It seems like a lot of folks have a bone to pick with Rep. Joe Manchin [D-WV] who has just this week single-handedly “torpedoed” the Build Back Better bill. The BBB could have been the “the most significant climate legislation in US history,” Megan Mahajan, the manager of energy policy design at the think tank Energy Innovation, told PopSci in October. The plan would put billions of money into developing low-carbon energy technologies and building a national network for electric vehicles.
When this bill dies, so do the chances for the country to reach its lofty and aggressive climate change goals. “There’s still a yawning gap between where we are today and where we need to be to hit President Biden’s climate targets,” Jesse Jenkins, an energy systems engineer at Princeton University who has led an effort to model the effects of the bill on US-wide emissions, told the New York Times. “Without either this bill or a climate bill that’s similar in scope, it’s really hard to see how those goals will be met.”
Unsurprisingly, left-leaning members of the Democratic party and the president himself have voiced frustration with Manchin’s choice. But a more surprising group is speaking out against Manchin’s decision, too—coal miners, including some he represents.
The BBB, along with all of its proposed clean energy benefits, provides a significant boost to coal workers by extending fees paid by coal companies to fund treatments and benefits of workers suffering pneumoconiosis, or Black Lung, which affects thousands of miners across the country. According to the statement, without BBB, that fee will be chopped in half and put the burden of healthcare payments back on individuals and taxpayers. Further, the bill provides tax incentives for companies to build new business on coalfields to employ out-of-work miners.
Additionally, the BBB provides language that would help workers unionize. “This language is critical to any long-term ability to restore the right to organize in America in the face of ramped-up union-busting by employers,” Cecil Roberts, the union’s president, said in a statement. “But now there is no path forward for millions of workers to exercise their rights at work.”
UMWA already released a plan for the energy transition earlier this year stating that “change is coming, whether we seek it or not.” The coal industry saw employment losses of around 50 percent between 2011 and 2020, which will likely continue as the country moves toward a cleaner energy mix. Proposals that include supporting miners and their families by incentivizing alternative jobs in coal country are crucial in protecting these already vulnerable communities.
“We’re likely to lose coal jobs whether or not this bill passes,” Phil Smith, the chief lobbyist for UMWA, told the Washington Post. “If that’s the case, let’s figure out a way to provide as many jobs as possible for those who are going to lose.”
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This story originally featured on Nexus Media News, a nonprofit climate change news service.
On a sweltering morning in July of 2021, thousands of dead fish washed onto the northeastern shores of Pokegama Lake, 60 miles north of Minneapolis.
Deb Vermeersch, an official with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, was called in to investigate.
When she arrived, she saw a quarter-mile stretch of sand covered with the rotting carcass of walleye and Northern pike, which thrive in deep, cool waters, as well as crappies, sunfish and suckers—all warm water dwellers. “They were already pretty decomposed because of the warm water,” Vermeersch recalls.
Because so many different types of fish had died, Vermeersch and her colleagues knew it wasn’t a species-specific parasite, a common cause of fish kills. They zeroed in on the culprit: dangerously low oxygen levels.
Oxygen is disappearing in freshwater lakes at a rate nine times that of oceans due to a combination of pollution and warming waters, according to a study published in Natureearlier this year. Lakes like Pokegama are warming earlier in the spring and staying warm into autumn, fueling algae blooms, which thrive in warm waters, and threaten native fish.
Minnesota, with its 14,380 lakes and temperatures that have risen faster than the national average, is a unique laboratory for studying how climate change is affecting temperate-zone lakes around the world. The state sits at the intersection of four biomes––two distinct prairie ecosystems and two ecologically different forest systems. This means scientists here are able to study how lakes in different ecosystems fare on a warming planet, and look for ways to stave off the worst effects of climate change.
“If you start losing oxygen, you start losing species.“
“What’s going on at the surface is that warmer water holds less oxygen than cool water,” says Lesley Knoll, a University of Minnesota limnologist and one of the authors of the Nature report. She says that longer, hotter summers are interfering with two key processes that have historically kept lakes’ oxygen levels in check: mixing and stratification. In temperate climates, water at the surface of lakes mixes with deep waters in the spring and the fall, when both layers are similar in temperature. As the surface water warms during the summer, the water forms distinct layers based on temperature––cool water at the bottom, warm at the top. This is known as stratification. In the fall, when the surface waters cool again, the water mixes for a second time, replenishing oxygen in deeper waters. But as climate change makes surface water warmer, and keeps it warmer for longer, that mixing doesn’t happen when it should.
“As you have that stronger stratification, the water in the deep part of the lake is cut off from the oxygen at the top part of the lake. If you start losing oxygen, you start losing species,” says Kevin Rose, a biologist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York and a coauthor of the Nature study.
Knoll, Rose and a team of 43 other researchers studied 400 temperate lakes from around the world. They found that, on average, surface waters warmed by 7 degrees Fahrenheit and have lost roughly 5 percent of oxygen since 1980; deep waters, which haven’t warmed much, have still lost an average of almost 20 percent of their oxygen. (Thanks to the state’s long-held lake monitoring programs, almost a quarter the lakes in the study were in Minnesota.)
Warming lakes emit methane
Fish kills aren’t the only reason scientists are concerned about lakes losing oxygen. In extreme cases, when deep waters go completely void of oxygen, something else happens: Methane-emitting bacteria begin to thrive.
“As lakes warm, they will produce more methane and most of that has to do with stratification,” says James Cotner, a limnologist at the University of Minnesota.
Lakes normally emit carbon dioxide as a natural part of breaking down the trees, plants and animals that decay in them, but plants in and around fresh water also absorb it, making healthy lakes carbon sinks.
Lakes have historically emitted methane, too––about 10 to 20 percent of the world’s emissions––but the prospect of them releasing more of the greenhouse gas has Cotner and his colleagues alarmed. Methane is about 25 times more potent than CO2 when it comes to trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere.
Cotner is leading a team of researchers who are studying what conditions allow methane-emitting bacteria to prosper in lakes and how conservationists can respond.
“The key questions are understanding how much and when carbon dioxide and methane are emitted from lakes, and what are the key variables that can tell how much will be emitted. Certainly, oxygen is a big part of that, but stratification and warming also plays a role,” says Cotner.
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Pollution plays a big role
It’s not just longer, hotter summers that are causing lakes to lose their oxygen. Polluted agricultural runoff (pesticides and fertilizers) and logging have long plagued Minnesota’s lakes. It’s a problem that’s getting worse worldwide as climate change pushes agriculture further away from the equator and into new territory, says Heather Baird, an official with Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources.
In northern Minnesota, potatoes now grow where pine forests have thrived for years. Phosphorus, a common fertilizer, now runs off from the soil into the region’s lakes, Baird says. Though small amounts of phosphorus occur naturally in lake ecosystems, too much of it feeds harmful algae blooms.
Those blooms, which thrive in warm, nutrient-rich water, set off a chain of events that remove oxygen from deep lake waters.
“When phosphorus builds in lakes and creates algae blooms, those blooms eventually die. As they do, they sink. Deeper down, bacteria break down the algae, using up the remaining oxygen at those lower depths,” said Baird.
A quarter of Minnesota lakes now have phosphorus levels that are so high that the state advises against swimming, fishing or boating in them. Fueled by these nutrients, algae blooms take over, covering the lake in sometimes toxic residue that thrives in warm, nutrient-rich water, as was the case in Pokegama Lake earlier this year. The protists choke out aquatic life, especially fish that thrive in cold, deep waters. This is all exacerbated by warming air temperatures.
The 75 percent rule
Researchers and conservationists in Minnesota are now studying the best ways to protect temperate-climate lakes from the worst effects of climate change. They have found that preserving 75 percent of deep-water lakes’ watersheds appear to keep fish stocks healthy.
“Having a forested watershed helps keep better water quality by filtering out nutrients, which in turn can buffer against the impacts of climate change, to a point,” Knoll said. However, she added, as temperatures continue to rise, “that 75 percent may not be high enough anymore.”
Knoll and state conservationists are focusing their research and efforts on deep, cool lakes that have a better chance of staying oxygenated than warmer, shallower lakes, like Pokegama.
Vermeersch, the Minnesota fisheries supervisor, said it’s unclear what this will mean for the future of lakes like Pokegama. “Hopefully it’s not going to be a linear thing,” she said, adding that fish kills are “probably going to happen more often,” depending on a combination of factors. “When you get lakes like Pokegama that are shallow and already impaired, I think we are going to see more and more conditions like this.”
Correction (December 23, 2021): The story previously identified the wrong Pokegama Lake in Minnesota. The one that experienced the fish kill in July is 60 miles away from Minneapolis, not 140 miles away.
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As part of a $37 billion program, General Motors plans to bring at least 30 battery-electric vehicles to market by mid-decade — but it is expanding its electrification strategy to power up pretty much anything “already on the road,” as well as on the water, it announced on Wednesday.
GM looking to electrify “everything,” including offering conversion kits as well as packages for vehicles like this jet tug.
The largest of the Detroit automakers’ Electric Connect and Cruise eCrate systems will allow owners to swap out their conventional gas engines in classic vehicles like the Camaro and E-10 pickup for battery-drive technology. GM also is looking to power up cargo tractors and other airport gear, while also working up ways to bring electric propulsion to the marine industry.
“GM has an established strategy, network of integrators and co-development agreements to apply an extensive array of components and solutions to a broad range of customers and use cases,” said Travis Hester, GM vice president of Electric Vehicle Growth Operations, in a statement Wednesday.
The carmaker estimates there’s a “total addressable market” for swapping conventional drive systems for battery power that could approach $20 billion by 2030.
“As companies across many industries look to reduce their environmental impact, GM is uniquely positioned to serve as a leader not only through exciting new EVs across our brands, but through additional technology applications,” said Hester, “and we look forward to bringing customers — existing and new — along with us on our zero-emissions journey.”
Chevrolet showcased a 1977 K5 Blazer converted to all-electric propulsion at SEMA360 in 2020.
Converting to electric
Demand for conversion technology is already on the rise. There’s been a flood of startups converting classic vehicles, including vintage Camaros, Porsches, Volkswagens and Land Rovers, to run on battery power.
GM targeted the conversion market with the launch of the eCOPO Camaro project car at the SEMA Show several years back, and has revealed other project cars like Project X and the 1977 K-5 Blazer. It is getting ready to provide what are essentially plug-and-play packages, like the Cruise eCrate and Electric Connect, to simplify the process. The goal is to allow owners and conversion companies to make a swap with a minimum of effort.
The Detroit automaker isn’t the only one sensing an opportunity here, however. Ford recently demonstrated the potential for its own Mach-E crate motors, which, as the name implies, uses hardware and software borrowed from its Mustang Mach-E battery-electric SUV. The conversion package can be plugged into classic products such as a 1978 Ford F-100 pickup. Volkswagen and Tesla have also gotten into the game, the latter automaker’s electric drive technology used by one conversion fan on a Rolls-Royce once owned by Johnny Cash.
Multiple applications for electric motors
But GM’s strategy isn’t limited to road-going vehicles.
It’s teaming up with Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., a Textron subsidiary, to power up ground support equipment like the cargo and baggage tractors, belt loaders and Tug equipment found at commercial airports. Electrifying those vehicles promises to reduce emissions, as well as operating costs, while improving reliability, experts claim.
Commercial fleets, in general are showing strong interest in making the switch to battery power. GM this month began delivering the first of its BrightDrop delivery vans, joining competitors like Ford and Rivian in a market that could rapidly grow this decade, according to industry forecasts.
The opportunity to electrify isn’t limited to ground vehicles, however. A number of manufacturers are looking at ways to harness battery and hydrogen fuel-cell technology for other transportation and cargo applications. Rolls-Royce recently set a speed record with an aircraft outfitted with one of its drive systems. Airbus just released plans for a hydrogen turbofan system.
GM sees big opportunities coming in the marine world. It recently announced a strategic investment in the Seattle-based Pure Watercraft. The move, the automaker said, “represents an opportunity to bring EV technology to the marine industry and help preserve enjoyment of the outdoors for future generations. Together, the two companies will develop and commercialize battery electric watercraft, to accelerate the transition to electric mobility.”
GM also has been exploring ways to electrify the rails. Last June it announced another partnership with Wabtec, one of the largest providers of freight locomotives. Under a non-binding agreement, the automaker will provide both battery and hydrogen fuel-cell systems for prototypes like the Wabtec FLXdrive. Eventually, the technology could replace the conventional diesel-hybrid systems that dominate the rails today.
Charging is key to the transition to electric vehicles and while more chargers are one the way, Ford Motor Co. is launching a new program to ensure the juice needed to run an EV does not contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases.
Ford’s program can be used by current owners of the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit and Escape PHEV.
With help of one auto industry’s traditional foes, the California Air Resource Board, Ford is beginning what it describes as a “sustainable charging program,” which allows owners of plug-in electric vehicles in California to opt for only carbon-neutral charging at home.
“Ford’s electric vehicle customers are beginning to realize all the possibilities associated with their vehicles and sustainable energy management,” said Matt Stover, director of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Co.
“By working with regulators, utilities and customers for home integration services, we’re enabling EV drivers to lower their carbon footprints, potentially save money and help protect the grid, all through their smartphones.”
California-based owners of all current Ford all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including the Mustang Mach-E, the E-Transit and the Escape PHEV, plus the F-150 Lightning coming in 2022, are eligible for the program.
Only green energy wanted
The idea is to only use electricity made with renewable sources rather than oil, gas or coal, reducing the carbon footprint of the energy used to power the vehicles.
Ford plans to participate in CARB’s “Low Carbon Fuel Standard,” which will offer customers a new way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change by matching the use of electricity used to charge plug-in electric vehicles at home with 100% local renewable energy, the automaker said.
CARB, which has control of air quality standards throughout California, has long warred with automakers about emissions. Significant health concerns, created by automotive-related air pollution in Southern California, have given CARB enormous influence over emission standards not only across California but also across the United States.
Once enrolled, the FordPass app automatically tracks the amount of electricity used while charging at home. Ford generates, or buys, an equivalent amount of California-sourced Renewable Energy Certificates, an EPA-recognized program that records the generation and usage of green energy.
Ford then sends evidence of the matching amounts to CARB, ensuring that all home plug-in charging activity is matched with zero-carbon electricity.
Ford is investing more than $30 billion in electric vehicles and batteries through 2025. The push supports the company’s longer-term goal of creating a sustainable American manufacturing ecosystem, and to accelerate its progress towards achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2050. Overall, Ford expects 40% to 50% of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030.
Attendees at CES 2022 in Las Vegas will get their first in-person look at the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe as well as a concept car called the Chrysler Airflow as Stellantis looks make an impact on the highly influential show.
The Stellantis booth diagram at CES 2022 seems to lack vehicles from some of their brands, including Dodge and Ram.
Stellantis will showcase its salvo in electrification with more than just the Grand Cherokee 4xe, displaying vehicles spanning all of the company’s 14 brands, and featuring not just electrification, but autonomy and connectivity — technology that has been largely absent from its portfolios.
“The future of mobility is fueled by technology,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO, in a statement. “Electrification, with our 30 electrified models available including fuel cell vans, connectivity and autonomy are all important facets of that future.”
Four platforms underpin Stellantis’s future
In July, Stellantis announced over €30 billion of investments in electrification and software through 2025 to execute its ambitious transformation.
The company’s show of force at CES is proof of the company’s massive product makeover. Going forward, battery-electric vehicles will use one of four platforms: STLA Small, STLA Medium, STLA large, and STLA Frame. The platforms are designed to accept a variety of drivelines.
Of 14 brands, Jeep’s the star
Despite its wide array of brands, the company appears to be focusing most on Jeep.
Stellantis is showing the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, shown here in Summit trim charging, at CES 2022 in Las Vegas.
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe: Given that Jeep has already announced “Zero Emission Freedom,” its plan to offer a fully electric Jeep vehicle in every SUV segment by 2025, the arrival of the first Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid electric model is no surprise. It’s expected to deliver 25 miles of all-electric range, while returning 57 MPGe. That’s impressive for an SUV with 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.
When it comes to technology performance, the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee is equipped with a 10.1-inch display, Uconnect 5, an operating speed that’s five times faster than its predecessor, and equipped to handle over-the-air updates. Front passengers get a 10.25-inch touchscreen, while those in back can have 10.1-inch displays. And Amazon Fire TV streaming is built-in. Jeep will offer the Grand Cherokee 4xe in four trim levels: Limited, Trailhawk, Overland and Summit. The 4xe will not be offered on base Laredo models.
Stellantis will emphasize its new Wagoneer luxury sub-brand at CES, with a display that fills a quarter if the booth.
Jeep Wrangler 4xe: Adding an exclamation point to the Grand Cherokee 4xe is the Wrangler 4xe, which provides 21 miles of pure electric driving, not bad for a vehicle that will take you to the edge of civilization. Power comes from a 2.0-liter inline-4 and two electric motors that generate 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, enough to tow 3,500 pounds.
There’s also a conventional hybrid mode that blends power from both the gas engine and electric motors. A third, “e-Save” mode puts a priority on recapturing energy normally lost during braking and coasting to build up the battery pack’s charge.
Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer: Jeep’s new luxury sub-brand is not expected to be shown in 4xe trim. But the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer is loaded with cutting-edge technology, with up to seven screens, including a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 12.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, a third screen for the front seat passenger, two video screens for the second row and another for the third row.
Integrated Amazon Fire TV, and a 1,375 watt, 23-speaker McIntosh sound system rounds out its tech package. Opting for the less-flashy Wagoneer nets an SUV powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with a 48-volt hybrid system, delivering 392 hp and 404 lb-ft of torque, and returns an EPA fuel economy rating of up to 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.
Is a reimagined Chrysler on the way?
Stellantis is looking to make a splash at CES with the Chrysler Airflow Concept. The company only released this computerized image of the vehicle.
Chrysler Airflow: Details are sparse on this concept, which we reported on a year ago. Bravely resurrecting the name of the failed, but innovative, 1934 model, Stellantis is saying little about the Airflow concept, other than it is “leading the brand’s transformation to clean mobility and seamlessly connected customer experiences.”
We do know that it uses the underpinnings of the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan suggests it could readily be brought to market. Currently Chrysler has two models: the Pacifica and the aging 300. Certainly, the brand’s lack of a clear image and its meager product line-up are ripe for a radical revision, and whatever the Airflow has to offer could be the first step in a reimagining of the brand. More is expected to be revealed at CES, but initial images reveal a concept with has a steeply raked windshield linked to an equally aggressive back end by a coupe-like roofline.
A possible lifeline for Fiat
The auto company plans to show the new Fiat 500, left, as well as the Chrysler Airflow Concept at the show.
New Fiat 500: While no longer sold in the U.S., despite the presence of Fiat dealers. Unlike the previous electrified 500, dubbed the 500e and sold only in California, the New 500 has a range of up to 199 miles, not the 87-mile range that proved so impractical on the 500e, and comes equipped with an 85-kW fast charge.
Whether it will be brought to the U.S. remains unknown. Fiat dealers have one model in their current U.S. line-up, the 500X, which might explain why they’ve only sold 2,107 vehicles in the first 9 months of 2021. Given its meager line-up, the future of this brand in the U.S. remains questionable. Without new models, such as the New Fiat 500, the risk of consumers being stuck with an orphan will continue to smother sales.
A strong French presence
Stellantis will also display three vehicles by brands not currently sold in the U.S. Perhaps the most intriguing is the Citroën Ami, a diminutive two-seat urban EV that uses symmetrical parts to keep costs down. Its cube-like shape maximizes its interior shape, and its tiny footprint allows it to recharge in three hours. There’s also the Citroën Skate Mobility Concept, a skateboard platform that can be used as a base for different pods that go on top of it. The company sees this as an autonomous mobility solution in urban centers.
A bit more excitement comes in the form of DS, a Citroën luxury sub-brand that was spun off as a standalone brand in 2015. They are showing the DS E-Tense FE21, a two-time defending champion in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Weighing a mere 1,984 pounds, its 52-kWh battery helps generate 338-hp, resulting in a 2.8-second 0-60 mph time. Sacrebleu!
Other brands MIA — so far
Curiously, Stellantis said nothing about Ram, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, Maserati or others under the Stellantis umbrella. What those brands will display remains to be seen — or not. It is possible that Stellantis is seeking to emphasize Chrysler, so the absence of those brands leaves bandwidth for the Airflow to garner significant press.
The new Mitsubishi Outlander already has proven to be one of the most important products the long-struggling automaker has launched in its bid to become relevant to U.S. motorists again. Now, Mitsubishi is hoping to gain even more traction with the upcoming launch of a plug-in hybrid version.
The gas-powered 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander made its debut in February.
The Japanese automaker claims it will yield more range than the old Outlander PHEV, at an estimated 87 km, or nearly 55 miles, per charge — though that’s using the global WLTP test cycle and will likely come down once the American version is tested by the EPA.
“With low (carbon dioxide) emissions and environmental impact from manufacturing and use,” said Takao Kato, MMC’s president and CEO, “the all-new Outlander PHEV model can be considered the best solution for carbon neutrality today.”
Updated, upgraded drivetrain
The Outlander was first introduced in 2001 and, with the fourth generation, it has become a core part of the brand, accounting for about 20% of its global volume. The first plug-in hybrid version was unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. It produced a combined 197 horsepower by pairing a 2.0-liter inline-4 gas engine with twin 60-kilowatt electric motors drawing power from a 12 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.
The new Outlander PHEV gets numerous powertrain upgrades, though the automaker isn’t releasing hard specs yet. In a statement announcing the new vehicle it said the plug-in gets “an increase of around 40% in the output of the front and rear motors and drive battery.” The lithium-ion pack, it did note, jumps to 20 kWh. The gas engine, added a spokesman, is a “slightly updated” version of the old PHEV’s 2.4-liter package.
The new Outlander plug-in hybrid will arrive in the U.S. in the second half of 2022.
Mitsubishi also revealed, “The power drive unit for the front motor is newly equipped with a booster function which bolsters driving force by raising the supply of voltage to the front motor while simultaneously improving electricity consumption by raising the efficiency of the generator.”
Third row added
The automaker also took steps to downsize some of the hardware, notably the rear motor and control unit. As a result, the new plug-in will gain room for a third row yielding space for seven occupants.
The drive system now will allow One-Pedal Driving, as well, a feature that effectively allows motorists to minimize the need to jump from throttle to brake when driving in light to moderate traffic. That feature was found to be extremely popular with EV owners, according to the recent J.D. Power Technology Experience Index.
With only modest tweaks, the plug-in adopts the same exterior and interior design as the gas-powered Outlander. The overall strategy is based on a concept dubbed “I-Fu-Do-Do,” which means “authentic” and “majestic” in Japanese.
New design
The new Outlander PHEV is expected to travel more than 55 miles in electric-only mode.
The fourth-generation Mitsubishi Outlander adopted a new styling language called “Dynamic Shield.” Up front, it features a more upright nose with a pinched, dual-level grille and stacked headlamps. From the side, the SUV features a more deeply sculpted silhouette with a bit of a floating roof element.
The automaker clearly wanted to give the new Outlander a more solid and robust look, with such touches as 20-inch wheels and tires and what it calls the Hexagon Guard rear end.
The new SUV grew larger in virtually all dimensions, the width expanding by 2 inches. That means the cabin of the new Outlander is both wider and more spacious than the outgoing model, Mitsubishi adopting more upscale materials and features like tri-zone climate controls, real aluminum panels and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display.
The gas-powered Outlander is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 that bumped up power by 8.9 percent. At the same time, it reduced fuel consumption by 2.6 percent.
Pricing TBD
Many of the features from the current model are expected to carry over into the PHEV, though Mitsubishi hasn’t provided specific details. The gas model offers Hill Descent Control and Trailer Stability Assist. A Multiview camera system helps drivers see what’s around the vehicle, whether on-road or off. Other features for the new Mitsubishi Outlander include a power-operated panoramic roof and an electrically operated tailgate that can be opened with a kick of the foot under the rear bumper.
Pricing for the gas model starts at $25,795 — plus $1,195 in delivery fees. Pricing for the PHEV is expected to run higher, though the numbers won’t be released until closer to sales launch. That holds for a variety of other specs, including U.S. range, power and performance.
“Sales will commence in Japan on Dec. 16, followed by Australia and New Zealand in the first half of 2022 and North America in the second half of 2022,” Mitsubishi said in a statement. While it did not offer specifics, that would suggest that the Outlander PHEV will be marketed as a 2023 model in the U.S.
Honda expects to sell 70,000 of its Prologue battery-electric vehicles annually after its launch in 2024 — but today warned it could fall short if federal lawmakers fail to take a “fair and equitable” approach to the new EV incentive program now being debated in Congress.
Honda’s been teasing its all-electric Prologue sport-utility vehicle.
The Honda Prologue will be one of two BEVs that the carmaker plans to launch mid-decade, both developed and manufactured as part of a joint venture with General Motors. That’s part of its goal of having BEVs and other zero-emission vehicles account for 40% of its sales by 2030. Honda plans to subsequently introduce more BEVs of its own design.
“Launching our first volume BEV in 2024 is the start of an exciting new direction for Honda,” Dave Gardner, executive vice president of National Operations at American Honda Motor Co. Inc. said in a statement. “We are working with our dealers to plan the transition from sales of primarily gasoline-powered vehicles to selling 100% electric vehicles by 2040.”
Honda wants more money from Congress
President Joe Biden recently set a target that would have BEVs, PHEVs and fuel-cell vehicles, or FCVs, account for 50% of U.S. sales by 2030. To get there, the president is asking Congress to help fund a nationwide network of 500,000 chargers. Congress, meanwhile, is working up new EV sales incentives. But that has generated significant controversy as a plan approved by the House Ways & Means Committee would not only extend the current, $7,500 tax credits but add $5,000 for EVs and batteries built in the U.S. using union labor.
Honda last week condemned those provisions, sending a letter to Congressional leaders arguing that the plan “discriminates among EVs made by hard-working American auto workers based simply on whether they belong to a union.”
While a target of 70,000 Prologues may not seem like much compared to Tesla’s numbers, it equates to an average year for the Honda Pilot.
In the statement issued today, it followed up by saying reaching its 40% zero-emission target for the U.S. is “contingent upon fair and equitable access to state and federal EV incentives intended to encourage American consumers to purchase electric vehicles.”
Coming from behind
Honda was a pioneer of automotive electrification. Its original Insight, a high-mileage two-seater, was the first mass market hybrid to go on sale in the U.S., beating the Toyota Prius to showrooms by several months.
It briefly introduced a limited-volume battery-electric model, the EV Plus, in the late 1990s. And it followed up, nearly two decades later, with a battery-powered version of the Clarity line. That low-range model was dropped in 2020.
The automaker has come under increasing pressure to bring out a long-range BEV with key competitors like Toyota, Ford and even Subaru and Mazda getting into the growing electric vehicle market.
In April, Toshihiro Mibe, who became global president and CEO earlier this year, set a goal of having all Honda vehicles powered by some form of battery and hydrogen drive system by 2030. They are expected to generate 40% of its North American sales by the end of the decade, 80% by 2035, and 100% by the end of the next decade.
Honda turns to its partner
The GM-Honda relationship began more than two decades ago.
To speed up the process, Honda turned to General Motors — the two traditional rivals already having several joint ventures in the works, including one focused on fuel-cell technology, another on autonomous vehicles.
“Leveraging strategic partners to achieve scale and mitigate initial investment requirements” will let Honda bring a competitive battery-car to market sooner than it could on its own, Gardner acknowledged during a media briefing in June. “Our zero-emission focus has begun,” he said.
While the 70,000 sales target might seem modest compared to the volumes some new BEVs — particularly those from Tesla — are generating, the figure is roughly in line with annual demand for the Honda Pilot SUV.
A regional approach to sales
When it launched the original EV Plus, Honda focused primarily on the California market, the largest for BEVs. While manufacturers like Tesla, General Motors, Ford and Nissan now are rolling out their battery-electric cars nationwide, Honda plans to continue focusing on select markets with Prologue.
Honda put an end to its battery-electric Clarity sedan in 2020.
“Honda’s initial approach to selling the Prologue will be regional, focusing on California and the ZEV states, including the BEV-friendly Sunbelt states of Texas and Florida,” it said in a statement today. “Honda anticipates these regions will represent the bulk of sales at the onset of launch due to higher customer acceptance and regulatory requirements.
“As EV infrastructure expands and customer interest grows nationwide, the company will rapidly expand sales and marketing efforts to other areas of the country.”
More to come
The automaker has provided no specific details about Prologue’s drivetrain beyond the fact it will share the Ultium battery technology GM will launch later this year, starting with models like the GMC Hummer pickup and Cadillac Lyriq SUV. That would suggest that Honda’s electric SUV will deliver at least 250 miles or more of range between charges.
Honda has been completely mum about the second vehicle to come from its GM alliance. But it did note that subsequent battery-powered cars will rely on its own new e-Architecture. That is expected to follow the same skateboard-style approach used for Ultium, with its batteries and key drive components mounted below the load floor.
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium is a true competitor for the Tesla Model Y.
Much of the talk about electric vehicles lately focuses on the wave of EVs coming in the next 12 to 18 months; however, until then the latest round of electric vehicle registrations shows Tesla’s still king of the EV world, well, at least in the U.S.
According to Experian, which tracks new vehicle registrations in the U.S., sales of electric vehicles are up through the first six months of the year — and up big. There were 255,393 EVs registrations during the time period, equating to an increase of 133% compared to the same period last year. Automotive News first released the registration numbers.
A look at the top 10 EVs registered shows some new names, most notably the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The automaker’s first long-range EV debuted with a splash last fall and, according some analysts, has taken away as much as 10% of Tesla’s sales.
The only electric vehicle that outsells the Tesla Model 3 in the U.S. is the Model Y.
However, the lofty sales number doesn’t appear to be so much Ford conquesting from Tesla, although some of that is happening, the entire market is up, meaning there is plenty to go arounds. In fact, the Tesla Model Y, the vehicle the Mach-E most directly competes with, was up five-fold through July, logging 93,708 registrations.
The reports of my demise …
As the number of options for buyers interested in electric vehicles has grown — slowly — in the last 12 to 18 months, so has the number of predictions about when Tesla will be surpassed as the leading seller of battery-electric vehicles.
If the latest top 10 list of EV registrations is any indication, it’s going to be awhile. Here is the top 10 list of EV registrations in the U.S., according to Experian:
Despite its current recall, the Chevrolet Bolt was the third-best-selling EV in the U.S. through July.
Tesla Model Y: 93,708 units
Tesla Model 3: 68,448 units
Chevy Bolt EV: 21,898 units
Ford Mustang Mach-E: 13,950 units
Nissan Leaf: 9,445 units
VW ID.4: 8,404 units
Porsche Taycan: 6,071 units
Hyundai Kona EV: 6,069 units
Audi e-tron: 5,473 units
Kia Niro EV: 4,091 units
Some of the non-Tesla vehicles have seen substantial sales gains in 2021, including the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV, which is currently the subject of a massive recall due to battery manufacturing problem that has been pinpointed as the cause of more than 10 vehicle fires.
The company’s recalled all of them and shut down the Orion, Michigan plant that produces them as it works with its supplier, South Korea’s LG Chem, to fix the problem. Despite all this, its sales were up 138% during the timeframe, according to InsideEVs.com.
The Launch Edition of the Rivian R1T will begin production and deliveries later this month.
However, the dominance of Tesla is still strong. It holds the top two spots on the list, accounting for 162,156 units. This is more than two times the rest of the top 10 at 75,401 vehicles. What vehicles occupy the No. 11 and No. 12 spots? The Model S and Model X, respectively.
Overall, the company gives new meaning to the term “California King” as it accounts for more than two-thirds of all EVs sold in the U.S. right now.
Change is inevitable
While Tesla enjoys a substantial lead, it seems it’s only a matter of time when the rest of the world begins flooding the U.S. market with new electric options — and that time essentially starts, well, now.
Starting with newbie Rivian and its Launch Edition R1T electric pickup which will begin deliveries later this month, at least 27 brands accounting for nearly 50 distinct vehicles, which TheDetroitBureau.com chronicled in two part story you can read by clicking here for Part I and here for Part II, are scheduled arrive in the U.S. between now and the end of next year.
Tesla’s not twiddling its thumbs, waiting for the wave to come crashing down on it, expanding its production base in the U.S. with Giga Austin, its massive new plant expected to come online by the end of this year or early next to produce even more of the Model 3 while prepping to for the Cybertruck and possibly a less expensive vehicle in the $25,000 range.
Tesla made its splash into the car world with the first Tesla Roadsters more than a decade ago, and now deliveries of the second-generation of the 2+2-seater are likely going to be pushed back to 2023.
CEO Elon Musk said the second-generation Roadster, when it comes out, will be the best sports car in the world.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed the new timeline via Twitter when asked about details of the Roadster, which was supposed to get a push toward production once the Model S Plaid hit the market.
“2021 has been the year of super crazy supply chain shortages, so it wouldn’t matter if we had 17 new products, as none would ship,” he tweeted. “Assuming 2022 is not mega drama, new Roadster should ship in 2023.”
Musk suggested earlier this year the already once-delayed 2+2-seater — it was originally slated to arrive last year — would arrive at the end of next summer. However, it appears the chip issue, which is expected to continue into next year, sunk the 2022 timeline.
Revised arrival time
Delayed due dates are nothing new to Musk, who’s cracked several jokes about missing his “overly ambitious” deadlines before. The Semi and the Cybertruck have also been pushed back at least once each, with some observers now expecting the latter to not arrive until 2023, though the official word, according to the configurator, is that it will arrive in 2022.
Part of the issue is that demand for the Model Y and Model 3 — Tesla’s best sellers — require the resources that could be used to bring the others to the market. Ensuring there is cash going into the corporate coffers is what makes the other vehicles possible, Musk has also noted in the past.
Tesla’s also not alone when it comes to supplier issues these days with GM, Ford, Stellantis, Honda, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and more all forced to shut down plants due to the shortage of chips.
In June, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hailed the new Model S Plaid as the fastest and safest car built today.
Happy campers once it arrives
Despite the delay, the Roadster — which at one point Musk said would use rockets borrowed from SpaceX — will be the fastest production car on the road, or so Musk claimed when he revealed the next-gen model.
“The new Tesla Roadster will be the fastest production car ever made. Period,” the South African-born entrepreneur declared in November 2017. “The purpose of this is to give a hardcore smackdown to the gasoline car.”
The title will remain in-house, at least of nothing changes. The Tesla Model S Plaid currently gets there in 1.99 seconds. The Roadster, Musk said, will do it in 1.9 seconds — unless the rockets come into play. He said at the time it will race from 0 to 100 mph in just 4.2 seconds, and top out at more than 250 mph.
Just as importantly, the $200K model will do all of that while getting more than 620 miles on a single charge — the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
While the Frankfurt Motor Show is no more, Germany retains its role in the hierarchy of automotive events with the debut of the first Munich Motor Show next month — and the event will bring out a broad array of new concept and production models.
No longer the massive event it was when it was in Frankfurt, the Munich show is still going to be impactful.
While a number of manufacturers won’t be on hand for the debut Munich Motor Show, a preliminary count suggests those marques that will participate plan to reveal about two dozen new vehicles. And the final number could be even higher as some are expected to roll out a few, last-minute surprises.
As one might expect in Europe, there’ll be a big emphasis placed on new green machines, everything from conventional hybrids to pure battery-electric vehicles — as well as at least one new hydrogen model from BMW.
Here’s a look at some of the most significant announcements that will be made at the Munich Show — also known as IAA Mobility 2021 — during its run from Sept. 7-12:
Audi
The German luxury brand doesn’t plan to produce any new models that will run solely on gas or diesel by 2026. And while it will soldier on with plug-in hybrids through the end of the decade, its longer-term plan is to shift entirely to battery-electric vehicles. We got a sense of what’s in store this month at the Pebble Beach Concours with the unveiling of the Skysphere, one of three cutting-edge concept models. The Grandsphere is next in the series and shows where Audi hopes to go with an all-electric and fully autonomous SUV. The automaker also has two other models set to make public debuts in Munich: the RS3 hatchback and sedan line taking aim at the likes of the Mercedes-AMG A 45, as well as the all-electric Q4 e-tron. It will slip into a space just below the current, gas-powered Audi Q5.
Audi will show off its RS3 hatchback and sedan at the new IAA Mobility event in Munich.
BMW
The Bavarian automaker has had a long-running interest in hydrogen power — though it early on explored the possibility of using the lightweight gas as an alternative to gasoline in its internal combustion engines. BMW abandoned that approach and, like other manufacturers, now sees hydrogen working best in a fuel-cell system. That’s what will power the new BMW iX5. This is not a concept but a production model due out in 2022, albeit at low volumes and targeted for markets where there’s an available hydrogen distribution system. The other green machine is the facelifted BMW iX3 city car. And BMW isn’t ready to give up on gas models. It also plans to show the uplifted X3 and X4 sport-activity vehicles in Munich.
Mercedes-Benz
The German luxury brand is also planning a big showing of all-electric models, starting with the debut of the Mercedes-Benz EQE. It will serve as the company’s all-electric E-Class model and share the same Electric Vehicle Architecture, or EVA, as the larger Mercedes EQS flagship. Speaking of the EQS, the German marque will offer the usual family of variants and they will be getting previewed in Munich. They include an even larger and more luxurious EQS-Maybach model, as well as a more powerful EQS-AMG rumored to make 800 horsepower — taking aim at the Tesla Model S Plaid. Like BMW and Audi, Mercedes isn’t ready to go 100% electric but is continuing to tinker with other green drivetrains. That will become apparent with the debut of the new Mercedes-AMG plug-in hybrid. We’ll also see the high-riding Mercedes-Benz C-Class All-Terrain, and the armored S-Class Guard. Is there a surprise in store? Some reports suggest Mercedes could debut the EQG, an all-electric version of the big G-Class SUV.
Volkswagen will brin g a slew of new vehicles to Munich, including the new ID.5 GTX.
Porsche
The sports car company will have a relatively modest presence in Munich — but a significant one, nonetheless. It will reveal a facelifted version of its smaller SUV, the Macan. That will provide insight into the upcoming debut of an all-electric version of the Macan due out in 2023. While they’re expected to have similar exterior designs, the BEV version of the SUV will be based on the new Premium Platform Electric, or PPE, architecture jointly developed by Porsche and Audi. Also on tap: the all-out version of Porsche’s bigger SUV, the Cayenne Turbo GT.
Volkswagen
Spanish maker Seat, owned by VW, will show off it’s new electric spinoff, Cupra.
The German giant is planning to invest $86 billion to electrify its line-up and that will be obvious when Munich showgoers see what’s on tap from all of its various marques. As for the VW brand itself, it has a mix of electric and gas offerings to reveal next month. That includes a new electric city car that could be named either the ID.1 or ID.2 if the automaker sticks with its current naming strategy. Then there will be sportier versions of two of its current battery-electric vehicles. The ID.4 GTX is already available in Europe, and while the ID.5 GTX is being described as a “prototype,” a production version of the coupe-like SUV is expected to reach showrooms before year-end. Munich also will bring the public debut of the new Volkswagen Polo and GTI models, the latter unveiled online earlier in August. Completing the list, we’ll get a first public look at the new VW Taigo, a small, coupe-like SUV based on the current T-Cross line.
Other brands
Cupra, the all-electric spinoff of Volkswagen’s Spanish brand Seat, will reveal a battery-powered hatchback based on the VW ID.3. It will share the Volkswagen MEB all-electric architecture but put more of an emphasis on performance than the ID.3.
Dacia will bring out a new 7-seat people-mover.
Hyundai is making an appearance in Munich and is set to give the European public debut of the all-electric Ioniq 5 — but it could have a surprise in store, as well.
Renault will weigh in with a small, all-electric SUV dubbed the Megane E-Tech Electric.
Smart is transitioning to an all-electric brand and is teasing plans to reveal a battery-powered micro SUV. It’s believed to be using a drivetrain developed as part of a joint venture between Smart parent Mercedes-Benz and China’s Geely.
