“A cumulative national capital investment of $53-$127 billion in charging infrastructure is needed by 2030 (including private residential charging) to support 33 million PEVs.” That’s according to a report from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), “The 2030 National Charging Network: Estimating U.S. Light-Duty Demand for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.”
The ”PEV” is for “plug-in electric vehicle.”
The way the NREL figures it, there will be:
26.8 million Level 1 and Level 2 chargers at single-family homes, multifamily properties and workplaces
182,000 fast-charging ports on highways and within local communities
1 million Level 2 ports in high-density neighborhood, office buildings and retail outlets.
That is quite a span in the estimated spend to put in all those chargers.
Note that much of the investment will be made by individual homeowners. There is the cost of the equipment, the cost of an electrician, the cost of things an electrician will find when making the installation, and, if there is Level 2 rather than Level 1, then the probable need to get 240-Volts to the garage, and. . . .
It is likely to be more than a grand.
But let’s say all of that is done. Let’s say that the $53-$127 billion has been spent.
All good, right?
Well, there is something else in the report that probably deserves considerably more attention:
“The cost of grid upgrades and distributed energy resources have been excluded from these estimates. While these excluded costs can be significant in many cases and will ultimately be critical in building out the national charging network, they tend to be site specific and have been deemed out of scope for this analysis.”
“Significant” means “a whole, whole lot” on top of the aforementioned billions.
Automotive business plans nowadays tend to have a title, perhaps in order to make investors think that the OEMs really have something going on because of their naming method.
Nissan has been running its Nissan NEXT business plan from FY 2020 to FY 2023.
It has its long-term Nissan Ambition 2030 waiting in the wings.
This past week it announced The Arc, which is a bridge between the two.
In announcing it, Makoto Uchida, Nissan president and CEO, said, “This plan will enable us to go further and faster in driving value and competitiveness. Faced with extreme market volatility, Nissan is taking decisive actions guided by the new plan to ensure sustainable growth and profitability.”
At its basis it is about selling more vehicles. Vehicles that are more profitable for the company.
Which is pretty much what any OEM wants to do.
So it is going to roll out 30 new models—16 electrified (which means they can be hybrids) and 14 ICE—during the next three years, then from FY 2024 to 2030 there are plans for a total 34 electrified vehicles.
On a global basis Nissan anticipates that 40% of its global sales will be electrified vehicles, then 60% by 2030.
A few days after The Arc was announced Nissan made another announcement, which is that it is going to continue in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship racing series “until at least 2030, reinforcing its Ambition 2030 electrification plans”
Presumably the thought is that if it is seen as a leader in electric vehicle racing customers will figure that it has the chops when it comes to consumer EVs, too.
And, of course, there is the obligatory comment about how there is technology transfer from the race track to the street, which a high-level powertrain engineer at a competitive company recently told me is more rhetoric than reality, given the difference in what the requirements are for the types of vehicles.
Maybe what companies really need to do is come out with a plan called “The Best,” and simply say “We are going to make the best damn vehicles for our customers, period.”
That might focus their efforts on what really matters.
“The simple fact is, no matter how skilled the driver, speed affects both the likelihood of a crash and the severity of crash injuries. High speeds leave a driver less time to react, less room to brake and less chance of surviving the force of a potential crash. Why are we promoting car sales by glorifying speed?”—Chuck Farmer, vp, Research & Statistical Services, IIHS
Likelihood and severity: 300,000 auto-related injuries in the U.S.; 12,000 deaths related to speed.
Farmer wrote a piece on the IIHS website calling into question OEM advertising that is predicated on “glorifying speed.”
He notes: “One might suppose that the viewer is aware enough to separate fantasy from reality, and we all know that speeding is dangerous.”
Do we?
“We’re all above-average drivers.”
And live in Lake Woebegon.
“We would never try to imitate the extreme stunt driving seen in the ads.”
We might not, but what about the kid down the street?
“But might we be tempted to push the boundaries of speed just a bit?”
Might the sun rise tomorrow?
Listen to the rhetoric surrounding electric vehicles. You’ll undoubtedly hear about its performance—as in torque and speed, not as in savings of electricity over gas or in the improved emissions performance.
“Buy and EV because it is really quick.”
Farmer:
“Today’s vehicles are more reliable, more efficient, more comfortable and safer than ever before. Shouldn’t that be enough of a selling point?”
According to Merriam-Webster luxury is defined as “something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary” and “an indulgence in something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease.”
Premium is “of exceptional quality.”
While purveyors of vehicles that are beyond the mainstream certainly want those vehicles to be considered “luxury vehicles,” I’d argue that with few exceptions (e.g., a Bugatti or Rolls-Royce) “premium vehicles” is a better moniker.
It’s not that premium vehicles don’t provide pleasure or comfort or satisfaction or ease, but generally they are necessary (i.e., people need to get somewhere; these are not necessarily vehicles that are weekend-only) and consequently they must be of “exceptional quality.”
Exceptional
And an excellent example of that is the Acura TLX Type S, the top-of-the-line version of the sport sedan.
This car has a 3.0-liter turbo V6 under its hood that produces 355 hp and is mated to a 10-speed automatic.
This car has sport seats with Milano leather with Ultrasuede inserts that help hold on in the seat when that engine is put to work.
Capable
This car has the Acura-exclusive Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system, which may have an awkward name, but which makes the performance of the car anything but, as it transfers torque—based on an array of inputs, from steering angle to throttle position to g-forces to. . .—from the front to the rear (as much as 70% of the torque can be transferred to the back) as well as from side to side, depending on conditions.
Which brings me back to the notion of “exceptional quality.”
Credible
Here is a vehicle that can go, according to Car and Driver, from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds that has an array of amenities—ranging from a superb ELS Studio 3D audio system to Brembo brakes that not only are functional but, peeking out from within the alloy wheels, telegraph the seriousness of the performance of the car—that can comfortably fit a family and, as it is built at the legendary Honda Marysville Assembly Plant (the engine is built at the nearby Anna (Ohio) Engine Plant), one has the confidence that there is build quality, as well as the quality associated with the visible craftsmanship on how everything thing goes together, from the panel gaps on the exterior to the stitching on the interior.
The TLX Type S starts at $57,000. For most people, I suspect, that is in the category of “luxury.”
But definitions notwithstanding, this is a car that looks good, drives well, and will probably provide many miles of confident driving, whether that’s throwing it through the proverbial curves or taking the kids to school.
Although some people are on pins and needles and potential massive tariffs regarding Chinese vehicles coming to America, in Europe, where there is active concern on behalf of some of the OEMs on that subject, things are really not all that whelming, over- or otherwise. At least not yet.
According to Schmidt Automotive Research, during January and February, the shares of the Western European market are:
13.3% Japanese OEMs
7.8% Korean OEMs
2.9% Chinese OEMs
However. . .
When looked at from the point of battery electric vehicles, the “Chinese model volumes combined share was 3x as large.”
So clearly Chinese OEMs are gaining some traction in the Western European market when it comes to that tech.
One interesting aspect of the penetration of Chinese vehicles of all powertrain types there is which country is most interested in acquiring them:
Italy.
Of the ~52,000 Chinese vehicles sold during the first two months, Italy took some 12,000 of them.
Which probably doesn’t make the folks at Fiat feel good.
On March 22 Bentley Motors announced that Adrian Hallmark, who had been chairman and CEO of the company since 2018, was leaving the company.
Adrian Hallmark: From one lux Brit brand to aonther. (Image: Bentley)
Evidently he left under good conditions as Gernot Döllner, chairman of the executive board of Audi and responsible for the Progressive Brand Group, which includes Lamborghini, Bentley and Ducati, within the Volkswagen Group, said, “I would like to thank Adrian Hallmark for his significant commitment over the last years and wish him well in his personal and professional future.”
That professional future was defined quickly.
On March 22 Aston Martin announced that Adrian Hallmark would be joining the company as executive director and CEO, starting no later than October 1.
Generally there is a bit of a gap between the announcement of one’s departure and one’s arrival.
But that’s certainly not the case with Hallmark. Odds are he will have his stuff moved from Crewe to Gaydon in far fewer than some seven months.
Hallmark said about his departure: “Bentley has had a great influence on me. To redefine luxury mobility for the future with such a strong brand is a task that I took on with full commitment and great pleasure. The time has now come for me to turn to new challenges. I would like to express warm thanks to the entire Bentley team for all that we have achieved together in the last few years.”
And of his arrival: “The transformation of Aston Martin is one of the most exciting projects within the ultra-luxury automotive industry. I am looking forward to continuing the Company’s great momentum and utilizing my experience and passion to further unleash this iconic brand’s potential and take it to even greater success.”
Sounds like his previous gig was a bit easier than his new one will be.
When someone describes something as “most exciting” that generally means “this is going to be really hard.”
As the outdoor season is soon to breakout throughout the U.S. it the folks at Premier Food Trucks (PFT) have announced a new vehicle that’s targeted at purveyors of things like elephant ears and other carnival delicacies.
Get ready for that summer scene. (Image: Premier Food Trucks)
Brandon Williams, President of Manufacturing at PFT:
“This isn’t a typical food truck – it’s a celebration on wheels. We always have fun designing our trucks, but this one was particularly cool to make. It allowed us to really stretch our creative muscles and put some excitement into the overall look – using bright colors and flashing lights to accentuate the carnival party vibe. It’s also designed to handle the greater demands of this type of catering, making our latest build one that combines the party spirit with important practicality.”
While some people might roll their eyes like a Tilt-a-Whirl at Williams’ comments—“C’mon,” they think, “it is 2024 Ford F-59 22-foot step van with a kitchen on top”—his rhetoric is almost clinically objective compared with some of the proclamations made by automotive OEM executives about the latest variation on whatever it is that they’re introducing, even though it seems a whole lot like the one they introduced before.
Presently OEMs are in the process of cutting costs. Not only are they prone to the issues that face all of us when we go shopping for goods and services, but they are also investing big-rig quantities of cash on electrification and autonomy, two things that are not only incredibly costly, but which have yet to form an income stream, just an out-going gush.
One of the ways of cutting costs is to reduce what’s technically known as “build complexity” or more simply known as “reducing the number of options available.”
By offering, say, five packages (variations on seat materials, audio systems, shiny bits, etc.) rather than 10, this means that there has to be fewer items sourced and then stored, fewer things that have to be handled in the factory.
Which brings us to Bentley Motors.
It announced its 2023 financials this week.
It posted revenue of €2.938 billion and operating profits of €589 million.
Its return on sales was 20.1%.
The company delivered 13,560 vehicles in 2023.
Adrian Hallmark, chairman and CEO of the company, said, “We took another big step forward on our strategy to focus on customer value rather than volume.”
Which can probably be interpreted as: “Rather than trying to move a whole lot of mental, we’ll focus on providing customers with things they want and are consequently willing to pay for.”
Which brings us back to build complexity.
Bentley’s lineup consists of the Flying Spur, Continental (GT and Convertible), and Bentayga.
Yet the company, though its Mulliner division, offers 46-billion build configurations.
It found that about 75% of its customers opted for specialization, a 43% increase over the number who did in 2022.
Kevin Kang talks about how global designers looked beyond the world of COVID to the one that we’re experiencing today—when more people want to get out in the world. Which have rise to the fifth-generation of the Santa Fe SUV.
(Images: Hyundai)
By Gary S. Vasilash
One of the things that COVID gave rise to is the design—inside and out—of the fifth-generation, 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe.
As Kevin Kang, Head of Department, Design, Hyundai Design North America, explains, the work on the project (code name: MX5) began in late 2019, and within a few months the design teams in the U.S., Korea and Europe were communicating with one another via digital means, including putting on virtual reality headsets (with individuals expressed as avatars) so the design-in-becoming could be viewed and manipulated.
Because they were all aware of the varying levels of lockdown that COVID was causing, the designers thought about the future, about what people would be interested in doing post-pandemic. And so research was conducted and it was determined, Kang recalls, that people would be more interested in getting out into the world.
Kevin Kang and his colleagues thought about a vehicle that would faciliate getting people out into the world with confidence and capability.
In some instances this going out would be a visit to Costco to load up on things rather than waiting for the Amazon truck to deliver. In other cases it would be spending some time at a camp site.
So they decided that they would work to develop a three-row, midsize SUV that would blur the boundaries between the two activities, combining create comforts with capability.
This led them to start at the back.
Kang explains that what makes an SUV an SUV is not how it appears from the front or the side, but it is all about the back. About the tailgate.
They maximized the opening.
Whereas the opening in the previous generation is 44.5 inches wide and 30 inches high, the ’24 Santa Fe’s opening is 50.2 inches wide and 32 inches wide.
The design team determined that the best place to start designing an SUV is from the hatch.
(One result of going so big and working to make it fully accessible: they had to lower the position of the brake lights.)
(One result of people working during COVID and using Clorox wipes with regularity on objects they’d have to hand: they put a UV sterilization tray above the glovebox: pop in your phone, close the lid and activate.)
The Best Box
To state the obvious, the ’24 Santa Fe is boxy. Both inside and out.
Kang: “We wanted to create the best-looking box ever.”
But this isn’t something that was done purely for reasons of styling.
Kang, again: “For me, a logical design is the superior one.”
(For those who might think that boxy on the outside rather than something sleek and swoopy means it is like trying to move a brick through the air, know that the drag coefficient for the new Santa Fe is 0.294. . .and the drag coefficient for the outgoing model is 0.33. And lower is better. However, it is worth noting that part of this aero efficiency is achieved through the use of something borrowed from the company’s IONIQ electric vehicles: active air flaps in the front fascia.)
Making Models
The designers who worked on the interior of the Santa Fe thought about things like what would be involved in going from home to a campsite. This would not necessarily be an A to B undertaking, but have intermediate stops that might be picking up kids from school, stopping at a supermarket, hitting a Starbucks. . .and then making it to the great out of doors.
All of which means acquiring things along the way and, in some instances, generating trash.
To figure this out in a logical manner the designers made one-fifth scale models of the interior of the vehicle as well as the stuff that would come along for the ride. This led them to creating spaces for things.
Like a large tray space in the center console that can be used to place things a fast-food to-go bag. (The shifter has been moved to the steering column and the cupholders moved back on the console.) And a drawer readily accessible to the second-row passengers (though it can be reached from the front) that could be used to toss trash.
And they addressed ergonomics, as well. For example, Kang says that they took a lesson from the cockpit of aircraft. In planes there are ledges around the screens for the instruments that the pilot can use to steady their hands during flight.
Providing a place to position one’s hand when using the touch screen.
So they designed what they call a “palm rest,” a trim piece that runs across the middle of the instrument panel with a slightly bigger surface below the infotainment screen: this allows someone to have stability when making selections from the screen.
Meanwhile, on the Exterior. . .
Going back to the exterior, Kang says that they worked to keep the greenhouse surfaces as flat as possible (again, the surface of a box). Of course, to provide a sense of ruggedness, there are fender bulges, though these are done in an interesting way: around the outer area of the flair there is a chamfer that goes into the surface of the vehicle which results in a more massive appearance of the surround as it bulges outward.
The trim in the rocker area of the Santa Fe is piano black, which is surprising on a vehicle that does have some offroad capabilities (there is an XRT trim that has a higher ground clearance than the other models—8.3 inches rather than 7.0 inches—which provides greater approach, departure and breakover angles, so for those inclined to go to campgrounds that are well off the proverbially beaten path, it is the trim to take). Kang says that while matte finishes might be preferable, consumers find that to look not particularly upscale: remember that the Santa Fe is designed for the daily suburban driver, as well.
The front of the Santa Fe has a horizontal LED lamp that stretches across the top grille, terminating in the headlamps. This forms a double “H” shape: the “H” that is formed where the horizontal bar meets the vertical lights on either side and an “H” that is formed by the headlamps that each have a pair of vertical lights.
Note the “H” shapes designed in the lighting and fascia.
Then on the fascia above the lower grille there is still another “H” formed with the body-colored material surrounded by darker trim.
While this reads as though it would be gaudy, it is actually more subtlety executed.
No Russian Dolls
Is this use of the “H” something that may show up on subsequent Hyundai vehicles?
Kang thinks not.
“We have collectively decided not to do the Russian-doll approach to design,” he says.
In the SUV lineup, for example, there is the Tucson smaller than the Santa Fe and the Palisade larger. But all three vehicles exhibit their own stylings.
Each vehicle has a design onto itself.
And this makes absolute sense. Globally, Kang points out, Hyundai has more than 60 different models.
Trying to make a family look for dozens of vehicles would probably be nothing more than an exercise in frustration.
While the first read on the ’24 Santa Fe may bring to mind the Land Rover Defender (arguably not a bad thing, especially as that vehicle starts at a price well above the sticker for the Santa Fe AWD hybrid with the top-of-the-line Calligraphy trim package), that sense quickly disperses as it is clear that given the detail outside and in, this is a vehicle that is clearly its own thing.
Those OEMs will al be using the in-vehicle computing platform that’s architected for generative AI applications, NVIDIA DRIVE Thor.
And there are:
NIO
Geely
NIO is using NVIDIA AI stacks for its in-cabin capabilities including Cabin Atmosphere Master and Vehicle Assistant.
Geely is using NVIDIA TensorRT-LLM , generative AI and large language model (LLM) tech, for personalized cabin experiences.
These were announced at the NVIDIA GTC conference this week in Silicon Valley.
What’s missing? Companies like Ford and GM.
It should be noted that other companies, including BMW and Mercedes, are using NVIDIA tech for their vehicles.
And that Danny Shapiro, NVIDIA vice president, Automotive, points out that non-listed OEMs use NVIDIA GPUs in their data centers.
NVIDIA DRIVE Thor (Image: NVIDIA)
DRIVE Thor, which will make its way into vehicles by next year, provides 1,000 teraflops of performance (with a teraflop being one trillion floating operations per second, and while that may not be meaningful in and of itself, clearly that’s a whole lot of processing capability).
To be fair, NVIDIA isn’t the only game in town, with competitors including Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and others. They may be providing the silicon to the OEMs not on the lists.
But it surely seems to be the case that as NVIDIA holds its massive GTC global technology event in San Jose this week there would be at least some announcement of automotive companies that aren’t based in China using the company’s processors.
While there is concern in the U.S. about low-cost Chinese EVs threatening the U.S. market at some point, there ought to be similar concern with highly capable Chinese EVs that are offering all manner of AI-enhanced features and functions doing the same.
NVIDIA, incidentally, is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, so it is not like U.S.-based OEMs would have to travel far to pay it a visit.
shinymetalboxes 