AFSVision

AFSVision powered by AutoForecast Solutions (AFS) is an automotive news and insight podcast. We will provide weekly looks into the world of automotive news and provide informative conversation about goings on in the industry.

90 Seconds with AFS - EV Market Shakeout 07/31/2023

90 Seconds with AFS - Rolls-Royce Spectre 07/10/2023

90 Seconds with AFS - Rolls-Royce Spectre Few brands will hit their pure electric targets as they need to convert hundreds of thousands of buyers to the idea that an EV perfectly replaces their current model. Rolls-Royce, however only needs to find a few thousand buyers, and the appeal of an all-electric Rolls-Royce is obvious. Claimed on their website, this is “the beginning of an era that will see the entire model portfolio electrified by 2030” and that the new Spectre is “setting a clear path toward the marque’s first all-electric decade.” Henry Royce and Charles Rolls set a goal to build the “best car in the world.” Famed automotive writer Ken Purdy wrote that “the Rolls is not only the best car the world has ever seen, it is very probably the best piston-engine car the world will ever see.” Blending a modern electric drivetrain with the elegance of a Rolls-Royce seems to create the car that Sir Royce would envision today, if he were still alive. There’s a limit to how smooth and powerful a piston engine can be. A modern BEV has advantages over the V12 engine with its inherent smoothness and its quiet delivery of all that power. Up from the 563hp from the twin-turbocharged engine, the Spectre produces 430kW of electric power, or about 577hp. As emissions tighten around Rolls-Royce’s big cars, BEVs will be necessary. The 5,400-lb Wraith coupe consumes a gallon of gas for every 12 miles of city driving while polluting 624 g of CO2 every mile and needs to be refueled every 263 miles. Based on the WLTP test cycle, the 6,600-lb Spectre, with its 0 g/mi of CO2 tailpipe emissions, can travel up to 323 miles on a single charge. Two motors, one on each axle, allow the permanent all-wheel drive system to move more than three tons of car from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. With a base price somewhere north of US$400,000, the Spectre is just the start of the next era for Rolls-Royce. For the YouTube video: Find out how AFS can work for you: Joe McCabe: Sam Fiorani: /episode/index/show/afsvision/id/27387042

90 Seconds with AFS - Internet Rumors 07/06/2023

90 Seconds with AFS - Internal Combustion Engine Future 06/19/2023

90 Seconds with AFS - May 2023 U.S., Canada, Mexico Light Vehicle Sales 06/12/2023

90 Seconds with AFS - Lucid Motors 06/05/2023

90 Seconds with AFS - North American Competitiveness 05/29/2023

90 Seconds with AFS - North American Competitiveness On May 25, twenty-seven Senators addressed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about the current push for tighter emissions. The letter to Administrator Regan asked for the EPA to “withdraw two recent proposals to regulate tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions” because “these proposals effectively mandate a costly transition to electric cars and trucks.” Using the Biden Administration and EPA’s exaggerated numbers, the letter claimed “the proposal will require approximately 67 percent of new vehicles sold in model year 2032 to be BEVs.” While pointing to possible legal concerns of these proposals “forcing a transition to battery electric vehicles through regulations”, the letter also discussed the electrical grid, infrastructure, and consumers. EV market share will be substantially less than 67% with advances in cleaner ICEs and increased hybridization. That point aside, the senators are overlooking the benefits of these proposals. Today, EVs cost more than gas-powered vehicles, but as EV volumes rise, prices will fall. While the electrical grid is not robust enough to handle a dramatic increase in EVs, the power industry will grow to support the gradual rise in demand. The same with the charging infrastructure as businesses and entrepreneurs see the profits in adding more receptacles. Another overlooked benefit of this drive toward electrification is competition. Pushing the industry toward cleaner vehicles will help the North American industry keep pace with the global competition. As other markets legislate tighter emissions controls and restrict the ICE usage, global automakers and suppliers are increasing their knowledge base and technical savvy. North American players will fail to remain globally relevant if not pushed into these underdeveloped technologies. For the YouTube video: Find out how AFS can work for you: Joe McCabe: Sam Fiorani: /episode/index/show/afsvision/id/26977272