AD #2621 – People Leery of Used EVs, Plasma Ignition the Future of ICEs? Ford’s Next-Gen Automated Parking System

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

RENAULT & NISSAN KISS AND MAKE UP
Here’s an interesting development. Nissan just granted Renault a seat on its audit committee and one on its nomination committee on the board of directors. This doesn’t resolve all the differences between Renault and Nissan, but it does remove one area of contention.

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TORPEDOED FCA-RENAULT MERGER
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that the Japanese government played a key role behind the scenes to torpedo the proposed merger of Renault and Fiat-Chrysler. The Japanese government complained to the French government, because it thought Nissan would lose even more power in a merger involving FCA. That’s when the French government voted to delay any vote on the merger, which is what prompted FCA to yank the deal off the table. Now the question is whether FCA will try to make another run at it. After all, if Nissan and Renault are finding common ground, that may create an atmosphere that is more conducive to expanding the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.

GHOSN THROWN OUT AT MITSUBISHI
And now we know for sure that Carlos Ghosn will play no role whatsoever in the Alliance that he played such a big role in creating. Mitsubishi just voted to remove Ghosn as its chairman. Ghosn is currently free on bail in Japan and preparing for his trial in which he stands accused of financial improprieties while he was CEO of Nissan, something he vehemently denies.

PEOPLE LEERY OF USED EVs
Would you buy a used electric car? Merrill Lynch just did a survey of car buyers around the world and it shows they’re very leery about used EVs. Over 80% of respondents said they were unsure or would absolutely not buy a used electric. They’re worried about battery degradation, reliability and poor resale value. Merrill Lynch says that designing a system to support prices of used EVs will be critical to getting sales going.

48 VOLT EVs ARE MUCH CHEAPER
China wants one out of every five cars sold in the country to be an electric by 2025. It’s struggling to meet those targets, but 48-volt technology could help. We’re not talking about 48-volt mild-hybrid systems, but rather an all-electric 48-volt powertrain. The setup would be fitted in small city cars that have limited range and speed. The supplier Valeo showed a vehicle like this at the Shanghai auto show that can go 62 MPH, has a range of 93 miles and would cost less than $10,000. That’s the advantage of this 48-volt system, it’s cheap. The Chinese government may regulate specifications for 48-volt EVs by footprint and power output, much like Japan and its Kei cars. And Valeo thinks that by 2023 as many as 4 million cars in China could be outfitted with this technology.

PLASMA IGNITION FOR ICEs
Here’s a technology that could breathe longer life into the internal combustion engine. A California startup has developed a fast-pulse, low temperature plasma ignition system. Instead of using sparks from a spark plug to ignite the gasoline in the cylinders of an engine, it uses plasma, which is an electrically charged gas. The company is called Transient Plasma Systems and the key to its system is fast pulses, low temperature and low energy. It can be used in any engine with no modifications. In fact, the plasma injectors fit exactly where the spark plugs go. The company says it can improve fuel efficiency 10% and reduce NOx emissions 50% on the EPA test cycle known as FTP 75. It also helps engines develop 45% thermal efficiency. The technology is still under development, but Transient Plasma Systems is getting a lot of interest from automakers, the military and the aerospace industry.

AUTOMATED PARKING ON FORD EXPLORER
Many drivers find parallel parking very intimidating. Ford, for years, has been removing that fear with its park-assist feature. And the all-new Explorer is the first vehicle in the U.S. to get the next-generation of that system, which is even easier to use. We got a demonstration of the system and let’s start with exiting a parking spot.

(Clip about Ford’s next-gen ADAS technology can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)

The big change is that the driver no longer has to shift and control the brake and throttle while the maneuver is taking place, just hold down the button. We’ll have more on the all-new Explorer in an upcoming episode.

But that wraps up today’s show. Thanks for making Autoline Daily a part of your day.