Chrysler says its first EV will forge a new path, Airflow concept was just the beginning
Although reports have claimed Chrysler will not be building the Airflow EV concept, the brand’s chief designer, Ralph Gilles, cleared things up this week. Gilles said the Airflow concept was “just the beginning,” adding Chrysler’s first EV will take the brand in a new direction.
Once a prominent US automaker, Chrysler wants to revitalize its brand in the electric era. Under the Stellantis umbrella, including Jeep, RAM, Dodge, Fiat, Maserati, and others, Chrysler plans to go all-electric by 2028.
Although Chrysler has yet to release its first fully electric vehicle, the automaker showed a glimpse of what it could look like, revealing the Airflow EV concept last January.
Gilles, who took over as chief design officer for several Stellantis brands, including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Maserati, and Fiat in Latin America in January 2021, oversaw both the Dodge Charger SRT EV and Ram Revolution concepts.
Despite overseeing major project designs, Gilles said he is most excited about Chrysler’s first EV.
In May, Gilles said in an interview with Motortrend that the Airflow concept was “evolving in a new direction” under new CEO Chris Feuell, who took over in September 2021.
Gilles explained Feuell came into the position with a new eye. “Chris came at it with her perspective which we really enjoyed,” he said.
Under Feuell’s leadership, the team aims to beat the Airflow design with more modern features and tech-focused design, including new Stellantis technology.
Feuell said Airflow will not be the name of Chrysler’s first EV, and it also won’t be called an electric 300. She explained, “I don’t think it’s quite right for this product. It could be a great name for something that we bring out in the future. There is so much wonderful history and equity with the name so I wouldn’t want to rule it out for potential future use, but not for this one.”
Several media outlets took this as “the Airflow is dead,” but this was never the case. Gilles clarified the misconception, taking to his Instagram this week.
The design leader stated, “I must clear something up. I have been seeing so many articles saying that Chrysler isn’t building the Airflow EV,” adding, “Unfortunately misunderstanding me trying to explain that the design will evolve as we push the thesis even more under brand CEO Chris Fuell.”
Although the final product may not look exactly like the Airflow, it will still carry over many features from the concept.
For example, the Airflow included modern infotainment and connectivity tech, sustainable materials, and full (level 3) and assisted driving capabilities, all of which are still progressing.
The Airflow concept was based on Chrysler’s RU platform, used for the Pacifica hybrid, but the production version is expected to ride on Stellantis’s STLA large platform. The automaker revealed its STLA medium architecture earlier this month, the first of four due out globally.
Chrysler’s first EV is expected to launch in 2025 as it works toward an all-electric lineup by 2028.
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Environment
MG begins deliveries of the world’s first mass-produced EV with a semi-solid-state battery
SAIC MG delivered the first MG4 model with a semi-solid-state EV battery in China, starting at under $15,000.
The MG4 is the first EV with a semi-solid-state battery
In August, SAIC MG launched the all-new MG4 at the Chengdu Auto Show, deeming it “the world’s first mass-produced semi-solid-state” electric vehicle.
The new MG4 is available in five different trims: Comfort, Ease, Freedom, Smart, and the semi-solid-state “Secure” edition.
SAIC MG announced on Thursday that it had delivered the first MG4 equipped with the new battery tech. The new MG4 is on sale starting at 68,800 RMB ($9,800), with prices rising to 102,800 yuan ($14,500) for the semi-solid-state battery model.
It’s available with two lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery sizes: 42.8 kWh or 53.95 kWh. The three lowest-priced trims are equipped with the smaller (42.8 kWh) battery, providing 437 km (271 miles) CLTC driving range, while the Smart version uses the 53.95 kWh battery, delivering 530 km (330 miles) of range.
Meanwhile, the semi-solid-state variant is powered by a 53.95 kWh semi-solid manganese-based lithium-ion battery, delivering 530 km (330 miles) of CLTC range.
All new MG4 models are powered by a single front-mounted “six-in-one” electric motor with 120 kW (161 hp) and 250 Nm torque. Using DC fast charging, it can recharge from 30% to 80% in 20 minutes.
The electric hatch is 4,395 mm long, 1,842 mm wide, and 1,551 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,750 mm. That’s about the size of the BYD Dolphin.
Like most Chinese EVs nowadays, the new MG4 is loaded with modern tech and features. The smart cockpit is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 in-car chip.
While the three lower-priced trims feature a 12.8″ central infotainment screen, upgrading to the Smart and semi-solid-state models adds a bigger 15.6″ display with 2.5K resolution.
The company said that by reducing the liquid electrolyte content to just 5%, the semi-solid-state EV battery significantly reduces the risk of combustion and improves the cycle life.
In two recent needle penetration tests, the new battery produced no smoke, no fires, and no explosions after two hours. SAIC MG said it was an industry first, exceeding industry standards by 20%.
SAIC MG delivered over 13,000 new MG4 models in November. It’s also the best-selling independent Chinese car brand overseas, A “beacon of Chinese automotive success,” in the EU and British markets, the company said.
Source: CarNewsChina, SAIC MG
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GM CEO Mary Barra is reportedly considering Sterling Anderson, the former head of Tesla Autopilot and co-founder of Aurora, as her potential successor. But first, she is putting him through a “tough test” in his new role as Chief Product Officer.
We reported back in May that GM hired Anderson as its new Chief Product Officer in a surprising move that put a tech executive in charge of the legacy automaker’s entire vehicle development program.
Anderson is well-known in the EV community. He led the Model X program at Tesla and was the director of the Autopilot program during its formative years (2015-2016). He later left to co-found Aurora Innovation, a self-driving startup that has focused heavily on autonomous trucking.
Now, a new report from Bloomberg states that Barra sees Anderson as a frontrunner to replace her when she eventually steps down.
According to the report, Barra is “gauging” Anderson for the top job by giving him a massive portfolio that serves as a trial by fire. Since joining in June, Anderson has been tasked with overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle of GM’s products, both gas and electric, including the critical integration of hardware and software.
The “test” essentially boils down to whether Anderson can successfully execute Barra’s vision of transforming GM into a tech-first company. This involves untangling the automaker’s software woes and delivering on the promise of “eyes-off” autonomous driving for personal vehicles, a pivot away from the robotaxi-focused strategy of its former Cruise unit.
While Barra, 63, hasn’t announced a retirement date, the pressure is on to find a leader who can navigate the rapid transition to electric and software-defined vehicles. If Anderson passes this “test,” he could become the first outsider with a tech background to lead the 117-year-old automaker.
Electrek’s Take
“Tech background” is not entirely true, but mostly accurate. He has spent a few years at Tesla and then built Aurora; both are in the auto industry, but certainly on the techy side of it. Before that, he spent years at MIT, and the ‘T’ stands for technology.
I’ve only had a few interactions with Sterling, but from what I could tell, he is a smart guy who was among the most realistic about autonomy at Tesla, which is probably why he didn’t last long at the head of the program and went on his own.
He helped build Aurora into a multi-billion-dollar company that is now seen as the leader in autonomous trucking.
GM is starting to build an extensive and impressive EV lineup, but it still has issues committing to high volume due to the political landscape, which, in my opinion, the company itself often lobbied the wrong way.
I think some fresh blood could help.
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The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill aimed at making it easier to get federal permits to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence projects.
The bill, known as the SPEED Act, is backed Big Tech giants such as OpenAI, Micron and Microsoft
The bill cleared the House in a 221-196 vote, overcoming a conservative rebellion that nearly sank the legislation in a procedural vote earlier this week.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is likely to be part of a larger conversation around permitting reform.
The SPEED Act’s proponents argue it is critical to help the U.S. outpace China and other global competitors in the race for AI dominance.
“The electricity we will need to power AI computing for civilian and military use is a national imperative,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., the bill’s sponsor and chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The SPEED Act would reform the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act, which mandates federal reviews for projects that would impact the environment.
It would tighten the timelines for NEPA reviews and shrink the statute of limitations for NEPA litigation to 150 days from the current six years.
Permitting reform has drawn bipartisan support recently as clean energy projects supported by Democrats became ensnared in permitting delays.
Pressure has built on Congress to act as AI has emerged as a key sector and power-hungry data centers have placed an increased strain on the electric grid.
The Democratic cosponsor of the bill, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, said the SPEED Act would allow the U.S. to be “nimble enough to build what we need, when we need it.”
Most Democrats opposed the SPEED Act, however, demanding that any permitting bill overturn President Donald Trump‘s moves to choke renewable energy sources like offshore wind.
Democratic resistance was only compounded after GOP leadership inserted language to exempt Trump’s efforts to block renewables from provisions in the SPEED Act that would limit the White House’s ability to arbitrarily yank permits it does not like.
The amendment was added after a standoff on the House floor during a procedural vote, where conservatives opposed to renewable energy demanded concessions for their votes.
“That provision codifies a broken permitting status quo,” said Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., who supports permitting reform but opposed the SPEED Act.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle in the Senate to craft a bipartisan product that can become law.”
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