TWC Podcast #129: Vague Definitions
By Phil Royle — July 27, 2023
When is a motor an engine? It depends on where you get your definitions — and like Pokemon, we attempt to catch them all on this week’s podcast before moving on to actual news. The news convo begins with the spotting of a BrightDrop FedEx delivery van in the wild, which turns into a deep dive into EV battery sourcing, recycling, and (ultimately) labor unions. Indeed, it’s a roller coaster. We then talk about the rebirth of the Chevy Bolt, the Mazda Miata getting electrified, a seven-company alliance building out a new charging network (the definition of which is equally as vague as motor vs. engine), and more!
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SHOW NOTES
Motor vs. engine: https://www.kia.com/dm/discover-kia/ask/is-an-engine-a-motor.html
GM’s CAMI plant where Brightdrop is made should be back up and running on July 31: https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/cami-plants-surging-electric-vehicle-production-hits-snag-a-battery-shortage
Local battery recycling is the future: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/21/dead-ev-batteries-turn-to-gold-with-us-incentives.htm
EV battery plants emerge as point of contention in UAW labor negotiations: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/21/uaw-contract-talks-ev-battery-plants-make-for-wildcard-issue.html
Stellantis shows IBIS BEV concept: https://www.thedrive.com/news/new-stellantis-battery-system-could-be-the-key-to-smaller-cheaper-evs
BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis announce nationwide charging network partnership: https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/26/23808270/bmw-honda-gm-joint-venture-north-american-ev-charging-network
GM announces next-generation Bolt EV: https://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2023/jul/0725-chevrolet.html
Mazda says next-generation MX-5 Miata will be “electrified”: https://www.motortrend.com/news/2026-mazda-mx-5-miata-electrified-future-cars/
Tesla out-sells Toyota in California in Q2 2023: https://electrek.co/2023/07/25/tesla-now-outsells-toyota-in-california/
Foxconn takes 50% stake in ZF Chassis Module Unit: https://www.greencarcongress.com/2023/07/20230725-zffoxconn.html
This week’s hosts: Phil Royle and Edward A. Sanchez
Episode cover by Pisit Heng
Music courtesy Twisterium at Pixabay
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