Polestar 確認他們會在 4 月 18 日的上海車展上，公開亮相全新的 Polestar 4 電動 SUV，其定位和尺寸將於 Polestar 3 和最近升級的 Polestar 2 之間。
Nissan unveils a real-life version of its Max-Out EV convertible concept
Back in 2021, Nissan revealed a few concept vehicles as part of its announcement that it was going to invest $17.6 billion in the development of electric vehicles over the next few years. One of the concepts it presented is a convertible two-seater spo…
Ford recalls 462,000 SUVs over rearview camera issue
Ford has issued a recall for 462,000 vehicles worldwide over the possibility that their rearview cameras could suffer from faulty video output. According to the Associated Press and Reuters, the recall covers some 2020 to 2023 model Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators, as well as a bunch of 2020 to 2022 model Lincoln Corsairs. The affected vehicles come with 360-degree cameras that display live view footage on the in-car entertainment touchscreen console. The majority of the affected cars — over 382,000 — are in the US.
According to a document (PDF) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the agency contacted Ford in late 2021 about allegations that the live view camera was showing a blue image instead of what was happening outside. That came after an earlier recall in 2021 for the same problem. Ford worked with suppliers to analyze those reports, but it wasn’t until December 2022 that the automaker was able to replicate the issue in the laboratory and in-vehicle, which is most likely why Ford has only issued a recall now.
Apparently, 2,115 warranty reports had been submitted about this issue as of November 30th, 2022. Also, the automaker is aware of 17 minor accidents that allegedly occurred due to the vehicles’ rear camera blue screen problem, but it hasn’t heard of any injuries. Reuters said even the vehicles that were recalled in 2021 are part of this recall, so dealers can also update their image processing module software.
Mercedes is the first certified Level-3-autonomy car company in the US
At CES earlier this January, Mercedes announced that it would become the first car company to achieve certification from the SAE for a Level 3 driver assist system. That became official on Thursday when the automaker confirmed its Drive Pilot ADAS (automated driver assist system) now complies with the requirements of Nevada Chapter 482A, which governs the use of autonomous vehicle technology on the state’s roads. That makes Drive Pilot the only legal Level 3 system in the US for the moment.
“An unwavering commitment to innovation has consistently guided Mercedes-Benz from the very beginning,” Dimitris Psillakis, President and CEO of MBUSA, said in Thursday’s press statement. “It is a very proud moment for everyone to continue this leadership and celebrate this monumental achievement as the first automotive company to be certified for Level 3 conditionally automated driving in the US market.”
Level 3 capabilities, as defined by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), would enable the vehicle to handle “all aspects of the driving” when engaged but still need the driver attentive enough to promptly take control if necessary. That’s a big step up from the Level 2 systems we see today such as Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving,” Ford’s Blue Cruise, and GM’s Super Cruise. All of those are essentially extra-capable highway cruise controls where the driver must maintain their attention on driving, typically keeping their hands on or at least near the wheel, and be responsible for what the ADAS is doing while it’s doing it. That’s a far cry from the Knight Rider-esque ADAS outlook Tesla is selling and what Level 2 autonomy is actually capable of.
Mercedes’ Drive Pilot system can, “on suitable freeway sections and where there is high traffic density,” according to the company, take over the bumper-to-bumper crawling duties up to 40 MPH without the driver needing to keep their hands on the wheel. When engaged, the system handles lane-keeping duties, stays with the flow of traffic, navigates to destinations programmed into the Nav system, and will even react to “unexpected traffic situations and handles them independently, e.g. by evasive maneuvers within the lane or by braking maneuvers.”
To perform these feats, the Drive Pilot system relies on a suite of sensors embedded throughout the vehicle including visual cameras, LiDAR arrays, radar and ultrasound sensors, and audio mics to keep an ear out for approaching emergency vehicles. The system even compares its onboard sensor data with what it is receiving from its GPS to ensure it knows exactly where on the road it actually is.
Drive Pilot is only available on the 2024 S-Class and EQS Sedan for now. Those are already in production and the first cars should reach the Vegas strip in the second half of this year.
Audi’s Activesphere EV concept is built for off-roading and augmented reality
Audi has finally revealed the Activesphere EV concept it promised last summer. The crossover is built to go off-road, complete with a rugged underbody, a liftable suspension and easy ways to carry your sports gear. The rear can transform into a loading area with enough room for your e-bikes, for instance. It nonetheless features a sedan-like profile and the creature comforts of past concepts, including a spacious, bright interior designed for relaxing while the vehicle is in self-driving mode.
The cabin reflects Audi’s confidence in augmented reality. Occupants wear AR glasses that provide vital performance figures (for the driver) as well as infotainment and virtual assistant controls. You won’t find a conventional row of screens or gauges, and the eyewear can even track your health while you ride an e-bike on a trail. When you’re ready to take control, the dash and steering wheel lift into place. Audi clearly expects you to only occasionally take the helm, such as when you’re venturing beyond asphalt.
Most specifications aren’t available (this is a concept, after all). However, Audi claims a range of more than 372 miles and fast 270kW charging using an 800V architecture. The 100kWh battery pack can charge from 5 percent to 80 percent in 25 minutes, Audi says.
This is the fourth model in Audi’s “sphere” electric concept line. The company kicked off the initiative with the shapeshifting Skysphere roadster in August 2021, and followed that a month later with the upscale Grandsphere sedan. Last year’s Urbansphere was intended as the SUV for future cities, where your car is as much an office (or a refuge from the outside world) as it is transportation.
As with past experiments, the Activesphere isn’t a preview of a production model. It’s Audi’s vision of motoring in the near future, not to mention a demonstration of technical prowess. It’s just a matter of whether or not the concept influences future cars. Audi has played it relatively safe with its existing EV lineup, which largely revolves around familiar-looking SUVs and the Porsche Taycan’s sibling, the e-tron GT. The brand expects to dramatically expand its electric offerings by 2026, though, so we wouldn’t rule out Activesphere-inspired rides.
Tesla Cybertruck won’t enter mass production until 2024
You might not want to count on getting a Cybertruck this year despite promises to the contrary. During a conference call discussing Tesla’s latest earnings, company chief Elon Musk said mass production of the electric pickup won’t begin until 2024. He still expects manufacturing to kick off “sometime this summer,” but warned that output would be “very slow” early on. Tesla is still in the midst of installing assembly equipment.
Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019, but has delayed its release multiple times. The company also warned that the final specs and pricing will change. The EV was originally supposed to start at $39,900 in its single-motor configuration and climb to nearly $70,000 for the tri-motor version. While the automaker is still taking deposits, it’s no longer promising specific configurations. The pandemic, a rough economy, longstanding supply chain issues and design tweaks are all expected to influence what you can ultimately buy.
This isn’t a new problem for Tesla. Production of the Model 3 started in July 2017, but was very limited until mid-2018 as the company struggled to clear factory bottlenecks. The Cybertruck poses unique challenges, however. Its signature cold-rolled steel body is said to be extra-tough, but also requires manufacturing techniques not normally used for cars. Most production is expected to take place at the Giga Texas factory near Austin, which formally opened last April.
The revised timeline may create problems. The Cybertruck is already entering a fiercer competitive landscape that includes the Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T. By the time Tesla’s production is in full swing, it will likely have to take on the Ram 1500 EV and Chevy Silverado EV as well as more affordable versions of existing trucks. An electric pickup is no longer the novelty it was four years ago, and it’s not clear if the finished Cybertruck will offer major advantages over its rivals.
Acura will sell its EVs exclusively online starting in 2024
Honda has big plans for the new year and electrification will play a huge part of that, the company’s recently-promoted SVP of Sales, Mamadou Diallo, told reporters on Tuesday. Expect to see a lot more Honda and Acura hybrids on the road this year, ahead of a major EV push come 2024.
Overall, Honda is officially aiming to move 1.2 million units in 2023, with Acura shooting for 160,000 units, a 20 – 25 percent increase over what they sold in 2022. And although the company managed to maintain a single-digit days’ supply of vehicles throughout last year, it enters 2023 with a glut of cars and trucks and a 17-day supply. As such, dealers are going to be looking to move a lot of that inventory before this year’s models start arriving so fingers crossed, we could potentially see some Tesla-level price cuts in the near future.
“In 2023, we will see the strategies we’ve been talking about, including growing sales of light truck models, increasing volume of hybrid-electric models and the start of digital sales at Acura,” Diallo said in a Wednesday press release. “All this leads toward our vision of 100-percent electrified sales by 2040 to fulfill our ultimately goal of zero emissions by 2050.”
The ZDX and ZDX Type S will be Acura’s first full-EV offerings and serve as the harbingers of the company’s new, exclusively online EV sales strategy. Diallo didn’t have much additional information regarding how the system would work — such as whether haggling was allowed or how individual vehicle prices would be set — but assured the assembled journalists, “as we get closer to [the ZDX debut], we certainly will be discussing this a little bit more with our dealer body and the press in general. For right now we’re still finalizing all those details.” Acura joins Ford, Volvo, GM and VW in shifting its electrified vehicle sales to the digital marketplace.
For its part, Honda is planning a significant increase in its hybrid vehicle production in 2023, starting with the newly-redesigned Accord and Accord Hybrid (they’ll also be Honda’s first with Google Built-In). The company “will continue to increase hybrid sales through core models as an important step in bridging customers to full electrified vehicles while reducing GHG emissions,” the Wednesday release reads. Honda anticipates a solid half of this year’s CR-V and Accord sales to be of the hybrid variety and its efforts bolstered in 2024 with the introduction of a new Civic hybrid. Sales for the all-electric Prologue begin this year with deliveries set for 2024.
Tesla will spend $3.6 billion to build a Semi and a battery factory in its Nevada complex
Tesla has big expansion plans for its first Gigafactory near Reno, Nevada. The automaker has announced that it’s investing $3.6 billion to build two new factories in the complex and hire 3,000 additional workers. That’s bigger than the company’s initia…
The 2024 Polestar 2 will have better range, stronger motors and a SmartZone sensor suite
If you just bought a 2023 Polestar 2, hoooo boy are you about to be mad. The company on Tuesday showed off some of the, ahem, numerous updates that the upcoming 2024 model year PS2 will sport, including next-generation motors, a slew of new standard equipment, a more potent battery pack and the SmartZone sensor suite first teased on the Polestar 3. Also, the previously front-wheel drive single motor Polestar 2 — that’s RWD now, so let the drifting begin!
The Polestar 2 is now a fully RWD platform for the single-motor variant that arrived in March. It uses newly devised permanent magnet motor and silicon carbide inverter technologies to increase the horsepower output from 231 to 299 hp. Torque similarly jumps from 243 lb-ft to 361, putting it in line with the Tesla Model 3’s output, while the 0-60 figure drops more than a full second compared to the old motor, to 5.9 seconds.
Polestar
The dual-motor AWD version will see equivalent performance gains — 421 hp and 546 lb-ft, up from 408 hp and 467 lb-ft — as well as improved traction and a 0-60 of 4.3 seconds. Opt for the 2024 Performance pack and the horsepower jumps to 455 and the 0-60 drops to 4.1 seconds. The powertrain and torque ratios in the dual-motor version have been given a rear-wheel bias and, when the extra performance of AWD isn’t necessary, the second (front) motor can be disengaged to improve efficiency and range (using the larger battery of 82 kWh) up to 300 miles, a 10 percent increase.
The PS2’s battery is receiving some slight chemistry tweaks as well. It to now offer a max 205kW charge rate while requiring 1.1 fewer tons of carbon emissions to produce — now just 5.9 tons per battery pack! Note however that this specifically applies to the Long Range single motor variant, the dual-motors both are stuck with the existing 78 kWh packs charging at 155 kW.
Polestar
“Changing from front- to rear-wheel drive in the single-motor variants, and re-calibrating the torque ratio in the dual-motor variant for an increased rear-wheel drive feel, elevates the Polestar 2 driving experience to a whole new level,” Joakim Rydholm, Head of Chassis Development, said in a press release. “The updated Polestar 2 is an even more playful and agile car, retaining its compactness and complete sense of control, while at the same time becoming more mature with added comfort.”
Polestar
Next year’s PS2 will be quite a bit smarter than its predecessor thanks to tech first shown off by its successor, the PS3. Polestar’s SmartZone, mounted in the vehicle’s vestigial front grille, houses an improved mid-range radar array and front-facing camera. A number of ADAS systems will come standard as well. For example, the Pilot Pack (which includes the 360-degree camera, parking assist and adaptive cruise control) will now come standard on the long-range dual motor PS2, while every trim level will get wireless device charging. And for folks that purchase the Performance package (Brembo brakes, 20-inch rims and a performance software upgrade) will receive the Plus package (Harmon Kardon stereo, panoramic glass roof, air quality software that sounds like something everyone should get just like the device charging) for no additional cost. Deliveries are expected to begin later this year and Polestar’s online order window has already opened.
Zero-emission vehicles made up nearly 19 percent of car sales in California last year
Electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles accounted for 18.8 percent of all new car sales in California this past year, according to data shared on Friday by the state’s Energy Commission (CEC). In 2022, California residents bought 345,818 zero-e…