Tesla BEV Competition Developments

[Doggydogworld]

GM starts production of Equinox EV

View attachment 944496

Pretty sure these are test vehicles, aka Manufacturing Validation Builds. GM historically builds 75 or so engineering test vehicles before the production line is ready, but using production tooling where possible. Then a few months before volume production they build a couple hundred MVBs on the actual production line. They have employees use these as daily drivers and report and manufacturing defects (and in recent years, s/w issues). GM uses this feedback to fine-tune production methods and their training methods, then starts building cars for customers.

 

[Knightshade]

Hopefully it'll be better than when they started the PRODUCTION build of the Lyriq in Q1 2022, and in Q1 2023 sold less than 1000 of em.

 

[RobStark]

Pretty sure these are test vehicles, aka Manufacturing Validation Builds. GM historically builds 75 or so engineering test vehicles before the production line is ready, but using production tooling where possible. Then a few months before volume production they build a couple hundred MVBs on the actual production line. They have employees use these as daily drivers and report and manufacturing defects (and in recent years, s/w issues). GM uses this feedback to fine-tune production methods and their training methods, then starts building cars for customers.

I got excited when I read that Equinox EV production started.

About 20 minutes later I thought the same thing you did. These are probably validation builds.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Of course these Equinii are just early prototypes, it's June. That puts them right on track for a 2024 model release this winter as expected.

 

[RobStark]

Toyota Giga Casting for BEVs.

 

[Knightshade]

Hey remember when GM said it would replace all the batteries on Bolts through 2022 models no questions asked? JK!

GM stops replacing '20-22 Bolt recall batteries, offers diagnostics software instead

2020-2022 Chevy Bolt owners, starting yesterday evening, began receiving messages that their high voltage battery/module replacements would no longer be...

electrek.co

2020-2022 Chevy Bolt owners, starting yesterday evening, began receiving messages that their high voltage battery/module replacements would no longer be happening. Instead, a software diagnostics tool would be used to verify if the batteries had problems before a replacement would be performed.

 

[Dikkie Dik]

Japan to give Toyota $841 mln support for domestic EV battery output

Japan will give Toyota up to $841 million in subsidies for the automaker's investment in domestic production of batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Friday.

www.reuters.com

 

[RobStark]

Danish Fisker Ocean 1 owner reviews his brand new car and compares to his Model Y Performance.

Fisker seems to be hiding his cars from professional automotive journalist. His argument is he can't satisfy current demand so he doesn't want to generate even more demand so no cars to press fleets.

 

[Knightshade]

Fisker seems to be hiding his cars from professional automotive journalist. His argument is he can't satisfy current demand so he doesn't want to generate even more demand so no cars to press fleets.

Weird given how overall favorable this guys review of the Ocean was...

 

[RobStark]

Weird given how overall favorable this guys review of the Ocean was...

He is an owner. He is one of the first to get delivery of an Ocean.

Henrik can't stop Ocean owners from uploading reviews to Youtube.

 

[JRP3]

Battery swapping, I mean dropping

https://twitter.com/x/status/1674628139539124225

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Hmm.. no wires, hoses, bolts, or coolant anywhere.

Anyone remember the “unintended acceleration” scam last year where the Chinese media staged a Tesla driving over a curb in a parking lot?
Just sayin’.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Of course these Equinii are just early prototypes, it's June. That puts them right on track for a 2024 model release this winter as expected.

It's Equinoctes.

 

[CorneliusXX]

Battery swapping, I mean dropping

https://twitter.com/x/status/1674628139539124225

better than battery popping i suppose

 

[JRP3]

Hmm.. no wires, hoses, bolts, or coolant anywhere.

A fast swap pack would need self sealing coolant ports and solid plugs for connections not hoses and wires.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Hey remember when GM said it would replace all the batteries on Bolts through 2022 models no questions asked? JK!

GM stops replacing '20-22 Bolt recall batteries, offers diagnostics software instead

2020-2022 Chevy Bolt owners, starting yesterday evening, began receiving messages that their high voltage battery/module replacements would no longer be...

electrek.co

Well, they actually said they'd try to find a way to identify the problem with software. Then they gave up and said they'd replace batteries. Now supposedly they're doing it with software.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

A fast swap pack…

Oh. My bad. I didn’t realize someone actually tried to make a pack-swapping EV. I always thought the limits of stupidity ended at hydrogen.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Oh. My bad. I didn’t realize someone actually tried to make a pack-swapping EV. I always thought the limits of stupidity ended at hydrogen.

Better Place did a long time ago.
NIO has been doing battery swaps for a few years now. Bjørn Nyland has done a couple of 1000km challenges in NIOs in the past year using one or two swap stations.
A NIO has the best time in his tests now for a BEV, I think. The limitation is that there are few swap stations so he was forced to use DCFC as well and it's not the fastest at DCFC.

 

[Doggydogworld]

Oh. My bad. I didn’t realize someone actually tried to make a pack-swapping EV. I always thought the limits of stupidity ended at hydrogen.

Nio has done 20 million battery swaps. The target is urban dwellers who lack overnight charging. That's very common in China. A swap station doesn't take up as much expensive urban real estate as a DCFC with the same throughput, and is much faster for users. They also let you swap into a bigger pack if you want to take a long trip.

 

[MP3Mike]

Nio has done 20 million battery swaps.

Wow, that's a lot of swaps! And given their delivery numbers that is more than 60 swaps per vehicle.