Learn more about the latest in new battery technology and discover the next generation in battery and energy storage with expert analysis by Power Systems Research analysts.
Major auto players in India like Tata Motors, MG Motors and Hyundai have already announced their investment plans in the electric vehicles sector, there wasn’t any formal announcement from Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest automaker. But now, the penny has dropped.
Suzuki Motor, parent of Maruti Suzuki, says it has signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat State government, and plans to invest Rs 10,440 crore in there to build an EV and battery factory. The MoU was signed at the India-Japan Economic Forum held in New Delhi.
Korean materials giants are rushing to increase production of battery materials for EVs. Lotte Chemical plans to invest 160 billion yen to build plants for electrolytes and other materials in Korea and the U.S. LG Chem and POSCO have also announced plans to increase production. The three major Korean battery manufacturers, including LG, have active investment plans, but they are lagging their Chinese counterparts in the upstream area of battery materials. Materials companies are also increasing their supply capacity to compete with the Chinese.
Lotte Chemical, a major petrochemical company, will build a new plant for organic solvents for electrolytes in its own plant. The company will build a new factory with a total investment of 602 billion won, aiming for production by the end of 2023. The company is also considering building a plant related to electrolyte and cathode materials in Louisiana, U.S. It has begun coordination with local governments and other related parties in anticipation of starting production in 2025. The investment is expected to be in the order of 100 billion yen.
Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd. announced it has acquired a majority share in ELEO Technologies B.V., a battery technology company based in Helmond, the Netherlands. By integrating ELEO’s advanced, scalable, and modular battery technology, Yanmar said it will further its electrified powertrain capabilities with customized solutions for off-road applications.
After joining the Yanmar Group as part of Yanmar Power Technology Co., Ltd., ELEO will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity under its own brand at its current location in Helmond, the Netherlands.
Founded in 2017, ELEO Technologies develops and produces advanced modular battery packs which are differentiated by their proprietary battery management system (BMS) and thermal management technologies. The company is near completion with a new advanced production facility that will increase its annual battery production capacity to 500 MWh, equivalent to approximately 10,000 battery packs.
Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd, the multi-billion dollar multinational company headquartered in Osaka, Japan, has acquired a majority of shares of a young and fast-growing ELEO Technologies B.V. from theNetherlands, this month. The acquisition has been completed through European’s subsidy, Yanmar B.V. An earlier investor, Lumipol Group, has entirely exited the company.
As a part of Yanmar Power Technology Co, Ltd, Eleo will continue operating as an independent entity under its existing brand and with production located in their current site in Helmond, the Netherlands.
ELEO Technologies B.V. was founded in 2017 to design and produce innovative modular electric batteries systems for use in marine, industrial machine, e-mobility, commercial vehicles or specialized recreational product applications.
VWCO will increase the offer of homologated chargers and now it can be charged in more than 10 different wall boxes. In addition to the new chargers, VW is starting the sale effort in Colombia in agreement with Porsche Colombia, with versions of 11 and 14 tons.
PSR Analysis: Colombia is a market with high acceptance for EV and alternative propulsion and sales of this vehicle should grow fast. Total cost of ownership is still an issue for this product in Brazil, but many companies are investing in these products to associate the green and environmental appeal to its brands. PSR
Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development South America, for Power Systems Research
The São Paulo Government has announced the start of a BRT line, going through cities surrounding the São Paulo capital city with plans to be operating in 2023. This line has 17 km of extension and will use 82 Battery Electric Articulated 23 meter buses.
PSR Analysis: The cities surrounding São Paulo Capital have started deploying the initiatives of the main city, as expected. São Paulo City has a more aggressive plan for using BE Buses with 800 for 2022 and the average of 1600 per year from 2023 to 2032. PSR
Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development South America, for Power Systems Research
Q. What is the current state of electric vehicle technology globally as well as the U.S.? A. From a medium and heavy truck perspective, electric trucks are still in the early stages of testing, and it will still be a few years before we know if the current technology will be effective. Transit or city buses are much further along in the process since these are largely not for profit vehicles and have more dedicated routes that allow for more consistent recharge.
China is probably the furthest along with electric bus adoption with almost half of all medium and heavy buses produced being electric. While electrified bus adoption in North America and Europe is not nearly as strong as China, demand is increasing. In North America, natural gas buses (CNG and Propane) are currently the alternative fuel of choice. However, government mandates will likely force bus electrification over the next decade or so.
LG Chem says it will build a cathode material plant for automotive battery materials in Gumi, central South Korea. LG Chem has the second largest automotive battery business in the world. They will continue to invest in increasing production in the materials field to meet the increasing demand and plans to start mass production by 2025 and will build a dedicated line for cathode materials with high nickel content, called NCMA, which can increase the output of batteries.
LG Chem’s new plant will be its fourth; it has two cathode material plants in operation in Korea and one in China. The current production capacity is 80,000 tons. LG Chemical produces its own cathode materials, separation membranes, and adhesives, and supplies them to LG Energy Solution, its battery subsidiary. LG Chem is working with Toray Industries, Inc. to secure the amount of separation membrane to be procured.
Soon after the recent launch of the Peugeot e-Expert, Stellantis announced the Citroën e-Jumpy on Friday Nov. 12. Price, drives, batteries configuration, autonomy have not been announced yet. However it announced the growth expectations from 1.2% Market Share to 4% with the new electric launches.
PSR Analysis: Although it has not been announced, the most likely scenario is that Citroën e-Jumpy will use the same configuration as its European product, the Peugeot e-208 GT. European Battery has 75kWh with Autonomy for 330 km per charge over the EMP2 platform. PSR
Fabio Ferraresi is Director-Business Development South America for Power Systems Research
Volkswagen Truck and Bus, part of the Traton Group, and CBMM, a Brazilian giant of niobium mining, announced an agreement to develop batteries with Niobium for Electric Vehicles. It promises to recharge a Truck Battery in less than 10 minutes and provide a traveling higher range. Volkswagen will start tests in 2022 to develop a functional vehicle with Niobium batteries by the end of 2022.
PSR Analysis: Primarily used to improve the strength of high grade steels, Niobium is also used for super conductors and has been tested by CBMM and Toshiba in batteries for three years with positive results. The solution applied for MHV may put Brazil in a strong position in MHV EV segment, since 97% of the Niobium reserves in the world are in Brazil.
Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business Development , South America, for Power Systems Research
