AD #3353 – UAW Targets Transplants, EV Startups; Tesla & Biden Quietly Working Together; Polestar 5 Gets Whopping 884 HP

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

UAW TARGETS TRANSPLANTS, EV STARTUPS
With so many more workers interested in joining a union, the UAW is ramping up its efforts to go after all the foreign automakers who have non-union factories in the United States. The Detroit News reports the UAW held a meeting last month in Birmingham, Alabama with representatives from Tesla, Honda, Volkswagen, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Rivian, Lucid and others. The topic on the table: how to organize the line workers at those automakers. Though the UAW has been spectacularly unsuccessful at organizing the transplants in the past, recent organizing victories at companies like Starbucks and Amazon, has got the UAW thinking the time is ripe for another go at it. That’s why it held the meeting with the reps from all those transplants and startups–to develop what it thinks is a winning strategy.

TESLA & BIDEN QUIETLY COLLABORATING
Elon Musk has publicly ripped into President Biden and his administration a number of times. But Reuters reports the two sides have been working together since the first day the administration took office. The White House is getting Tesla’s input on reforming renewable fuel policy to allow EVs to receive renewable fuel subsidies. Tesla wants to receive credits based on kilowatt hours driven or a similar metric. The plan could also give subsidies to charging companies and landfills that supply renewable bio-gas to power plants. Currently, the U.S. requires a minimum amount of renewable fuel mixed with gasoline, which is primarily corn ethanol. The EPA wants to update the rules to benefit EVs to help speed up adoption.

TESLA BRINGS BACK ENHANCED AUTOPILOT
Is Tesla’s Full Self Driving too expensive? The price to unlock it currently sits at $12,000 and that may be too much for some owners. That could be why the EV maker is bringing back Enhanced Autopilot for half that price. The package includes Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon and Smart Summon. So, the big difference between Enhanced Autopilot and FSD is the ability to handle intersections, traffic lights and stop signs. And remember, while it may cost the owner $6,000, it costs Tesla nothing. All the hardware and software is already built into its vehicles, so it only has to be unlocked.

 

GM MAKES EV CHARGING EASIER
The easier an automaker can make the charging process for an EV, the easier it will be to get consumers behind the wheel. GM is the latest to offer a Plug and Charge option on its current and future EVs. It’s partnering up with EVgo. Users are required to have an EVgo account, active OnStar connected services and the brand app for their particular GM vehicle. After a one-time activation within the app, all an owner has to do is plug in the charging cable and that’s it. They’ll automatically be billed for their charging session. As we all know there needs to be more chargers, so GM is also working with EVgo to install an additional 3,250 fast chargers in the U.S. by 2025 as well as with its dealers to add more than 40,000 Level 2 chargers in the U.S. and Canada. In the future the Plug and Charge option will be expanded to work with other charging providers, not just EVgo.

NISSAN TO SUPPLY MCLAREN FOR FORMULA E
For the first time since it joined the all-electric racing series in 2018, Nissan is becoming a powertrain supplier in Formula E. It’s going to provide powertrains to McLaren for the Gen3 cars, which were revealed in late April. This will be the first season for McLaren after it bought out the team from Mercedes-Benz.

UBER & LYFT DRIVERS PUT ADVERTISING ON THEIR CARS
To help offset rising gas prices, Uber and Lyft drivers are putting wraps on their vehicles advertising other businesses. Drivers can make $100 to $600 a month, depending on the ad and campaign. Carvertise, a company that offers the ad decals, says it’s seen up to a 13% increase in sign-ups over the past three months. While Uber and Lyft did implement a fuel surcharge for rides, it hasn’t been enough to offset the soaring price of gas.

APTERA CONFIRMS HUB MOTORS SUPPLIER
Aptera, the 3-wheel electric commuter that’s seemingly been in development forever, found a supplier for its hub motors. It just signed a deal with Elaphe, which is based in Slovenia and is currently tooling up to make 100,000 hub motors a year. Hub motors are wheels with electric motors built right into them. That will allow Aptera to provide more room inside its wild-looking vehicle, and eliminate the shafts that normally provide torque to the wheels. Elaphe is the same company that makes hub motors for the Lordstown pickup truck, the Endurance.

 

MERCEDES EQXX EKES OUT MORE RANGE
Mercedes is once again boasting about the efficiency of its Vision EQXX concept. Back in April, the automaker drove it 1,008 kilometers or about 626 miles on a single charge on public roads in Europe. And now the company has topped that mark. It just took the concept on a 1,200 kilometer or nearly 750-mile road trip from Stuttgart, Germany to Silverstone, England, once again on public roads. And Mercedes improved its energy consumption. On the previous drive, the Vision EQXX achieved an efficiency of 8.7 kWh per 100 kilometers. This time it achieved 8.3 kWh per 100/km or 7.5 miles per kWh, which is double of what most EVs get today.

 

POLESTAR 5 GETS WHOPPING 884 HP
Polestar is sharing more details about the upcoming Polestar 5, which is an evolution of its Precept Concept from 2020. It features a new, exclusive powertrain that includes a dual motor setup that combines for 884 horsepower or 650 kW and 663 lb-ft of torque along with an 800-volt architecture. The 4-door GT is being developed in both the UK and Sweden. The Polestar 5 doesn’t come out until 2024 but a slightly camouflaged version is currently on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. If you want to learn more about the car’s development, Polestar has a series on YouTube showing its transformation from a concept into a production vehicle.

APRICALE IS FIRST FCEV HYPERCAR
And speaking of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, check out this hydrogen powered hypercar that debuted at the show from UK based startup Viritech. Called the Apricale, it was styled by Italian design house Pininfarina. It only weighs 1,000 kilograms or a little more than 2,200 pounds. Part of the weight savings comes from engineers making the hydrogen storage tanks a part of the structural element of the car’s carbon fiber monocoque. Along with the fuel cell, the powertrain features two electric motors that combine for 800 kW or 1,072 HP and a 6 kWh battery pack. The car has a top speed of 200 plus MPH and an estimated 350 miles of range or 560 kilometers. Viritech is aiming to start delivering the Apricale in early 2024.

But, hey, that’s a wrap for this week. Hope you enjoyed the show and hope to see you again next week.