Asics sneakers reuse vehicle airbag fabric, win design award

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December 14, 2024

Leftover fabric from car airbags is now being used in sneakers, helping to lower the environmental impact of cars and footwear alike.

The Asics Gel-Sonoma 15-50 uses airbag nylon fabric remnants from Toyoda Gosei, one of Toyota’s captive suppliers, in its upper elements. Launched in January 2023, the sneaker won a Good Design Award 2024 from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.

Toyota Land Cruiser showing off airbags

“Making an upcycled product using waste material as a main material is seen as the kind of action that is needed by society, both from the viewpoint of effective use of materials and in arousing users’ interest in material waste in today’s society,” jurors said in a statement.

Toyoda Goesi has also marketed bags and pen cases made from airbag fabric and scraps from leather steering-wheel wrappers under its own Re-S brand. There have been a great many airbag recalls in recent years, some of which include hundreds of thousands of vehicles, like the Toyota Grand Highlander, so if the material could potentially be recovered, the supplier has shown a way to use it.

2025 Toyota Grand Highlander

Automakers and suppliers are also well on the way to cutting the footprint of vehicles by taking other types of recovered materials—from landfill waste to ripped jeans—and using them for vehicle cabins.

Other odd but useful recovery efforts that may pay off big include recovering magnet material from old hard drives for EV motors. And Kia has ambitious plans, announced in 2021, to phase out leather and up the level of recycled plastics in its cabins and vehicles.

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Green Car Reports expanding email newsletter

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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Green Car Reports’ email newsletter is shifting to a new afternoon delivery schedule, while we add new coverage in the mornings to your inbox.

In order to provide more timely news at more convenient times, Green Car Reports’ daily email newsletter will be split into two starting next week.

The current daily headlines newsletter that arrives in your inbox at 12:05 pm ET will move to 5:05 pm ET Monday through Friday to make sure all daily headlines make their way to your inbox.

A new morning email newsletter will arrive Monday through Friday at 8:05 am ET featuring a Top Story, ranging form the latest test drive or reviews to feature stories and breaking news that hit overnight.

Weekend newsletters will move to 8:05 am ET.

Current email subscribers automatically will receive both newsletters weekdays, and they can easily unsubscribe from one, or both, via an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletters.

Readers not currently signed up for today’s daily email newsletter can subscribe via the email newsletter signup button on the top right of the website on a desktop computer or by scrolling down below this story on a mobile device.

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Stellantis details 690-mile range for STLA Frame platform

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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STLA Frame platform can handle electric, range-extended electric, hybrid, and ICE powertrains
Towing capacity maxes out at 14,000 pounds, which exceeds rivals by 4,000 pounds
Stellantis again confirmed Ram 1500 REV electric truck will have up to 500 miles of range

On Tuesday, Stellantis filled in some further info about the STLA Frame platform that will underpin both the 500-mile Ram 1500 REV electric pickup truck and 690-mile Ram 1500 Ramcharger range-extended version.

The big news from Stellantis for its biggest global platform, first announced in 2021, is its multi-energy flexibility intended to support electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, and even internal-combustion powertrains in the future. Stellantis estimates 50% of car and light-duty truck sales in the U.S. will be electric vehicles by 2030, and the STLA Frame rollout starts with Ram and Jeep.

STLA Frame platform size

Length: 216-234 inches
Width: 81.2-83.6 inches
Wheelbase: 123.7-145.3 inches
Ground clearance: 6.6-10.3 inches (168-262 mm)

The third of four so-called multi-energy platforms detailed in Stellantis’ portfolio is the largest and will underpin everything from the Ram trucks to light commercial vehicles and full-size SUVs such as the next iterations of the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. It’s significantly longer and wider that the brand’s STLA Large platform that underpins forthcoming large sedans such as the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV and midsize crossovers that could include the Jeep Grand Cherokee

The STLA Large maxes out at 201.8 inches in length, with a wheelbase of up to 121.1 inches. The STLA Large has a broader delta of ground clearance, however, from 5.5 inches to 11.3 inches.

Stellantis’ STLA Frame platform for trucks and large SUVs

STLA Frame platform towing and payload ratings

Plug-in hybrid towing capacity of 14,000 pounds
Payload rating of up to 2,700 pounds
Water-fording capability of 24 inches

The Frame platform utilizes high-strength steel and reinforced frame rails intended to protect the liquid-cooled battery pack. A shield, or belly pan, underneath the frame promises to reduce drag and increase efficiency.

The series plug-in hybrid, which Stellantis calls a range-extended EV (REEV), represents the most interesting development in the electric pickup truck space. With front and rear electric drive modules rated at up to 250 kw in the front and less in the back, and a 92-kwh battery pack, the Ramcharger can go 145 miles on electric power alone.

In this model’s series-hybrid operation, a classic Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 engine acts as a massive generator to convert mechanical energy into electric energy and it has no connection to the wheels and no propulsion component. The front wheels can disconnect while cruising to optimize efficiency.

Earlier in the year, Ram quoted specs of 663 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds for the Ramcharger. Stellantis on Tuesday confirmed a 14,000-pound towing capacity and a payload of up to 2,700 pounds for the STLA Frame; we’re awaiting confirmation if that applies to both the REV and the Ramcharger. That far exceeds the max 10,000-pound towing capacity for both the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Chevy Silverado EV.

Stellantis said the STLA Frame vehicles will have flexible suspension designs, including an available air suspension that will likely be offered with a multi-link rear suspension. A traditional solid axle at the rear with coil springs could also carry over to combustion versions of STLA Frame.

Another noteworthy spec, especially for the next iteration of the Jeep Wagoneer new to this platform, is a water-fording capability of 24 inches.

Stellantis’ STLA Frame platform for trucks and large SUVs

STLA Frame range and charging estimates

EV range of up to 500 miles, 800-volt DC fast-charging at 350 kw
PHEV range of 690 miles, 400-volt DC fast-charging at 175 kw
Bidirectional charging capability for home and grid applications

Battery pack sizes were listed between 159 kwh “to more than 200 kwh” in the press briefing, but Ram previously announced a 168-kwh battery pack as standard on the 1500 REV, and an available 229-kwh battery pack that will provide the estimated 500-mile range.

The Ramcharger uses a 92-kwh pack. EVs on the STLA Frame can recoup 100 miles of range in 10 minutes when charging at 350 kw, while the REEVs can gain 50 miles of range in 10 minutes at 175 kw.

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Mercedes In-Drive moves braking system inside EV’s electric motor

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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Mercedes In-Drive system mounts the brakes to the electric motor
In-Drive is a friction-based braking system
Mercedes has In-Drive in active testing, hasn’t given a timeline for production

Mercedes-Benz is rethinking how the braking system works, and where it’s located, in upcoming EVs.

In Germany last week, Mercedes-Benz engineers showed Green Car Reports one of its latest innovations dubbed In-Drive. It’s a system that relocates the entire braking system from inside the wheels to inside an EV’s electric motor housing.

The automaker didn’t commit to when, or which vehicle, the system might debut on and go into production, but it said the feature is already in active testing.

Mercedes-Benz In-Drive brake system

Referred to internally as “the brake of the future,” the In-Drive system is still a friction-based brake system that consists of a water-cooled brake disk that isn’t exposed to air. Mercedes engineers said they are still experimenting with different fluids. They want a lot of water in the unit to dissipate the heat, but they don’t want a giant radiator to assist. Completely enclosed, the brake discs reside on both sides of the electric motor.

Mechanical braking in EVs is only needed about 2% of the time while 98% of braking situations can be handled by regenerative braking, according to Mercedes engineers.

The new regenerative braking system in the 2026 CLA-Class, which will be the first EV on the automaker’s next-gen MMA platform, is capable of up to 200 kw of recuperation, according to Mercedes. The current EQS—a heavier car—is capable of up to 290 kw of recuperation, a Mercedes engineer said.

Mercedes-Benz In-Drive brake system

The Mercedes team said In-Drive is designed to be a lifetime system good for about 15 years and 186,400 miles (300,000 km), given it would theoretically only be engaged 2% of the time. Today’s brake pads only cover a small percentage of the brake disc, but the In-Drive system’s pads cover the entire surface area of the disc, which results in less force being used.

The In-Drive braking system could be mounted on a front axle that’s devoid of an electric motor, but the system would still sit in the center of the car and axle rather than by the wheels like today’s brakes.

Moving the brakes inboard shifts the weight to the center of the car and creates less unsprung mass, which will result in better handling.

By enclosing the brakes fully there’s no brake dust particulates and the wheels can be closed off to be more aerodynamic.

Mercedes-Benz paid for travel and lodging along with some German pretzels for Green Car Reports to bring you this firsthand report

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Dealer laws are “as close as you can get to corruption”

By

Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe pointed to a “horrific state-by-state level of rules”
Dealers’ lobbying efforts have made it hard for Rivian to interact directly with customers
Rivian’s aware it has a service backlog, views it as a short-term problem

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe isn’t a fan of U.S. dealership franchise laws. These laws work against the EV maker, which has a direct-sales model rather than franchised dealers.

On Wednesday during a roundtable with Green Car Reports and other media Scaringe said “we have this horrific state-by-state level of rules that are as close as you can get to corruption.”

The CEO was referring to franchise laws for car dealers, which are widely protected by heavy lobbying efforts.

“You essentially have lots of dealers that paid for lots of laws that make it really hard for us to interact directly with the customer,” Scaringe said.

Scaringe had been asked whether, after VW’s recent investment of $5.8 billion into Rivian, the U.S. EV maker might be able to leverage the dealer network of one of the world’s largest automakers.

Rivian’s CEO then noted with an upbeat smile that “Europe doesn’t have the same rules,” and “there’s certainly opportunities there.” Rivian plans to sell both the smaller upcoming R2 and R3 crossover SUVs in Europe, but the R1T and R1S are deemed too large for that market.

“Service is the bigger thing,” continued Scaringe. “You don’t need 5,000 retail location in the U.S. to sell 3 or 4 million cars a year. Tesla’s a good example,” he said.

“You do need a lot of service infrastructure,” Scaringe went on to say. But even that’s changing because historically a customer needed to go into a dealer anytime a car made a clicking noise.

Often, depending what is needed, that service can come to you. Rivian handles more than half of its service with its in-house mobile service crews going to customers rather than customers coming to them.

Scaringe admitted the automaker has a service backlog in the U.S., as it tries to build as much service infrastructure as fast as it can. But in some U.S. markets the product is scaling faster than the automaker can build out the infrastructure.

“That’s a short-term anomaly,” Scaringe said. Long-term the executive said the team believes it’s going to build a robust service infrastructure.

In Europe, Scaringe said there’s a question whether Rivian partners with someone for service. “It’s certainly an opportunity,” he added.

But in America, with the franchise laws, the possibility of Rivian partnering with anyone else for service would be complicated.

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