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Runtime: 10:28
0:00 More UAW Locals Rejecting New Contract
1:05 U.S. EV Sales Up Strong, But Slowing
1:48 Exxon To Mine Lithium in Arkansas
2:23 EVs To Get Standard Diagnostic Port
3:51 Continental Axes Thousands of Jobs
4:39 Renault Offers EV Retrofit Kit for Renault 5
5:37 Car Sales Recovering in China
6:29 Volvo’s $100,000 Electric Minivan
7:59 Tesla Threatens to Sue for Flipping Cybertruck
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MORE UAW LOCALS REJECTING NEW CONTRACT
Uh-oh, looks like UAW president Shawn Fain may have raised expectations too high for some of his membership. Remember, when negotiations got going, Fain demanded a 40% raise, a 4-day work week, and a return to full pensions. None of that is in the final contract and now some UAW locals are rejecting it. Workers at GM’s Flint assembly, Pontiac stamping, Marion stamping and Romulus engine rejected it. At Ford, workers at Kentucky assembly and Lakeland parts voted it down. And so did workers at Stellantis’ Milwaukee auto parts facility. Most workers have actually approved the contract by fairly healthy margins, but more plants have yet to vote and there seems to be a growing backlash. Some militant workers want Shawn Fain to go back to the bargaining tables and get them more of what said he was going to get them.
U.S. EV SALES UP STRONG, BUT SLOWING
So, are sales of EVs really slowing down or not? Well, the numbers tell a mixed story. Wards reports that in the U.S., over 313,000 EVs were sold in the third quarter, the first time they’ve ever exceeded 300,000 for a quarter and they were up 50% from a year ago. And for the year, EV sales will top one million units, probably before Thanksgiving. Even so, sales slowed dramatically from the second quarter to the third. They rose less than one percent. And that’s why you’re hearing about automakers delaying plans to build more EVs. Though sales are still strong, they’re worried about that slow down.
EXXON TO MINE LITHIUM IN ARKANSAS
Even so, there’s still a lot of investment pouring into making EVs and getting the raw materials needed to make them. For example, the U.S. is in talks with Indonesia to secure supplies of nickel for batteries. In a surprise development, Exxon said it will start mining lithium in Arkansas in 2027. And in South Korea, Hyundai announced it’s building a new $1.5 billion assembly plant that will open in 2026. It will have a capacity to make 200,000 EVs a year and the first model off the line will be an electric SUV from Genesis.
EVs TO GET STANDARD DIAGNOSTIC PORT
Speaking of EVs, they should be a lot easier to repair… in 2026. The California Air Resources Board or CARB adopted a new set of regulations last year that says by 2026 all zero emission vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and BEVs, must have a standard set of data that can be read on a scan tool and a standard diagnostic port to plug it into. Basically, it will be easier to figure out what is actually wrong with an electric vehicle because it allows users to access things like battery health and charging ability as well as giving independent repair shops access to the same info and tools as franchise dealers. CARB is still waiting on a grant from the EPA to make it official, but seven other states have adopted the same regulations, so it has the potential to become a national standard.
CONTINENTAL AXES THOUSANDS OF JOBS
The German supplier Continental announced it’s slashing thousands of jobs at its automotive division worldwide in order to cut costs. While the company didn’t reveal how many jobs it is cutting, Germany’s Manager Magazin reports it will be 5,500. Continental says it’s making the cuts to reduce annual costs by 400 million euros or about $430 million. While Conti expects a strong fourth quarter for its automotive unit, it’s forecasting a more conservative outlook next year because of the transition to electric vehicles. In fact, the company is considering selling its autonomous business or looking for partners to join it, and it may even spin off its entire automotive business and just concentrate on selling tires.
RENAULT OFFERS EV RETROFIT KIT FOR RENAULT 5
Renault is making it so you can convert some of its classic cars to electric. Earlier this year an EV retrofit kit for the old Renault 4 was introduced and now it’s doing the same for the Renault 5. The kit includes a 10.7 kWh lithium iron phosphate or LFP battery, which provides about 80 km or 49 miles of range and a 22-kW synchronous brushless motor. The vehicle keeps its original trans. The kit, which is offered by a company called R-FIT, sells for a little under 16,000 pounds. And Renault says a kit for the Twingo will be coming soon too. I find the price to be a little high, but I love the idea of converting a classic car to electric. I personally would like to do this with a 7th gen Chevy Suburban, which was sold between 1973 and 1991. And let us know what you would like to convert in the comments.
CAR SALES RECOVERING IN CHINA
Car sales in China were strong last month. According to the China Passenger Car Association, automakers sold just over 2 million vehicles in October, up 10% from a year ago. But it was just a 0.7% increase from September. New energy vehicles, which include BEVs and PHEVs, accounted for 37% of sales last month with around 467,000 sold. BYD led all automakers with more than 246,000 sales, with nearly 134,000 of those being pure EVs. Its market share is now at 12%. Volkswagen was second in sales last month, falling just shy of 200,000 units and Toyota rounds out the top 3 with just over 150,000 vehicles sold.
VOLVO’S $100,000 ELECTRIC MINIVAN
Volvo is getting ready to launch its first minivan, the EM90. The model will feature a 116-kWh battery pack that provides up to 738 kilometers or nearly 460 miles of range on the Chinese test cycle. Power comes from a 200-kW electric motor that drives the rear wheels and allows the van to go from 0-100 km/h in 8.3 seconds. Volvo also says an AWD version will come at a later date. In the technology department, the EM90 will come with a number of cameras and sensors that reportedly allow for Level 2+ automated driving. It will also have bi-directional charging, a Qualcomm Snapdragon platform to run the digital experience in its luxurious interior and OTA capability, like the ability to add road noise cancellation. But here’s what we find most interesting. The EM90 will start at $112,000 in China. Volvo is owned by Chinese automaker Geely. Geely also runs another EV brand, called Zeekr. The Volvo EM90 is actually based on the Zeekr 009. But the 009 has a starting price under $70,000 in China, even though it too is pretty luxurious. So, it will be interesting to see how the EM90 is priced for other markets.
TESLA THREATENS TO SUE FOR FLIPPING CYBERTRUCK
Tesla is doing what it can to prevent early Cybertruck buyers from immediately flipping it. The company added a clause to its purchase agreement that says owners can’t sell the model for a year. And if you do need to sell it within the first year, the owner must give Tesla first dibs before going to the public. But if an owner sells a Cybertruck without telling Tesla, the company can sue them for $50,000 or more and it may refuse to sell them any vehicles in the future. Tesla isn’t the only automaker to do this. Ford had a similar clause with the GT and GM did the same with the Hummer EV.
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It’s actually somewhat laughable that Fain got a record-breaking contract negotiated and members still expect more. I have to wonder what they are rejecting the contract over. Do they really expect a bigger raise or is it something else? If they still want the 4-day work week they’ll probably remain unhappy.
EV sales are going to slow because they keep thinking of the sales in terms of 100% replacing all ICEs. At some point those with more rational level heads will realize that they cannot replace ICE completely by 2035 and that PHEV’s have their place too. I keep hearing how ICE lovers are just like the folks that wanted to stay with horse and buggy and thought the gas-powered car would never take off. The biggest difference was the government was not incentivizing or mandating the purchase of cars back then. People came around on their own as the advantages became very apparent. If the product is good, it sells itself. When EV’s are similar in price charging locations are plentiful and charge times get better they will sell because they are a better product with those issues resolved. Until then they are just setting the manufacturers up for failure and pushing consumers into car payments for products that are still rapidly evolving and may be obsolete before its paid off. The market needs to naturally grow not by force or mandates.
CARB actually doing something I can agree with. Yes, all vehicles should have accessible service ports and allow private shops or individuals the ability to diagnose their vehicle.
I wouldn’t want to convert any vehicles to electric, but I would modify my riding lawn mower if they offered a smaller more reasonable small engine replacement kit.
So, government mandates that allow everyone greater access to vehicle information are good, but government mandates that will help give everyone greater access to clean air are bad?
Look at the rate of developmental progress in the EV space in the last ten years. Its been incredible. Solid state batteries that will eliminate charging and range issues will begin to appear in EVs in the next several years. By 2035, the products, features and prices will all be much better. But none of that will happen if the rules are relaxed or eliminated. Government regulation and oversight in the auto industry started about two years after the first car was produced. It will continue as long as they are manufactured. As long as the rules are the same for everyone, the companies will continue to compete and make better vehicles. The consumer is the real winner.
@Lambo all points are well put, I fully agree.
GM Vet; Yes government mandates that keep us free from corporate greed allowing us the freedom to diagnose and service the products we buy where we want, I can support. They are not forcing anything on the consumer but restricting the corporations from creating a revenue stream that would otherwise require you to only service your vehicle at the dealership. Absolutely can support that.
However mandating what products, we buy is very different.
While clean air is something we should continue to improve, and we have, with emission regulations. Cities like L.A are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were 30 years ago with 1.5 million more people. I’m just not convinced that EVs won’t end up being our next, Opps, we thought it was the right thing to do. Years later we find out we made a bigger mess.
Like back during WW1 we implemented daylight savings time to conserve energy. But many studies show it doesn’t, in fact a study done in 2006 in Indiana showed it cost state residents 7 million dollars more to impellent DST.
In 1972 environmentalists thought dumping 700,000 old tires into the ocean to create artificial reefs off Florida was a brilliant idea. Instead, they destroyed the remaining reef.
In the 80s when paper bags were destroying our forests and we needed to switch to plastic bags to save the environment. Now we know they are just as bad if not worse for the environment. EVs are our modern-day plastic bags. It all looks good on the surface, but time will tell if it’s really the right thing to do.
@Lambo all points are well put, I also fully agree !
Converting old ICE to electric; how safe is that…………….not very (giant step backward).
I thought the Union was greedy (even with what they actually got from the offer finally accepted); now some want more, ‘give them an inch and they ask for a mile’. The manufacturer’s put up some stellar numbers in my opinion, and I though acceptance was just a formality. That’s why I was so enthusiastic about when performance bonuses were put into effect (in the previous contract); that I thought was very fair.
I would like to turn my 2005, mint condition, Ford Excursion with 6.0 L Turbo Diesel into an EV down the road.
I would really have to check into this EV conversion kit because it seems it would be much more complicated than just yanking out the engine transmission and fuel tank and installing a battery/controller and electric motor. Do you still keep your 12V battery to run lights and electronics? Does the controller then charge the 12V battery? How is power steering and brake booster managed? How about HVAC? I could see this conversion getting very expensive.
Funny you should ask about what car I would convert to electric. My wife’s first car was GM’s worst developed and rushed to production, The Chevrolet Vega. These cars are hardly “survivors” If the are around they have been Hot Rodded! It would be great to find one and drop a small motor in it. Of course, you’d have to find one that hasn’t rotted away. Oh we
Funny you should ask about what car I would convert to electric. My wife’s first car was GM’s worst developed and rushed to production, The Chevrolet Vega. These cars are hardly “survivors” If the are around they have been Hot Rodded! It would be great to find one and drop a small motor in it. Of course, you’d have to find one that hasn’t rotted away. Oh we
An R5 probably didn’t have power steering, but would have had power brakes. I’d think the suspension would need work to handle the weight of even the small 10.7 kWh battery.
My retro EV conversion has already been completed by Bugeye Guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7RaAEah1fg
Electric vehicles are a farce. There are no environmental savings and the cost to buy is to high even if I wanted to but one. A true political way to win over the gen X who just want to think they are saving the planet.