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The Wienermobiles, a fleet of six cars shaped like hot dogs meant to promote Oscar Mayer and a bona fide American treasure, are built from some combination of an Isuzu truck chassis and components from a surprising collection of great cars. They are largely trucks underneath, which means they have catalytic converters. That means even the Wienermobile is not safe from the ongoing rash of catalytic converter thefts.You’ve Always WonderedOne Wienermobile was in Las Vegas earlier this week when its catalytic converter was reportedly cut out from underneath it. Fox 5 Vegas says the theft happened on Friday, briefly delaying the hot-dog-shaped icon from completing its important duties touring the Las Vegas valley. A temporary emergency repair was made to seal where the converter had been cut out, allowing the Wienermobile to continue on its way.Catalytic converter theft has been a hot topic in recent years. The rare metals in the devices are worth big money, and a recent spike in the values of palladium, rhodium, and platinum has led to an overwhelming increase in the thefts since 2019. One ring busted in November of last year was accused of handling tens of millions in rare metals from catalytic converters. We’ve Got All the Answers on Catalytic ConvertersSome manufacturers offer countermeasures, like the $140 theft guard option available on the upcoming Prius, but Oscar Mayer seemingly did not equip the Wienermobile with that level of protection. That likely made it an easy target for a thief who wanted to quickly turn around the rare metals in the device, but it is technically possible that the thief just owns a hot-dog-shaped truck that needed a very specific part to get back on the road. More

Ford has announced it will open a plant in Marshall, Michigan, specifically to produce lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries for future electric vehicles.Offering this second battery chemistry in addition to nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) batteries will allow the automaker to boost EV production and lower costs.Ford will partner with China’s CATL to offer the lithium-iron-phosphate cells—first buying them, then starting in 2026 building them in Michigan—in the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, then other EVs Ford announced this afternoon that it will offer a second type of battery chemistry, known as lithium-iron-phosphate or LFP, in two electric vehicles now on sale. The LFP battery packs will become standard on the Select base trim of Mustang Mach-E electric crossover this year, and the base XLT version of the F-150 Lightning full-size pickup truck next year, as Ford announced last July.The company has now announced it will build a dedicated battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, to produce LFP cells starting in 2026, at a cost of $3.5 billion. That plant will use technology licensed from the world’s highest-volume cell maker, Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) in China. Until that plant comes online, Ford will buy cells directly from CATL to use in the base models of those two EVs and others.FordNew Battery, Same RangeUsing a second battery type lets the company boost production of EVs more quickly, and it will also lower the cost of batteries to make EVs more affordable to more buyers, said Lisa Drake, vice president of EV industrialization for Ford Model E, its EV unit. The company expects to be building EVs at a rate of 600,000 a year by the end of this year, and two million a year by the end of 2026. Consumers won’t immediately see much difference in the base Mach-E and F-150 Lightning models with the new battery. Both models will retain the same EPA-rated range, according to Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer for Ford Model E. For the Mach-E Select, that’s 224 miles combined; for the F-150 Lightning XLT with rear-wheel drive, it’s 230 miles. Other versions of both models will stick with their current nickel-cobalt-manganese cells, provided by Korean firm SK Innovation.More EV IntelligenceLFP cells have at least one advantage: they take readily to full recharging from 0 to 100 percent, letting drivers use the entire range of those batteries and then fast-charge them fully with confidence. Ford’s anonymized user data suggests the average Mach-E covers 32 miles a day, with an average trip length of 5 miles—although U.S. buyers frequently ignore average use and buy for their most extreme use case.Car and DriverMore challenging is the lower performance of LFP cells in cold weather. Ford notes 89 percent of F-150 Lightning trips and 95 percent of Mach-E trips started in ambient temperatures above freezing. This suggests that the LFP cells in the base models of each EV may be better suited to Sun Belt buyers than those in states that get snowfall—perhaps including its home state of Michigan.Big Cash on the HorizonIt’s too early to say anything about the new batteries’ effect on base EV prices, said Gjaja, but their use of commonly available substances—iron and phosphate—insulates the cells from the rising costs of cobalt, nickel, and manganese metals used in EV batteries to date. “Adding large-scale LFP to the mix will be important for Ford and other OEMs because the critical minerals are so much more readily available compared to nickel-rich chemistries,” explained Sam Abuelsamid, principal e-mobility analyst at Guidehouse Insights. “Expanding production of nickel and cobalt for the sort of vehicle production these companies are targeting just isn’t realistic by 2030.”Even more important, though, a provision of the federal Inflation Reduction Act signed last year funds 10 years of production credits for manufacturing battery cells in the U.S. from materials sourced from a limited list of countries. Called Section 45X, its subsidies of up to $45 per kilowatt-hour are expected to make U.S.-built EV batteries so cheap that large swaths of Western cell and battery manufacturing will rush to locate in North America. Asked if she expected the planned LFP plant in Michigan to qualify fully for those incentives, Ford’s Drake answered in one word: “Absolutely!”The China IssueLicensing battery technology from a Chinese company carries notable political risk. That’s especially true at the moment: Last month, Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin ended his state’s effort to land the Ford cell plant now slated for Michigan. His administration had previously characterized the plant as a “front” for the Chinese Communist Party.But tight supplies of other battery metals and its goal of 2 million EVs a year by 2026 seemingly left Ford no other option. In the words of old China hand Michael Dunne, CEO of the consulting firm ZoZo Go: “Ford has declared it’s going to the LFP dance, and it needs a date. The only dates available come from China: either CATL or BYD. “It’s a reality check on where Ford and the nascent U.S. electric-vehicle industry is today,” Dunne added. “They can’t get LFP technology without China.”A Ford subsidiary will build and operate the Marshall battery plant and license the CATL technology, with a planned annual production of 35 gigawatt-hours at full capacity, or enough for 400,000 EVs a year. That suggests that the plant might supply 20 percent of Ford’s 2026 EV production, though continued purchases of LFP cells could raise that percentage higher. Establishing a separate company to build batteries echoes previous arrangements between General Motors and Korean cell maker LG Energy Solutions for two cell plants announced in prior years. Prototype cells are now emerging from the first, in Warren, Michigan; production should start at the second, in Spring Hill, Tennessee, by the end of the year. Ford Follows TeslaBut Ford remains the sole U.S. automaker to have announced it will fit LFP cells to its EVs and build a U.S. plant to provide them. The Tesla Model 3 Standard Range sedan, its base trim, has used LFP cells since last year, but those battery cells are imported (as Ford’s will be initially). Tesla has no announced plans to set up U.S. production of LFP cells.Other carmakers, including Volvo, Stellantis and VW Group, have announced their intention to use LFP in addition to nickel chemistries, Abuelsamid pointed out, but none of them have announced product launches or plans to build those cells in the U.S.The only other U.S. LFP plant to date is a smaller 20.0-GWh cell factory announced by Our Next Energy, a Michigan battery startup. Chinese cell maker Gotion plans to produce battery materials at a Michigan factory, but its anticipated announcement of a deal with a major automaker hasn’t yet appeared. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the plug-in-hybrid version of the S-class for the U.S.Called the S580e 4Matic, the hybrid version starts at $123,700 and produces a total of 510 horsepower.The S580e is available for ordering now and will arrive at dealerships in the first half of the year.While it’s not as lavish as the Maybach plug-in-hybrid S-class that was just revealed for global markets, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz S580e 4Matic plug-in hybrid that’s coming to the U.S. occupies an interesting place within the S-class lineup. Starting at $123,700 and offering a total of 510 horsepower from its inline-six and electric motor, the hybrid costs a bit less and offers more power than the V-8–powered S580 4Matic.Other S-Class HybridsMercedes last offered a plug-in-hybrid S-class in the U.S. for the 2020 model year, and that previous-gen model was called the S560e. The new car claims many improvements from before, most notably a new turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six gas engine and a 148-hp electric motor that give it an extra 41 horsepower overall. The battery pack is also larger than before, and while EPA estimates aren’t available yet, Mercedes claims an electric-only range more than double the old car’s, which would put it at above 40 miles.Mercedes-BenzThe S580e will eventually compete with the plug-in-hybrid version of BMW’s 7-series sedan, which is slated to come to the U.S. It will be called the 750e and is said to offer 483 horsepower. Audi previously offered a plug-in-hybrid version of the A8 but has dropped that variant.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and the world is getting its first look at the 2024 Ram 1500 REV. This upcoming electric truck is another sign that the segment is changing.A herd of plug-in pickups is on the way to join the fossil-fuel classics, amid statistics showing that almost 80 percent of new-vehicle purchases are trucks and SUVs.New trucks need new truck buyers, and it turns out the demographics of today’s truck shoppers are expanding to include more women and younger people.One of the marquee Super Bowl car commercials this year is Ram’s big reveal of its upcoming all-electric 2024 Ram 1500 REV. Electric-vehicle ads have been Super Bowl standouts for the past few years, so it makes sense that an all-truck brand like Ram will use the attention of the big game to promote the first of what will be an entire lineup of electric models.Plug This InFor many car buyers in the U.S., electric trucks represent a somewhat contradictory combination. Pickups are hugely popular, but EV technology is still searching for a path to mainstream sales. Electric trucks might be the solution.Truck Sales Stayed Strong in 2022Three of the five biggest-selling vehicles in the U.S. last year were trucks: Ford F-series, Chevy Silverado, and Ram pickup. Ford never tires of telling the world that the F-150 has been the best-selling truck in America for the past million years. And a glance at the sales figures reveals just how many more trucks Ford sells than other models. In 2022, for example, Ford sold 653,957 F-series trucks, according to data from the Automotive News data center. Ford’s second-biggest-selling model last year was the Explorer, which sold 207,673 units.Chevy sold 513,354 Silverados in 2022, and the rankings follow a similar trend as at Ford. The Equinox SUV came in second place at Chevy, with 212,072 sales last year. Ram, which otherwise only sells the ProMaster and cargo vans, sold 468,344 pickups, the bulk of its 529,280 overall sales for the year.No Plugs for UsWho’s Buying All These Trucks?Aside from a few F-150 Lightning models, all of those best-selling pickup trucks sold last year were powered by fossil fuels. The growing list of new electric pickup models that are in the works from Chevy, Ram, Tesla, and others means it’s not a secret that changes are coming to this segment of the market.But another shift is happening in the demographics of the truck-buying world. CBS News notes that the number of women interested in driving a pickup truck continues to grow, and J.D. Power found at the end of 2021 that millennials bought the most pickup trucks in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trend line shows this interest hasn’t died down in the intervening years. As CBS noted, you can’t be a best-selling vehicle if you only appeal to a limited number of people.Chevrolet Silverado EV and Silverado 1500. Car and DriverWhat’s Next?While the two segments are unfortunately lumped together, J.D. Power recently released a report that predicted that trucks and SUVs accounted for almost 80 percent of all new-vehicle retail sales in January.The rough outlines of the truck market will remain the same in 2023, and the two main facts mentioned above hint that we’re likely to see even more trucks on the road soon. New, exciting electric models and tech are coming to the pickup world—where fancier and fancier trucks have been the norm in recent years—and these will encourage people who never considered a truck before to give them a second look.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Ram has revealed the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup.It looks similar to the gas-powered Ram, unlike the dramatic Ram electric pickup concept shown last month.The Ram 1500 REV will be shown during a Super Bowl ad tonight, and production starts next year.The production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup is here, and it looks quite different from Ram’s dramatic EV concept truck first shown last month. As with the Ford F-150 Lightning, the electric Ram’s styling is much like the gas truck’s, only with futuristic headlights and taillights and unique wheels.Other than its more modern-looking front and rear ends, the 1500 REV’s shape is nearly identical to any other Ram pickup’s. This version has a crew-cab body and a short bed, although Ram hasn’t yet said if it will offer any other configurations. Underneath the similar body lies a different platform, as the REV rides on a new architecture called STLA Frame, which is purpose-built for body-on-frame EV models. Based on the conventional look of this production truck, we don’t expect it to incorporate many of the concept version’s more outlandish features, such as its third-row jump seats, but there is a frunk.RamMore on the Ram PickupRam will be showing the REV during a Super Bowl commercial tonight and is opening a website called RamREV.com for customers to reserve a spot in line. By placing a $100 refundable deposit, you join a membership program called REV Insider+. Ram also said it would release initial details about the truck as part of this rollout, so we might expect to see information about its power output, battery size, and range estimates.Production of the Ram 1500 REV won’t start until next year, so we’ll have plenty of time to learn more about the electric truck’s specs and features before it starts reaching customers in 2024. More