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Tesla starts delivery of the new 6-seater Model X
On October 17, 2021, Tesla held a small-scale delivery ceremony for the new Model X at the Fremont factory in the United States. Tesla also released photos of the event through its official Twitter account.
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The redesigned Model X has adopted the same design language as the redesigned Model S, with the most noticeable change being the simplified bumper and side air intake. The interior is also highly unified with the new Model S, featuring a Yoke steering wheel and a new center screen. Shifting is also done via an up-and-down swipe on the touch screen to the left.
Annual capacity to reach 240,000, JAC NIO Hefei Plant completes phase upgrade
At the beginning of this year, the JAC NIO Hefei plant launched a comprehensive upgrade of the production line, and completed key improvements to the body, painting, final assembly workshops during the National Day holiday period etc. After more than half a year, the phase upgrade has finally been completed. According to NIO’s plan, the upgrade will be completed in the first half of next year. The main improvements made during this phase upgrade are as follows:
- The body workshop added 101 robots, upgraded and optimized 408 robots’ programs, and equipped a new high-strength steel-aluminum mixed process body production line;
- The final assembly workshop added 2 new production lines and upgraded the online tooling equipment;
- The new painting workshop under construction is also progressing as planned.
Quick comment:You can see from the next stage capacity enhancement plan announced by the top three new forces in the automobile industry that people have high expectations for the growth of the domestic new energy market in the next few years. At the same time, the top three new forces have entered the next stage of “selling 100,000 vehicles” to “annual sales of 100,000 vehicles”.
The first-mover advantage of the top companies in the new energy vehicle industry has gradually transformed into system and scale advantages. The supply chain voice that once troubled the new car manufacturing industry will gradually rise during this process.
Toyota Mirai with a range of 845 miles sets Guinness World Record for hydrogen fuel cell cars
On October 8th, 2021, Toyota announced that its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai, has successfully obtained Guinness certification for having the longest range among hydrogen fuel cell cars. To accomplish the record, Toyota invited professional energy-saving drivers Wayne Gerdes and co-driver Bob Winger. Guinness-certified Michael Empric, who has 10 years of experience, verified the authenticity of the challenge. The journey began on August 23rd from Toyota’s Technical Center in Gardena, California (TTC), the R&D headquarters for Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology. It passed through the famous Pacific Coast Highway, first heading south to San Ysidro and then north to Santa Barbara and Malibu Beach. The two drivers exchanged twice that day and covered a total distance of 473 miles.
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As the winter approaches, it is well-known that the range of electric vehicles will decline. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as a potential substitute for electric vehicles, also have the advantage of zero emissions. It is reported that the Toyota Mirai consumes 0.8kg of hydrogen per 100km, and the price at a refueling station in Anting, Shanghai is about 35 yuan/kg, which means a cost of only 0.28 yuan/km, falling between gasoline cars and electric cars. If the technology is mature, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles may also be a choice for clean transportation.
General Motors’ Ultium Outech factory begins production
On October 15th, the General Motors’ Ultium Outech factory started production in Jinqiao, Pudong New Area, Shanghai. The factory is one of the important projects of the 50 billion yuan investment by General Motors in new technologies such as electrification and intelligent interconnection. Upgraded from the original SAIC General Motors’ Power Battery Development Center, the Ultium Outech factory has the production and testing capabilities for power battery systems, with battery systems including mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric vehicles.
Quick comment:Wireless communication is a highlight of the Altair platform, which brings many advantages to the battery itself and production by adopting wireless communication technology:
- Avoiding damage to parts caused by the traditional battery test connector plug and unplug;
- Improving assembly quality and production line efficiency;
- By eliminating the low-voltage communication harness of the battery with wireless communication technology, the harness of the battery pack can be reduced by 90%. In addition to real-time monitoring of the battery status, OTA is also supported. However, the space freed up by reducing the harness has limited effect on the physical energy density enhancement.
Mustang Mach-E GT official price announced
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT will officially start pre-orders with GT First Edition, unlimited luxury version (long-endurance), unlimited version (long-endurance), and Leap World rear-drive version (standard-endurance) from October 18, and deliveries will begin at the end of 2021.
The GT models have a maximum output power of 359 kW, a torque of 860 N·m, accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.65 seconds, and have a range of 492 km under the Chinese standard CLTC test conditions.
The GT model is priced 10,000 yuan higher than the GT First Edition version, the difference being the exclusive logo and interior printing, as well as GT FE users are entitled to a limited edition customized exclusive gift package.
At the same time, the new brand “Ford Select” was also launched, which represents personalized and direct sales models for “high-end intelligent electric vehicle exclusive brands.”
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Finally, Ford has announced the prices of all models of Mustang Mach-E GT, spanning a price range of over 10,000 yuan. As we know, the prices of most global models are almost the same as those set by overseas manufacturers after being localized in China, or they will be reduced because we are the country of origin and have better production costs. However, many traditional car companies have taken advantage of localization to increase prices. Fortunately, the price of Mustang Mach-E GT is much cheaper than in the United States. In addition, the names of other versions besides the GT version have also changed, and the overall style is more “Chinese.”
Honda e:N new pure electric brand debuts
On October 13, Honda China, along with Guangqi Honda and Dongfeng Honda, jointly held the Honda China Electrification Strategy Conference, announcing the Architecture pure electric architecture, which is divided into two different driving modes: “e:N Architecture F” and “e:N Architecture W”. Honda strives to maintain a unique sense of sportiness in its pure electric vehicle models.
Apart from the first launch, the other three models of the Honda e:N series are all concept cars, and these concept cars will be put into mass production within five years. The first model will be the e:N S1, which will be unveiled at the Wuhan Auto Show and will be produced by Dongfeng. The e:N P1, produced by Guangqi Honda, was unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show this year. Both cars belong to the Architecture F platform and will be mass-produced as early as spring 2022.
The e:N S1 and e:N P1 are the same size, with lengths, widths, and heights of 4,390, 1,790, and 1,560 mm, respectively, slightly larger than the Vezel and XR-V, with a wheelbase of 2,610 mm, the same as the Vezel and XR-V.
In addition, the e:N S1 and e:N P1 also have specific noise reduction technology to deal with low, medium, and high frequency road noise. At the same time, in sport mode, the acceleration sound remains while being different from the traditional internal combustion engine sound. I heard this sound during the live broadcast and it felt different.
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As a sample of Japanese automakers’ transformation, Honda is actually half a step behind in the global electrification process, including carbon neutrality timetable, product sales scale, and pure electric vehicle plans, which are slower than traditional car companies in Europe, the United States, and even South Korea.
After Takeki Tanaka took office, he changed the strategic style of his predecessor, Hachigo Takahiro, and began to accelerate the electrification process. He announced the company’s rough electrification plan in the major markets of China, the United States, and Japan when he took office in April, and also stopped self-development and production projects of hydrogen fuel vehicles, but maintained cooperation with General Motors.
Honda plans to invest 5 trillion yen (approximately RMB 283.5 billion) in the next six years to promote carbon neutrality goals. This includes research and development of pure electric vehicle models and platforms, factory renovation and construction, and of course, inevitable layoffs.
At present, we can see that Honda is actively accelerating the electrification process in China, and the first wave of products will also be mass-produced and delivered next year. Whether the slow Honda can become a representative of Japanese automakers’ electrification transformation remains to be seen with time.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.