Highlights from this week include: Bye-Bye Ford F-150 diesel; GM Exploding Airbags; Mazda3 logo slashing faces; Hyundai announce Santa Cruz price – oh dear; Stellantis aiming to go fast and have long-range EV’s soon; Truck and Auto bans coming in a few years; The best show on TV is back – and more…

General Motors Is Recalling 410,000 Pickup Trucks – Airbags Can Explode Without Warning

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the GM pickup trucks have roof-rail airbags with inflator end caps that may detach from the inflator – or have an inflator sidewall that may rupture. If this happens the air bags could deploy without warning.

There were three incidents in June alone, and all of them happened in 2015 Silverado pickups. Their “steel inflator-body sidewall split open, suddenly releasing the gas stored inside the chamber.” Fortunately all three incidents occurred when the trucks were unoccupied. According to the NHTSA, the issue is caused by corrosion inside the inflator vessel, which is a result of “moisture introduced into the vessel during the supplier’s manufacturing process and aggravated by thermal cycling in high-temperature climate regions.”

GM is taking quick action and issued a safety recall less than two weeks after being made aware of the first incident. Dealers will replace the left and right roof-rail air bags – owners will be mailed a warning about the issue next month, and a second notice will then be sent out when the fix is available. The recall affects 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks.

Mazda

Recalls More Than 260,000 Mazda3’s For Shattering Steering Wheel Logo

Mazda is recalling 260,915 Mazda3’s sold between 2004 and 2007 to fix their steering wheel logo that is shattering and injuring people when the airbag goes off in an accident.

According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the problem was first noticed in a 2015 incident from outside of the U.S. where an occupant’s face was injured by “scattered fragments of the logo” when the airbag was activated in a crash.

Mazda‘s part supplier determined that hydrolysis was confirmed to have occurred on the broken logo, which was made of polyurethane. It was hypothesized that the reaction accelerated the deterioration of the logo, making it likelier to shatter. Owners of Mazda3’s from model years 2004 to 2007 can expect notification letters to be mailed out on August 28. Mazda will replace the logo on the steering wheel free of charge.

Stellantis Targeting 800-Kilometre Range And 2.0 Second 0-60 Mph For Future EV’s

Following Stellantis’ announcement to spend $36 billion over five years (all toward electrification) last week, they’ve given us more insight to where they plan on spending some of the money. The company plans to accommodate everything from minivans to big pickups and vans using four STLA platforms. With plans to accommodate up to two million vehicles annually per platform, they’re plans also include 800 kms (500 miles) of range, recharging 32 kms (20 miles) of range-per-minute and 0-60 mph acceleration in as little as 2.0 seconds. Plenty more information HERE

UK Aims To Ban ICE Truck Sales By 2040

The UK has already set end date for passenger cars in 2030, but now they’re taking aim at commercial vehicles. On Wednesday (July 14^th) the British government has announced a plan to stop the sale of all road vehicles with combustion engines by 2040.

Countries around the world have been making plans to cut off ICE cars around 2030-2035, but this is the first to target commercial trucking. With the announcement, the UK Government says that the sale of new vehicles from 3.5 to 26 tonnes with internal combustion engines will also be stopped by 2035. For internal combustion trucks over 26 tonnes, they’re done in 2040 – “or earlier if a faster changeover seems possible.”

Additionally, the British government announced it is bringing forward its own fleet of around 40,000 cars and vans to be emission-free from 2030 to 2027. Not happy with eliminating ICE cars, trucks and busses, the government is also taking aim at air and rail services. The goal is net-zero for aviation by 2040, and rail transport must achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Over In Europe…

The European Union Plans To Ban All New Combustion Engine Cars From 2035

Europe intends on becoming the world’s first net-zero emissions continent by 2050, but to reach that goal it has to cut greenhouse gases (based on 1990 levels) by at least 55 per cent by 2030. Barclays PLC believes it will be difficult for carmakers to achieve a 60% emissions reduction target by 2030 – even with plug-in hybrids, meaning more pure all-electric models will be required.

>> Not So Fast!!!!

It’s a noble goal, but have they considered the countries outside the EU? Did they agree to this? There are 44 countries in Europe – including Russia. There are only 27 countries in the EU, so to declare the entire continent “the world’s first net-zero emissions continent” is purely hyperbole. The words: Brass Balls comes to mind.

Wait… What?

GM Taps German Supplier To Start Building Its EV600 Electric Van

Last we reported GM subsidiary BrightDrop was speeding up the retooling of its Ingersoll, Ontario plant. Now they’re turning to German parts supplier Kuka AG to start building the all-electric EV600 commercial van. In typical GM style, they’ve committed to delivering the first 500 EV600’s to FedEx by the end of this year – without a way or a plant to actually build them.

“We are working alongside Kuka for initial low-volume production to keep up with market demand and remain on track to deliver our first EV600 order later this year,” said BrightDrop chief executive Travis Katz.

According to Auto News, Kuka will build fewer than 500 of the EV600 at its plant in Livonia, Michigan – starting in late October this year, before all the scheduled production is to commence at Ingersoll in November 2022 – once they stop producing the Chevrolet Equinox there.

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Hyundai

Hyundai has finally announced pricing for the 2022 Santa Cruz and… well it’s a bit of a surprise, it starts at $23,990 (U.S.) – almost $4,000 MORE than the similar-sized Ford Maverick. The top of the rage model is priced at $39,720 (U.S.). For all the details and pictures click HERE

Ford

Ford confirmed Monday (July 12) that the light-duty diesel version of its F-150 full-size pickup is being discontinued. Ford made it clear that the decision isn’t directly related to the Lightning Electric truck, but instead, the main reason is the F-150 Hybrid. The F-150 hybrid can tow up to 12,700 lbs in 4×2 versions, whereas the F-150 diesel is rated at 12,100 lbs. Additionally, the hybrid can also operate in generator mode, offering up to 7.2 kw of electric power.

The PowerBoost Hybrid is more fuel-efficient in the city as well, with (L/100kms) of City: 9.4 / Highway: 9.0 / Combined: 9.4 versus City: 10.7 / Highway: 9.4 / Combined: 7.8 for the diesel. The price of the diesel engine option was somewhere in the region of $10,000, making it years before the fuel savings would pay for the additional cost.

Ford will continue to offer diesel engines in its Super Duty pickups – F-250 / F-350 / F-450, for now. Orders can be placed through July 16, with deliveries taking place through late this year.

TV – The Grand Tour

The best show on TV is back!!! The first trailer for the latest episode of The Grand Tour has just been released on YouTube. The episode was filmed in Scotland and is fittingly dubbed The Grand Tour Presents: Lochdown. Look for it on Amazon Prime on July 30.

Electrify America Announces Plans To More Than Double The Size Of Their Charging Network

Under the new Boost Plan, the company will have more than 1,800 fast charging stations and 10,000 individual chargers in the United States and Canada by the end of 2025. The expansion will also focus on adding more 150 and 350 kW chargers, which will significantly reduce recharging times.

Canada is set to have more than 100 charging stations and 500 chargers by the end of 2025 – located in metropolitan centres along major highways and near popular amenities. As part of the expansion, charging stations will be added in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island – enable EV’s to travel from Halifax N.S. to Victoria, BC.

According to Electrify America CEO Giovanni Palazzo, “We have decided to double our current charging infrastructure in North America over the next four years to help meet the need for the rapid growth expected of electric vehicles by virtually all the auto manufacturers, and to help make EV adoption more accessible and attractive than ever.”

Not Always Good News About Electric Vehicles

Mercedes-Benz

OOPS!! M-B is recalling 1,463 units of its EQC electric SUV worldwide, due to inadequate sealing of the high-voltage battery housing. Corrosion could lead to moisture ingress, making it impossible to restart the vehicle and increased risk of fire.

Chevy Bolt Fire Recall

JULY 14, 2021 – IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM GENERAL MOTORS

General Motors has been notified of two recent Chevrolet Bolt EV fire incidents in vehicles that were remedied as part of the safety recall announced in November 2020. Out of an abundance of caution, we are asking owners of 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV’s who were part of the recall population to park their vehicles outdoors immediately after charging and not leave their vehicles charging overnight while we investigate these incidents.

Customers who have not had the remedy completed should still visit their dealer for the recall remedy while our investigation continues. At GM, safety is our highest priority, and we are moving as quickly as we can to investigate this issue. Customers should visit https://my.chevrolet.com/recalls or contact the Chevrolet EV Concierge 1-833-EVCHEVY or their preferred Chevrolet EV dealer.

A GM spokesperson has confirmed that there were 8 confirmed fires as of May 25th, with an additional five under investigation. This is upped from 8 confirmed with only one under investigation as of the end of April. Any charging should be able to be monitored, which is why they are now recommending to not charge overnight when people are asleep.

This is really unfortunate – the Chevy Bolt was one of our all-time favourite cars/EV and it would be sad that this terrific car might not be a good purchase decision.

And Finally…