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We may not see the production version for more than a year, but Thursday Cadillac took up the gauntlet in luxury electric crossovers that’s been laid down by Tesla, Jaguar, Audi and Mercedes, introducing the Lyriq. While presented as a concept, the model appeared ready for production, promising a variety of new benchmarks for General Motors’ luxury brand:
In a virtual introduction, Cadillac presented the first product that will use both its flexible new EV platform and the Ultium batteries being produced in a partnership with LG Chem. It appears to be a midsize crossover coupe in the vein of the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi E-tron Sportback with a sloping roof and blacked-out B-pillar and high beltline to give it a sporty profile.
In front it carries the now signature vertical headlights while the rear breaks new ground with a variety of tail lights running up the sloping C-pillar in a boomerang shape. As Cadillac’s designers noted, this will be a distinctive new look for Cadillac while carrying forward some themes they have been using for several years.
The Lyriq will boast prized 50/50 weight distribution courtesy of the EV platform structure that puts the battery weight under the vehicle’s floor. Other than the 100 kilowatt-hour battery pack and rear-biased configuration, no other details of the powertrain were offered. Cadillac did promise it would deliver “thrilling performance.”
Melissa Grady, chief marketing officer for Cadillac, said the brand will be using Lyriq to “reimagine the entire customer experience with Cadillac.” She said mobile apps will be more prominent and applauded the return to named vehicles after Cadillac’s recent foray into alphanumeric nomenclature.
The crossover’s extended driving range is attributed to the advanced batteries as well as the use of an EV-dedicated platform, which used the batteries as a structural element of its architecture.
The Ultium batteries use nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum chemistry that reduces the use of cobalt by more than 70 percent compared to last generation of batteries. In addition to being capable of fast charging at up to 150 kilowatts, the batteries can charge at Level 2 at up to 19 kilowatts.
Introducing more microphones and accelerometers, the Lyriq will deploy new road noise cancellation technology, tackling an issue that comes to the fore because electric vehicles are so quiet on the road.
The Cadillac Lyriq is expected to go on sale in 2022, and will be followed by four other full-electric models. It enters the market seven years after the Tesla Model X and a few after Jaguar and Audi’s entrants. Pricing and powertrain details have not been announced, so there will be plenty more to come from GM’s luxury brand.
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It’s only been five years since the last major redesign of the Ford F-150, not a long time historically in the truck world, but with competition heating up both in the traditional competitors and newcomers, Ford is pushing forward with the introduction of the all-new 2021 F-150, a remake of its best-selling and most lucrative model.
A new look for the F-150 (1 of 11)
The goal of the introduction this week, hosted by Ford spokesperson Dennis Leary and featuring a variety of Ford employees and F-150 customers, was to show that Ford is well-aware that its industry-leading position (best-selling truck for the past 43 years) is not something assumed, but an achievement to be re-earned every year. The 2021 Ford F-150 has a very simple goal—maintain and expand that market lead for another year or two.
Highlights of the introduction (some detail below) included the presentation of a new full hybrid model and confirmation that a full-electric version is coming. The other big takeaway is that electrification in a pickup take a significantly different form that in a sedan. In a truck application, the emphasis of a large battery is less on propulsion and zero emission miles than on providing a mobile power source for tools and toys.
Next year’s F-150, which will go on sale this fall, follows the typical pickup mold of offering a dizzying number of options in an attempt to provide a potential pickup for every possible buyer. The completely redesigned truck (every one of the aluminum exterior panel is new) will offer six engines, 13 different wheels and 11 grille options in a half-dozen trim levels.
Aerodynamics & tough pickups don’t always go together
Although no official fuel economy numbers are available, Ford pointed out that it was the most aerodynamic pickup the company has ever designed, employing grille shutters, a new automatically deploying air dam and new cab and tailgate geometry to reduce drag and reduce fuel consumption on all models.
The new hybrid F-150 will use an all-new 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, augmented by a 35-kW/47-horsepower electric motor. A 10-speed transmission and 1.5 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery (mounted between the frame rails so it doesn’t take up any passenger or cargo space) complete the powertrain.
The all-electric F-150 will come in 2022, according to Ford COO Jim Farley. When it arrives, it will likely face several competitors, including the Rivian R1T, GMC Hummer, Tesla Cybertruck, Lordstown Endeavor and Nikola Badger.
Back to the present, Ford sees electric power as another tool for the job. The 2021 F-150 will come up with up to 7.2 kilowatts (kW) of exportable power, enough to run a generator and a variety of power tools through 120-volt and/or 240-volt outlets.
Plugs for all your jobs
Inside Ford has added a variety of high-tech features that point out how mainstream the modern pickup has become. One clever addition is that, with a few quick shifts of hardware, the center console can become a desk big enough to hold a laptop. Above that center console half of the F-150 lineup will have 12.0-inch touchscreen displays, matching what’s becoming the standard for the segment. The display will come equipped with Sync4, the latest version of Ford’s infotainment system. Ten new advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are going to be available.
Recognizing the variety of uses a truck might undergo, Ford has designed the front seats to recline 180 degrees, so not only is the pickup and office, but also a bedroom. Under the backseat is a lockable storage unit for stashing away valuables or expensive tools.
What a pickup needs is a most list and Ford has drawn up a long one. The stated goal of the 2021 F-150 is to be able to tow the biggest load in its class, carry the heaviest payload, have the most horsepower and torque and also have the longest range.
More tech than seen in a pickup before
Don’t expect the competition to take this lying down, but Ford also had other news last week that went well beyond the news about the redesign of its best-selling product. The company laid out a goal of becoming of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 with three areas of focus that account for 95 peercent of the companies CO2 emissions:
On the vehicle side, it’s putting $11.5 billion through 2022 into the Mustang Mach-E, Transit Commercial and fully electric F-150. It expects all of its manufacturing plants to use 100 percent locally sourced renewable energy by 2035.
Story by Michael Coates
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The waiting is the hardest part, as Tom Petty sang. Ask the eager Tesla Model 3 owners who waited years for their reservations to become reality. Ford is going through the same period of suspended animation while 50,000 reservation holders shelter-in-place and eagerly scan for news for updates on when the Mustang Mach-E will arrive. The earliest models are promised before the end of the year (though maybe not for the U.S.), but the bulk of orders won’t be delivered until early 2021.
In the meantime, Ford has been dribbling out teasers on its first foray into mass-market electric vehicles–the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. First up was a video of the Mach-E doing cold weather testing. Snow much fun!
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The Ford Mustang Mach-E’s all-wheel drive system has been a popular choice with those reserving the car. Ford engineers did their testing at the Smithers Winter Test Center in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Taking a cue from Tesla, Ford next announced that the Mach-E would be capable of over-the-air (OTA) updates for its software system. The company promised that many updates could take place in under two minutes and be essentially transparent to the car owner.
Ford engineers have been working from home to perfect OTA
The secure updates will use the Ford Sync communications and entertainment system and its cloud-connected capability to provide performance enhancements, new features and updates to the Sync system itself. The updates will able to be scheduled by customers so they can take place at a convenient time when the vehicle is not in use. The first updates are expected to roll out with six months of the Mach-E being delivered to customers.
Ford’s expanding OTA capability to other vehicles in its lineup as well starting this year. One challenge Ford engineers have had is developing and testing the OTA system during the pandemic. Working remotely, engineers developed systems to be able to access and reprogram vehicle modules, keeping the technology process moving forward.
The first question for electric car adopters is—where can I charge it? That’s usually followed by—how long with it take. Ford’s aware of these customer concerns and has answers for both questions.
Charging starts at home
Ford’s hooked up with Amazon for installation of Ford Connected Charge home charging stations. Those Level 2 (240-volt) systems will handle most drivers’ needs. Ford Mustang Mach-E owners, through the FordPass Charging Network, will also have access to the Electrify America network of DC fast-chargers and other chargers, encompassing 13,500 stations and almost 40,000 plugs nationwide.
To reinforce the convenience of on-road fast-charging, Ford did some tests with the Mach-E after working on improving its charging speed. Using a 350-kilowatt Electrify American DC fast-charger, Ford was able to add 61 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging. The test model Ford used was a Mach-E with rear-wheel drive and the extended-range battery. The charging time represented a 30 percent improvement compared to previous estimates. Ford even showed some of the quick trips you could take with a fast charge like that.
Oh, the places you will be able to go
Going from 10 percent state-of-charge to 80 percent takes 38 minutes on the same DC fast-charging station. As most EV drivers know, the last 20 percent of charge tends to take longer than charging from a lower level. The Mach-E is expected to have 210-to-230-mile range for the standard range model (the difference is between AWD and RWD models) and up to 300 miles of range in the extended-range models.
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