AD #3085 – High-Performance Cayenne; Fisker To Make Electric Popemobile; Ford Gets 20,000 F-150 Lightning Reservations

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

FORD RECEIVES 20,000 F-150 LIGHTNING RESERVATIONS
Ford got 20,000 reservations for the F-150 Lightning in just 12 hours. Ford is charging $100 for a refundable deposit. And the company’s stock jumped 3% on the news. But EV startups that are going to make electric pickups saw their stock drop immediately. Lordstown plummeted 15%. Workhorse, Nikola, Canoo and XL Fleet also dropped. But Tesla posted a nice 4% gain. When Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck a year and a half ago, Elon Musk said they got 200,000 reservations in the first three days. 

TEXAS BUILT MODEL Y TO BE EQUIPPED WITH 4680 BATTERY CELLS
When asked whether Model Ys coming out of its factory in Texas, which is scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year, will have the current 2170 battery cells or the new 4680s, Elon Musk replied on Twitter with simply “4680.” The larger cells are said to have 5-times the energy, 6-times the power and increase range by 16%. They’ll also help Tesla slash costs because it will use fewer cells and as a result, fewer parts. But where those cells will come from is still unclear at the moment. We find it interesting as well that Tesla could very likely produce Model Ys with both battery types, ones with 2170s coming out of Fremont and ones with 4680s coming out of Texas. We wonder if the Model Ys coming out of Texas will be billed as the new Long Range+ or something like that? But no doubt they’ll be the ones that customers want to get their hands on.

ELON MUSK TEASES MODEL S PLAID DELIVERY EVENT
In other Elon Musk Twitter news, he says Tesla will have a delivery event for the first versions of its high-performance Model S Plaid at its factory in Fremont, California on June 3rd. That means I hope to see videos on June 4th of people’s shocked faces when their eyes get sucked into the back of their heads on hard launches.

AUDI LAUNCHES PILOT TO TEST EV CHARGING HUBS
With more and more electric vehicles hitting the market, having locations to charge them is becoming more important. But luxury brands, like Audi, are now looking for ways to make the service more unique for users. That’s why it’s gearing up to launch a pilot program, where it will open quick-charging hubs. The stations can be reserved in advance and will feature a lounge area with plenty of amenities, where drivers can wait while their car is charging. The stations have a charging output of up to 300 kW and only need a standard 400-volt hook-up. That’s thanks to having 2.45 Mwh of storage on site that comes from 2nd life lithium-ion batteries. Because of that, the hubs won’t need high-voltage lines or transformers and makes installing locations more flexible. Audi plans to launch a test site this summer in Germany, which will be open to EV owners of other brands. And if it’s something customers enjoy, Audi says it will look into rolling out more charging hubs in the future.

PORSCHE TESTING NEW HIGH-PERFORMANCE CAYENNE
Porsche revealed that it’s in the final testing stages for a new, more powerful version of the Cayenne, although it hasn’t revealed a name yet. It’s based on the Cayenne Turbo Coupe, but has been tuned for even better driving dynamics. That includes wheels that are half an inch wider and a negative camber angle that’s been increased by nearly half a degree. That’s going to help the specially developed 22-inch tires stay gripped to the road. And this thing sounds pretty sweet too with its titanium exhaust system, including a middle muffler delete, that exits out the middle of the SUV. Porsche didn’t say when it will fully reveal the new Cayenne model, but it shouldn’t be long.

DAIMLER TRUCKS LAYS OUT ELECTRIFICATION STRATEGY
Daimler Trucks is the largest truck manufacturer in the world. It has some of the best-known truck brands: Mercedes-Benz truck and bus, Freightliner, Western Star, and Fuso. It’s getting split off as a stand-alone company, even though it will still be owned by Daimler AG. So it’s providing details about its future direction. And this should come as no surprise, a lot of it has to do with electrification. Daimler Truck and CATL announced they’re expanding their partnership. CATL will supply Daimler past 2030 with battery cells for the long-haul version of the eActros, which has a range of 800 kilometers or about 500 miles and is scheduled to come out in 2024. The two companies will also jointly develop next-gen cells that are specifically designed for truck applications. They’ll focus on modularity and scalability so the batteries can fit a number of applications. But those trucks are going to need a place to charge, so Daimler formed a partnership with charging providers Siemens, ENGIE and EVBox. Its goal is to create an ecosystem that will make things easier on fleet providers as they transition to electric. As we’ve reported, Daimler wants to supplement its EV fleet with fuel cell trucks as well. That’s why it’s formed a partnership with Shell to build out the fueling infrastructure in Europe. But it’s going to be small at first. By 2025, Shell plans to have refueling stations at three hydrogen production hubs, one in the Netherlands and two in Germany, which will cover 1,200 kilometers or about 745 miles of road. By 2030, Shell’s goal is to have 150 stations and Daimler wants to have 5,000 trucks in service. Those trucks are said to be able to carry 24 tons, refuel in 15 minutes and Daimler expects the cost of the fuel cell to come down 90% by the end of the decade from where it is today. 

MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS IMPRESSIONS
We recently got to get behind the wheel of the all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and it’s hard not to compare to the Outlander we recently drove. Powering the Eclipse Cross is a 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with direct injection. It’s mated to a CVT, compared to the 8-speed CVT in the Outlander that’s tuned to act more like a regular transmission. But in the Eclipse Cross, it definitely felt and performed like a CVT. It’s also equipped with AWD or what Mitsubishi calls Super All-Wheel-Control. Even though it’s smaller than the Outlander and has a smaller engine, the Eclipse Cross has a combined fuel economy rating of 25 MPG, which is one less than the Outlander. The power is fine but we preferred the setup in the Outlander. The SUVs are also close in pricing. The Eclipse Cross starts at about $24,600 including destination charges. There’s several trim levels and the model we drove had a sticker price just under $35,000, only about $3,000 cheaper than the Outlander. The Eclipse Cross interior is fine but not as premium as the Outlander. The exterior design is about the only area where the Eclipse Cross is better in our opinion. Unless you need to save cash or just want a smaller vehicle, as you can probably tell, we’d recommend the Outlander over the Eclipse Cross.

FISKER TO MAKE 1ST ELECTRIC POPEMOBILE
This picture kind of reminds us of the punchline to an old joke, “Hey, who’s that guy with Henrik Fisker?” Well, you all know who that guy is. It’s the Pope! Henrik Fisker met with Pope Francis at the Vatican this week because he’s going to design the next Popemobile–which would be the first one to be all electric. Fisker says he was inspired by the Pope’s concern for the environment and the carpeting will be made from recycled plastic pulled out of the ocean. Henrik showed Pope Francis several renderings of what an electric Popemobile could look like, and even gave him a signed sketch. The Pope gets the keys to his new car sometime next year.

But that brings us to the end of today’s show and this week. Thanks for watching and we’ll be right back here again on Monday.