That’s A Wrap! The Latest Automotive News From Around The Web – August 23, 2021

Highlights from this week include: Ford have plenty of Pre-orders of their EV’s; Nissan launches their All-New Z; Mercedes-EQ team wins the title and then quits; Norwegian government is REALLY serious about going electric; Bolt owners are getting new batteries; Canoo announces pre-orders; VW ID.4 customers get unlimited charging – and more…

Ford

Advanced orders for Ford’s EV’s continue to prove that people and companies are ready and willing to switch to the electric versions.

Transit – Ford have received over 20,000 pre-orders for the electric version of their Transit van that presented in November of last year.

F-150 Lightning – Reservations for the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning has already surpassed 120,000

The latest recall for the Chevrolet Bolt due to the ongoing battery problems is costing General Motors a whopping $800 million, or around $11,600 per car. GM recently confirmed that it plans to replace all 68,667 Chevrolet Bolt’s that have potentially defective battery modules, with new ones.

The initial recalls involved 2017-2019 Bolts, but this week the company announced it is expanding it to include all 2020-2022 models – every single Bolt – and Bolt EUV is being recalled… at a cost of an additional $1 Billion! The automaker is “pursuing commitments from LG for reimbursement of this field action.”

GM issued the following statement: “As part of GM’s commitment to safety, experts from GM and LG have identified the simultaneous presence of two rare manufacturing defects in the same battery cell as the root cause of battery fires in certain Chevrolet Bolt EVs. As a result, GM will replace recalled vehicles’ lithium ion battery modules with new lithium ion battery modules. We will notify customers when replacement parts are ready.”

GM is “working aggressively” with LG to increase production of the replacement modules. The batteries with the new modules will have an 8-year/100,000-mile limited warranty (8-year/160,000 km limited warranty in Canada).

Nissan

Did you watch the launch of the All-New Nissan Z?

Here are some of the highlights…

The first generation was launched in October 1969 as the 240Z
This is the 7^th gen and will be available in the spring of 2022 as a 2023 model
While the six previous generations offered numeric designations, the All-New version will be known by just one letter – Z (Zed in Canada and Zee in America)
The driver-centric cockpit includes a 12.3-inch customizable racing-inspired meter display
8” or optional 9” infotainment screen
Available leather-appointed sports seats
8-speaker Bose audio system
All 2023 Nissan Z models are equipped with a 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine
400 hp & 350 lb-ft torque (for reference the 370Z had 332 hp / new Supra has 382) and
Choice of 6-speed manual transmission with motorsports-inspired EXEDY high-performance clutch, or
A new 9-speed automatic transmission with aluminum paddle shifters
RWD
Available Sport and Performance grade levels, plus a special “Proto Spec” edition (limited quantity in Canada)
Pricing is expected in the $40,000 (U.S.) range

If you want to watch the entire launch, here’s the link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2pT7B0NlgM&t=1s

Skip to 5:30, because nothing happens until that point…

Racing – Formula E

In their second season in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Mercedes-EQ team secured the world championship and driver Nyck de Vries took the drivers title at the season finale in Berlin…

…then promptly announced they are pulling out of the racing series at the end of the 2022 season!!

Norway

The world-leader when it comes to EV’s – the Norwegian government is considering a new directive that would require most new vehicle purchases by public authorities to be electric from January 1, 2022 onward. If the regulation is adopted in its current form, public authorities will be required to procure only purely electric cars, vans and city buses from the beginning of 2022, with two exceptions: “cargo vehicles that require more range than is currently available” and city buses powered by biogas.

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VW Canada

Volkswagen Canada announced on August 17, that it will provide three years of unlimited, complimentary ultra-fast charging from the date of purchase, to new owners of their all-electric 2021 ID.4 SUV on the Electrify Canada network. With 150 kilowatts (kW) and 350 kW chargers, Electrify Canada’s fast charging will allow drivers of the ID.4 to charge from 5% to 80% in around 38 minutes.

The latest news news comes just a couple of weeks after Electrify Canada announced its plans to expand its network of ultra-fast chargers from 27 stations with 108 chargers – to more than 100 charging stations and over 500 individual chargers across Canada by the end of 2025.

Canoo

Californian start-up Canoo, has announced that so far they’ve received 9,500 pre-orders for its three odd-looking electric models – Lifestyle Vehicle, Pickup and Multi-Purpose Delivery Vehicle (MPDV). The Pickup is expected to start arriving sometime in 2023 and will offer more than 320 kms (200 miles) of range.

More info on each model… Pickup

Lifestyle Vehicle

Multi-Purpose Delivery Vehicle (MPDV)

Polestar

Swedish electric vehicle brand Polestar announced the extended range, lower priced 2022 Polestar 2. The new Polestar 2 Long-range Single motor has an estimated range of 427 kms (265 miles) and a starting price of $45,900 (US). More info HERE

And Finally…

The Mechanic

A Lexus mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a LS460 when he spotted a well-known cardiologist in his shop. The cardiologist was there waiting for the service manager to come and take a look at his car when the mechanic shouted across the garage, “Hey Doc, want to take a look at this?”

The cardiologist, a bit surprised walked over to where the mechanic was working. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, “So Doc, look at this engine. I opened its heart, took the valves out, repaired or replaced anything damaged, and then put everything back in, and when I finished, it worked just like new. So how is it that I make $48,000 a year and you make $1.7M when you and I are doing basically the same work?”

The cardiologist paused, leaned over, and then whispered to the mechanic, “Try doing it with the engine running.”

That’s A Wrap! For this week. Until next time…

Our ISP was “choking” our internet speed because they didn’t like that we were streaming TV and Movies – after adding NordVPN to our Android Media box – problem solved. Click HERE for special pricing