Kia Going Big

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By Gary S. Vasilash

While some people may continue to associate Kia with small(ish) vehicles—sedans and CUVs—the company has not only transformed itself into a leader when it comes to styling, but it has increased the size of what it has on offer.

An excellent example of this change is its EV9, which is not merely an electric vehicle, but a three-row EV. While you can find three-row crossovers at your local Ford (Explorer) and Chevy (Traverse), you can’t find a model with an electric propulsion system.

(And it is worth noting that the EV9, in its debut year, bested an array of other crossovers to be named the North American Utility Vehicle of the Year by NACTOY, no small feat.)

Kia PV5 in a ride-hailing configuration. (Image: Kia)

But even those who are familiar with the Kia lineup were undoubtedly taken by surprise at this year’s CES when the company introduced its “Platform Beyond Vehicle” (PBV) strategy, which is predicated on purpose-built EVs that are essentially commercial vehicles. (Which explains why it is showing off two of its PBV concepts—the PV5 and the PV7—at the Work Truck Week event that is occurring this week in Indianapolis.)

While commercial vehicles of the configuration of the Kias are common (though the styling of the Kias are uncommon), what’s interesting is that the company is proposing that there is a driver’s fixed cab on a platform and behind it a flat surface upon which upper bodies can be attached, depending on the use case.

Again, putting different boxes on the back of truck chassis is common, but Kia is proposing the “life modules” are attached with hybrid electromagnetic and mechanical coupling such that they can be readily replaced to take on different tasks.

Steve Center, COO and EVP of Kia America, said of the PBV approach: “Kia’s exciting foray into this important segment of the overall industry represents our steadfast commitment to the electrification of transportation and aligns perfectly with our Plan S strategy to become a global leader in sustainable mobility.”

Mobility that goes beyond moving people.

While still concepts, the company says the PV5 could hit the U.S. market in 2026.

Watch this brand.

Are There Enough Exclamation Points for EV Sales?

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By Gary S. Vasilash

This won’t garner any headlines:

78.81% of vehicle purchases in the U.S. in 2023 were for vehicles with gasoline engines, according to Experian’s “State of the Automotive Finance Market, Q4 2023.”

The number that will is:

8.55% of the vehicles purchased were electric vehicles.

But of that “purchase,” 30.7% of the EVs were leased, which is essentially renting with the option to buy, not outright obtaining (i.e., according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the verb purchase means “To acquire in exchange for payment in money or any equivalent; to buy.” And the way the Inflation Reduction Act is constructed, for many OEMs leases are the only way that consumers can get a $7,500 purchase incentive).

A number that also won’t get large type:

9.83% were hybrids.

That number alone is about 13% greater than the EV number.

But arguably the 2.02% of vehicles purchased in 2023 that were plug-in hybrids could be added to the hybrid number, which would go to 11.85%.

Odds are that hybrid number is going to continue to grow, as will the EV number, but even though it will continue to be higher than the EV number for the next several years, you can bet every rise in EV sales will continue to get outsized attention—until the novelty passes.

Green and Its Opposite

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By Gary S. Vasilash

Not surprisingly, opposite to green on the color wheel is red. . . .

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has released its annual GreenerCars assessment for 2024.

This is the study that shows the “greenist” car has a T on its hood, but it is not a Tesla.

Rather—based on factors including emissions from manufacturing and disposal of the vehicle, emissions from the vehicle, and the emissions from the production and distribution of the fuel or electricity—the vehicle in question is the Toyota Prius Prime SE, a plug-in hybrid.

(Amusingly, while Toyota has been chastised by some environmental organizations for being insufficiently aggressive in its efforts to develop and sell electric vehicles, the ACEEE list of “Greenist” vehicles includes 12. The entire list is:

  1. Toyota Prius Prime SE
  2. Lexus RZ 300e
  3. Mini Cooper SE
  4. Nissan Leaf
  5. Toyota bZ4X
  6. Toyota RAV4 Prime
  7. Hyundai Elantra Blue
  8. Hyundai Kona Electric
  9. Toyota Camry LE
  10. Kia EV6
  11. Toyota Corolla
  12. Hyundai Ioniq 5

(The RX 300e and the bZ4X are full battery electric vehicles. Like the Prius Prime, the RAV4 Prime is a plug-in hybrid. The Camry and Corolla are conventional hybrids. So not only do Toyota products take the top two positions, it has 50% of the list.

(Which makes it hard to square how it is allegedly a heel dragger, environmentally speaking.)

What is perhaps more fascinating than the Greenist list is the “Meanest” list. The vehicles that are the worst-performing mass-market vehicles from an environmental point of view.

GMC HUMMER EV SUV: and you might have thought that all EVs are “green.” (Image: GMC)

They are:

  1. Mercedes AMG G63
  2. Ram 1500 TRX 4×4
  3. Ford F-150 Raptor R
  4. Cadillac Escalade V
  5. Dodge Durango SRT
  6. Jeep Wrangler 4 dr 4×4
  7. Jeep Grand Wagoneer 4×4
  8. Mercedes G550
  9. GMC HUMMER EV SUV
  10. GMC Sierra
  11. Chevrolet Corvette Z06
  12. Mercedes Maybach S680

Here we see GM brands taking four out of 12, and Stellantis brand doing the same. Mercedes three and Ford one.

Note that, yes, the HUMMER EV SUV—as in electric vehicle—makes the “Meanest” list.

Evidently something weighing some four tons and seats five isn’t exactly environmentally advantageous.

‘Consumer Reports’ on Top Models & PHEVs

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By Gary S. Vasilash

Although the folks at Consumer Reports are finding increased interest in and performance of electric vehicles (EV), it seems as though plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are really something of a sweet spot based on its annual top-10 vehicle list.

CR’s Jake Fisher, senior director of Auto Testing, points out that there are four key elements that go into the determination of what vehicles make the list—and make it to the top of the list, which are:

  • Road testing
  • Active safety and crash testing
  • Owner satisfaction
  • Predicted reliability

While the first two are objective and the last two are subjective, know that the nonprofit consumer organization bases the last two on more than 300,000 member surveys, so there are solid metrics behind them.

The Results

So here are the top 10:

  • Subcompact SUV: Subaru Crosstrek
  • Compact SUV: Subaru Forester
  • Small car: Mazda3
  • Midsize car: Toyota Camry Hybrid
  • Small pickup: Ford Maverick/Maverick Hybrid
  • Midsize SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  • Luxury SUV: BMW X5/X5 PHEV
  • Hybrid/PHEV car: Toyota Prius/Prius Prime
  • PHEV SUV: Toyota RAV4 Prime
  • Electric vehicle: Tesla Model Y

The PHEV Challenge

One of the challenges vis-à-vis people going to a PHEV rather than a conventional hybrid (HEV) or a full EV is, Fisher explains, their understanding of what a PHEV is and how it would fit into their driving regime.

RAV4 Prime: hybrid with a plug. (Image: Toyota)

To simplify things, CR has modified the way it provides information about fuel economy for PHEVs by treating the all-electric range provided as a “bonus” added to the results when the vehicle is operating in its “charge-sustaining mode” (a.k.a., simply driving on its engine).

A fascinating comparison that CR made is to put like-to-like vehicles up against one another with the differences being in their propulsion system—PHEV vs. ICE, HEV and full EV—and then how much it will cost the consumer based on both the vehicle price and the cost of energy. The assumptions are that the owners will plug in their vehicles that have plugs, drive 40 miles per day, and take four 500-mile trips annually.

While it may not be a surprise that the PHEV version of the BMW 330 is more cost-effective than the gasoline-only version, there are a couple of surprises:

The Hyundai Tucson HEV saves more money than the PHEV version.

And while it seems to be accepted wisdom that owning an EV means far less cost for energy, the Kia Niro PHEV is actually better for the pocketbook than the Niro EV.

BMW 3D Printing for Bobsleigh Competitors

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By Gary S. Vasilash

“We have been using 3D printing to make components for prototypes, customized one-offs, as well as for series production for more than 30 years.

“The major advantages of 3D printing are the time and cost savings as well as a high degree of flexibility. This allows us to quickly manufacture, test and efficiently optimize different variants.”– Claudia Rackl, BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Projects & Qualification.

That “series production” has to be taken with a chunk of salt however.

Last year BMW brand sold 2,253,835 vehicles on a global basis.

According to findings reported out in 2022 of a study by 12-member consortium funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and led by BMW Group, using the laser powder bed fusion process—a type of additive manufacturing—about 50,000 components per year could be produced in common production with the process.

Or about 2% of the BMWs sold last year could be so equipped with a 3D-printed component.

Of course, the capabilities of the process are increasingly regularly, but it still has a long way to go in terms of volume production.

One place that BMW Group is using 3D printing to great effect is in its work with the German Bobsleigh, Luge, and Skeleton Federation, of which it is a technology partner.

It is using the process to create better bobsleigh shoes.

BMW 3D printed bobsleigh shoe plates. (Image: BMW)

Nailed It

Bobsleigh shoes have rows on nails permanently attached to the toe area of the soles so that there is grip when the participants start their run.

The thing is: because these nails are permanently attached (let’s face it: when the sled is being pushed there is a whole lot of force acting on those nails, so they need to be secure), when they’re worn out (ice is, after all, abrasive), the shoes are tossed.

So they’re now working with 3D printing to create plates with threads that not only allowed the tailoring of the spiked arrangement for individual athletes, but would allow replacement of the plates as needed.

According to René Spies, head coach of the team, “We tested the spike plates in the World Cup and received a lot of positive feedback from the athletes. Nevertheless, a few tweaks are still necessary here and there, but we expect to have the perfect shoes to compete in by the 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the latest.”

And quick tweaks are ideal for 3D printing.

How Will February Look Sales-Wise?

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By Gary S. Vasilash

J.D. Power and GlobalData project that February sales will come in a smidge—1.4%–more than they were in February 2023, or 1,214,600 vehicles

Taking out non-retail transactions, the number is 981,300, which is the important number because that reflects individual consumers.

So using that as the basis of comparison, there is an increase of 3.8% compared to the same month last year.

One of the reasons for the rise this year is something that happens once every four years: an additional day of sales, February 29.

According to Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power, the increase in sales is facilitated by:

  • Higher inventory levels (when there are cars on the lot, then there is less pressure to have to select whatever is available from a paltry number)
  • Higher manufacturer incentives (turns out that there is a need to provide a boost to get the sheet metal moving)
  • Lower dealer profit margins (seems that the profits that were rolling in when choice was minimal so prices were maximal are now trending back to normal—but it is worth noting that about 17% of vehicles are still selling above MSRP, although last year it was nearly 32%)

What this means is that people are getting bullishly back in the market.

King:

“Transaction prices in February are trending towards $44,045, down $1,919 or 4.2%—from February 2023. However, despite the significant decline in average transaction prices, higher sales volumes mean consumers are on track to spend nearly $40.8 billion on new vehicles this month—the highest on record for the month of February, and 4.1% higher than February 2023.”

Could be a case of the proverbial “making it up on volume.”

Nowadays, it is impossible not to look at how things are going in terms of EV sales.

Elizabeth Krear, vice president, electric vehicle practice at J.D. Power, said, “In 2023, EV sales and leases accounted for a larger percentage of retail auto industry growth than gas-powered vehicles.”

Presumably that has something to do with the fact that there is a stable number of gas-powered vehicles so the growth would not be as big as that of EVs, which start from a comparatively smaller number.”

She acknowledged what is now frequently heard: EV sales are slowing.

Putting some numbers to it:

“In January, battery electric vehicle sales fell 1.6 percentage points from 9.2% in December 2023. Further, upper-funnel EV shopper interest declined for a fourth consecutive month. New-vehicle shoppers who are ‘very likely’ to consider purchasing an EV for their next vehicle dropped to 25.6%, a full percentage point lower than in December.”

Krear said that a big blockage for EV buyers: charging access.

While she noted that the opening of the Tesla Supercharger network will go a long way toward addressing that issue, she added, “But this alone is not enough to move the needle. Improvement is needed in terms of the availability of affordable EVs for mainstream customers.”

Yes, it all comes down to an affordable MSRP.

The EV Market and the Necessity of Time (and Money)

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By Gary S. Vasilash

While John Heywood’s A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue (c. 1538) isn’t the sort of thing that is likely read outside the walls of Oxford or Cambridge, there is one phrase from that source that is if not commonly used, certainly familiar:

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

This came to mind in relation to a comment made by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe during the announcement of the EV company’s 2023 earnings—or lack thereof (it had net losses of $5.4 billion—which it at least better than 2022’s $6.8 billion).

Rivian R1S (Image: Rivian)

Scaringe:

“We firmly believe in the full electrification of the automotive industry, but recognize in the short-term, the challenging macro-economic conditions.”

This in relation to the announcement that approximately 10% of its salaried workers are going to be let go.

Wall Street thinks short term. Technology change can take longer. Much longer.

According to History.com:

“The number of active automobile manufacturers dropped from 253 in 1908 to only 44 in 1929, with about 80 percent of the industry’s output accounted for by Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.”

That means that 41 manufacturers had 20% of the market.

Unfortunately for them, on October 29, 1929 there was Black Tuesday, a.k.a., the Stock Market Crash.

And the number of vehicle manufacturers crashed, accordingly.

We are now in a period that is somewhat analogous to 1908 on its way to 1929, with there being a number of start ups—including Rivian—in the EV market space.

A difference is that Ford, General Motors and Chrysler (yes, yes, Stellantis) don’t have a huge scale advantage in EVs, as they have single-digit shares of the EV market (yes, 0 is a single digit; Stellantis will soon bump that up).

Let’s face it: EVs are still costly to produce, not only because they are a comparatively new thing, but because the things that go into them are more expensive to make (while this is admittedly a trivial example: it is a hell of a lot cheaper to blow mold a gas tank than it is to manufacture an EV battery case).

And because of that, it is going to take time for manufacturers to make money on making vehicles (according to Electrek, Rivian lost $43,372 for every vehicle it delivered in Q4 2023—which is certainly better than the $124,162 per vehicle it lost in Q4 2022).

For some the time will run out because the money will have.

Going Rare Earth-Free for Magnets

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By Gary S. Vasilash

The rare earth elements—of which there are 17, and since there are 118 elements on the Periodic Table, that number of rare earth elements is certainly not rare—are of increasing interest with the growth of electric vehicles.

EV motors use permanent magnets and permanent magnets are made with elements including neodymium and dysprosium.

There are at least a couple issues related to rare earths:

  1. They may be mined in places that are socially and politically unstable
  2. While there are things like neodymium found in the U.S., much of the processing capacity for the rare earths is located in China, so for OEMs to be able to get the full federal tax credit for EVs, sourcing from China is a no-go
(Image: Niron Magnetics)

Niron Magnetics, based in Minnesota, has developed what it claims are “the world’s first high-performance, rare earth-free permanent magnets” is drawing investments from automotive companies like, well, magnets draw iron filings.

It has obtained investments from GM Ventures, Stellantis Ventures, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, and most recently Allison Ventures (the venture capital arm of Allison Transmission) and automotive supplier Magna.

To produce its “Clean Earth Magnet,” which is based on iron nitride—a combination of iron and nitrogen, of which there is an abundance in the world—it uses nanomaterial engineering to carefully manipulate the crystals in the iron nitride.

According to Niron, the magnets provide such high magnetization that it is possible to design EV motors that use 15 to 30% less magnetic material, which can mean smaller, more efficient motors.

Smaller, lighter motors can then have a knock-on effect of reducing the size and mass of other elements in the EV.

So this is a win on many fronts, from economic to performance.

Euro Auto Sales Fun Fact

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In 2023 Nissan sold 343,891 vehicles in Europe, a 20.1% increase over its sales there in 2022, according to Inovev.

In 2023 Chinese brands sold 353,276 vehicles—“mainly based on BEVs”—in Europe, more than double their sales there in 2022.

The MG MG4 EV: second only to the Tesla Model Y in U.K. 2023 sales. MG is owned by Shanghai-based SAIC Motor. (Image: MG)

Nissan, which has been around in the European market for a while (and had been affiliated with Renault until last year), is already surpassed by a phalanx of Chinese OEMs. (Yes, this is one company vs. several, but looked at from the point of view of sheet metal moved, it is still worth pondering.)

Maybe if you’re Stellantis or Renault or Volkswagen this isn’t a particularly fun fact.

And maybe this will portend things happening at some point in the U.S., as well.

GM Super Cruise: To the Moon!

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By Gary S. Vasilash

As you’ve probably noticed, when you look at the Moon overhead, it generally appears to be about the size of a dime. When you look at it near the horizon, it appears massive. Which might lead you to believe that the Moon radically changes its distance with the Earth.

It doesn’t.

The Moon is 238,855 miles from the Earth whether it appears so close that you think you could drive to it or not.

Walking on the Moon. (Image: NASA)

This astronomical moment leads to General Motors’ announcement that it has increased the capability of its Super Cruise advanced driver assistance system that permits hands-free driving to 750,000 miles of roadways in the U.S. and Canada.

It claims that it is nearly six times the capability of any other hands-free driver assistance system available in North America.

It also says, “750,000 miles is like traveling one way from Earth to the Moon three times” [emphasis not added, its GM’s].

GM is adding the capability to handle the new roads via over-the-air updates to Super Cruise vehicles that are currently roaming the road except for three: the Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Bolt EUV and Cadillac XT6.

Why are those three left out?

A GM spokesperson tells us that it is because those three vehicles have an older electrical system that’s incapable of handling the update.

Still, they are capable of providing some 400,000 miles of roads, so that’s a trip to the Moon and about 70% of the way back.

Not bad at all.