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Runtime: 10:03
0:00 U.S. To Ban Chinese Connected Car Technology
1:41 Oak Ridge Achieves Wireless EV Charging Record
2:47 Samsung Makes Progress with Solid-State Batteries
3:27 AC Cars Introduces Hardtop Cobra for First Time Ever
4:49 BYD Sets Monthly Sales Record
5:38 Tesla’s Made-In-China Sales Up in July
6:09 Mercedes Receives L4 Testing Approval in China
6:57 Infineon Says EV Sales Rebound “Not Yet in Sight”
7:36 Intel Slashes 15,000 Jobs
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
U.S. TO BAN CHINESE CONNECTED CAR TECHNOLOGY
The U.S. wants to ban connected car tech from Chinese companies. Reuters reports that in the coming weeks the Commerce Department is expected to propose a rule that will ban Level 3 and above autonomous vehicles that use Chinese software as well as connected cars that use Chinese-developed wireless communication devices. It says it’s concerned about the national security risks the technology might pose and will require automakers and suppliers to verify that none of their stuff is made with a “foreign entity of concern,” like China. Tesla has faced similar claims in China that its tech poses a national security risk, which resulted in restrictions from military bases, government agencies and even cultural and exhibition centers. And it’s only been recently that authorities have started to come around on Tesla’s tech. It’s been testing FSD in the U.S. for years, but finally looks like it’s on a path for approval in China. The expected ban on Chinese software and tech in the U.S. comes right on the heels of a new 100% import tariff on Chinese EVs. Chinese authorities are already pushing back on those tariffs, so it will likely do the same if its software and tech is also banned. While the U.S. says it’s concerned about the national security risks, a move like this will give automakers and suppliers a chance to catch up to China in those areas.
OAK RIDGE ACHIEVES WIRELESS EV CHARGING RECORD
Oak Ridge National Lab, which is funded by the Department of Energy, has made some really impressive improvements to wireless car charging. Existing wireless chargers are quite inefficient with peak rates somewhere around 50-kW, but many rarely go over 11-kW, which is less than some home EV chargers. But Oak Ridge National Lab developed a way to rotate the magnetic fields between the pickup coils that are mounted on the car and charging mat, which are just under 5 inches or nearly 13 cm apart. In 2016, it was able to achieve a charging rate of 20-kW. Last year it bumped that up to 120-kW. And it just completed a test at 270-kW. On top of that it says based on per kilowatt weight, it is also the most lightweight charging system in the world. The car used in the test was a Porsche Taycan and Oak Ridge and VW say they will continue to develop the wireless charging system.
SAMSUNG MAKES PROGRESS WITH SOLID-STATE BATTERIES
Speaking of EV charging, Samsung has some pretty impressive claims for its EV-specific solid-state oxide battery. It says they’ll have a 20-year lifespan, will recharge in 9 minutes and an energy density of around 500 Wh/kg, which is double some of today’s EVs and could provide a range of about 600 miles or 965 kilometers. However, mass production is still several years away and we’ll need much more powerful chargers than we have today to charge an EV in 9 minutes.
AC CARS INTRODUCES HARDTOP COBRA FOR FIRST TIME EVER
But for those of you who still love piston power, AC Cars, the oldest active British car maker, which was founded in 1901, is coming out with a production hardtop version of the AC Cobra for the first time ever. It’s built on the same platform as the existing AC Cobra GT Roadster and wears a similar front end design, but the rear of the car was inspired by the AC A98 coupe Le Mans race car from 1964. Initially it will be limited to 99 examples. Those cars feature a especially tuned supercharged V8 that makes nearly 800 horsepower and will cost 325,000 pounds or over $415,000. But it also plans to make two other versions; one with a naturally aspirated V8 that makes 450 horsepower and another with a supercharged V8 that makes 720 horsepower. Orders are open right now.
BYD SETS MONTHLY SALES RECORD
BYD set a sales record in July and it was its plug-in hybrids that fueled that growth. The automaker sold more than 340,000 vehicles last month, which is a 30% increase from a year ago. Its PHEV sales were up 67% to about 210,800 units but its BEV sales of 130,000 units was down 3.5% compared to last year. Its overseas sales are still relatively small at 30,000 vehicles. But it’s expanding quickly in Europe and last week it was reported that the company plans to enter the Canadian market. Through July, BYD has sold more than 1.9 million vehicles, up about 30% from a year ago.
TESLA’S MADE-IN-CHINA SALES UP IN JULY
And while BYD’s BEV sales slipped, Tesla’s made-in China sales bounced back in July. According to the China Passenger Car Association, Tesla sold more than 74,000 China made vehicles last month, a 15% gain from a year ago. However, Tesla’s sales are down overall this year. Through July, Tesla has sold more than 500,000 made-in China vehicles, which is down 7% from last year.
MERCEDES RECEIVES L4 TESTING APPROVAL IN CHINA
As we said earlier in the show, it looks like Tesla is finally getting approval for FSD in China and Mercedes is also making progress with its autonomous vehicle development in the country. The automaker announced it’s the first foreign automaker to receive approval to test Level 4 self-driving vehicles on roads in Beijing. It will use two S-Class sedans for the tests, which are equipped with lidar, radar and cameras. Mercedes’ autonomous development is moving quickly in China. It first started tests in closed environments in 2021 so it could adapt its system to China’s roads. At the end of last year, it received approval to conduct Level 3 autonomous tests and now it has Level 4 approval.
INFINEON SAYS EV SALES REBOUND “NOT YET IN SIGHT”
The slowdown in the EV market is going to continue according to chipmaker Infineon. The CEO of the company said that a recovery in EV sales is “not yet in sight” and that the slump in EV sales was partly responsible for a 10% drop in revenue in its recent quarter. And because of that decline the company is laying off 1,400 workers. Part of its problem is that Infineon has become more and more dependent on the auto industry for its sales. Its automotive business brought in more than 2 billion euros in revenue last quarter, which is more than half of its overall revenue.
INTEL SLASHES 15,000 JOBS
And Infineon isn’t the only chipmaker that’s struggling. Intel is planning to cut 15,000 jobs worldwide in order to slash costs. Intel is a major supplier of semiconductors to the auto industry, with its chips in more than 50 million vehicles. Currently, 18 automakers use its chips for EVs and software. So, any disruptions to the supply could have a big impact on automakers.
But that’s it for today’s show, thanks for watching and have a great day.
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The article says the Oak Ridge wireless charging is 95% efficient. If that can be done reliably, on real cars with real chargers, that is impressive.
If the US bans Chinese software and/or hardware in self-driving vehicles in the US, what about Chinese vehicles that people drive into our country from Canada and Mexico? They may only be in the country for a day or a week, but it seems like a potential loophole that will need to be closed. Perhaps Canada will mirror the US policy so this won’t be an issue. I think that ship has already sailed in the Mexican market.
I hope Canada doesn’t just parrot the U.S. on Chinese EV tariffs. While it protects American manufacturers, it penalizes all consumers and will slow the climate change movement, something that’s important here in Canada.
Without serious competition, manufacturers will continue to do only what they have to, buying EV credits and paying penalties.
Where will this tit-for-tat end. US bans all Huawei stuff. China bans Teslas in “sensitive” areas. US bans Chinese autonomous car software. Will China ban MS Windows? Well, probably not that, because essentially all computers running Windows are made in China. Then, there’s the ongoing trade/tariff war.
I love the look of the AC Cobra. Shows my age. Although I am not the target market, the price seems quite reasonable for what special cars sell for these days.
We’ve never been bothered by plugging in to charge. Gas stations that offer service don’t appear to be more successful than self-serve ones. It seems to be all about the price. So I don’t know if this technology is important for individual consumers. It should be a big winner for fleets.
Great show,some very interesting subjects. That AC looks nice,with some serious performance.
Kit,for sure,95% sounds quite amazing
I’m kind of out of touch with Cobras, not knowing that AC was still building new ones. The web site doesn’t say what the engines are, except being 5 litre V8, but that sounds like Ford. That goes along with the Cobra legacy.
Saw a dark-grey metallic Lyriq here in Switzerland for the first time. Did quite the double-take from a distance, as I couldn’t quite identify it at first. Pity it was a fleeting moment, but it’s definitely a more representative car than the ubiquitous, very successful Model Y. Hope gm sticks with it, aces execution, and markets it competently.
@Kit You had a manual Beretta with the Quad 16V and a shifter? That was quite the screamer, and revved unlike any normal GM engine back then.
Sean, nope, my Beretta had the low tech, low performance pushrod 2.2. It was reliable, though.