+++ Despite the great EV rush across the auto industry, some are still exploring designs that use alternative fuels like hydrogen. ALPINE , in a project with the Istituto Europeo di Design, one of the top transportation design schools in the world, has created a hydrogen-powered supercar that will be revealed on March 18. For now, it’s being teased. Alpine has revealed precious little about the car so far. Called the Alpine A4810, it was designed in collaboration with 28 IED students as part of their Master in Transportation Design program’s thesis project. As such, the emphasis is going to be on design, with a low, rounded prow carrying on Alpine tradition. The brand’s signature quad headlamps take on a hexagonal shape rather than the typical round units, and a new LED lighting signature spans the width of the front. Beyond that, we can see bulging wheel arches front and rear, a fighter jet canopy-style greenhouse and taillights that appear to extend from the rear bodywork. Oh, and the Alpine logo on the nose glows, too. The stated goal of the project was to develop something as extreme as a supercar but with sustainability in mind. Interestingly, rather than a battery-electric setup, the IED’s description specifically calls out a hydrogen powertrain. It doesn’t, however, specify if that’s a fuel cell or a combustion engine that uses hydrogen fuel. The latter, as an example, would be something like Toyota’s Corolla-based hydrogen race car. In the grand scheme of things it probably won’t matter too much, as this is primarily a design study. Alpine has also made moves to develop an all-electric sports car. It has about as much chance of making it into production as the Suzuki Misano Concept that IED previously designed. Still, it may serve as a visual guidepost for the company’s future vehicles. The Alpine A4810 will be revealed online on Thursday, March 18. +++
+++ GENERAL MOTORS sold its 7.5 million shares in startup Lordstown Motors in the fourth quarter, taking a loss on its investment in the struggling electric-truck startup. GM exited the stake over the course of the quarter, a company spokesman said. That suggests GM received between about $26 million and $60 million, based on Lordstown’s share prices during the period, below GM’s initial investment of $75 million. The sale all but ends a relationship that stretches to 2019, when Lordstown bought a shuttered Ohio assembly plant from GM for about $25 million. The Detroit-based automaker later became one of the investors in the EV startup, giving Lordstown cash and other operating assistance. While GM lost money on the investment, the company got out before things got worse. After tumbling as low as $3.45 a share in the fourth quarter, Lordstown’s stock has fallen further in 2022. The shares traded at $2.71 as of 3:24 p.m. Tuesday in New York. Lordstown plunged 20 % on Monday after the company reported fourth quarter earnings. During the call with analysts, the company said that its plans to build 500 Endurance plug-in pick-ups this year and 2.500 next year rest on a tentative agreement with Foxconn Technology to sell the Lordstown assembly plant and have the Taiwanese company build its trucks. The deal has yet to close and Lordstown is looking to raise about $250 million to execute its plan and start building in the third quarter, executives said. +++
+++ Last year, the recently retired head of HYUNDAI research and development, Albert Biermann, made it pretty clear that there would be an N version of the Ioniq 5 electric hatchback. That has been confirmed by the prototype you see above, which wears camouflage bearing the N subbrand’s “Never Just Drive” slogan and has checkered camouflage with N’s signature blue. The camouflage is thin, but there isn’t much on this prototype to hide. The body is nearly the same as a regular Ioniq 5. The only changes seem to be enlarged lower intakes in the front bumper, and fender flare extensions to accommodate the N’s wider wheels and tires. I feel safe saying that the production Ioniq 5 N will be more exciting visually, likely with bigger spoilers, side skirts and probably a cool triangular brake light like on other N models. The prototype which was caught is probably just a mechanical mule. As for the mechanical bits, we’ve already noted that this prototype has more rubber, which should benefit handling, as well as better handle more power. The car also sits lower and has sizable front brakes. The front brakes also look like they may have multi-piston calipers. I assume the N is getting more power, too, as is the case with all N models, and the larger air intakes suggest that as well. There’s a good chance it will get the dual-motor powertrain from the Kia EV6 GT, which will make 585 hp and 740 Nm. It will probably get that car’s limited-slip differential, too. I expect we’ll see the Ioniq 5 N revealed in a year or so, with sales coming up to a year beyond that. +++
+++ Last month, KIA shared some of the enhanced specs that will arrive with the second-generation Niro Hybrid, but not the Niro PHEV or Niro EV. The automaker and its Niro have been hanging out at or near the top of the sales charts in Sweden since last summer, so it makes sense that Kia Sweden is the first to drop intel on what’s coming for the additional 2 powertrains. Starting with the PHEV, its 1.6-liter 4-cylinder benefits from a larger 11.1-kWh battery and a more powerful electric motor with 80 hp. Going off Kia Sweden’s spec sheet for the Niro PHEV, those figures represent increases of 2.1 kWh and 23 hp. The sensible claim is that all-electric driving range goes up by 11 kilometers on the WLTP cycle, to 60 km. The claim I can’t figure out is when Kia Sweden says the more powerful motor raises system output to 183 horsepower. Back to the spec sheet, the current Swedish Niro PHEV makes the same 143 combined horsepower as ours from the 105 hp ICE and 60 hp e-motor. Kia Sweden didn’t mention an output increase for the 4-cylinder ICE; output for the new Niro Hybrid’s engine didn’t change. Without that, it is not clear how 23 more electric ponies adds up to 44 more system ponies in Scandinavia. It’s almost like someone simply added the ICE output to the e-motor output. There’s one point of confusion with the Niro EV specs we’re given as well. The Swedes say their e-Niro still uses the same 204 hp electric motor as the current model, but cite a torque figure of 255 Nm, when their own brochure for the current model lists torque at 395 Nm, so I’ll stick with the grander figure. However, a slightly larger battery is credited with having 64.8 kWh instead of 64 kWh, bumping the estimated WLTP electric driving range from 455 kilometers to 463 kilometers. What’s the takeaway here? That incremental improvements are coming for the new Niro PHEV and EV. The PHEV uses the same engine and transmission as the hybrid and we know that engine and 6-speed dual-clutch transmission are improved, the gearbox said to be lighter and more efficient. Kia claims a 4 % fuel economy improvement on the South Korean cycle for the hybrid, so we could see additional gains on the PHEV spec sheet beyond pure power numbers. +++
+++ The successor to the LEXUS LFA is beginning to take shape, in unofficial rumors, at least. The firm’s next supercar will reportedly make its debut in the coming years with a V8 under the hood, and it will be followed by a battery-electric model due out at the turn of the decade. Anonymous inside sources say the long-awaited car that will take the torch from the limited-edition LFA will land in showrooms in 2025. As we’ve previously reported, it will be powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a mysterious 4.0-liter V8 engine fitted with 2 turbochargers. The publication adds that the coupe, whose name hasn’t been confirmed, will be launched as a regular-production model and that it will be built on a version of Toyota’s TNGA-L platform. This is the same architecture found under the LC and the LS, among models, and using these foundations should allow Lexus to keep the car’s cost in check. Engineers could peg the hybrid system’s total output at around 700 horsepower and the car’s front end will borrow styling cues from the Electrified Sport concept introduced in December 2021. If the report is accurate, sales will start in 2025. Speaking of which, the Electrified Sport will make its debut with a battery-electric powertrain in 2030 at the earliest. Its design will evolve over the next 8-plus years; it sounds like what we saw in December 2021 more accurately previewed the hybrid supercar than the electric one. It could hit 100 kph from a stop in under 2 seconds, and it could offer a maximum driving range of 700 km. Interestingly, the Electrified Sport might use solid-state batteries. That technology’s not ready, but Lexus has plenty of time to fine-tune it. On the Toyota side of the family tree, the GR GT3 concept unveiled in January 2022 is allegedly on its way to production (in one form or another) as well. It will initially spawn a race car built to GT3 specifications, as its name implies, and it will benefit from the lessons that engineers learned while designing a road-going, Le Mans-inspired hypercar that Toyota consigned to the automotive attic in August 2021. Whether the GR GT3 will be related to the LFA’s successor is up in the air, though it doesn’t take a significant stretch of the imagination to speculate that some parts will be shared. And, what hasn’t been confirmed is whether a street-legal GR GT3 will also be offered. The GR GT3 has already started making the transition from a concept to a production model. Testing is scheduled to begin before the end of 2022, meaning the car should begin appearing in spy shots reasonably soon, and production will reportedly start in 2023. Toyota hasn’t commented on the report, and neither has Lexus. Keep your fingers crossed, enthusiasts. +++
+++ PANASONIC is looking to purchase land in the United States for a megafactory to make a new type of electric vehicle (EV) battery for Tesla. Panasonic is looking at building the factory, to cost several billion dollars, in either Oklahoma or Kansas close to Texas, where Tesla is preparing a new EV plant. There is no timeline for Panasonic’s U.S. project. A long-time supplier for Tesla, Panasonic has said earlier it plans to begin mass-producing the new type of lithium-ion battery for Tesla before the end of March 2024 with 2 new production lines at its western Japanese plant in Wakayama. The 4680 format (46 millimetres wide and 80 millimetres tall) battery is about 5 times bigger than those currently supplied to Tesla, meaning the U.S. car maker will be able to lower production costs and improve vehicle range. Panasonic’s relationship with Tesla stretches back more than a decade when Tesla signed an agreement that made the Japanese company its key battery supplier. Since then, Tesla has ramped up production and diversified its supply chain to other firms, including Chinese manufacturers of cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) powerpacks such as CATL. Competitor LG Energy Solution also plans to make 4680 batteries. +++
+++ This week, RIVIAN announced it would be introducing entry-level 2-motor pickups, and that it would be raising the prices of its quad-motor trucks substantially. The old base-model quad-motor model jumped by $12.000. It’s not unusual for automakers to increase prices over time, but what really riled people was the fact that customers who pre-ordered a truck based on initial pricing were suddenly going to be paying significantly more for their trucks, as the hike applied to them, too. Confronted with their anger, Rivian has now changed course. The company sent out a letter from company CEO R.J. Scaringe explaining the thinking behind the pricing decision, which was done as a result of increasing costs. But it also noted that the price increase on reservation holders was a mistake and Rivian would change that. Anyone with a reservation prior to March 1 will still be able to order their truck with the original pricing. And, if someone with a preexisting reservation canceled it because of the price hike, Rivian will be able to retrieve that reservation and still honor the original price, assuming the buyer is still interested. Of course, if you’re looking to place a fresh order for a Rivian, you’ll still be subject to the new pricing. +++
+++ TESLA has received approval for its German gigafactory near Berlin, the state of Brandenburg where plant is located said on Friday, ending months of delay for the landmark site that was initially supposed to open last summer. But there was confusion in media reports about Friday’s decision, perhaps having to do with translation problems of the whopping 536-page official document. The New York Times reported that Tesla had received final approval and could begin production. But Reuters said the ruling does not mean that Tesla can start producing right away, and that the electric vehicle pioneer first must prove that it fulfills numerous conditions, including in the area of water use and air pollution control. Both areas have been of major concern for local environmental groups that fear the plant, located in the small community of Gruenheide near Berlin, will have a negative impact on the local habitat. There is still at least one lawsuit before a judge regarding water issues. The factory, which Tesla has begun constructing under pre-approval permits, is set to produce over 500.000 battery-electric vehicles a year starting with the Model Y, while the battery plant will generate over 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year; outstripping European competitors on both fronts. Numerous public consultations focusing primarily on the environmental impact of the site delayed the process, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressing irritation on multiple occasions at the complexity of German bureaucracy. +++