This as Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
Is nuclear fusion coming a lot sooner than we thought? Last week,
Microsoft committed to buying electricity from a US startup called Hellion, which is supposed to fire up a nuclear fusion reactor in twenty twenty eight, And then earlier today, Chinese ev startup Neo announced its investing in a fusion company also called Neo, though this Neo was spelled with an E not an I. The
company is fifty percent owned by the provincial government in the Anhui province in eastern China. Neo, the car company and its investment arm will own thirty percent.
Nuclear fusion could go a long way to slashing carbon emissions. It produces
carbon free electricity with very little radioactivity, with a half life that's measured in milliseconds. Contrast that to nuclear fission, which is what we used today.
The waste from it is radioactive for millions of years. Last year, General
Motors said it secured the raw materials it needs to hit its goal of producing one million evs in North America by twenty twenty five, but autofoecast solution says GM is going to fall well short of that goal and will likely produce fewer than six hundred thousand evs because it won't be able to ramp up battery production in time to meet that target. GM is currently producing batteries in Ohio.
Next year, it will open a second plant in Tennessee, and in twenty twenty five, it will add a third battery plant in Lansing, Michigan.
GM says those three facilities will have the capacity to produce one hundred and thirty five gigawatt hours, enough to build one point three five million evs a year, but Autofoecast says those plants will likely only reach fifty eight gigawatt hours by twenty twenty five, which is enough for five hundred and fifty thousand evs.
Auto Forecast expects GM to produce seventy six thousand evs in North America this year and three hundred and twenty eight twenty twenty four, but even so, GM says it's still committed to its original target. Hyundai and Kia's decision not to
install engine immobilizers and millions of older models is going to be a costly one.
The automakers are settling a consumer class action lawsuit that will cost them two hundred million dollars. The money will go towards owners who had their vehicles stolen
and reimburse them for insurance increases related to the thefts. The automakers are also
facing a lawsuit from insurance companies who estimate that the thefts could cause them as much as six hundred million dollars. The companies were hit with a wave of
thefts after videos on social media showed how to easily start the cars without a key since they lack the immobilizer. Nearly nine million older houndy and Kiyas do
not have the device. The automakers issued a software fix earlier this year,
but it won't cover all of the models, and for those that can't update, they'll compensate the owners who buy an anti theft device. Oh oh,
maybe LP batteries aren't such a good idea, or even sell the PAC battery packaging sell the PAC makes it a lot harder to recycle batteries, and LFP isn't nearly as profitable to recycle as batteries with nickel, manganese or cobalt.
Those are some of the things that we learned on yesterday's Autoline After Hours with David Klinski. He's the CEO of Service Solutions, a company that's already recycling
EVY batteries profitably. If you want to get up to speed quickly with what's
really going on with battery recycling, I highly recommend that you watch that show.
You'll learn more about battery recycling than most other people know. Now.
While Volkswagen is committed to converting its lineup to electric vehicles, it's considering adding a plug in hybrid in the US to help with the transition. The head
of the VW Group in America, Pablo to C, told Automotive News that he's considering bringing at least one pH to the American market because the charging network in the US is still lagging. The VW Group already sells one plug in
in the US, the Audi Q five E, which is built in Mexico.
De C said that he would like to add a similar vehicle to the VW brand's lineup. The Audi features a two liter four cylinder engine paired with
an electric motor and a seventeen point nine kilowatt hour battery pack, which provides twenty three miles of all Electric Driving. De C did not say what vehicle
could get the plug in, but Automotive News speculates that it would likely be the Tigue or Atlas Sends. Crossovers account for ninety percent of VW sales in
the US. We want to know drives your testing. OTA Connected Car Diagnostics,
remote Testing, Intrepid Control Systems is here to help you work from anywhere.
Intrepid control systems driven by your data. Yesterday we reported that Chinese automaker
Gelie is investing nearly three hundred million dollars into Aston Martin and today we can report that Aston is going to launch eight new models over the next two years.
That includes replacements for the dB eleven, Vantage and DBS and the convertible versions of those cars, as well as a new flagship for the brand, and all of those models will be front engine, but it will also launch a new mid engine hybrid sports car with Formula one technology. Aston's first EV
will debut in twenty twenty five, and it will provide more details about it at the end of next month. Chevy Squeeze more range out of the car
commercial or work truck version of the upcoming all electric Silverado Engineers were originally targeting at least four hundred miles of range, but it revealed the actual EPA estimate is now set at four hundred and fifty miles. Chevy didn't reveal the battery
size, but it's likely the same two hundred plus kilowatt hour pack that's in the Hummer EV. The Silverado work truck will be capable of charging at three
hundred and fifty kilowatts, which also suggests it will have the big battery because the Hummer EV is the only current all tium based EV that has that charging capability, and that's thanks to its two four hundred volt battery packs, which bumps the system to eight hundred volts and allows for that charging speed. This
version of the Silverado EV will launch this spring. Another work truck model with
three hundred and fifty miles of range will follow soon after that, but production of the first models for retail customers won't start until the fall. And speaking
of new trucks, Toyota officially revealed the new Tacoma and it shows that fan form that was able to sleo through Toyota's website earlier this month and possibly get their hands on a picture of the new Tacoma did get the real thing.
That exact same picture is used in the official press release anyway, Now let's get to the good stuff. It's based on the same platform as the Tundra
and Sequoia, which Toyota used as an opportunity to tie in some family resemblance.
The frame is more rigid than the outgoing truck, which will help with off roadability and allows for a new coil rear suspension set up for some models that helps with ride and handling, but there's still leaf springs available as well.
The suspension has actually been tuned for each grade of the new Tacoma, and buyers can get everything from slightly upgraded TRD tune chocks to Bilsteen's to ARB and all the way up to Fox's three way adjustable system with remote reservoirs.
And there's a swaybar disconnect two. Now let's move to the power train.
Under the hood is a two point four leader turbocharge four cylinder engine in non hybrid form. The standard output is two hundred and twenty eight horsepower, but
there's also a version that makes two hundred and seventy eight horse power. These
can be paired to an eight speed automatic transmission, but the higher output version also has a six speed manual option that makes nine less horse power. The
hybrid integrates an electric motor into the eight speed auto that boosts output to three hundred and twenty six horse power and four hundred and sixty five pound feet of torque. Power can be sent to the rear wheels or all four rear drive
models feature a limited slip diff and four wheel drive tax on a two speed transfer case. There's also a full time four wheel drive system with a center
locking diff available as well, and more off road focus models switch out the autolocking dip for an electronic one. The Tacoma is capable of towing up to
sixty five hundred pounds, and max payload now comes in at one thousand, seven hundred and nine pounds. The interior looks pretty rugged, with blocky elements
that stack on top of each other to form a layered look. An eight
inch screen comes standard, but most of the pictures show the new larger fourteen inch display and a couple of other highlights that were kind of hard to work into the rest of the story include optional power outlets in the bed and upgraded four wheel disc brakes. Which can also be upgraded themselves, both front and
rear. Non hybrid versions of the new Tacoma go on sale in the US
later this year, while the hybrid arrives early next year. That brings us
to the end of this show and the end of this week. Thanks for
joining us, and I hope you have a great weekend. Autoline Daily is
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About this episode
Explore the latest in automotive innovation, from Chevy's Silverado EV boasting an impressive 450-mile range and rapid charging capabilities, to Toyota's revamped Tacoma featuring hybrid options and enhanced off-road tech. The episode also delves into challenges with battery recycling profitability, Hyundai and Kia's costly oversight on engine immobilizers, and Volkswagen's consideration of plug-in hybrids amid charging infrastructure gaps. Additionally, nuclear fusion's potential impact on clean energy and Aston Martin's ambitious new model lineup highlight the industry's evolving landscape.
- Nio, Microsoft Invest in Nuclear Fusion - GM May Miss EV Sales Target - Hyundai-Kia Settle Class-Action Theft Lawsuit - Pitfalls with Battery Recycling - VW Wants PHEV For U.S. Market - Aston Martin to Launch 8 New Models - Silverado EV Gets 450 Mile Range - Toyota Tacoma Gets Hybrid
