Glendal's Favorite Reviews: March 2021

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Stellantis reveals its first steps in Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology

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Stellantis has revealed the next step in its aim to become a zero-emissions car company with a new hydrogen fuel cell powered medium-sized van.

The new model - not yet revealed - is based on the platform-sharing Citroen e-Dispatch/Peugeot e-Expert/Vauxhall Vivaro-e electric vans, but the technology is replaced by a new hydrogen fuel cell system.

SEE MORE Best electric vans 2021

The set-up is described by Stellantis as a mid-power system. It comprises a 60bhp fuel cell stack under the bonnet, which is connected to three hydrogen tanks that can carry 4.4kg of hydrogen and are mounted under the cargo floor, in place of the electric van's 50kWh battery.

In addition, there's a 10.5kWh battery mounted under the seats which can be plugged in to be recharged. This provides power for the 121bhp electric motor which drives the front wheels and offers up to 31 miles of range on its own. Stellantis promises that the combined fuel cell system will be easily capable of more than 250 miles (subject to official WLTP tests) of zero-emissions driving, while three-minute refill times for the hydrogen system are far shorter than those for the electric vans.

The set-up is designed to mix power sources, so the battery provides power from a standstill, at low speeds and under acceleration, while the fuel cell takes over at cruising speeds when less energy is needed. As with full EVs, the system recoups energy back into the battery when coasting or decelerating.

Since the fuel cell system is integrated into the existing medium-sized van platform, cargo volume hasn't been compromised, while Stellantis promises a payload of up to 1.1 tonnes, depending on van size. The van will be offered in medium and long panel van guises.

Development of the fuel cell system was led by Opel's R&D department with input from Peugeot/Citroen and French hydrogen experts Faurecia and Symbio. This joint effort has sped up development and means the first vans will hit the roads before the end of 2021.

Hydrogen charging stations are still scarce across Europe, but these new models have received direct funding from the German government for their development, and are backed by a multi-billion Euros investment in EU hydrogen charging infrastructure being rolled out by French and German governments ahead of the EU's target for carbon neutrality in 2050.

Currently there are 25 hydrogen refuelling points in France, and 90 in Germany, with more being added every month.

Stellantis's hydrogen fuel cell tech is for vans only at the moment, but it could easily make the leap to passenger vehicles in the form of the Citroen SpaceTourer and Peugeot Traveller MPVs. There are currently no plans to produce a hydrogen Vauxhall Vivaro van, because the fuel cell system has only been developed for left-hand drive models. However, Stellantis sees this project as its first step in hydrogen fuel cell development, and it will drive research into its second-generation systems for its broad range of cars and vans.

Prices are to be confirmed, but Stellantis is trying to keep costs as low as possible by using its existing van tech and bringing in hydrogen experts to accelerate its development. The firm is focusing on total cost of ownership (TCO) and trying to attract as many businesses on board from the start to help reduce costs.

Click here to read our review of the all-electric Vauxhall Vivaro-e van...

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'Ford has a great range of cars even without a Mondeo in its line-up'

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I can remember back in the eighties the furore when Ford decided to can the Cortina and replace it with the ‘jelly mould’ Sierra. It was out with the old family-favourite, three-box saloon and in with the new, aerodynamic five-door hatch.

Now it’s the turn of the Mondeo to make way, although Ford says it has no plans to directly replace it. So it’s not only farewell to a big-selling and much-loved nameplate, but it’s also farewell to a whole breed of car – one that can trace its roots back to the good old Cortina.

SEE MORE Ford Mondeo production to cease in 2022

Today’s families and fleet managers don’t want low-riding hatchbacks and saloons – it’s all about SUVs. And Ford’s excellent Kuga is doing a fine job of offering those who might have bought a Mondeo exactly what they now want and need.

I’m not sure this will quite be making it onto News at Ten as it did in the eighties, but it’s a sign of a new, confident Ford that – even without a Mondeo in its line-up – is in much better shape than it has been for a while with a range of great cars and a revitalised dealer network.

Ford isn’t the only company going through a transformation right now.

Auto Express and its sister titles (Carbuyer, DrivingElectric, evo, Octane, Vantage and Car Throttle) are now part of Autovia – along with the UK’s longest-established online used car retailer, BuyaCar. We’ve been spun off from Dennis Publishing to create a new, standalone, specialist automotive business that’s dedicated to producing the very best content for you.

We’re hugely excited by the opportunity this gives us as the automotive industry goes through the biggest period of change in its history. Names may come and go, but our love of cars and the car business will always remain.

Check out the best cars to look forward to over 2021...

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New 2021 Subaru Outback poised for European sales - pictures

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Pictures of new 2021 Subaru Outback poised for European sales

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New pure-electric Genesis X concept makes LA debut

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This is the new Genesis X concept. The Korean brand says it previews its vision of a sustainable pure-electric luxury grand tourer which could rival the likes of the BMW 8 Series and Lexus LC, at least in theory.

Genesis employed its new “Two Lines” design language on its new GT concept, which will soon appear on the firm’s production vehicles. Key features of the new styling theme can be seen on the concept’s narrow LED headlamps, slim tail lights and parallel courtesy lights around the charging socket.

SEE MORE Hyundai Motor Group details dedicated electric car platform

The concept also features a stylised version of Genesis’s production radiator grille, with mesh that bears the same geometric G-Matrix pattern used on the GV70 luxury SUV. Also, even though it’s not technically necessary, Genesis has given its new concept a clamshell bonnet, like the Aston Martin DB11’s.

The clamshell bonnet design is normally used to allow better access when servicing the engine. However, it has the added benefit of improving a car’s aerodynamics by cutting down the number of panel gaps on its front end, which is important when trying to eke the maximum amount of range out of an electric powertrain.

Inside, the Genesis X concept features bucket seats, four-point harnesses and upholstery made from recycled materials. So, the steering wheel, seat belts and airbag cover are all trimmed in a weave-patterned fabric that’s made from leather offcuts which would otherwise be thrown away; something Genesis also aims to implement on its production vehicles.

Genesis’s global design chief, SangYup Lee, said: “The Genesis X concept can be described as the ultimate vision of Athletic Elegance; the inherent design language of Genesis. The signature Two Lines theme and sustainable luxury will be blueprints for the futuristic designs and state-of-the-art technologies that Genesis seeks to adopt in its future models."

The company’s designers also took the unusual decision to cover the driver and passenger seats with different colour materials. The former is scotch brown, while the latter is an ocean wave green blue, which the company says helps to mark a “differentiation of space.”

Unlike a conventional vehicle, the Genesis X concept doesn’t have an infotainment system. Instead, there’s a “Free-Form” display set into the swooping panel that surrounds the driver’s seat, controlled by another panel on the centre console.

The display is completely driver-focussed and has functions for the car’s climate control and navigation systems, as well as the usual speed and driving range instrumentation. Also mounted on the centre console is a new crystal sphere gear selector, which houses the drive mode options.

Genesis hasn’t yet confirmed any details about the concept’s platform or powertrain but, given the brand is owned by the Hyundai Group, we expect the car will be based on a version of the Korean firm’s latest E-GMP underpinnings. The platform supports both 400V and 800V charging and can provide a maximum range of up to 500km (around 310 miles).

The chassis also has impressive performance potential. The new Kia EV6 GT shares the same underpinnings, and it comes with four-wheel drive and a maximum output of 577bhp, which is enough to propel the crossover from 0–62mph in just 3.5 seconds.

What do you make of the new Genesis X concept? Let us know in the comments section below…

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New pure-electric Genesis X concept makes LA debut - pictures

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Pictures of New pure-electric Genesis X concept makes LA debut

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The Voltswagen saga shows that bad jokes are easily forgiven, but trust is harder to rebuild

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Several years ago I was sitting next to a jovial Volkswagen executive at a dinner in Wolfsburg, Germany, when he remarked in perfect English (putting my total absence of German to shame) that the excellent piece of monkfish we were eating was fresh, having been caught that morning from the canal running alongside the hotel in which we were dining.

I smiled, nodded, and the joke totally went over my head, partly as I failed to twig in time that monkfish is a salt, not freshwater fish, and partly because I wasn’t as familiar with Wolfsburg waterways as he was; the idea of a nice piece of fish being hooked from a canal in a heavily industrialised city is at best far-fetched, and at worst unappealing - hence the leg-pulling joke.

SEE MORE Best electric cars to buy 2021

There are parallels here between this story and the recent ‘Voltswagen’ saga. In case you missed it, at the start of the week an unfinished press release was published, before being hastily taken down, on Volkswagen’s American media site, stating that the company would be rebranding its electric cars ‘Voltswagen’ in the US. A neat pun, no doubt, but one that caused a fair degree of confusion among journalists and readers alike.

Editors, in America particularly, will have asked their staff to get on the phone to Volkswagen, seeking clarity if this was an April Fool’s joke that had been published early by mistake, hence its removal, or if the company really did intend to rebrand its US EVs as Voltswagens.

Two things then seem to have happened: first, VW press officers reportedly told stateside journalists that it wasn’t a joke, and the rebrand was indeed going ahead. Next, the full Voltswagen press release was republished.

There has since been a complete volte-face, with VW insiders subsequently reversing that position, confirming that the Voltswagen name was indeed an advance April Fool’s Day prank. Here we get into difficulties.

Jokes are difficult things for individuals to tell and phrase well. Some don’t travel across different countries, and gauging an audience and its mood is crucial - there’s a reason we have professional stand-up comedians, after all. Things get even trickier when it’s a global corporation making the joke; if you or I crack a bad gag, the worst we can expect to happen is a tumbleweed moment of stony silence, or perhaps some mild offence.

But big companies have shareholders and brand images to worry about - just ask Gerald Ratner - and there’s a reason one day of the year, April 1, is reserved for corporates to have a little jolly and play to the crowd, undoing their starched collars and showing their human side to the world. Timing is crucial when telling a joke; this one was mis-timed by several days.

SEE MORE Volkswagen won’t rebrand US operations as “Voltswagen”

Perhaps more worrying is the way journalists - in America particularly - say they feel they have been misled by Volkswagen, having apparently sought and received verification the Voltswagen name-change was real, passing this confirmation on to their editors, writing stories accordingly and, inadvertently, sowing confusion amongst their readers.

There is much anger - hopefully passing - from those in the US media who say they have been lied to by Volkswagen. And there have been, almost inevitably, parallels drawn with the Dieselgate scandal because of this - surely the last subject the company wanted bringing up again. With Volkswagen’s image particularly hard hit in the States by the emission issue, one has to wonder whether playing around with its corporate identity was a good idea in the first place; not playing it straight with the media was undoubtedly a bad one, though.

So what is Volkswagen to do? The same thing anyone should do when they make a mistake: apologise - quickly, unreservedly, and meaningfully. This is, I suspect, a genuine error with no malicious intent, but it needs putting right immediately, and with total transparency.

Check out our thoughts on the new electric Volkswagen ID.4 here...

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New Fiat 500 Hey Google special editions revealed

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Fiat has forged a new partnership with Google, adding the technology firm’s “Hey Google” voice control system to the 500 city car, 500X crossover and 500L MPV.

The upgrade allows drivers to connect to their car remotely, while it’s parked, via voice control. Users can speak into their smartphone or a Google Nest Hub, the latter of which is included with each car.

SEE MORE Connected cars: Ford partners with Google for built-in Android Automotive

Fiat says that the system allows owners to check information about where their car is parked, how much fuel it has and the total mileage driven that day.

The service will even send a notification to the owner’s phone if it senses an attempted theft, if the car is being driven over the speed limit or if it leaves a designated area.

All three special edition models also receive a handful of Google-inspired design tweaks, including a black-on-white paint scheme, a “Hey Google” badge for the front wheel arches and unique B-pillars which feature the tech company’s logo.

Inside, every member of the special edition 500 family gets new seat upholstery patterned with Google’s logo, and a fresh matte silver dashboard panel with a white 500 logo. The “Hey Google” graphic also features on each car’s infotainment screen upon start-up.

Standard equipment for the Fiat 500 Hey Google includes 15-inch alloy wheels, a multifunction sports steering wheel, a six-speaker stereo and a seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Buyers only have one engine choice; a 1.0-litre three-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol unit with 69bhp and 92Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and offers claimed economy and emissions figures of 53.3mpg and 88g/km of CO2 respectively.

The special edition city car is available as either a hatchback or a cabriolet, with prices starting from £16,005 for the former and £18,655 for the latter.

The 500X Hey Google comes as standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlamps, front fog lamps, privacy glass, rear parking sensors and rain-sensing wipers. The cabin also gets a centre armrest, a multifunction steering wheel and a six-speaker stereo.

Fiat offers two petrol engines on the crossover: a 118bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder and a 148bhp 1.3-litre four-cylinder. Prices start from £20,764 for the entry-level engine and £23,264 for the more powerful unit.

The Fiat 500L Hey Google comes as standard with 16-inch alloy wheels and manual air conditioning – and the only engine available is a 94bhp 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol unit. Prices for the special edition MPV start from £20,345.

What do you make of the new Fiat 500 Hey Google family? Let us know in the comments section below…

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