Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s Wednesday, February 14, 2024, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know.
1st Gear: EV Sales Are Up 69 Percent, Nice
If you read the news recently, you might think that global electric vehicles sales are in dire straits, what with stories about Ford cutting production and GM moving its attention back towards hybrid models. Now, however, there’s some good news as it turns out EV sales are still rising.
According to a new report from Reuters, global EV sales surpassed 1.1 million cars in January, marking a 69 percent increase over the same period last year. The growth, Reuters adds, was aided by increased sales in China, Europe and the U.S. As the site explains:
Sales of fully-electric cars, or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and plug-in hybrids hit 1.1 million in January, up from 660,000 in January 2023.
In the U.S. market and Canada, January sales were up 41% versus a year ago and they almost doubled in China. Sales in the EU, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the United Kingdom rose 29%.
Despite sales being considerably higher than during the same period last year, there did remain some cause for concern. Reuters reports that the number of EVs sold in January was actually lower than in December 2023.
According to the site, sales of EVs fell by 14 percent in the U.S. and Canada between December 2023 and January this year. During the same period, the drop was more substantial in the EU and China, which posted decreases of 32 percent and 26 percent respectively.
However, the site suggested that tighter restrictions on emission in Europe could mean a further boost to EV sales is coming. The resurgence of plug-in hybrid models in America could also offer a boost in the coming months.
2nd Gear: Phoenix Crashes Spark Waymo’s First Recall
It’s a tough time to be an autonomous taxi firm, with GM-backed Cruise facing inquiries from all angles and angry locals in San Francisco torching a self-driving cab. Now, autonomous vehicle company Waymo is facing its first recall in the U.S.
The Alphabet-backed startup recalled its self-driving cars in Phoenix, Arizona, reports CNBC News after a pair of collisions in December. The voluntary recall was filed with regulators after two cars struggled to identify a truck that was being towed. CNBC News reports:
Waymo said the company chose to do the voluntary recall after consulting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its internal review of two incidents which took place in Phoenix on Dec. 11, 2023, in which two robotaxis crashed into the same towed pickup truck within minutes of each other.
The two collisions involving their robotaxis resulted in only minor vehicle damage and no injuries, Waymo said in the post. No passengers were in the vehicles, according to the post.
According to the company, the self-driving cars struggled to predict the movements towed vehicles would make. To patch the issue, Waymo updated the cars’ software last month, the recall did not affect Waymo’s ride hailing services in Phoenix.
3rd Gear: California Wants Tighter Autonomous Driving Rules
While Waymo scrambled to fix its cars, California is pushing back against the autonomous vehicle companies testing across the state. Lawmakers in California are calling for tighter controls around the way self-driving vehicles are tested, specifically the kinds of autonomous heavy trucks that could roll out soon.
According to a report from Reuters, lawmakers and labor unions in the Sunshine State are calling for autonomous heavy vehicles that are testing on the street to run with safety drivers at the wheel. After a Waymo cab was destroyed in a blaze this weekend, Reuters reports:
The act of vandalism reflect a chaotic environment for robotaxis in San Francisco, where public ire has risen after the dragging and bicyclist accidents. State lawmakers are pushing for stricter control through two bills.
“Those accidents have put an exclamation point on the need for legislation,” Senator Dave Cortese, sponsor of a bill that would also give cities control over permits for AVs and enforcement of AV-related laws. Now, only state regulators control permitting.
Legislation that lawmakers are pushing for would require autonomous trucks weighing more than 10,001 pounds to operate with a safety driver at the wheel. The state, which currently bars such trucks from testing on its roads, is looking for a framework to safely introduce heavier autonomous vehicles in the coming years.
As well as safety drivers, such measures could also limit the kinds of roads and routes that self-driving trucks can test on.
4th Gear: BYD Targets Mexico For Its New Plant
Last year, Chinese automaker BYD became the world’s largest producer of electric vehicles, and now it’s looking to expand into the Americas as it grows its global reach. The Dolphin and Atto 3 maker is now eyeing a new factory in Mexico, which would help BYD launch an export hub for markets like the U.S.
According to a new report from Automotive News, BYD has launched a feasibility study into the prospect of opening a new factory in Mexico. If given the green light, the facility would allow the Chinese automaker to expand its footprint in the Americas. Automotive News reports:
According to the Nikkei report, BYD has launched a feasibility study for the Mexican plant and is currently negotiating with officials over terms, including the factory’s location.
Mexico has become a massive auto manufacturing hub, populated by many of the industry’s top global producers, and is tightly integrated with the U.S. industry.
“Overseas production is indispensable for an international brand,” BYD Mexico country manager Zhou Zou told Nikkei.
BYD currently markets its cars in regions including China, New Zealand and Europe. However, its ambitions to expand statewide have been no secret. Such moves have worried U.S. automakers, though, with Tesla boss Elon Musk even warning that widespread availability of Chinese EVs will “demolish global rivals,” reports f.