September 2020 – RPM News Weekly

Ford F-350 Comes Loaded & Payload Ready

9-15-20 Tech Talk

~ Recorded Live from KOWS FM 92.5 ~

Tech Talk commentator Rick DeMeis had his hands full this week, quite literally, while test driving the 2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup. Here’s a big, brawny, work-ready truck that’s capable of towing up to 37,000 pounds when properly equipped, yet when driving unloaded, mostly highway, it delivered our host upwards of 22 miles per gallon.
Even so, penny-pinching is not what this truck is all about. Just checkout some of the many amenities listed below for the Platinum trim… Oh, and its price tag starts in luxury vehicle territory at $66,235.
Don’t stop there. Keep listening for important technology updates that include a new road surface material made by mixing concrete building rubble and old tires, a quick report on the upcoming Starship flight test, possible life in the Venusian atmosphere, a new way to recycle lithium-ion batteries, and a few more tantalizing techno tidbits to savor.

a weekly feature on KOWS 92.5 FM radio Newtopian Dream program hosted by RT Newt.

Enjoy listening to your favorite episodes while you drive.
Tune in to Tech Talk on Stitcher.
https://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/549366/episodes

Ride of the Week:

2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty Platinum Crew Cab 4×4

photos courtesy of Ford Media

Features Of The Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab As Tested

6.7-liter Intercooled Turbo Diesel V-8
475 horsepower / 1050 lb.-ft. of Torque
10-Speed Automatic w/ SelectShift
Drive Modes: Normal, Tow/Haul, Eco, Sand/Snow, Slippery
4×4 Four Wheel Drive – Selectable
Maximum Conventional Towing: 24,200 lbs.
Maximum Gooseneck Towing: 37,000 lbs.
Push-Button Tailgate w/ Step
Moonroof
Dark Marsala Leather Interior
10-way Power Front Seat
10-speaker Bang & Olufsen Audio
Starting at $66,235 MSRP for Platinum Trim

“For 2020 Super Duty gets new trailering technology including available class-exclusive Pro Trailer Backup Assist^™, which makes negotiating even the largest trailers into the tightest of spaces easier than ever before. With hands off the steering wheel, drivers use the Pro Trailer Backup Assist knob to steer the trailer via the reverse camera. Trailer Reverse Guidance shows trailer angle and direction and provides steering suggestions to most efficiently direct a trailer backward. Both systems are built to accommodate all trailer styles, including conventional, fifth-wheel and gooseneck designs.” ~ Ford Media

photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Nanyang Tech U Uses Orange Peels To Recycle Li-ion Batteries

Vinyl Record Sales Exceed CD Sales

Need A Face Mask?

Tech Talk listeners can receive a discount on stylish, high quality face masks purchased from Needham, MA-based Rafi Nova. Just used the Code KOWSRADIO at checkout. Rafi Nova is a fair-trade and sustainable fashion brand. Find them at rafinova.com

EV Makers Lucid, Rivian, Nikola Mark Big Week

It is a rare week indeed when automotive headlines are dominated by electric vehicle manufacturers, but a triad of happenings has achieved what no amount of assuaging the press on their own could have accomplished for Lucid Motors, Rivian or Nikola Corp. In no particular order, Lucid unveiled the production version of their much-acclaimed all-electric Air luxury sedan and is now taking orders for 2021 deliveries; meanwhile, Rivian has begun the manufacturing of its all-electric R1T pickup truck which are rolling off the assembly line as you read this; and finally, early in the week stock soared for Nikola Corp. on news that they had landed a sweet deal to have GM manufacture the fuel cell electric Badger pickup, only to have things up-ended by an unfavorable report from a short-seller that sent the company’s stock plunging by the end of the week. Life in the fast lane it is.
RPM News Weekly Podcast hosts Peter Ciani and Rich Taber cover it all. Have a listen and make a comment. You can also find the RPM News Weekly Podcast on Stitcher.com.
While you’re here please be kind enough to subscribe, and be sure to check out the videos on our YouTube Channel.

Segment Locations on the Scrub Bar

00:00 Introduction
01:50 Lucid Air Production Model Unveiled
23:12 Rivian Begins Manufacturing The R1T
26:45 Nikola Slammed By Short-Seller
36:45 The GM Deal With Nikola

Lucid Motors

“Outfitted with the world’s most advanced production line equipment, the factory will have the initial capacity to produce 10,000 cars a year — and over 300,000 annually with planned expansion.” ~ Lucid Motors

Rivian R1T

Rivian RT1 — The Rivian R1T dusting it up.
*photo courtesy of Rivian Media*

“We believe there is a more responsible way to explore the world and are determined to make the transition to sustainable transportation an exciting one.” ~ Rivian

Nikola Badger

Lucid Air EV Achieves Estimated 517-Mile Range

As the all-electric Lucid Air inches closer to production-ready status, Lucid Motors has announced that their first-ever luxury sedan will hit the road for the 2021 model year with an EPA estimated 517-mile range on a full charge.

Although the Air has not been officially rated by the EPA, independent testing was done to EPA test standards by FEV North America in Auburn Hills, Michigan. So, unless they change something along the way, one can assume that 517 miles will be the official range, or close to it when the Air goes on sale.

“I’m delighted that the Lucid Air has been independently verified by FEV to achieve an estimated EPA range of 517 miles, and that this landmark in the history of EV development has been achieved entirely through Lucid’s in-house technology.” ~ Peter Rawlinson, Lucid Motors CEO / CTO

But it’s not just EV technology that has helped the Lucid Air achieve a record-setting range. Exterior design plays a big part, as well. While testing at Windshear’s advanced rolling-road wind tunnel, Lucid verified a coefficient of drag of 0.21, making the Lucid Air the world’s most aero-efficient luxury car.

Lucid Air Testing at Windshear Inc. Concord, North Carolina
*~ photos courtesy of Lucid Motors*

“Our aero team worked seamlessly with design and engineering counterparts, establishing aero efficiency as a core tenet of Lucid Air from its very inception, enabling us to achieve this new standard.” ~ Peter Rawlinson

Race Proven

In a company press release, Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson praised the engineering behind the Air saying, “I believe that our 900-volt architecture, our race-proven battery packs, miniaturized motors, and power electronics, integrated transmission systems, aerodynamics, chassis, and thermal systems, software, and overall system efficiency has now reached a stage where it collectively sets a new standard and delivers a host of ‘world’s firsts.'”

In saying “race-proven”, Rawlinson is referring to the battery technology that Lucid supplies to the all-electric Formula E racing series through their Silicon Valley-based electric vehicle technology company Atieva. Thanks to the battery and powertrain advancements made by Lucid, Formula E drivers no longer need to swap cars mid-race. Personally, I always thought the swap looked bad for efforts to promote the feasibility of EV transportation.

Engineering a standard battery pack is difficult enough, so one can imagine it would be a massive feat to engineer a battery pack that can handle the abuse of high-performance racing, especially considering Lucid accomplished this all in house.

Building a battery and related technology for a racing series such as Formula E will certainly benefit EV drivers of the future. The strategy of track-testing new tech is nothing new to the automotive world. Innovations such as direct-injected engines, disk brakes and halogen headlights were all introduced and proven in races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Lucid vs. Tesla

So what about the former EV range leader? Not too long ago, back in June 2020, the Tesla Model S took the honor of being the first EV to break past 400 miles of range. Now, with headlines such as “Lucid Challenges Tesla with a Luxury EV Sedan that has a Record 517 Miles of Range per Charge” and “Lucid Makes Tesla Eat Dust With Air’s Estimated 517-Mile EPA Range”, it seems Tesla critics and some folks in the automotive media are trying to make this a dog-fight between Lucid Motors and Tesla.

Lucid Air vs Tesla Model S — Lucid Air vs. Tesla Model S
*~ photos courtesy of Lucid (left); Tesla (right)*

The Lucid Air’s 517-mile range certainly bests the Long Range Plus Tesla Model S, which can travel up to 402 miles on a full charge. But Lucid’s lead could be short-lived as Tesla’s long-awaited ‘Battery Day’ (9/22/20) is sure to bring us some insight into the future of Tesla and whatever battery advancements lie ahead.

We’re anticipating that Elon Musk’s ‘one more thing’ at Battery Day could be a redesigned Model S, even though that seems unlikely as Tesla has other, more important vehicles to get to.

Despite what some folks in the automotive press may want people to believe, beating Tesla isn’t really the intention of the Lucid Air according to Lucid’s Rawlinson. Instead Lucid is targeting legacy luxury brands such as Mercedes and BMW. Speaking to CNBC’s Squawk on the Street Rawlinson praised Tesla while setting his sights squarely on the legacy German brands.

“We’re actually a luxury player. Tesla is great, it’s a high tech product, it’s disruptive and it’s beautifully engineered, but it’s not true luxury and luxury space is dominated by the traditional German car companies, Mercedes and BMW and there’s a wide-open space for a sustainable electric vehicle in that space.” ~ Peter Rawlinson.

Considering Rawlinson served as the Chief Engineer at Tesla and for the Model S, I guess you can’t blame him for saying nice things about his baby, or should I say, first child? The Model S will be celebrating its 9th birthday when the Air starts rolling out of Lucid’s (almost finished) Casa Grande, Arizona factory sometime in 2021.

Tesla Chief Engineer Peter Rawlinson with Model S ~ Engadget 1/12/2011

Lucid Factory shown under construction in this June 2020 photo

New York International Auto Show – 2017

RPM News Weekly was fortunate to be on hand when Lucid debuted the preproduction Air concept alongside their rolling test-bed Lucid Air Alpha Speed Car at the 2017 New York International Auto Show. We were impressed with the concept back in 2017 and look forward to seeing and experiencing the finished product.

The production-ready Lucid Air makes its global debut on September 9, 2020. Until then, here’s a look back at the 2017 debut of the Lucid Air Concept.

Lucid Air Debuts At 2017 NYIAS