AD #3914 – DHL Gives Thumbs Up to Tesla Semi; BMW Wants ICE Ban Dropped; GM Tactical Vehicle Looks Like EREV

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

BMW WANTS EU ICE BAN DROPPED
There’s something of a tug of war going on between Europe’s automakers. And it’s all about those Chinese tariffs and the 2035 ban on internal combustion engines. Oliver Zipse, BMW’s CEO, says that banning IC engines will lead to a massive shrinking of the European auto industry, and will force it to depend on China for batteries. Instead he wants e-fuels and hydrogen to be considered for reducing CO2 in piston engines.

STELLANTIS IN FAVOR OF EU ICE BAN
Meanwhile, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, says no, he doesn’t want the ICE ban to go away. He wants regulatory stability and says Stellantis will comply with the ban. In fact he says Stellantis will not even buy emission credits from other automakers to satisfy current emission standards, which could turn into a huge political issue. As EU CO2 emission standards get tighter next year, automakers could face a tup to $16 billion in fines.

TARIFFS WILL SPEED UP EU PLANT CLOSINGS
Tavares is also against the EU tariffs on Chinese EVs. He says the tariffs will force Chinese companies to build more assembly plants in Europe, which will lead to more overcapacity, which will force existing European assembly plants to close. The EU and China are negotiating to avoid the tariffs, but so far they’ve come up empty handed. And European negotiators say that it’s highly unlikely they’ll reach a deal by the end of this month, which is when the tariffs are scheduled to go into effect. If they do, look for China to retaliate with tariffs on ICE vehicles aimed directly at German automakers.

LEAPMOTOR LAUNCHES NEW SUV IN EUROPE
Right in the middle of this, Chinese automaker Leapmotor described how it’s getting a lot of help from Stellantis to enter the European market. Leapotor already has 200 dealers in 13 countries and plans to grow that to 500 by the end of next year. It’s starting out in Europe with models that it already offers in China. The C10 will sell for 36,400 euros while the T03 is already on sale for just under 19,000 euros and is now getting built in Poland as well. But Leapmotor just introduced one of its first new models meant for international markets. The B10 is a C-segment SUV that, according to Gasgoo, got help from Maserati fine-tuning the chassis. It’s “the first of many” B-Series vehicles that will launch next year. The B10 is built on Leapmotor’s LEAP 3.5 architecture, which will offer a smart cockpit and levels of driver assistance that require lidar sensors. The model will most likely launch as a BEV, but CarNewsChina reports it could also come with an extended range EV. No word on how much it will cost in Europe, but in China pricing is reported to range from about $14,000 – $21,000.

FORD LAUNCHES E-VAN IN EU
Sticking with EVs for Europe, Ford is getting ready to expand its electric van lineup. The E-Tourneo, which is the passenger version of the E-Transit Courier commercial van, is about to go into production and will start reaching customer hands next spring. The powertrain pairs a 100 kW or 134 horsepower electric motor with a 43 kWh battery pack, which combines for up to 288 kilometers or about 180 miles of range. Other things of note include a 750 kilogram towing capacity, 100 kW charging capability and dual 12-inch digital screens. The new E-Tourneo will be built alongside the ICE versions of the Tourneo and Transit Courier in Romania.

FORD BRONCO GETS STROPPE EDITION
Speaking of Ford, it’s coming out with a special-edition Bronco to honor a past legend. Bill Stroppe is an off-road icon that built and raced modified Broncos in the 60’s and 70’s, helping establish the SUV as a real competitor in events like the Baja 1000. So, now Ford is coming out with the Bronco Stroppe Special Edition, which has all kinds of suspension and chassis upgrades. It’s only available as a 2-door and also features an orange, white and blue paint scheme like those old racing Broncos. No word on pricing, but the model goes on sale in January.

WOLFSPEED UPS U.S. CHIP PRODUCTION
The U.S. just took another step towards becoming more self-sufficient in making automotive microprocessors. Wolfspeed, which supplies General Motors, JLR, Mercedes and others, qualified for a $750 million U.S. grant for a silicon carbide wafer manufacturing plant in North Carolina. The money comes from the Chips and Science Act, which is designed to boost chip manufacturing in the U.S. Wolfspeed says investment funds have agreed to provide an additional $750 million, which will help expand its silicon carbide manufacturing plant in New York and increase production by 30%. Wolfspeed is investing a total of $6 billion to expand its U.S. operations.

 

DAIMLER ADDS H2 BUS STATIONS IN EU
Hydrogen vehicles keep making progress, albeit slowly. Daimler Buses just partnered with H2 Mobility, the largest operator of public hydrogen stations in Europe, which will allow customers using its eCitaro fuel cell bus to fuel up at H2 stations. H2 is also building new stations around other transportation companies and its hydrogen dispenser can even be installed at the operator’s own depot. H2 Mobility plans to have 50 refueling locations in Germany by the end of the year.

DHL GIVES TESLA SEMI BIG THUMBS UP
The Tesla Semi is getting a big thumbs up from delivery company DHL, which first said it wanted to buy the Semi when it debuted in 2017. DHL put the truck through a two-week summer trial in California, driving it a total of 3,000 miles in normal operations. That included one continuous section of 390 miles with a typical DHL load of 75,000 pounds. And DHL says it could have gone 500 miles. The Semi averaged 1.72-kWh per mile during its test, which exceeded its expectations so now DHL is studying how it can integrate the Tesla Semi into its fleet.

GM TACTICAL VEHICLE LOOKS LIKE EREV
We think GM is bringing back extended range electrics EREVs. But unfortunately this is not a vehicle you or I can buy like the Volt. It revealed its Next Gen tactical vehicle prototype for the military. The model is based on the Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD ZR2, but features 2.8L Duramax diesel engine combined with a 12-module battery pack and electric motors that drive the front and rear axles. Add in that one of the goals was offering a significant range and that’s why we think this is an EREV. Even though this is a prototype, GM says it can be customized and fielded now.

But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.