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Let's talk about EREVs
The hybrid-type vehicle that most consumers don't know is even possible is likely to become a favourite among North American car buyers.
Mathew Growden
November 03, 2024
Hey Friends,
I hope you are having a spectacular weekend. Hit reply and tell me about it.
-Growdy
Let's talk about EREVs
The Avatr 12 EREV
There has been a lot of confusion throughout 2024 around the consumer interest levels for hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs.
Now that we’re in the final 60 days of the year, it turns out that electric vehicle sales have increased in Canada and the US. Both countries are seeing the highest percentage of EV sales in their respective history. coxautoinc.com, canada.ca
Although regular hybrid sales are growing, PHEVs aren’t winning in the US the way much of the automotive news suggested they would. jdpower.com
What does that mean for the future? I don’t like to issue predictions, but I think OEMs have a huge opportunity to embrace the Extended Range Electric Vehicle or EREV. Especially for customers in rural North America, where driving distances are long and where EV charging is scarce, the EREV offers the best of both worlds in terms of new technology, fuel cost savings and emission reduction.
ICYMI: EREVs are electric vehicles that include additional power generation or expanded adaptable power supplies. Those power supplies are usually small engine generators fueled by regular gas, diesel, or potentially other fuels like ammonia, hydrogen and synthetic e-fuels. It is a perfect energy transition option. Driving an EREV gets you into an electric vehicle but mitigates any range anxiety you might have over longer road trips. It gives you comfort that the next gas station could supply you with enough juice to drive home even if their charging stations are in use or broken. insideevs.com
Most North Americans were introduced to the concept of range extenders with the launch of the Ram Rev electric pick-up truck. Stellantis teased out the Ramcharger, a gas-powered range extender that was planned to be included as an option for that vehicle.
Last week’s newly announced Scout will include an EREV option (already the most popular trim). insideevs.com
BYD’s Shark Pick-up, available in Mexico, is an EREV. Watch this review video if you haven’t seen it already. youtube.com
Hyundai is discussing taking on the US pick-up market with new EREV models later this decade. youtube.com, pcmag.com
Nissan plans to overhaul its powertrain line-up over the next five years, adding new EREVs for their larger vehicles. motortrend.com
Meanwhile, Chinese OEMs like Li Auto and CATL-backed Avatr are already building multiple EREV models. CATL announced this week that their new sodium-LFP battery is being built into seven different EREVs. We might not see them on the roads, but you can be sure the other OEMs are watching their progress closely. carnewschina.com, youtube.com, catl.com
That’s likely what scared Ford CEO Jim Farley when he test-drove a Li Auto in China. And what spawned rumours that future SuperDuty models may include an EREV variant with a full size V8 engine. tfltruck.com, wsj.com (paid subscription required)
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China’s Automotive Expansion
Geely Test Vehicle Featuring 2,390 KM Hybrid Drivetrain
Geely beat BYD’s previous record with their new hybrid system that will get you a combined battery plus gas range of 2,390 KM on a single tank of gas. Geely’s other partners and brands, including Renault, Volvo, and Lotus, will use this new tech in future models. reuters.com
BYD sold over half a million vehicles in October. carnewschina.com
BYD launches the Shark in Cambodia. cnevpost.com
Li Auto looks to expand into the Middle East and Latin America. cnevpost.com
Xiaomi delivers 20,000 EVs in October, just months after launching its first car. cnbc.com
Xiaomi SU7 Ultra breaks track record. electrek.co
Zeekr deliveries nearly doubled in October. cnbc.com
Must Know Musk News
ICYMI: The Washington Post reported that Elon briefly worked illegally when he first moved to the US in the 1990s. reuters.com
Elon thinks people should have more kids and not worry about what it costs. fortune.com
Delaware Judge plans to rule if Elon will get his $56 billion Tesla holiday bonus this year. reuters.com
The Tesla Roadster V2 launch date remains a mystery to folk who pre-ordered the EV seven years ago. businessinsider.com
Tesla’s new Powerwall 3 expansion unit can cut installation times in half. electrek.co
Rise Of The Machines
Boston Dynamics shared a video demonstrating how their Atlas humanoid robot can perform complex tasks with minimal human intervention. theverge.com, youtube.com
SEO1 humanoid robot is the first to achieve human-like gait. interestingengineering.com
The Forerunner K2 humanoid robot can carry 33 lbs in each hand and has a battery pack that can operate for 8 hours before recharging. newatlas.com
James Cameron, the director of Terminator, says he’s afraid AI could be used maliciously if it gets into the wrong hands (#Skynet). businessinsider.com
Energy
Environmental and Indigenous groups filed a lawsuit challenging the approval of Ioneer's planned Nevada lithium mine, arguing that the project posed an existential risk to the rare wildflower Tiehm’s buckwheat. reuters.com
Germany plans to open up the use of bidirectional charging of EVs, enabling car owners to both withdraw power from the grid and supply it back. thedriven.io
US oil output hits record high (again). reuters.com
Canadian oil exports to the US reached a record high. cbc.ca
Enbridge's Q3 profit more than doubled YoY. reuters.com
Toyota plans to buy clean energy from Enbridge’s massive Texas solar farm. electrek.co
Site C hydroelectric dam in BC finally goes online. cbc.ca
Form Energy Inc.’s grid-level utility-sized battery can run for four days. bloomberg.com
But Wait, There’s More
Production Replica Of Batman Tumbler
If you have an extra three million dollars lying around, you could buy your very own road-worthy Batman Tumbler. Order yours today because only ten of the vehicles are planned to be made. brucewaynex.com/pages/tumbler
Stellantis posts a 27% revenue drop. cnbc.com
Toyota Motor and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone partner up and plan to invest billions into an infrastructure and AI software platform to reduce traffic accidents. reuters.com
Toyota’s worldwide production fell for an eighth straight month. reuters.com
Volkswagen plans to shut at least three factories in Germany. autonews.com
Volkswagen asked its workers to take a pay cut. reuters.com
Mopar has a new E-Crate engine that can convert your classic car into an EV. electrek.co
Stellantis hit the pause button on the Durango and Grand Cherokee production in Detroit. motor1.com
Hyundai introduced a new hydrogen-powered vehicle called the Initium. bloomberg.com
Kia just broke its October sales record in the US. electrek.co
Ford told its managers to work harder. Else, don’t expect a fucking bonus. reuters.com
Ford puts the Lightning back in the bottle — pausing production on the electric pick-up model until 2025. theverge.com
Ford now has its own Tesla Supercharger adapter. theverge.com
Ford's CEO says that their future mid-size electric pick-up will match the price of Chinese EVs. electrek.co
Walmart picks up more Chevy Brightdrop vans for home delivery. theverge.com
Asking, “If an OEM could start over again, what would they do differently?” Scout Motors plans to sell directly to consumers, skipping the legacy dealership model from day one. theverge.com
Scout Motors will use software from the Rivian-VW partnership. techcrunch.com
Rivian’s chief software nerd, Wassym Bensaid, believes that in-car buttons are “a bug. It’s not a feature,” suggesting that more tasks and features will be enabled and used in future vehicles using voice commands. techcrunch.com
Once built, Scout Motors’ production facility could be used to manufacture other VW vehicles and vehicles from other brands. autonews.com
Waymo considers using Google Gemini as their core AI model in future robotaxis. theverge.com
Aurora Innovation pushes its autonomous truck launch into 2025. techcrunch.com
You read to the bottom. Amazing! Now go smile at a stranger.