Buffett-backed BYD Will Supply Batteries To Tesla

CHINA REPORT

Jack Hao
Jack Hao

BEIJING— Chinese electric vehicle (EV) and battery maker BYD is going to become Tesla’s battery supplier for the first time, a senior executive at the company backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway said recently.

“Tesla is a very successful company. BYD has great respect for Tesla and raises our hat to it,” said BYD’s executive vice president Lian Yubo in an interview with the state-owned news channel China Global Television Network (CGTN), when he was asked his thoughts of China-made vehicles in comparison with Tesla.  “(Tesla CEO) Musk and us are good friends now as we are preparing to supply batteries to it very soon. We learned a lot from Tesla,” Lian added, noting the U.S. rival’s positioning itself as a high-end EV brand.

Lian’s remark suggests BYD is set to be the second China-based battery supplier of Tesla next to CATL, the world’s largest EV battery company. LG Energy Solution, the South Korean battery maker second to CATL, and Tesla’s long-time partner Panasonic currently are another two battery makers in Tesla’s supplier list.

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Tesla Poised To Start the Engine…as Competitors Close In

Even though Tesla’s “Battery Day” was held Sept. 22, 2020, it didn’t produce the wildly exciting results that Elon Musk had promised would “blow your mind.”

Tyler Wiegert
Tyler Wiegert

During its event, Tesla unveiled plans to develop a “million mile” battery that could last an electric car’s entire lifetime on the road. It also outlined plans to dramatically reduce the cost of its battery cells and packs to $100 per kilowatt-hour, at which point experts believe electric cars will become comparable in price to combustion engine vehicles.

Bill Gates-backed QuantumScape, the first US battery company to go public in a decade, announced that it has overcome two major hurdles to create an all-metal lithium battery, which, if true, would allow electric vehicles to go up to 50% further on a single charge. Those hurdles were metallic lithium’s propensity to explode when it comes into contact with liquid and its needle structure that has historically punctured plastic separators between electrodes and caused shorts.

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Volvo Unveils Electric Concrete Mixer Truck

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

Best known for its world-class transport solutions, Volvo unveiled its first commercial electric truck –the Volvo FL Electric – in 2019, this was followed by the Volvo VNR Electric in 2020. Volvo introduced three 44-ton electric trucks this past September, some of the heaviest in its line up, bringing its portfolio to six commercial EV trucks, designed to cover everything from city distribution and handling to construction transport and regional hauling.

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Tesla Refinery Project Advances in Texas

Tesla is currently working on a lithium refinery project that would be coming to Corpus Christi, Texas, and it sounds like the automaker is in the final stretch of its negotiations with the authorities.

In September, we learned that Tesla has a plan to build a lithium refining facility on the Gulf Coast of Texas. At the time, all we knew was that Tesla was planning on moving fast with hope to start building in Q4 2022.

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Komatsu Unveils Concept of Fully Electric Compact Excavator

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

On May 13, Komatsu announced that it had developed a fully electric compact excavator equipped with lithium-ion batteries. This is Komatsu’s first excavator that does not use cylinders or other hydraulic equipment in the drive unit. In addition to emitting no exhaust gas, the new excavator can be operated remotely and can be used in dangerous places.

Komatsu, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding on May 13, announced this concept model as a response to a decarbonized society.

For the time being, the company does not plan to sell it to the general public. This model is connected to the outside world via wireless LAN, and the driver can operate it remotely without boarding the machine. The remote operation makes it suitable for indoor demolition, disaster rescue, and other dangerous work sites.

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Tesla Breaks Ground for Diner with Theater and Supercharger

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

Tesla has broken ground on the site of its planned futuristic diner with a drive-in theater and Supercharger station. This project has been in the works for several years. In 2018, Elon Musk said that Tesla planned to open an “old school drive-in, (with) roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in Los Angeles.”

A few months later, Tesla applied for building permits for “a restaurant and Supercharger station” at a location in Santa Monica. However, the project stalled for a long time, apparently due to local regulations. Nevertheless, Tesla still moved forward with a Supercharger at the location, but it had to move the diner project to Hollywood. Last year, Tesla filed the construction plans with the city, giving us the first look at what the automaker intends to build.

Source: Electrek: Read The Article

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Tesla Proposes Investment in Indonesia to Promote EV Industry

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

The Indonesian government announced on Feb. 5 that it had received an investment proposal from Tesla. The country is the world’s largest producer of nickel, which is essential for the production of batteries for EVs. In order to promote the EV and battery related industries, Indonesia had invited Tesla to invest in the country.

Details of the talks between Indonesia and Tesla cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality agreements, but it is said that they have mainly discussed battery and energy storage solutions. The Indonesian vice-minister said, “If Tesla only wants to buy raw materials, we are not interested. The proposal is more than the procurement of raw materials and extends to energy storage systems such as MegaPack, PowerPack and Powerwall,” he said.

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Product Definitions Guide

Product Descriptions by Segment and Application Power Systems Research tracks some 250 products in 13 major industrial segments. This Guide defines each product that PSR lists in its proprietary databases. Segment: Agriculture Application: 2-Wheel Tractors 2-Wheel Tractors Application: Ag Tractors 2-Wheel Drive Tractors 4WD Articulated Ag Tractors MFWD Tractors (Mechanical Front Wheel Drive) Tracked Ag

Tesla Offers Lounges at Supercharger Stations


Tesla has linked up with bk World to provide its Supercharger stations to offer services to customers while their vehicles charge. Tesla has been trying to deploy its Supercharger stations at properties that include amenities that offer food, coffee, and restrooms, but that is not always easy. At a few locations, Tesla has deployed its own lounges to offer those amenities, including one test site in Germany which even has a swimming pool, and another has a restaurant.  

Source: Electrek Read The Article

PSR Analysis: With over 300 lounges planned in Europe, Tesla is trying to make the recharge wait time more enjoyable for customers, and at the same time generate another revenue stream. Providing customers with activities while they wait could encourage charger use and could develop charging stations into a destination location like selling customers of IKEA meatballs when they visit a store. Anything to help relieve the boredom of a charge waiting time that can run to an hour or more is an improvement.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Tesla Cuts Prices of China-Made Cars

Jack Hao
Jack Hao

Taking advantage of new battery options and big government subsidies, Tesla has slashed its Model 3 prices in China. The company’s Chinese website is now advertising a base price for the popular battery-electric sedan of 249,900 yuan, or roughly $36,800.

While this is big news for the company in its efforts to remain dominant in the Chinese market, U.S. consumers won’t be affected…at least, not yet

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