Lab-grown hides, shrooms, bamboo promise lower CO2 vs leather

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December 14, 2024

Leather alternatives could play a large role on lowering CO2
Plant-based materials are being investigated
The leather industry is pushing back

Leather alternatives could have a lower environmental impact than traditional leather made from animal hides, but may still require some development work, according to a new report from research firm IDTechEx.

Plant-based material and mycelium (mushroom) material are the leather alternatives attracting the most interest, according to the report. Either could be more sustainable than animal-based leather, the production of which is associated with greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and land monopolization from raising cattle, the report noted.

Plant-based leather could be made from a number of sources, including apple skins, pineapple leaves, cacti, grapes, and bamboo, adding that the challenge in making it a viable alternative to animal hides is in reducing plastic content and ensuring sufficient durability.

Mercedes Vision EQXX EV concept

Another alternative is mycelial leather made from the thread-like roots of fungi, which can be woven together into a mat-like format that can be cut and shaped, according to the report. Potential advantages include low water and energy usage, and the ability to both grow the feedstock and produce the leather within the same environment.

Automakers are already experimenting with shrooms. The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX and Cadillac Sollei EV concepts both used mycelium in their upholstery. But neither was intended as a production vehicle.

Microbial and lab-grown material, made from the fermentation of microorganisms and biopsies of animal skin cells, are another possibility, according to the report. This is still in the very early stages of development, however, and currently requires use of some plastic in the final product, the report notes. The use of animal skin cells also means the resulting leather isn’t vegan, although it would still be a major improvement over traditional leather in terms of emissions reductions.

Cadillac Sollei concept

As automakers continue to reduce emissions from vehicle powertrains, more attention is being paid to use of sustainable materials to further reduce the carbon footprint of new cars. Volkswagen is working on synthetic leather made from hemp, and NASCAR even commissioned flax-based bodywork for its electric race car prototype.

The leather industry is pushing back, though. A trade group has argued that choosing leather lowers EVs’ carbon footprint because cattle are already being raised as a food source, so the use of hides for leather is effectively upcycling material that would otherwise be wasted. But that’s as much an argument against eating meat as it is against using synthetic leather.

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Bridgestone’s latest tires have 55% recycled and renewable materials

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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Bridgestone is now producing a tire with 55% recycled and renewable materials, to be used on the Audi E-Tron GT, the automaker’s current flagship performance EV.

The tire in question is a variant of the Bridgestone Potenza Sport summer performance tire, in this case tailored specifically to the E-Tron GT, according Bridgestone. The company noted it received an International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) for the tire’s recycled and renewable-material content.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

The specific breakdown is 35% renewable material, including natural rubber and bio-attributed polymers, and 20% recycled materials, including ground rubber and carbon black recovered from used tires, as well as rice husks and ash silica, according to Bridgestone. The tire will also be manufactured at a plant in Rome powered by renewable energy, the company adds.

Bridgestone aims to achieve carbon neutrality and use 100% sustainable materials in its tires by 2050. The company previously made small batches of IndyCar race tires with natural rubber from an American southwest crop called guayule, but this marks the first manifestation of its sustainability push in mass-produced tires for road cars.

Firestone Firehawk IndyCar race tires made with guayule rubber

With no “tailpipe” emissions to speak of, emissions from the manufacturing of tires and other components make up a bigger part of EVs’ carbon footprint. That’s led other tire makers and automakers, such as Michelin and Hyundai, to look at ways of making EV tires more environmentally friendly.

Goodyear in 2022 unveiled a prototype tire made from 70% sustainable materials, although it wasn’t commercially available. The following year it revealed greener tires for the Tesla Model 3 made with carbon black that didn’t require the combustion of fossil fuels to generate.

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Last remaining UK coal power plant has closed

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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The U.K. powered down the final coal power plant
In 2017 the U.K. set a goal of 2025 for the end of coal use
The U.S. is working on increasing the use of renewable resources

The U.K. has closed its last coal-fired power plant, according to a report by energy think tank Ember marking an important step in the transition toward cleaner energy.

The shuttering of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire ends an era that began in 1882, when the world’s first coal plant opened in London. Coal still supplied 39% of U.K. electricity as recently as 2012, according to the report, although its share dropped significantly after that, hovering at around 2% since 2019.

Solar panels on a Walmart store

U.K. officials announced plans to end coal use by 2025 in 2017, and the country even experienced its first day without coal-generated electricity since 1882 that same year. Ember attributes the early announcement of the 2025 goal is major factor in the phaseout of coal, along with carbon pricing, investments in offshore wind energy and grid infrastructure, and market reforms to encourage renewable energy.

Coal was primarily replaced with wind and solar energy, according to the report, which estimates that the rapid decrease in coal use since 2012 avoided roughly 970 million tons of carbon emissions and saved about $3.8 million. The U.K. is now targeting a fully decarbonized grid by 2030.

Volvo EX30 charging

A shift toward wind and solar power like the one undertaken by the U.K. lowers the carbon emissions of the electricity grid, which in turn reduces the carbon footprint of EVs charged from it. Use of these renewable sources is also on the rise in the U.S., where wind and solar together accounted for 16% of total electricity generation in 2023, up from 14% in 2022 and 8% in 2018, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

In the short term, though, increased energy demands from factories building electric vehicles and batteries, as well as other industries, may be leading utilities to dirtier decisions, a report published earlier this year by the Energy News Network found. Many Southeastern utilities are looking to address anticipated higher demand with natural gas rather than wind and solar, according to the report.

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Costco offering up to $2,000 off EVs and PHEVs, again

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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Costco is once again offering members discounts on electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, this time covering 10 all-electric models and two plug-in hybrids from Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Polestar, and Volvo.

Running from Nov. 1, 2024 to Jan. 2, 2025, the biggest discount is $2,000 off the purchase or lease of a 2025 Polestar 3 electric SUV, as well as the purchase or lease of a 2024 or 2025 Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid. Built in the U.S., the Polestar 3 recently started deliveries, while the XC90 is due to get a major refresh partway through the 2025 model year.

2024 Volvo C40

A $1,500 discount is also available for 2024 and 2025 Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrids, while all-electric 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge models are eligible for a $1,000 discount. The two EVs are due to be renamed, with the XC40 Recharge becoming the EX40 and the C40 Recharge becoming the EC40.

A $1,000 discount is also available for a number of General Motors EVs. The list includes the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevy Blazer EV, Chevy Equinox EV, Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV Pickup and SUV, and the GMC Sierra EV.

2025 Cadillac Lyriq

Costco offered deals on many of the same models earlier this year, along with a $2,000 discount on the Polestar 2. It also offered a $1,000 discount on the Blazer EV in December of last year. It’s also offered substantial discounts of up to $3,000 on Audi EVs in the past.

The company is now also jumping back into EV charging to support the vehicles it’s incentivizing. Costco was one of the first big-box retailers to install Level 2 charging stations at some locations. It did so in the 1990s, but pulled the plug on its original stations in 2011 and 2012. Now it’s adding them back, although a top executive said just last year that Costco has no plans to retire its lucrative gas stations.

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Where the candidates stand on EVs, climate science, and more

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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On November 5, 2024, voters will head to the polls to choose the 47th President of the United States. To describe this election as unprecedented perhaps sells it short. In no other election in the past century have the stakes been so high for the automotive industry—and on a higher plane, for climate science and for democracy itself. With the two major-party candidates set to square off in a debate, it’s time to examine their past, present, and future—and their qualifications to become our next leader.

Here’s where all of the candidates stand on the issues above—first, the major-party candidates, then others, in alphabetical order:

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris

Party: Democratic

Vice President: Timothy Walz

Experience

District Attorney of San Francisco, 2004-2011
California Attorney General, 2011-2017
U.S. Senator, 2017-2021
Vice President, 2021-present

Policy and positions

Climate science. Harris backed the proposed Green New Deal, a plan that, like Biden’s massive infrastructure bill (but including social justice, health care, and equity), emphasized an accelerated transition to EVs and a shift away from fossil fuels. Harris has also said that she opposes both fracking and offshore oil drilling, and she created an environmental crimes unit in San Francisco. However, under the Biden-Harris administration the U.S. has reached record oil production levels and energy company profits.

Electric vehicles. Harris was one of the key figures behind VW’s emissions-cheating scandal, and making sure California got its own additional settlement and terms, in a fund set for environmental mitigation. That fund is focused, partly, on getting EVs to low-income communities. “We must conserve and protect our environment for future generations and deliver swift and certain consequences to those who break the law and pollute our air,” she said as California AG, announcing that settlement. Harris also took on Big Oil during her time as California Attorney General.

Democracy: As a Senator, Harris introduced a 2000 VoteSafe Act aiming to allow voting access during the pandemic. Harris was also a co-sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would ease access to mail-in balloting, make Election Day a federal holiday, and would supplant measures invalidated by the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby decision. The Shelby decision gutted the standards for voter redistricting in states that had been under Federal Election Commission oversight.

President Donald Trump (Photo courtesy DoD)

Donald J. Trump

Party: Republican

Vice President: J.D. Vance

Experience

Former President, 2017-2021

Policy and positions

Climate science: Trump told major oil-industry donors at a recent fundraiser at his Mar-A-Lago resort that, were they to donate $1 billion to his campaign, that he would gut all of the current administration’s actions that would boost the sales of electric vehicles. During his administration, Trump attempted to revoke California’s authority to set its own emissions standards, part of a larger campaign involving Supreme Court cases that would diminish or disrupt the work of agencies such as the EPA, the so-called administrative state. He has deemed climate change to be “a hoax.”

Electric vehicles: Though he once owned a Tesla Model S, former president Trump has repeatedly voiced disdain for electric vehicles: he has threatened to levy a 100% tariff on Mexico-made EVs, which would slam the brakes on a host of popular EVs sold in the U.S., including the Chevrolet Equinox EV and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Democracy: The former president has been charged with a range of crimes in connection to plots to disrupt the transfer of power after the November 2020 election, which he lost to Joseph Biden. Both the criminal trial on charges filed in the District of Columbia, and that filed in Georgia for state-related election interference, have been delayed while the Supreme Court debated whether U.S. presidents enjoy complete or partial immunity for crimes committed while in office. Some of the charges may be permitted to move forward if they are determined to be non-official acts by a lower court.

In unrelated cases, Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York State, in relation to hush-money payments made to adult actor Stormy Daniels. Prior to that, he was held liable for the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll and for asset inflation in New York that resulted in a $450 million civil penalty.

Trump also faces charges that he mishandled classified documents in a Florida court. No trial date has been set.

A host of Trump Cabinet members have indicated that they will not vote for him for a second term—as has former Vice President Michael Pence (R.-Ind.).

Other Candidates

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Party: Independent

Vice President: Nicole Shanahan

Experience

Attorney and talk-radio host
Founded clean-water advocacy group Waterkeeper Alliance
Boosted Children’s Health Defense Fund into its current place as the prominent anti-vaccine advocacy group

Policy and positions

Climate science: As a lawyer, Politico points out, Kennedy served clients who sued for stronger environmental protections. As a candidate, he has criticized the Biden administration’s spending on clean energy, and has called climate change “hysteria.” His shifting positions on not just climate but other humane issues such as vaccinations have been called “weird” and “baffling” by MSNBC.

Electric vehicles: Kennedy has advocated for UAW members who assemble electric cars, but his positions on Biden administration policies that would boost EVs in the U.S. have equated those policies with totalitarianism.

Democracy: Kennedy, in response to what he believes is censorship of his social media channels, told CNN that he could make the argument that President Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump. He suggested that he would choose NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers as his Vice President, before he ultimately chose Silicon Valley attorney Nicole Shanahan.

Jill Stein

Party: Green

Vice President: Yet to be named

Experience

Physician and previous presidential candidate

Policy and positions

Climate science: Stein believes that prior efforts for a “Green New Deal” didn’t go far enough, and warns about “climate collapse.” Shy on specifics, Stein posted on X that what’s needed is “massive investment in green jobs & technologies to revitalize the American economy, improve our lives, protect our planet and safeguard our children’s future.”

Electric vehicles: Stein advocates for a full ban on new fossil fuel infrastructure, The Washington Post reports, and a universal switch to renewable energy sources by 2030.

Democracy: Stein believes that the system of two political parties has ruined our democracy. “Voters have a right to choose and to try to shove down the throats of voters two zombie candidates from two zombie parties,” she told News Nation, “that really have been serving the economic elites…is incredibly undemocratic.” Critics suggest that any votes Stein draws in the handful of states where she will appear on the ballot will draw from Biden totals, thus handing the presidency to Trump.

Cornel West

Party: Independent

Vice President: Yet to be named

Experience

Political activist
Professor at a clutch of Ivy schools, including Harvard and Princeton
Theologian and philosopher

Policy and positions

Climate science: West believes that “only through unity, sustainable development, and unwavering commitment to renewable energy can we hope to restore balance and ensure a thriving planet for all.” He proposes climate reparations for communities harmed by global warming.

Electric vehicles: West’s platform advocates a quick and complete end to fossil fuel dependency.

Democracy: West said in 2003 that “democracy means more choices, not backroom deals; it means freedom to vote your conscience without being shamed or bullied.” He has described former president Trump as a “bonafide gangster and neofascist.” NBC News has reported that Republican politicos have been trying to find ways to boost West’s prospects in competitive states where he has gained ballot access.

This piece was originally published June 26; it was last updated July 24 to include Kamala Harris as Democratic Presidential nominee.

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GM exec believes ditching Apple CarPlay in EVs is the path forward

By

Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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GM is phasing out Apple CarPlay in its lineup
New Chevy, Cadillac, GMC, and Buick EVs won’t have Apple CarPlay
GM’s software boss believes the automaker’s making the right call

General Motors is still committed to phasing out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity in future EVs, software boss Baris Cetinok said in a recent interview with The Verge.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which allow users to “project” features from their smartphones onto in-car displays—plus more for EVs, including route planning—have proven popular with customers. But GM announced last year that it would stop including them in future EVs as it shifts to a new Google-based infotainment system.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV

That’s still the best path forward, Cetinok told The Verge, because it allows GM “to create the most deeply integrated experience that you can create with the vehicle,” rather than relying on interfaces ported in from smartphone apps.

“We are not shipping devices with just monitors; we’re not a monitor company,” said Cetinok, who previously worked at Apple in product management and marketing for features like Apple Pay and iCloud. Abandoning deeper smartphone connectivity will create a seamless experience across different features, such as driver aids like GM’s Super Cruise and entertainment features like podcast apps, he claimed.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV was the first GM vehicle to launch without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and subsequent EV launches like the Chevy Equinox EV and Chevy Silverado EV have also gone without those features. It’s likely more of an adjustment for users who prefer Apple features like Apple Maps. Google-based infotainment systems in newer GM EVs incorporate many of the same features as Android Auto, such as Google Maps and Google Assistant voice recognition—but it’s worth noting that all of these services require a separate vehicle data connection that will cost extra to owners in the future and provide GM with an extra revenue stream.

Deep integration of software features can be important for route planning, as access to the vehicle’s state of charge and other data is needed to determine charging stops and precondition battery packs for the quickest possible charge. But as other automakers have demonstrated, that doesn’t mean taking functionality away. For instance, Ford EVs offer a choice, with these abilities integrated with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as via its own built-in navigation systems.

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Asics sneakers reuse vehicle airbag fabric, win design award

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Joe Lennert

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December 14, 2024

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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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Marketing

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Here’s where all of the candidates stand on the issues above—first, the major-party candidates, then others, in alphabetical order:

Kamala Harris

Experience

Policy and positions

Donald J. Trump

Experience

Policy and positions

Other Candidates

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Experience

Policy and positions

Jill Stein

Experience

Policy and positions

Cornel West

Experience

Policy and positions

STLA Frame platform size

STLA Frame platform towing and payload ratings

STLA Frame range and charging estimates

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