AD #2550 – White House Goes After EV Credits Again, Electric Semis Will Work Just Fine, Audi Station Wagons Coming to U.S.?

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

WHITE HOUSE GOES AFTER EV CREDITS AGAIN
The Trump Administration is once again going after the tax credit for buying a new electric vehicle. The White House released its budget proposal yesterday that called for the end of EV subsidies, which it says would save $2.5 billion over 10 years. Automakers have been lobbying Congress to expand the credit which is worth up to $7,500 and begins to phase out after an automaker hits 200,000 sales. Tesla and GM, who already hit the threshold last year, have led the lobbying effort. The budget still needs approval from Congress but Democrats by and large are in favor of the credit, so there could be a battle brewing to keep it in place.

ELECTRIC SEMIS WILL WORK JUST FINE
While Tesla, Freightliner, Volvo and other truck makers get ready to launch electric Class 8 semis, skeptics scoff at the idea. They point out that adding thousands of pounds of batteries will reduce how much cargo these trucks can carry. And that’s true. The battery packs for Tesla’s electric semi are estimated by Teslarati to weigh just over 11,600 pounds. But Michael Berube, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Energy tells Autoline Daily that the diesel engine in a Class 8 semi weighs 7,800 pounds, including all the after treatment, fluids, and brackets. He says the engine alone accounts for half the weight of the tractor. That means diesel semis can haul about 4,000 pounds more than an electric. But Berube says that semis are rarely loaded to their maximum rating, with the exception of trucks like steel haulers and oil tankers. Amazon, for example, rarely can put enough packages in a trailer to get it to its maximum rating. So electric semis will work just fine for most applications.

HONDA HAS TO RECALL ITS RECALLS
Uh-oh, it’s the recall that just won’t go away. Honda is recalling over a million Hondas and Acuras in the U.S. market to replace their Takata airbags. But these are cars that were already recalled. They had new Takata airbags installed and now it turns out that the replacements are defective. And we’re pretty sure that if Honda ran into this problem then other automakers will too.

AUDI STATION WAGONS COULD COME TO U.S.
Station wagons fell out of favor but seem to be making something of a comeback in the U.S. And a cryptic Tweet from Audi suggests there may be even more coming. It sent out a picture of a ring of fire around the words “Avants in the U.S.” with the caption “summoning circle, hope this works.” Avant is the name Audi uses for its station wagons and the automaker currently sells versions of the A4 and A6 in other markets.

PORSCHE RESTORES 1ST 917 BACK TO ORIGINAL SPECS
Porsche has a long racing history and its most famous race car is the 917, which was first shown in 1969. The car underwent a number of changes in the early years. It was painted in three different color schemes before sweeping the 24 Hours of LeMans, after which the car was reworked into the short-tail version in 1970. Now, as the famous racer celebrates its 50th birthday, the Porsche Museum is using original design drawings and pictures as well as modern methods, like state-of-the-art 3D technology to restore the car back to the way it first debuted, including a white and green color scheme. If you wonder what a 917 would look like if it was designed today, a small group of designers came up with this white and red car as an homage to the original.

KARMA AUTOMOTIVE TO SHOW NEW VEHICLES
Karma Automotive, formerly Fisker, will have three new vehicles at the Shanghai auto show this year. It will finally show off the next-generation of the Revero, which is beautifully styled, but in need of an update. The automaker also teased the all-electric Karma Vision concept, seen here, and the first vehicle that will come from its partnership with famous Italian design house Pininfarina. The new Revero will go on sale in the second half of this year.

RENAULT, NISSAN & MITSU SHAKE UP ALLIANCE
Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi are shaking up their alliance so that it’s more equal by eliminating the chairmanship position once held by Carlos Ghosn. Under the new structure, the chairman of Renault will be the head of the alliance but not as chairman of Nissan. The CEO’s of the three automakers will also join the new operating board. After Ghosn’s arrest, Nissan said he held too much power, which led to a lack of oversight. So this new deal should ease some of those fears.

NEW EXPLORER GETS RUN-FLAT TIRES
The Ford Explorer doesn’t have a good history with tires. So, maybe that’s why the all-new version of the SUV will come with run-flats. The Michelin Selfseal tires are lined with a rubber sealant that can seal 90% of all punctures up to a quarter inch in diameter. They are standard on Platinum and Hybrid models with 4-wheel drive and optional on Limited with 2- or 4-wheel drive. My only real issue with run-flat tires is they’re supposed to be replaced after a puncture and not fixed.

TOYOTA TO HELP DEVELOP LUNAR ROVER
Toyota and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced an agreement to collaborate on international space exploration. The first step will look into the development of a manned, pressurized lunar rover. The vehicle is about the size of two microbuses put together and has room for two people or four in an emergency. It’s powered by a fuel cell system and would have a range of 10,000 kilometers or a little over 6,200 miles. The aim is to launch a rover like this into space in 2029.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.