at least by 2028—the same will be said of BMW.
Zipse:
“This is a milestone in automotive history: the first-ever series production fuel cell vehicle to be offered by a global premium manufacturer. Powered by hydrogen and driven by the spirit of our cooperation, it will underscore how technological progress is shaping future mobility. And it will herald an era of significant demand for fuel cell electric vehicles.”
Whether that demand is going to become real remains to be seen.
Sato makes a solid point, one that other OEM execs probably wish they could make, even though they were probably feeling really good when Toyota was being criticized for not going all-in on battery electric vehicles:
“In our long history of partnership, we have confirmed that BMW and Toyota share the same passion for cars and belief in ‘technology openness’ and a ‘multi-pathway’ approach to carbon neutrality.”
For the foreseeable future, there isn’t going to be one approach to reducing carbon and those legacy OEMs that recognize that will be the market leaders.
Looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint. . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
While there is currently some concern in the U.S. about the consequents of wind turbines, a clever alternative that collects wind energy with no visible moving parts. BMW Group is trying it out at its MINI plant in Oxford, U.K.
The wind energy unit, developed by Aeromine Technologies, is located on top of a building toward the prevailing wind.
There are wing-like vertical airfoils in the unit. These create a vacuum and suck the air into the unit where an internal propeller spins to create electricity
As it is contained, there is little likelihood that there would be an abundance of birds meeting an untimely end.
Rather than the familiar wind turbine design, that white box-like object is fitted with vertical airfoils that draw in air and an internal propeller to generate electricity. It is said to be quiet and friendlier to the avian population. BMW is piloting the unit from Aeromine Technologies at its plant in Oxford, U.K. (Image: BMW)
The pilot project at the plant is on the body shop building, which has had solar panels on its roof for 10 years.
The rationale for trying out the wind power is because the solar panels are less effective during the evening and winter, when apparently there is an abundance of wind.
BMW Group’s engagement with Aeromine came through the company’s “BMW Startup Garage,” which works to connect BMW business units with startup companies.
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