| If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.  This week Ford announced a planned battery R&D center, VW unveiled its ID.4 GTX, Tesla's Q1 profits came not from cars, and NHRA owner/racer braces for EVs in racing. But first:  Honda was the latest automaker to spell out its EV strategy for the next two decades, announcing plans to have 40% of its North American offerings be battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell by 2030, and 100% by 2040. The strategy sees a relatively sharp ramp-up to an electric fleet—but leaves a role for gas-engine vehicles in other markets. Honda will offer two "large-sized" electric models in the US for the 2024 model year, using GM's Ultium platform as the basis, and in the second half of the decade would use its own e:Architecture platform for other models. This means we're likely to see both a Honda- and Acura-badged EV sometime in 2023, likely sharing mechanicals. The two models could be crossovers, and close in size to the Cadillac Lyriq, which itself will go into production in late 2022. .  The Honda Clarity Electric failed to make a dent in the EV market. Honda's plans were otherwise pretty light on specifics, especially regarding other EV models that will follow after 2024. The Japanese automaker was certainly among the first to field hybrids, but experienced some trouble early on with electrics, offering the Clarity Electric in just a handful of US states in 2017, but withdrawing it from the market in the spring of 2020, with many citing its 89-mile EPA-estimated range. With the next two models due to arrive sometime in 2023 as 2024 models— a long time away—and without the Honda E hatch on sale stateside (with Honda keeping this model in Europe), the automaker isn't exactly rushing into the EV game.  Ford announced plans to open a new battery R&D center in Michigan. Ford announced this week that it is launching an R&D lab dubbed Ford Ion Park in Michigan aimed at the development of battery technology. Described as a "global battery center of excellence," the laboratory will be tasked with battery cell research and new methods of their manufacture. The automaker indicated that the pilot line will be capable of producing cells that it can take to production. Ford Ion Park will be headed by Anand Sankaran, a Ford veteran. "We are going to use this lab with the help of partners and suppliers to fine-tune our batteries to our vehicles and customer needs—exploring next-generation lithium-ion solutions, including solid-state batteries," Sankaran said.    Volkswagen announced it would be applying GTX branding to its most potent EVs earlier this month, and now it has revealed images of the first of this new performance line in the chunky form of the ID.4 GTX. Still, VW hasn't officially confirmed the GTX for the US, although it has promised that we will be the getting all-wheel drive versions of the ID.4.  Tesla recorded another profitable quarter in the first three months of 2021, posting a net income of $438 million while recording $10.4 billion in revenue. This profit didn't materialize thanks to car sales, however, which is ostensibly the main business of an automaker.   Spread the word: If you know someone interested in staying on top of the rapidly growing EV segment, feel free to pass this newsletter along.
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Friday, April 30, 2021
Honda’s EV plans, Tesla’s profits, and Rivian’s removable roof
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