Big Money News

Playing the mobility game is expensive, from $6B in South America to $5B in Georgia and $1.9B in California.

And, that's just today's news! The running total on "shaping our product as a solution for the future's problems" keeps increasing. Of course, "shaping the future's problems so our product is a solution" is even more expensive.

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Six Billion Dollar Plan

Stellantis has a $6B plan to develop new gas and ethanol engines in South America.

• The investment will support over 40 new vehicle launches.
• Hybrid, PHEV, BEV, and ICE vehicles are planned between 2025-2030.
• Stellantis hopes to lean into the success of its Fiat brand in the region.

R2-Details

In a world with discounts and price wars, Rivian is just releasing a cheaper model.

• The midsize SUV, R2, will start between $45K and $50K.
• Launching in 2026 from the brand's $5B plant in Georgia.
• The company hopes to recapture some of the $40K lost per vehicle that plagued its sales in 2023.
• With Amazon investments keeping the lights on, the EV startup hopes to bring a broadly appealing vehicle to a "massive market with limited compelling EV options."

LEAF List

The 2024 Nissan LEAF has regained eligibility for a $3,750 U.S. federal EV tax credit. Nissan confirmed the LEAF, produced in Smyrna, Tenn., meets the battery component requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act. The credit applies to 2024 models sold after March 6, enhancing the LEAF's appeal among eco-conscious consumers and placing it on the short list of eligible models.

Solid and Ceramic

Maryland-based ION Storage Systems achieved a milestone with its anodeless, compressionless solid-state batteries (SSBs), reaching over 125 cycles with less than 5% capacity degradation.

That means that after being fully charged 125 times, the battery still keeps at least 95% of its original power capacity.

Using a unique 3-D ceramic structure, this innovation promises safer, more efficient batteries potentially exceeding 1,000 cycles.

Initially marketed to the U.S. military, ION aims for broader applications, including EVs and energy storage. A recent supply agreement with Saint-Gobain Ceramics marks a step towards scaling that production.

So Many Chargers

EV advocates are celebrating California crossing 100K public chargers. Another 500K personal home chargers mean the infrastructure growth in CA is making good on the $1.9B investment by the state's Energy Commission.

Apples to (Pine) Apples. In 2021, the state of California estimated 10,423 retail fuel stations, of which approximately 7,997 offered gasoline. So, there are far more places to charge up an EV, but it takes longer.  

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It's hard to imagine a future with ten mobility options to choose from, but lately, it has been just as hard to imagine that all these companies, consumers, and regulatory bodies will come to an agreement on any of them in the long haul unless we literally put three options in each vehicle. Like a vroom-vroom cocktail.

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