U.S. Car Makers’ EV Plans Hinge on Made-in-America Batteries
Companies and the U.S. government are shelling out billions of dollars to establish a supply chain for batteries in North America, a manufacturing effort that is critical to the auto industry’s long-range plans to put more electric vehicles on the road. Batteries are the most expensive component in an electric vehicle, accounting for about one-third of its cost. American electric-car makers traditionally haven’t assembled batteries themselves. They rely on a far-flung supply chain. The raw materials are mined primarily in countries such as Australia, China, Congo, and Indonesia, reports The Wall Street Journal. Chemical processing, battery components and assembly are mostly done by Chinese companies. The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which provides incentives for North American-built batteries and penalizes car companies that source batteries abroad, is spurring a wave of new projects in the U.S. — from cell-making factories to new ventures to mine the raw materials. In October, the Biden administration announced awards totaling $2.8 billion to about 20 companies in more than 10 states to help expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles and the electrical grid. This funding was part of the infrastructure package passed in late 2021. Click here for the full story.
Lamborghini USA Has Facelifted Major Showrooms in California and Florida
Lamborghini has revealed a new design aesthetic for two showrooms in the United States. The modern look of each location makes the experience of customizing and buying a Lamborghini even more exciting for customers. Grand re-opening events were held at both showrooms, one of which is Lamborghini Westlake which services north Los Angeles, Malibu, and Santa Barbara. The other showroom is Lamborghini Broward in southern Florida; after California, Florida is the Italian brand's largest market in the United States. The USA is Lamborghini's largest global market, with 2,721 cars delivered here last year, 10 percent more than in 2021 reports Carbuzz. As such, Lamborghini's showrooms are especially important for the company in the USA. The showroom includes an Ad Personam area where customers can look through various color swatches, materials, and wheel designs. "As the largest global market for Lamborghini, the U.S. led the way to record sales in 2022, with Florida playing a crucial role in the company's overall success," said Stephan Winkelmann, chairman, and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. "With this newly renovated retail location, we are poised to better support and provide a further elevated experience for our customers in southern Florida." Click here for the full story.
EV Virtual Power Plants Could Provide Support in Times of Peak Demand
One incentive for buying an electric vehicle is the potential to make money by charging or discharging at certain times. This seemingly simple task for EV owners could create a more resilient grid and reduce the need for additional power plants as U.S. roads see more EVs. A physical power plant is easy to visualize — smokestacks, transmission lines, concrete cylinder buildings. A virtual power plant, generated in part by EV owners, is more of a dot map. It's an aggregation of energy resources to produce energy equivalent to that of a physical power plant, reports Automotive News. Orchestrated together, thousands of EVs and household electronics "can act just like a large-scale power plant and provide the same kinds of services to the grid as large-scale power plants we're familiar with can provide," said Mark Dyson, a managing director with the carbon-free electricity program at RMI. The idea behind a virtual power plant consists of pooling together neighboring distributed energy resources, such as EVs, to create a grid power source. The cars charge up at off-peak times, storing electrons that can be routed back to the grid during electricity demand spikes. Click here for the full story.
2023 Honda Accord Will Be Sales Booster, EV Recruiter
The redesign of Honda's 11th-generation Accord likely started well before COVID-19 became a global business disruptor, but the sedan's launch could not be timelier. Not only will it help boost Honda brand sales back over 1 million in 2023, company officials say, it will also help Honda hold onto would-be EV buyers while it prepares to transition to a more electric lineup. Honda brand sales barely topped 880,000 last year, down from 1.3 million a year earlier. The automaker says the Accord will be critical in getting it back on track as it eyes a 25 percent sales lift this year. "We're on a path to get back towards that larger volume," Lance Woelfer, assistant vice president of Honda national auto sales told Automotive News. "It's part of the 20 to 25 percent growth we've been communicating to the dealers, so we expect significant growth in the Accord." Woelfer declined to confirm a specific figure for the redesigned nameplate, but a 25 percent increase means the Accord could come in around 193,000 sales, up from 154,612 in 2022. Click here for the full story.
Porsche’s Next All-Electric SUV to Slot Above the Cayenne Will Debut in 2027
Porsche’s upcoming all-electric SUV to slot above the Cayenne in its range is taking shape and should hit the market in 2027. We’ve known about the company’s plans for a flagship electric SUV since last September but more information about the vehicle has emerged. Currently codenamed K1, Porsche chief executive Oliver Blume says the vehicle will be “a very sporting interpretation of an SUV,” and will probably be based on the automaker’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture. The SUV was originally going to use the VW Group’s Scalable Systems Platform but delays in perfecting this platform have necessitated a switch, reports Carscoops. Nevertheless, the new Porsche should get an upgraded version of the PPE architecture that includes a 920-volt electric system to improve charging speeds. Porsche has been working on the K1 for the last three years and believes that it could prove particularly popular in markets including North America and China. It will apparently feature a short hood and a liftback-style tailgate, ensuring it is easily identifiable from the Cayenne and Macan. Other highlights of the SUV could include adjustable air suspension, four-wheel steering, and an electronic differential providing torque vectoring. Click here for the full story.
Around the Web
IRS Changes EV Tax Credit Vehicle Classifications: Here’s the New List of Qualifying Cars [Carbuzz]
Future BMWs Could Incorporate Headlights Into an Even Larger Digital Grille [Carscoops]
2024 Volvo EX90 - Photos From Every Angle [Road & Track]
Consumer Reports 10 Most Satisfying Vehicles for 2023 [MotorBiscuit]
