AD #4043 - Ford Makes Battery Breakthrough; Car Imports to China Post Big Drop; California Proposes Heavy-Duty AV Tests
Autoline Daily
AD #4043 - Ford Makes Battery Breakthrough; Car Imports to China Post Big Drop; California Proposes Heavy-Duty AV Tests
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Speaker 1: This is Outline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry. Ford says that it's made a
battery breakthrough that could make its evs as affordable as gas powered vehicles by the end of the decade. It's
piloting what it calls lithium manganese rich or LMR cells at its battery center in Michigan. Ford claims LMR is
comparable to LFP batteries in terms of safety, have more energy density than high nickel batteries, and costs significantly less than mid nickel batteries. The company is currently working to
scale up production and hopes to have LMR batteries in its evs before the end of the decade. Car imports
to China fell off a cliff.
Speaker 2: In the first quarter of the year.
Speaker 1: According to the China Passenger Car Association, only ninety five thousand vehicles were imported in the first three months of twenty twenty five. That's a thirty nine percent drop. Vehicle
imports to China have been on a steady decline for years.
In twenty seventeen, the country imported one point two four million cars, but last year that dropped to seven hundred thousand.
Most of the demand was for luxury vehicles, while sales of new energy vehicle imports fell dramatically as well. BEVs
slumped eighty two percent and Pehez dropped seventy seven. Japan
exported the most vehicles to China, with more than thirty thousand in Q one. It's followed by Germany, Slovakia, and
the United States, but with the trade war between the US and China, US exports will probably come to a screeching haul. Speaking of China, there's a race on between
it and the US to see who will dominate the technology for autonomous vehicles, and we're looking at this next news item in that context. California is proposing to allow
tests of self driving semi trucks on public roads. Tests
would be limited to specific routes that are legal for the size, weight and loading of the vehicles, which would not include most city streets. California is also proposing to
update rules for autonomous tests of light duty vehicles. All
companies will initially be required to hold a permit to test with a safety driver on board, and then they can apply for permits for driver list testing and deployment to apply for a permit for driver list testing.
Speaker 2: Companies will be required to.
Speaker 1: Complete at least fifty thousand miles of tests for light duty vehicles, and heavy duty trucks will have to conduct at least five hundred thousand miles of self driving tests.
The proposal will require companies to report more data to the state for disengagements, vehicle immobilizations, and hard breaking events.
California will hold a public hearing in June on the proposal.
Speaker 2: Two tone paint jobs seem to.
Speaker 1: Have seen a surge in population, especially with electric vehicles, but it's not necessarily an easy process.
Speaker 2: To pull off.
Speaker 1: You first have to paint the vehicle in one color, then bake that color until it's dry, then tape off the area where the second color will be applied, then put the vehicle back on the production line again to get its second coat of paint and another round of baking.
But Renault says it's the first full line manufacturer to use a technique called jet print paint that eliminates most of that process by taking the typical spray pattern of thirty to forty five centimeters or twelve to eighteen inches down to one to fifty millimeters or zero point.
Speaker 2: Zero three to two inches.
Speaker 1: The second coat of paint can be applied without taping or masking off parts of the body, nor does it need to be sent down the line and baked for a second time. Renault did have to create a new
dedicated paint booth that's fully integrat into the production line to pull this off, but it says it can paint the hood and roof of a car in just six minutes.
Jetprint paint will first be used for a two tone look on the all electric Renault four Etech, but says it could be used for custom paint jobs in the future.
Speaker 2: BMW used the same.
Speaker 1: Process for a limited edition version of the M four and twenty twenty one, but we're not sure if it's still using it, and Renault should be implementing it on a much larger scale. Speaking of the Renault group, Alpine
says it will introduce its very first SUV, the A three to ninety, on May twenty seventh. Right now, Camo
versions are finishing up their final handling tests on Michelin's wet track in France. The reveal of the A three
to ninety has been timed up with the brand seventieth anniversary celebrations. The Dodge Charger was one of the ten
most stolen vehicles in the US last year, and if it wasn't for Hyundai and Kia not installing engine immobilizers on some of their models, the charger would have likely ranked higher. So Dodge is offering owners of HEMI powered
twenty eighteen to twenty twenty three model year Chargers and Challengers a new theft de Turren system.
Speaker 2: They'll be able to set it up so the vehicle won't.
Speaker 1: Start unless the correct sequence of buttons are pressed, and the two factor authentication could be almost anything. For example,
when I was still working as an automotive tech, we had a customer with an old five to zero Mustang that wouldn't start unless you pushed in the cigarette lighter and turned on the high beams.
Speaker 2: Dodge says you can have up to four.
Speaker 1: Different sequences for multiple drivers, and it's Wi Fi connected so it can be turned on and off remotely. The
start defender can be ordered now for seven hundred dollars.
Continental Automotive has a new name now. They call it
a Movio, sort of a combination of automotive and mobility.
As we reported earlier, Continental, one of the biggest automotive suppliers in the world, decided to keep its tire business and spin off the rest of its automotive operations, and so the rest of those operations are now called Amovio.
You've all heard the rule of unintended consequences. Well, here's
an automotive example. Gentex is an automotive supplier based in
Michigan that dominates the global market for self dimming car mirrors.
But Gentex has stopped shipping mirrors from Michigan to China because Chinese customers are canceling orders due to the retaliatory tears that China put on US products. And so instead
of President Trump's tars creating more US jobs, here's an example of where they'll be doing exactly the opposite. Okay,
time to go over the results of our latest poll.
We asked you your thoughts on yoke steering wheels. Tesla
and Lexis have offered them, and it looks like Mercedes will offer one starting next year, but so far they really haven't been popular with customers. Ten percent of our
members said they've used a yoke wheel and think it's fantastic.
Sixteen percent said you haven't used one yet but can't wait.
But the overwhelming majority sixty two percent said no thanks to a yoke wheel, and the remaining twelve percent said none of the above. We also had some great feedback.
Kyle Robinson had this to say, I prefer the steering wheel in my cyber truck. It's a good compromise between
a round steering wheel and a yoke. My opinion is
for a yoke or cyber truck style steering wheel to be effective, variable ratio steer by wires required. Keith Mensing
said had a Hyundai K four as a rental car this week while traveling across Kansas. Its steering wheel is
flat on the top and bottom and I couldn't get used to that. I don't think my mind is ready
for a yoke. Ricardo Rodriguez replied, I think I'd love
it when I get a vehicle with digital variable steering.
Then there would not be any handover hand required. And
we'll give the last word to Tom Kin, who said quote, I'm interested, but can't make a call sense.
Speaker 2: I've never driven with one.
Speaker 1: I want a center console mounted joystick that can be driven from either front seat, and you know what I like the sound of that too, and we want to thank everyone who participate, and remember that our polls are open to viewers with Autoline memberships on YouTube and Patreon.
If you'd like to join, just look for a link to Patreon in the description box, or you can click the join button on our YouTube homepage.
Speaker 2: But that wraps up today's show. Thanks for watching.
Speaker 3: Auto Line Daily is brought to you by Bridgestone Solutions for your journey, intrepid control systems, over the air engineering boost your game tajin Automotive Technologies, the formula for better mobility and by.
Speaker 4: Knowing that a little rain won't slow down your day, that's what really matters. Breachestone Toronso quiattract tires confident control
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About this episode
Ford reveals a promising battery breakthrough with lithium manganese rich cells aiming to make EVs as affordable as gas cars by decade's end. China's vehicle imports plummet, heavily impacting luxury and new energy vehicles amid ongoing trade tensions. California proposes new regulations for autonomous heavy-duty truck testing, requiring extensive mileage and safety data reporting. Renault introduces an innovative jet print paint process for efficient two-tone EV finishes. Alpine prepares to launch its first SUV, while Dodge offers a customizable theft deterrent for Chargers and Challengers. The episode also covers Gentex's supply challenges due to tariffs and shares listener opinions on yoke steering wheels.
Original notes
- Ford Makes Battery Breakthrough - Car Imports to China Drop Significantly - California Proposes to Allow Heavy-Duty AV Tests - Renault Introduces New Two-Tone Paint Process - Alpine Teases First SUV - Dodge Offers New Anti-Theft System for Charger - Continental Auto Now Called Aumovio - Gentex Stops Shipping Mirrors to China - Autoline Yoke-Steering Wheel Poll Results
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