When the US, Europe, and Canada first unveiled the plans for the James Webb Space Telescope in 1997, it sounded like a pitch from an overambitious science student. The contraption would have to schlep a 26-foot-wide mirror across the solar system, while keeping its cool around the radioactive sun. But to build the Next Generation Space Telescope (as it was called at the time), astronomers had to think big. Hubble, the preeminent space telescope, needed a successor—and there were too many open questions about the Big Bang and the expanding universe.
So it’s fair to say, the stakes are higher than imagined. As the world cautiously waits for the telescope to kick off its decade-long mission (the launch date is currently set for Christmas morning), here’s a look back on what it took to prepare it for this moment.
An early concept for the James Webb Space Telescope—known at the time as the Next Generation Space Telescope—was designed by a Goddard Space Flight Center-led team. It already incorporated a segmented mirror, an “open” design, and a large deployable sunshield. In 1996, an 18-member committee led by astronomer Alan Dressler formally recommended that NASA develop a space telescope that would view the heavens in infrared light—the wavelength band that enables astronomers to see through dust and gas clouds and extends humanity’s vision farther out into space and back in time. NASAA full-scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope debuted for the first time in 2013 at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Chris Gunn/NASABall Aerospace optical technician Scott Murray inspects the first gold primary mirror segment, a critical element of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, prior to cryogenic testing at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. David Higginbotham/NASA/MFSCWhat looks like a giant golden spider weaving a web of cables and cords, is actually ground support equipment, including the Optical Telescope Simulator (OSIM), for the James Webb Space Telescope. OSIM’s job is to generate a beam of light just like the one that the real telescope optics will feed into the actual flight instruments. This photo was taken from inside a large thermal-vacuum chamber called the Space Environment Simulator (SES), at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The golden-colored thermal blankets are made of aluminized Kapton, a polymer film that remains stable over a wide range of temperatures. The structure that looks like a silver and black cube underneath the “spider” is a set of cold panels that surround OSIM’s optics. Chris Gunn/NASAJust like drivers sometimes use snow to clean their car mirrors in winter, two Exelis Inc. engineers are practicing “snow cleaning’” on a test telescope mirror for the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. By shooting carbon dioxide snow at the surface, engineers are able to clean large telescope mirrors without scratching them. This technique was only used if the James Webb Space Telescope’s mirror was contaminated during integration and testing. Chris Gunn/NASANASA engineers inspect a new piece of technology developed for the James Webb Space Telescope, the micro shutter array, with a low light test at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Developed at Goddard to allow Webb’s Near Infrared Spectrograph to obtain spectra of more than 100 objects in the universe simultaneously, the micro shutter array uses thousands of tiny shutters to capture spectra from selected objects of interest in space and block out light from all other sources. Laura Baetz/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterNASA engineer Ernie Wright looks on as the first six flight-ready James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror segments are prepped to begin final cryogenic testing at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This represents the first six of 18 segments that will form NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror for space observations. David Higginbotham/NASA/MFSCContamination from organic molecules can harm delicate instruments and engineers are taking special care at NASA to prevent that from affecting the James Webb Space Telescope (and all satellites and instruments). Nithin Abraham, a thermal coatings engineer, places Molecular Adsorber Coating or “MAC” panels in the giant chamber where the Webb telescope was tested. This contamination can occur through a process when a vapor or odor is emitted by a substance. This is called “outgassing.” The “new car smell” is an example of that, and is unhealthy for people and sensitive satellite instruments. Christ Gunn/NASAA bird’s-eye view of NASA Goddard’s cleanroom and the James Webb Space Telescope’s test backplane and mirrors sitting in their packing case. Chris Gunn/NASAThe James Webb Space Telescope emerges from Chamber A at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on December 1, 2017. The telescope’s combined science instruments and optical element exited the massive thermal vacuum testing chamber after about 100 days of cryogenic testing inside it. Scientists and engineers at Johnson put Webb through a series of tests designed to ensure the telescope functioned as expected in an extremely cold, airless environment akin to that of space. Chris Gunn/NASAThe Kapton® polymer-coated membranes of Webb’s sunshield were fully deployed and tensioned in December at Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California. Northrop Grumman designed the observatory’s sunshield for NASA. During testing, engineers sent a series of commands to spacecraft hardware that activated 139 actuators, eight motors, and thousands of other components to unfold and stretch the five membranes of the sunshield into its final taut shape. A challenging part of the test is to unfold the sunshield in Earth’s gravity environment, which causes friction, unlike unfolding material in space without the effects of gravity. For launch the sunshield will be folded up around two sides of the observatory and placed in an Ariane 5 launch vehicle, which is provided by the European Space Agency. Chris Gunn/NASAReaching a major milestone, technicians and engineers successfully connected the two halves of the James Webb Space Telescope for the first time at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Redondo Beach, California. To combine both halves of Webb, engineers carefully lifted the telescope (which includes the mirrors and science instruments) above the already-combined sunshield and spacecraft using a crane. Team members slowly guided the telescope into place, ensuring that all primary points of contact were perfectly aligned and seated properly. Next the team would have to electrically connect the halves, and then test the electrical connections. Chris Gunn/NASATechnicians and engineers working to ensure the soundness of the James Webb Space Telescope by manually lower its folded sunshield layers for easier access and inspection. After being lowered, engineers thoroughly inspect all five layers of the reflective silver-colored sunshield for any issues that may have occurred as a result of acoustic testing. Acoustic testing exposes the spacecraft to similar forces and stress experienced during liftoff, allowing engineers to better prepare it for the rigors of spaceflight. Chris Gunn/NASAThe arrival of the James Webb Space Telescope to Port de Pariacabo in French Guiana on October 12, 2021. It traveled from California, through the Panama Canal, aboard the MN Colibri. 2021 ESA-CNES-Arianespace/Optique vidéo du CSG – JM GuillonThe Ariane 5 core stage is 5.4 meters in diameter and 30.5 meters high. At launch it will contain 175 tons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. With its Vulcain 2 engine it provides 140 tons of thrust. It also provides roll control during the main propulsion phase. This rolling maneuver will ensure that all parts of the payload are equally exposed to the sun which will avoid overheating of any elements of the James Webb Space Telescope. Chris Gunn/NASAThe James Webb Space Telescope atop its launch vehicle, before it was encapsulated in the rocket fairing. A protective clean tent was placed around the telescope until launch time. Chris Gunn/NASA
The 172-foot-wide B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which costs nearly $2 billion in today’s dollars, can sneak past enemy air defenses with the same radar signature as a small bird, but you can also spot it on Google Earth as long as you have an internet connection.
“It’s pretty funny, you’ve got a stealth bomber flying over a farmer’s house, into his field, it looks like he’s a crop-duster,” said the host of My Garden Channel, a YouTube channel that’s usually dedicated to gardening and plant care. But on Monday, the channel posted a video showing how viewers can use Google Earth to spot the stealth bomber for themselves.
A screenshot of the bomber flying over a field in Missouri took off on Reddit, where it received more than 109,000 upvotes and caught the attention of airmen on the unofficial Air Force subreddit.
“What are you trying to say? I don’t see anything,” joked another.
“Looks like a weather balloon to me,” wrote a third, referring to when the Army announced in 1947 that it had found a “flying disc” near Roswell, New Mexico, only to later retract the statement and say it was a weather balloon.
Unlike a UFO though, it’s not surprising to see a B-2 bomber flying over Missouri. After all, the only B-2 base in the world is at Whiteman Air Force Base, just about 20 miles south of the spot the aircraft was spotted flying over on Google Earth.
Still, with its flying-wing design, its ninja-like ability to penetrate enemy air defenses, and its reputation for flying all the way around the world to kill ISIS fighters in the dead of night, the aircraft gives an aura that makes spotting it in daylight with a simple tool like Google Earth or Google Maps a real treat.
“The B-2 is designed to fly into the maelstrom when Los Angeles is burning and GPS signals have been jammed,” wrote William Langewiesche in a 2018 article for The Atlantic about a B-2 mission to bomb ISIS fighters in Libya. “It is made to defeat the world’s most advanced air-defense systems. In addition to its conventional navigational capabilities, it has autonomous systems that operate independently from any ground- or space-based transmitters.”
Besides being deadly, it’s also cozy: the Spirit has a toilet, a microwave, a few coolers for storing snacks, just enough room for one of its two pilots to lie down and take a catnap, and even “extremely comfortable” cockpit seats, Langewiesche wrote.
Still, the Atlantic writer questioned the US government’s decision to use the B-2, each of which cost $44.27 million a year to maintain as of 2018. That makes it the most expensive aircraft to maintain in the Air Force inventory, and it was used to bomb no more than 100 men camped in the desert in a country that does not even have air defenses.
“Bombing ignorant gunmen camped out in a desert of a non-country is a far cry from launching an attack against a modern military adversary,” Langewiesche wrote. “But the high cost of the mission was perhaps an attraction by bureaucratic if not military logic—you may lose money if you don’t spend it—or the B-2s might have just needed some work to do.”
Whatever the reason for using the B-2 over Libya, concepts like stealth and strategic bombing are returning to the fore as the Air Force prepares for a possible war with China or Russia. In fact, the service wants to spend an estimated $203 billion developing the B-21 Raider, a new flying wing strategic stealth bomber that closely resembles the B-2 and is designed to replace the older aircraft.
A B-21 Raider drawing highlights the future stealth bomber with Edwards Air Force Base, California, as the backdrop. Designed to perform long range conventional and nuclear missions and to operate in tomorrow’s high end threat environment, the B-21 will be a visible and flexible component of the nuclear triad. U.S. Air Force
“Designed to operate in tomorrow’s high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America’s enduring airpower capability,” the Air Force wrote on its website about the Raider.
Part of the reason why the Air Force is putting so much money into the B-21 is because it wants to buy at least 100 of the bombers. By comparison, only 21 B-2s were built. One of those was destroyed in a non-fatal crash in 2008, and another was damaged in September after sliding off the runway at Whiteman. The Air Force estimates each B-21 will cost about $639 million in 2019 dollars.
So perhaps someday we will also see images of B-21s mid-flight on Google Earth. Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted a red-and-blue blur effect on the image of the B-2. According to NASA, that’s because satellite images are different from typical photographs. While photographs are made “when light is focused and captured on a light-sensitive surface,” a satellite image “is created by combining measurements of the intensity of certain wavelengths of light, both visible and invisible to human eyes,” NASA wrote online.
Most visible colors can be created by combining red, green and blue, so satellites combine red, green, and blue-scale images to get a fill-color image of the world, NASA explained. However, Newsweek pointed out that aircraft in flight may blur the colors due to how fast they are moving.
“If you put on the old 3D glasses with the red and blue lenses you can actually see this in 3D. Try it,” wrote one cheeky commenter on the Air Force subreddit.
It just goes to show that capturing a Spirit is difficult, but with a sky full of satellites, an internet connection, and a little bit of luck, anything is possible.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is officially looking into the “driver distraction potential” of Tesla’s “Passenger Play” system, which drivers say allows them to play games while on the road.
A spokesperson for NHTSA told Popular Science Wednesday it has now opened a “Preliminary Evaluation” to “evaluate the scenarios” in which Tesla drivers can interact with the gaming offerings available on the dashboard screen. The vehicles included in this investigation are Tesla Models 3, S, X, and Y from years 2017 through 2022. The Associated Press, which first reported on the NHTSA evaluation, says this equates to about 580,000 cars.
According to a report from the New York Times on December 7, three new games were added to Tesla’s dashboard screens in a virtual update this summer, including solitaire, a “jet fighter game,” and a “conquest strategy game.” While more than a dozen games were previously available while the car was in park, this update also made games accessible when the vehicle was in drive. Before launching, the games ask for confirmation that the player is a passenger, not the driver, The Verge found, but the driver could still tap the confirmation button to proceed.
The Times report cited Vince Patton, a Tesla owner who filed a complaint to NHTSA after discovering the feature and had safety concerns, as well as videos on YouTube that show how the system works. NHTSA confirmed to Popular Science that it received one owner complaint about the games. In the report from the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, there are no recorded incidents of crashes or injuries related to the game system’s use.
“NHTSA based its decision on reports that Tesla’s gameplay functionality is visible from the driver’s seat and can be enabled while driving the vehicle,” the NHTSA spokesperson said to Popular Science in an emailed statement about the agency’s choice to formally look into the issue. Previously, NHTSA told the Times it was “discussing the feature with the manufacturer.”
This probe comes less than two weeks after NHTSA told CNBC it was in communication with Tesla over an Autopilot glitch and as the agency continues to investigate multiple serious accidents involving Teslas hitting emergency vehicles while in Autopilot mode. The NHTSA spokesperson said that, as a reminder, there are no commercially available vehicles today that can totally drive themselves.
“Every available vehicle requires the human driver to be in control at all times, and all State laws hold the human driver responsible for the operation of their vehicles,” the spokesperson added.
Journalist Vince Patton demonstrates its possible to play video games while driving his Tesla Model 3.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it is investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 that allow those seated up front to play games on the infotainment touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion.
The formal safety investigation, which was announced Wednesday, covers 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles. NHTSA opened the investigation “based on reports that Tesla gameplay functionality, which is visible on the front center touchscreen from the driver’s seat, is enabled even when the vehicle is being driven.”
Tesla made the software more dangerous
The 2021 Tesla Model S gets an all-new interior, a yoke-style steering wheel and the updated software being investigated by NHTSA.
The feature, known as “Passenger Play,” increases the risk of a crash. Since December 2020, the feature can be used while driving. Prior to that, it could only be used when the vehicle was in Park. The agency said that it is evaluating aspects of the feature, including how frequently it’s used and when.
NHTSA is concerned about distracted driving, an increasing risk as automakers bring increased online connectivity to infotainment touchscreens. Distracted driving caused 3,142 deaths in 2019, all of them preventable.
While Passenger Play does have a warning stating the game is meant solely for passengers. Although it asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger and not the driver, there is nothing preventing the driver from playing while driving.
Other Tesla safety issues
Consumer Reports criticized the performance of Tesla’s latest version of Autopilot.
It’s not NHTSA’s only Tesla safety investigation, nor Tesla’s only safety issue.
In August, the agency opened a formal safety investigation of 765,000 Teslas equipped with its Autopilot driver-assistance system after 11 crashes involving parked emergency vehicles killed one person and injured 17. The inquiry covers 2014-2021 Models S, X, Y and 3.
In October, Tesla had to roll back full self-driving, or FSD, with Musk revealing that the company is “seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily.”
And in November, Tesla issued a recall for 11,704 vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2017. The recall covers Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles and came about as a result of an over-the-air firmware update of the automaker’s “Full Self-Driving Beta,” its advanced driver assistance system.
The company identified a software communication error that could cause the forward-collision warning or automatic emergency brake system to falsely activate, possibly leading to a rear-end collision.
Other OEM infotainment issues
The new Mercedes-Benz EQS was recalled after it was found that its MBUX system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving
Other automakers are far more concerned over distracted driving than Tesla. On November 29, Mercedes-Benz recalled 227 vehicles in the U.S. after the company discovered that its MBUX infotainment system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving.
The recall affected 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580, 2022 EQS450, EQS580, and S500 models. Mercedes-Benz has already corrected the problem, and no deaths or injuries seem to have resulted from the problem.
Musk pays billions to satisfy tax bill
In other Tesla news, Reuters is reporting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 10% of his own company stock, 13.5 million shares, 8.06 million of which were sold to pay taxes. The billionaire said he is paying more than $11 billion in taxes this year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed California over its tax policy.
“California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is … becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation,” Musk told Reuters, adding his combined federal and state tax rate tops 50 percent.
The company has submitted all the documentation required to get its factory approved near Berlin, Germany. Approval of Tesla’s newest manufacturing facility has been delayed by environmental concerns and red tape due to Tesla’s decision to add a battery factory to the site. That has delayed the approval process. It remains unclear when the new plant is expected to open.
The new Mitsubishi Outlander already has proven to be one of the most important products the long-struggling automaker has launched in its bid to become relevant to U.S. motorists again. Now, Mitsubishi is hoping to gain even more traction with the upcoming launch of a plug-in hybrid version.
The gas-powered 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander made its debut in February.
The Japanese automaker claims it will yield more range than the old Outlander PHEV, at an estimated 87 km, or nearly 55 miles, per charge — though that’s using the global WLTP test cycle and will likely come down once the American version is tested by the EPA.
“With low (carbon dioxide) emissions and environmental impact from manufacturing and use,” said Takao Kato, MMC’s president and CEO, “the all-new Outlander PHEV model can be considered the best solution for carbon neutrality today.”
Updated, upgraded drivetrain
The Outlander was first introduced in 2001 and, with the fourth generation, it has become a core part of the brand, accounting for about 20% of its global volume. The first plug-in hybrid version was unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. It produced a combined 197 horsepower by pairing a 2.0-liter inline-4 gas engine with twin 60-kilowatt electric motors drawing power from a 12 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.
The new Outlander PHEV gets numerous powertrain upgrades, though the automaker isn’t releasing hard specs yet. In a statement announcing the new vehicle it said the plug-in gets “an increase of around 40% in the output of the front and rear motors and drive battery.” The lithium-ion pack, it did note, jumps to 20 kWh. The gas engine, added a spokesman, is a “slightly updated” version of the old PHEV’s 2.4-liter package.
The new Outlander plug-in hybrid will arrive in the U.S. in the second half of 2022.
Mitsubishi also revealed, “The power drive unit for the front motor is newly equipped with a booster function which bolsters driving force by raising the supply of voltage to the front motor while simultaneously improving electricity consumption by raising the efficiency of the generator.”
Third row added
The automaker also took steps to downsize some of the hardware, notably the rear motor and control unit. As a result, the new plug-in will gain room for a third row yielding space for seven occupants.
The drive system now will allow One-Pedal Driving, as well, a feature that effectively allows motorists to minimize the need to jump from throttle to brake when driving in light to moderate traffic. That feature was found to be extremely popular with EV owners, according to the recent J.D. Power Technology Experience Index.
With only modest tweaks, the plug-in adopts the same exterior and interior design as the gas-powered Outlander. The overall strategy is based on a concept dubbed “I-Fu-Do-Do,” which means “authentic” and “majestic” in Japanese.
New design
The new Outlander PHEV is expected to travel more than 55 miles in electric-only mode.
The fourth-generation Mitsubishi Outlander adopted a new styling language called “Dynamic Shield.” Up front, it features a more upright nose with a pinched, dual-level grille and stacked headlamps. From the side, the SUV features a more deeply sculpted silhouette with a bit of a floating roof element.
The automaker clearly wanted to give the new Outlander a more solid and robust look, with such touches as 20-inch wheels and tires and what it calls the Hexagon Guard rear end.
The new SUV grew larger in virtually all dimensions, the width expanding by 2 inches. That means the cabin of the new Outlander is both wider and more spacious than the outgoing model, Mitsubishi adopting more upscale materials and features like tri-zone climate controls, real aluminum panels and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display.
The gas-powered Outlander is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 that bumped up power by 8.9 percent. At the same time, it reduced fuel consumption by 2.6 percent.
Pricing TBD
Many of the features from the current model are expected to carry over into the PHEV, though Mitsubishi hasn’t provided specific details. The gas model offers Hill Descent Control and Trailer Stability Assist. A Multiview camera system helps drivers see what’s around the vehicle, whether on-road or off. Other features for the new Mitsubishi Outlander include a power-operated panoramic roof and an electrically operated tailgate that can be opened with a kick of the foot under the rear bumper.
Pricing for the gas model starts at $25,795 — plus $1,195 in delivery fees. Pricing for the PHEV is expected to run higher, though the numbers won’t be released until closer to sales launch. That holds for a variety of other specs, including U.S. range, power and performance.
“Sales will commence in Japan on Dec. 16, followed by Australia and New Zealand in the first half of 2022 and North America in the second half of 2022,” Mitsubishi said in a statement. While it did not offer specifics, that would suggest that the Outlander PHEV will be marketed as a 2023 model in the U.S.
Rental car giant Hertz inked deals with Uber and Carvana designed to expand the renter pool for its expanding fleet of EVs and make it easier to divest vehicles it no longer needs.
Hertz plans to buy 100,000 Teslas for its rental fleet in 2022.
Hertz and Uber fashioned an agreement allowing Uber drivers to rent Teslas starting Nov. 1. The rental car company plans to make 50,000 of the 100,000 Teslas it’s planning to purchase next year, available to Uber drivers by 2023.
Drivers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Washington, D.C. will get first crack at the program, which is expected to available nationwide sometime next year. One of the complaints about Uber and ride-hailing services in general is they are a drain on the environment — this should help change that, officials believe.
“Climate change is an urgent global challenge we must all tackle together, and now is the time to drive a green recovery from the pandemic,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in a release. “This combines the power of Tesla, Hertz and Uber to help accelerate the transition to zero-emissions mobility. We look forward to seeing more EVs on the road right away.”
In with the new
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the deal with Hertz is a win-win for all involved, including drivers.
Earlier this week, Hertz announced plans to buy 100,000 new Teslas next year to expand its EV rental program. By 2023, half of those could be in use by Tesla drivers across the country. Research shows that when rideshare drivers go electric, they realize 3 to 4 times greater emissions savings than average car owners.
“Today’s partnership with Uber is another major step forward in Hertz becoming an essential component of the modern mobility ecosystem and executing on our commitment to being an environmentally forward company,” said Mark Fields, Hertz interim CEO. “We are creating the new Hertz and charting a dynamic, new course for the future of travel, mobility and the auto industry.”
Uber called the deal “a win-win for drivers who rent.” Through the rental program they can increase their earnings and cut the impact on the environment at the same time. Drivers save on gas and have a chance at higher earnings potential due to Uber’s Green Future Program, which provides incentives — such as $1 more per trip up to $4,000 annually — for drivers to transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs. They’ll also have access to the Tesla Supercharger network and to Uber’s exclusive EVgo discounts.
Hertz is working with Carvana to make divesting older vehicles more efficient.
According to Uber, Tesla rentals will start out at $334 a week and fall to $299 or lower as the program expands. This includes insurance and maintenance and is the best deal available in the market today for drivers looking to rent a Tesla. For the initial launch period, Hertz requires that drivers have at least a 4.7-star rating and have completed at least 150 trips to be eligible.
Out with the old
Meanwhile, Hertz and Carvana just completed a pilot program where the rental car company used Carvana’s network to sell vehicles no longer needed for its rental fleet.
The deal permits Hertz to use Carvana’s “online transaction technology and logistics network to expand vehicle disposition channels” to sell its vehicles. Previously, the company used auctions, partnerships with dealers and its own Hertz Car Sales locations to move these vehicles on to their next owners.
While it has 68 of its own sales locations, using Carvana will expedite the process of selling the vehicles, making the process more efficient.
“Our new partnership with Carvana will help Hertz provide a tech-enabled and scalable channel through the lifecycle of our fleet,” Fields said. “This is another step toward the new Hertz – combining our brand strength and global fleet expertise with new technology and innovations to chart a dynamic, new course for the future of travel, mobility and the auto industry.”
The deals come just two days after the tie-up with Tesla. Since emerging from bankruptcy in July, the company’s made several big announcements including the addition of former Ford CEO Fields signed on earlier this month.
TheDetroitBureau.com covers the top stories occurring in the auto industry in the latest edition of the Headlight News podcast. The weekly roundup includes news, features, reviews and more.
Acura’s giving its popular RDX compact ute a midcycle refresh for 2022.
This week’s episode features Publisher Paul A. Eisenstein talking about three big new product debuts: the Acura RDX, Ford Expedition and Toyota Tundra — the last two taking place at the first-ever Motor Bella in metro Detroit. Other stories in the podcast include:
Ford also confirmed the arrival of the Bronco Raptor model in 2022;
Jeep became the latest brand to cut production due to the chip shortage;
AlixPartners updated its earlier estimates for how much the auto industry will lose to the shortage to $210 billion — almost double what it forecast May;
GM announced its plans to replace the batteries in its Bolt EV and EUV models after working with the battery maker, LG Chem, to resolve a problem that caused about a dozen vehicle fires; and
Tesla’s in the news — again — this time because transportation officials in San Francisco expressed concerns about its Full Self-Driving program. They are concerned that current issues with its Autopilot semi-autonomous driving technology and the name “Full Self-Driving” will create an unsafe environment.
Executive Editor Joe Szczesny has the top story this week with the announcement that Mike Manley is leaving Stellantis to become CEO at auto retailing giant AutoNation. Manley, who was tabbed to replace the late Sergio Marchionne to head up then Fiat Chrysler, continues his streak of working with executives with big personalities.
Former FCA Chief Exec Mike Manley is leaving Stellantis to take over as CEO at AutoNation.
Contributing Editor Larry Printz uses the words “bargain” and “Jaguar” in the same sentence while reviewing the 2021 Jaguar XF. Now the only four-door sedan available in the leaping cat’s line-up, it gets a price cut in concert with an updated interior. The combination makes it a fine competitor for German brands in the segment.
Managing Editor Mike Strong says the week ahead will be heavily focused on product. We’ll take with bespoke SUV maker Ineos Automotive EVP Greg Clark to talk about the brand’s first offering, the Grenadier, as well as its plans for the North American market. That’ll be followed by an update about GM’s BrightDrop electric commercial vehicle subsidiary, the world premiere of the Jeep Grand Cherokee as well as the September sales report on Friday.
Printz returns to tell us about the founding of Lincoln in 1917 — as an aircraft company. It later switched to vehicles with the 1921 Model L. The first Jeep prototype by the American Bantam Car Co. is delivered in 1940 — called the Blitz Buggy. The government shifted contract to Willys — Bantam builds the trailer. In 1948, the Honda Motor Co. is founded, building motorcycles. It builds its first car in 1963. Check out more at on the podcast.
Video updates and cross-company digital chats in the place of meetings are part of the vision Slack has for the future of hybrid working. The messaging platform announced these new features, among others, on Tuesday at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference.
Perhaps the most buzzed-about change is “clips,” a video creation and sharing tool Slack teased and began testing last year. The update—which is rolling out for those on the service’s paid plans—lets users create audio, video, and screen recordings within the platform that can be shared across channels or in direct messages. For example, a manager could record a brief video explaining goals for their division, then share that in a dedicated Slack channel with their team. Viewers will have the ability to speed up or slow down content, and the recordings will offer live captions and archive searchable transcriptions.
Slack
In a blog post, Slack touted the tool’s appeal to offices that have employees working across time zones, suggesting that clips can be used to discuss projects or provide feedback rather than requiring coworkers to schedule a call. (The company also, just months ago, launched an audio feature called “Huddles” that allows users to hold conference calls within their workspace.)
Another feature slated for this fall is an update to Slack Connect, which lets employees from organizations with paid accounts on the platform work with their counterparts from different companies in shared channels. (In other words, Company A and Company B could set up shared Slack channels for their employees.) Now, Slack is letting its Enterprise Grid customers—which are large corporations including Netflix, Uber, and Target—use Connect to “host” companies that do not have their own paid Slack accounts. Having previously positioned Connect as an alternative to email, Slack suggests that this update will allow these larger operations to bring on others to “meet” for deals or offer user assistance without requiring any additional burden of cost on the part of their customers.
This news comes on the heels of Slack’s $27.7 billion acquisition by software giant Salesforce, which was made official in July. The companies have since been steadily rolling out integrations between the two services to offer more resources within the parent company’s customer relationship management platform. On Tuesday, they added to that growing list of capabilities, with new offerings including Slack-First Commerce to help teams identify business trends and Slack-First Trailhead, which will provide a platform for companies to train and educate employees.
“Our mindset about work has shifted from a place you go, to something you do,” Bret Taylor, president and chief operating officer of Salesforce, said in a press release about the recent announcements. “Every company needs a digital HQ to connect its employees, customers, and partners, and thrive in a work-from-anywhere world.”
While much of these updates centered on the changing corporate work environment in the wake of Covid-19, Slack also announced plans tailored to the public sector. Next year, the company is planning to launch GovSlack, a version of the service that Slack says will meet federal security standards. The blog post promises it will operate in a “government-certified cloud environment” to provide “secure cross-collaboration” between the government employees, partners, and enterprises. While GovSlack is not currently available to any users, Slack says that its existing services are already being used by government agencies including the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice.
The U.S. House Ways & Means Committee has given its approval to a $3.5 trillion spending package that could give EV buyers as much as $12,500 in tax credits — but the final incentive program may loosen up a proposal that would reserve as much as $5,000 of those EV givebacks specifically for motorists purchasing battery-electric cars built in the U.S. by union workers.
Michigan Democrat Rep. Dan Kildee, left, told TheDetroitBureau.com today he’s willing to consider expanding the EV credits to some non-union automakers.
In an exclusive conversation, Michigan House Democrat Dan Kildee told TheDetroitBureau.com he would be open to a compromise that could include vehicles built in Canada, as well as BEVs produced by non-union automakers in the U.S., such as Toyota, where “workers are treated fairly and paid well.” Kildee said he did not see room to also include vehicles assembled in Mexico, however.
“We’re continuing to work on it,” Kildee said of the “Made in America” provision he crafted along with Michigan Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Terms of the provision
The agreement, in current form, would extend the current, $7,500 in federal tax credits available to buyers of qualified battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Among other things, it would eliminate the 200,000 vehicle sales threshold for individual manufacturers which, when reached, begins phasing out the incentives. General Motors and Tesla already have exceeded that cap and Nissan is coming up on that number.
Kildee said he couldn’t see any room for EVs built in Mexico, like the ID.Buzz will be, in the EV tax credit provision.
While there is broad support for that move, the Kildee/Stabenow proposal’s other provisions have generated heated controversy. For one thing, they would add another $2,000 for vehicles specifically assembled in the United States, and $500 for vehicles using American-made battery packs. Then, buyers could qualify for an additional $2,500 if the vehicle were built by union workers.
Those clauses would sharply limit which vehicles could get the maximum $12,500 giveback as many new EVs are scheduled to come in from Canada and Mexico, as well as Europe, South Korea, Japan and China. Meanwhile, only the Detroit Big Three automakers, General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, currently run union factories.
“That doesn’t seem fair,” Johan de Nysschen, the chief operating officer at the Volkswagen Group of America, told TheDetroitBureau.com this week.
For his part, de Nysschen said Congress should, at the least, cover vehicles made within the three countries comprising the USMCA, the successor to NAFTA. VW, he said, adjusted its regional production plans to comply with the updated trade agreement. Currently, it plans to import the ID.Buzz, an all-electric successor to the iconic Microbus, from a plant in Puebla, Mexico.
Volkswagen of America COO Johan de Nysschen said the company could shift more EV production to the U.S. if the incentives were revised.
Honda, meanwhile, said the Made in America provision “discriminates among EVs made by hard-working American auto workers based simply on whether they belong to a union.”
Toyota has also come out strongly against the Kildee/Stabenow provision.
Changes are possible
Asked if he could foresee changes to the plan, Kildee said he was somewhat flexible and looking at other proposals.
Among other things, that could bring in Canadian-made EVs. Auto factories north of the border are mostly represented by Unifor, the automotive equivalent of America’s United Auto Workers union, Kildee said, as he began a tour of Ford Motor Co.’s new Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan Thursday.
Kildee said he has been discussing the possibility of expanding the provision to include non-union companies with Congresswoman Terri Sewell. The Alabama Republican’s district includes a new Toyota plant. Most of the foreign-owned auto assembly plants in the U.S. are based in Southern states that often have right-to-work laws in place.
Kildee said he could see including Canadian made EVs due to the involvement of Unifor.
But the Michigan Democrat showed no flexibility when asked about including Mexico in the incentive program. That country is “so far away from having real labor unions” offering good wages and benefits and real worker representation, he stressed, that “I don’t know how they can get in(to)” the Made in America proposal.
There have been other objections raised to the idea of increasing EV incentives. West Virginia’s Republican Congresswoman Carol Miller tweeted that it seems “hard to imagine how giving a tax break of $12,500 to someone buying a $74,000 electric vehicle is a way to help working class workers.”
A proposal that would have eliminated EV incentives for buyers making more than $75,000 a year — or $150,000 for couples — was rejected by the Ways & Means Committee.
Kildee said he believes some version of his and Stabenow’s proposal eventually will be approved by the full House, as well as the Senate. It would then have to be signed into law by President Joe Biden, himself a strong EV proponent. But Biden has also expressed strong interest in seeing U.S. automakers rewarded in a new incentive plan, especially those with union workers.
“What do environmental groups, automakers and workers have in common? They all support my bill to expand electric vehicle production in the U.S. to help create good-paying jobs and reduce emissions,” Kildee said in a tweet.
Mazda’s debuted its first battery-electric model, the 2022 MX-30 crossover. There are many more EVs coming in the next year.
If you’re looking to buy a battery-electric vehicle today, your options are quite limited. But that won’t be the case for long. By the end of next year, automakers plan to add more than three dozen new BEVs – and that doesn’t include variants of existing models, like the single motor versions of the Volkswagen ID.4 and Polestar 2 soon being added.
In Part I we looked at everything from the Audi A6 e-tron to the Lucid Air. Now, let’s look at what’s coming from the back half of the Alphabet.
Mercedes-Benz EQA
Mazda MX-30. The little Japanese automaker has been slow to embrace electrification, hoping that its SkyActiv technology would let it meet increasingly rigid emissions standards. That all changes with the launch of the Mazda MX-30, its first pure battery-electric vehicle. How well is will fare in a market seeking longer and longer range is uncertain, the little SUV only fitted with a 32 kWh battery pack that can barely deliver 100 miles range. But, after waffling a bit, Mazda now expects to offer an optional rotary engine range extender to give the MX-30, with its 143-hp motor, more utility.
Mercedes-Benz EQB
Mercedes-Benz EQA. The German luxury brand might have been slow to embrace battery power but it has truly plugged in, showing off nearly a half-dozen concepts and production models at the recent Munich Motor Show. The family soon will include the EQA. That will become the smallest, all-electric Mercedes SUV when it comes to market next year. Final details for the American model haven’t been released but look for around 250 miles of range from its all-wheel-drive system. Mercedes claims it had more than 20,000 advance orders in hand by the time EQA debuted last February.
Mercedes-Benz EQE
Mercedes-Benz EQB. One of the Munich launches, it will roughly match the existing Mercedes GLB crossover in size. By moving batteries and motors below the load floor, the CUV will have a bit more room for up to seven passengers. Two all-wheel-drive versions will be available at launch early next year, with the EQB 4Matic promising up to 416 km, or 262 miles of range, as well as a sporty 288 horsepower. The EQB 300 4Matic will make about 225 horsepower and yield roughly the same range from its 66.5 kWh battery pack. Those are European numbers, so U.S. range will likely be less.
Mercedes-Benz EQG
Mercedes-Benz EQE. The 2023 EQE will become the second model line to use the automaker’s new EVA2 electric vehicle architecture, following the launch of the flagship EQS model. And like the bigger sedan, the EQE will adopt a distinctive “one-bow” design language meant to set it apart from traditional Mercedes sedans. The all-electric answer to the classic E-Class will, in typical Mercedes fashion, offer two variants at launch, the EQE 350 with 288 hp, as well as “another model” that wasn’t identified during the sedan’s Munich debut.
Mercedes-Benz EQS
Mercedes-Benz EQG. What we saw in Munich was labeled a “concept” vehicle. But that’s only for the time being. We can expect to see a production version of the battery-powered SUV to start rolling out in production form by late next year. Like the classic G-Class, the show SUV got an independent suspension on the front axle, but retained a rigid torsion beam axle in back. This will be no soft-roader. Expect the production model to retain all the capabilities of the “Gelandewagen.” By using four motors, one for each wheel, the automaker promises “unique driving characteristics both on- and off-road.”
Nissan Ariya
Mercedes-Benz EQS. For Americans, the all-electric alternative to the S-Class becomes Mercedes’ first long-range BEV this year. The sedan features a new “one-bow” design language that will be one of the auto world’s most aerodynamic designs. Inside, it gets an equally radical design anchored by the new pillar-to-pillar Hyperscreen. Add great performance and projected range of 770 kilometers, or nearly 480 miles, per charge, and the EQS takes dead aim at the Tesla Model S. The Munich show, meanwhile, saw the debut of two variants, the ultra-exclusive EQS Maybach and the high performance EQS AMG.
Porsche Macan EV
Nissan Ariya. The Japanese automaker was the first to launch a mainstream battery-electric vehicle a decade ago — the Leaf — but it has dragged its feet adding more to the line-up. And sales of the Ariya SUV now have been delayed due to the semiconductor shortage. But it should reach showrooms by early in 2022. Ariya rides on a flexible new architecture, and it gets major upgrades to the drivetrain in the latest-generation Leaf. Several variants will be offered, up to a 380-hp AWD model, and range should top 300 miles with an optional pack. The semi-autonomous Pro Pilot 2.0 system also will be available.
Rivian R1S
Porsche Macan EV. Porsche might once have seemed like the last brand to go electric but it has given a bear hug to battery power, starting with the Taycan, and with an assortment of other BEVs to follow. That next will include a version of the Macan SUV which, in gas form, is about to get a complete makeover. As with sibling brand Audi, Porsche will offer both ICE and BEV versions of key models. But the Macan EV actually will ride on its own, skateboard architecture, the Premium Platform Electric, or PPE. (Which it will share with Audi.) Expect Porsche-like performance and extremely fast charging.
Rivian R1T
Rivian R1S. This startup is seen as one of the most likely to carve out a solid niche in the automotive market, thanks to some hefty funding an extensive orders for all-electric delivery vans from customers like Amazon Prime. Rivian’s first entry into the retail market will come with a pair of electric trucks, including the R1S sport-utility vehicle. It will offer seating for up to seven, range of anywhere from 230 to 400 miles, depending on the optional battery pack, the ability to tow 7,700 pounds, and sports car like speed. The debut price is expected to be around $73,000.
Subaru Solterra
Rivian R1T. The nascent EV maker’s pickup will be first to market, the R1T Launch Edition debuting this month. That will be a premium trim package, with more mainstream versions to follow by early in 2022. As is the norm in the full-size pickup segment, Rivian will offer a broad range of configurations. That includes battery packs of anywhere from 105 to 180 kWh, as well as various motor layouts. Models with the biggest pack, Rivian claims, will hit 60 in just 3 seconds. The R1T will best the Rivian SUV in towing, as it’s rated at up to 11,000 pounds. It also plans to offer a semi-autonomous alternative to Tesla’s Autopilot.
Tesla Cybertruck
Subaru Solterra. The little Japanese brand has long teased the idea of going electric with various concept vehicles. It’s finally getting there, having finally revealed the production Solterra last month. Subaru still hasn’t offered much in the way of drivetrain details, however. But, like its design, it’s expected the underlying technology will stray little from what Toyota has coming next year in the form of its first long-range BEV, the bZ4X. The two automakers have shown how well they can work together with the latest-generation Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ sports car.
Toyota bZ4X
Tesla Cybertruck. As has been the unfortunate norm for the California upstart, Tesla has repeatedly delayed the launch of its first pickup until at least early next year. That means it will follow behind both GMC’s Hummer, Rivian’s R1T, and possibly even the Ford F-150 Lightning and Bollinger B1. That and its radical styling led to Elon Musk suggesting the Cybertruck could be a failure. But that seems unlikely considering Tesla took deposits from more than 200,000 potential customers within days of Cybertruck’s debut — and some observers believe the figure now stands at more than 1 million.
Volkswagen ID.Buzz
Toyota bZ4X. Officially, the electric SUV Toyota revealed in June was just a prototype — but company officials are doing little to hide the fact that a production version of the new bZ4X Concept is heading to U.S. showrooms, possibly by next year. Details are sparse, but it shares underpinnings and drive tech with the Subaru Solterra. Range is promised at more than 250 miles, performance as “sporty.” For Toyota, the bZ4X will serve as just the entry point. It says there will be seven all-electric bZ, or “Beyond Zero,” models, along with eight other BEVs.
Volkswagen ID.Space Vizzion
Volkswagen ID.Buzz. For many years, VW has attempted to come up with a replacement for its iconic Microbus. It finally has the right product — albeit one drawing power from a battery pack. While the ID.Buzz has repeatedly been delayed, it is widely expected to land in U.S. showrooms either next year or in 2023. Designed as an eight seater, it will share the same MEB platform and drivetrain system as the ID.4 electric SUV. While the final name could change, VW expects to assemble the battery-powered Microbus in Mexico.
Volvo C40 Recharge
Volkswagen ID.Space Vizzion. VW has launched what is arguably the world’s most expansive — and expensive — battery-car program, investing $86 billion through the end of the decade. It already has the ID.4 on sale in the U.S. and CEO Herbert Diess recently announced that VW will introduce more BEVs in the U.S. than originally planned. That could include both the ID.Life concept introduced at the Munch Motor Show, as well as the ID.Space Vizzion revealed in concept form at the LA Auto Show in 2019. More wagon than crossover, it is widely expected to reach market next year. Look for 300 miles of range.
Volvo C40 Recharge. Volvo brought out its first long-range electric in the form of the XC40 crossover. It’s now preparing to add a second variant in the form of the C40. In a break with its normal nomenclature, the BEV will opt for a sportback, rather than coupe body style. Don’t expect major powertrain changes, the C40 Recharge expected to be powered by a 402-hp, twin motor drive system. In the XC40, it runs for up to 208 miles per charge using a 75-kWh battery pack.
Volvo XC90 Replacement. You can be all but certain this won’t be the electric model’s actual name. While it’s set to replace the Swedish brand’s SUV flagship, Volvo’s CEO recently confided that future models will switch away from their alphanumeric format. “Calling that just a new XC90 would be wrong because this is the really a first of its kind,” explained CEO Håkan Samuelsson. Whatever it’s called, look for its to use a new and larger platform than the C40 Recharge, one specifically designed for Volvo’s largest products. Also expect it to get more range than the current battery models.
