GM Confirms Its Fight in EV for Commercial Customers

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have gone through the roof in 2021. Sales are booming globally despite the global disruption caused by the pandemic, a global semiconductor shortage, and various lobbyists trying their hardest to slow down the transition to EVs. Even manufacturers like General Motors (GM) are setting their sights on overthrowing Tesla. With Tesla seeing six-figure sales numbers per quarter in 2021, GM has its sights set on a segment of the EV market that may give it an edge.

The progression toward EVs has many vehicle manufacturers scrambling

General Motors (GM) | Getty Images

The White House reported on August 5 that President Biden signed an executive order pledging that half of the new vehicles sold are to be EVs by 2030. To incentivize vehicle manufacturers to get on board, the Biden administration will raise EPA mileage standards. The standards countermand cuts in EPA standards set by Trump and exceed Obama’s. In addition to that, Biden’s administration also plans to tighten car and truck fuel emission standards to promote EV sales.

Globally, well-established automakers are tossing their old business models aside and adopting new paradigms in which electricity replaces fossil fuels. Many of them are overhauling factories to produce EVs while snatching up every battery and semiconductor available. Paradigm shifts are expensive endeavors in the automotive industry, especially when it involves developing EVs. As a result, companies are either partnering up or have become targets of acquisition.

Forward-looking automakers care less about what their rivals are building and more about strict emission standards established in regions such as Europe and China.

GM announced a move to produce commercial EVs

According to CNBC, GM’s CEO Mary Barra confirmed in early August that the automaker is adding a battery-electric medium-duty truck for utility and service, as well as a Chevy all-electric cargo van. The medium-duty truck will feature GM’s Hydrotec fuel cells and its large-scale, high-energy Ultium battery system. Both the medium-duty truck and cargo van will become available at some point after 2025, CNBC reported.

Barra told investors during an earnings call that “Both [vehicles] will complement BrightDrop and keep our commercial fleet market share growing.” These commercial EVs are a part of GM’s plan to increase spending by 30% on electric and autonomous vehicles. According to previously announced plans, spending would increase to $35 billion. But GM isn’t alone. It seems GM’s plan to go electric by 2035 isn’t merely a pipe dream after all.

Ford, Daimler AG, and Amazon-backed Rivian have also announced their plans to enter the commercial EV segment. “The commercial market is expected to be a major growth area for EVs,” CNBC concluded.

It’s all about being a thorn in Tesla’s side

Reuters reported that companies like GM, Ford, and at least two other EV startups target a potentially remunerative segment not yet dominated by Tesla. While commercial fleet EVs still comprise a relatively small portion of the overall industry, demand for such vehicles is guaranteed to explode within the decade.

Scott Phillippi, UPS senior director of fleet maintenance and engineering, told Reuters that the shipping and receiving company believes electric vans will likely disrupt the commercial market the same way Tesla’s Model 3 disrupted the consumer market. GM’s all-electric battery cargo van is oriented toward the emerging commercial delivery vehicle segment. 

“For established players, this is a hugely profitable business segment driven by cost of ownership, not fancy tech or star power. Reuters reported it is also a segment in which Tesla and its high-profile CEO, Elon Musk, lack an entry to compete for sales and CO2 credits, which allow automakers to offset the sale of non-electric vehicles, including high-margin pickups and SUVs.”

Elon Musk has promised a commercial electric van for several years already. Business Insider reported back in January of this year that Musk said Tesla plans to build an electric van “at some point.” Musk said that the biggest roadblock thus far has been battery-cell production limitations. Tesla has been doing its best to solve low output volumes by producing its own cells.

But as we’ve reported in recent articles, an automotive-semiconductor shortage constrains EV production globally, with no end in sight. On top of that, Musk stated in an earnings call that “…there is fundamentally a constraint on battery cell output…we simply don’t have enough cells built.” Commercial vehicles such as a cargo van and Tesla’s semi-truck require more cells than a consumer vehicle. This means that battery cell volume will remain one of Tesla’s primary hurdles for a while.

For now, GM, Ford, and Daimler AG seem to have a significant jump on the Silicon Valley-based tech company. Just don’t underestimate the ingenuity of someone who has the money to launch their vehicles into space—using their own rockets.

RELATED: General Motors Ranked Among the Best Companies for Worker Disability Accessibility

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Ford Is Keeping Employees at Home Amid COVID Surge

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Whether you like it or not, Coronavirus cases are continuing to surge. The Delta Variant of the virus is becoming a growing concern, and now, many industries are taking notice. Ford is one of them. Now, the Blue Oval has elected to delay the return of many of its workers to the office. However, that raises some questions. For one, what does this mean for production? Ford has already made several delays to production, and this can very easily make things worse.

Ford wants to keep people at home

Empty desks will continue to be a common sight in Dearborn | Sebastian Kahnert via Getty Images

Per CNBC and Ford, the Blue Oval has about 86,000 employees still working at home. They have been since the start of the pandemic. Odds are, they’ve been loving it. However, some don’t. So, Ford introduced their hybrid return-to-work program to meet both camps in the middle. Under it, the plan, well, plans to offer employees some flexibility in how they spend their workweek.

Of course, that all came to a halt this week. Ford says it feels it’s best for most of their nonmanufacturing employees to stay home as cases spike due to the Delta Variant and low vaccination rates. As things sit right now, Ford says it is going to reevaluate as needed. If all goes well, employees can expect to be working on the brand’s hybrid schedule starting in January of 2022.

Turns out, pandemics are bad for business

The Blue Oval logo outside the company's Michigan headquarters
Kind of ominous-looking, isn’t it? Jeff Kowalsky via Getty Images

With that out of the way, let’s talk about what that means for the good folks working at Ford, and the company as a whole. Ford saw a massive dip in its stock price in March and April last year as the company had to stop production due to the virus. Then, shares were worth around $4.00. However, things have rebounded, and presently shares are worth right around $14.00. So, clearly, things have rebounded despite numerous Covid and non-covid related delays.

Thankfully, this latest round of delays likely won’t heavily affect production. Remember, the employees we’re talking about aren’t the ones building the cars. Those people are around 130,000 strong and already back at work. That said, if cases continue to rise, we can be sure to see the limiting of production as Ford attempts to keep Covid cases in their ranks down.

How much longer can the Blue Oval keep this up?

The Ford logo on a white sign outside a dealership
The industry has been hit hard by the pandemic | Horst Galuschka via Getty Images

And that begs another question, asked above. Is all this on-again-off-again work hurting Ford? The stock market says no, but we’ll have to see what happens as semiconductor shortages ease. Frankly, as long as those in-factory employees are able to remain at work safely, Ford will be just fine. It’s also relatively easy for Ford to keep those people in the factory. Mandatory vaccination requirements are part of an emerging norm, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ford institute a policy requiring vaccinations. For now, at least, your Bronco should be getting built sometime soon.

RELATED: This Overland Camper Is Clearly Apocalypse Ready

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Avis Stole a Mans Rental Car Back for No Reason

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Renting a car is a pretty standard experience for most people. Usually, you show up, pick up the car, then drop it off again when you leave. Sure, there’s a wilder side to it, but those are usually edge-case scenarios. However, Tarikh Campbell certainly saw the wilder side of it when Avis literally stole his rental car. In doing so, Avis set off a storm of negative PR after Campbell took to Twitter to discuss the incident. The worst part? As far as I can tell, the rental company has literally zero justification for doing so.

Is Avis rentals co-producing the new Grand Theft Auto?

Campbell’s tweet went viral in record time | Tarikh Campbell

So, let’s start at the beginning. Tarikh Campbell probably whipped out his phone and googled “rental car Newark Liberty International Airport” just like the rest of us. Then, he picked up his 2020 Toyota Camry rental car from Avis and went on his merry way. Frankly, that should be it. I shouldn’t have to keep typing (and I’d like to not because it’s 6:30). However, that isn’t exactly what happened.

While visiting family, Campbell also went to see some friends. Around 10:30, he went out and saw the car wasn’t there. He called the police, who stated that the car had not been towed nor impounded by them. I’m sure you see where this is going. Eventually, Tarikh was told by Avis that if the car wasn’t returned he’d be liable. Of course, all along Avis had his rental, without his knowledge or consent.

What do you do when you can’t call Avis customer service?

Campbell has shown a great deal of humility and gratitude | Tarikh Campbell

Still trying to track down the missing car, and now back home, Campbell had the brilliant idea to check his EZPASS transponder that he’d left in the car. It showed that the car got on the turnpike at 10:30 and then exited at the airport about ten minutes later. Thankfully, Tarikh’s aunt had a home security camera that caught what happened (you can see the footage here). A red tow truck pulls up, then loads up the car and leaves, all in about 12 minutes, per Tarikh.

So, Avis took his Toyota rental car and just… dipped out. No explanation, no nothing. In fact, had his story not gone viral, that’s likely how things would have stayed. Campbell would have been liable for the extra costs after the rental car was returned, likely by the mysterious tow truck. It’s a ridiculous situation no one should have been in, to say the least.

Rental companies have the means to repo cars without warning

Avis has yet to offer any real explanation | Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

Eventually, after the internet caught wind of the story, Avis realized things weren’t going to get easier for them, so they issued an apology to Tarikh. Hilariously, the brand even offered him a credit on his next rental (which I’m sure he won’t be using). The charges were also refunded, thankfully.

Unfortunately, there really isn’t much consumers can do about this. Should a rental car agent decide to illegitimately repo your rental, they have the means to do so without your knowledge. Be it a clerical error or something more malicious, it’s a cautionary tale we should all heed as we go about our travels as pandemic restrictions begin to ease.

RELATED: Should You Get Rental Car Insurance?

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This LS-Swap Porsche 911 is Either a Thing of Dreams or Nightmares

by Gabrielle DeSantis

It isn’t unheard of to see a vehicle with a factory engine swapped out for an LS engine — in fact, it seems to be the joke in most car communities regardless of car type or style, often with the social media hashtag #lsswaptheworld. LS engines are common, with a wide community for support and customization, which is just one of the many reasons any vehicle owner would choose to make the conversion — which can be expensive, time-consuming, and require plenty of custom fabrication. Regardless of the work put in, people either love a car that has been LS-swapped, or they hate it, and that divide couldn’t be any more true for this LS-swapped Porsche 911.

What it takes to LS-swap a Porsche 911

Tyler Hoover driving his LS-swap Porsche 911 | Hoovies Garage

LS-swapping, meaning you put an LS motor more commonly found in a Chevrolet Corvette as well as several other muscle cars and the like, isn’t as simple in a Porsche 911 as it may be in some other vehicles. If you haven’t guessed why, it’s because LS engines are traditionally front-mounted, whereas Porsche 911 engines are mounted behind the seats and cabin space. LS engines are a good candidate for swapping out OEM motors because they are inexpensive to build and modify, easier to work on than most European engines, and you can readily find parts and customizations.

Porsche fans probably hate it

Unlike the tuner car scene, Porsche fans tend to be more on the purist side of the fence, opting for OEM parts and factory-grade replacements unless it comes to modifying and upgrading their vehicles. LS swaps are often times interesting but can also be controversial, as most modifications don’t increase the value of your car, and oftentimes replacing an entire engine with a non-VIN matching engine can diminish the value significantly. Some Porche fanatics might even argue that this ‘ruins’ the Porsche experience, but LS fans and custom car lovers have to admit that the vehicle itself is rather neat.

What is it like to drive an LS-swap Porsche 911?

Regardless of your personal preference, you’re probably curious as to what driving an LS-swap Porsche 911 is actually like. With the mid-engine placement, the weight distribution of this Porsche is just as great as ever, making it capable of handling hard corners and turns with expertise regardless of power. Luckily, Tyler Hoover takes us on a spirited ride along in this video (below), reminding us that the car is incredibly loud and hot, considering there is no air conditioning. Regardless, it seems like Tyler is having the time of his life, so whether you love the idea of an LS swap Porsche 911 or not, it surely does look like a thrilling driving experience.

RELATED: The LS Days are Gone – Do the Tesla Swap

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