Follow PSR’s team of analysts as they track the rapidly expanding global battery electric power market, including, battery technology, transportation, eMobility, mergers and acquisitions and more.
The way we deliver products from point A to point B is changing. This transformation is creating new partnerships, with implications affecting more than just the transportation industry.
Our team at Power Systems Research provides market intelligence to companies working in and around transportation and mobility functions.
Ford Motor Company, Argo AI, and Walmart are working together to launch an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C. — Walmart’s first multi-city autonomous delivery collaboration in the U.S. The last-mile delivery service will use Ford self-driving test vehicles equipped with the Argo AI Self-Driving System to deliver Walmart orders.
The collaboration brings together a self-driving technology provider with an automotive manufacturer able to integrate that technology with vehicles at scale, plus the world’s largest retailer.
Hyundai Motor and LG Chem have announced they will build a battery plant for EVs in Indonesia. The investment of $1.1 billion will be shared equally. The plant will mass produce batteries in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest reserves of nickel, and supply them to Hyundai Motor and Kia’s complete vehicle plants around the world. The new plant will be established on a 330,000 square meter site in an industrial park in the Karawang region, about 65 kilometers southeast of central Jakarta. Construction will begin by the end of this year and mass production will begin in 2024.
The plant will have an annual production capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours, enough to supply batteries for 150,000 EVs. Hyundai and Kia have a plan to launch a total of 23 new EV models in the next five years. In order to expand the range to include sedans, SUVs, and the Genesis luxury brand, stable procurement of batteries, a key component, has been an issue. The company’s first joint venture plant will lead to a long-term shift to EVs.
The regular powertrain in the SUV has been replaced by an AC motor, and inside the car they’ve installed digital panel.
The Czech start-up MW Motor has created an electric car based on the UAZ Hunter. Today, the company has begun taking orders for the new vehicle. According to “Tesla Magazine”, prices for “green SUV” start from €39,900. Cars are available with left or right steering wheel. Also, Czechs are offering test-drive of SUV in Dobrzahny.
The regular engine has been replaced by an AC motor. SUV retains a 5-speed manual transmission and AWD. The motor output is 160hp. The battery gives from 56 to 90 kWt/hr.
Over 2,000 employees at Honda Motor have applied for early retirement, as the Japanese automaker restructures its workforce to gear up to make more electric vehicles.
Honda’s move is the latest in the trend among automakers to move away from the production and sales of internal combustion engines. Those employees account for around 5% of Honda’s full-time staff in Japan. Although Honda had not set a target, the number of applications has far exceeded its initial estimate of 1,000.
The amendments to the FAME-II electric vehicle policy were rolled out in the last month and manufacturers have lauded the efforts in adopting EV mobility in the country.
The government partially modified the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II. Further, it has included an additional demand incentive for electric two-wheelers to ₹15,000 per KWh from an earlier uniform subsidy of ₹10,000 per KWh for all EVs, including plug-in hybrids and strong hybrids except buses.
This decision will increase subsidies for such vehicles by 50% under the FAME II scheme and be a game-changer in adopting EVs.
TAIPEI–The acquisition of a 60.5% stake in ENGIE EPS by Taiwan Cement Corporation (TCC) was finalized and completed in July.
The deal, which was announced in April, saw the Italy-headquartered stationary storage and e-mobility solutions subsidiary of French multinational Engie taken over by TCC subsidiary Taiwan Cement Europe Holdings.
What both parties get out of the deal
In a press release, TCC said it has now become a “major player” in electric vehicle charging infrastructure as well as its newly acquired capabilities in building large-scale battery storage systems and microgrids.
MOSCOW–Despite the number of COVID-infected people in Moscow increasing since the middle of June, the trade shows have not been affected by the pandemic restrictions. Another fair started 21 June in Moscow Expocenter. It’s Renwex – the fair dedicated to renewable energy and electric transport.
The fair is relatively new and small. It took about 3000 sq. meters and accommodated 80 participants. Most of them were local companies, although there were some participants from Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany and China.
The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro has announced a package of alternative power measures and goals with two important milestones for 2030 and 2050. Here are the main goals affecting the mobility and transportation industry:
2030
Replace 20% of Public Service of Bus Transportation by Zero Emission Vehicles.
Reduce by 10% the average time of commuting by public transportation.
Increase by 400% the number of trips by bicycle.
Reduce by 20% the emission of GHG.
Reach 100% of city regions with selective refuse collection.
While smaller players are struggling to remain competitive in the EV bus space, Mercedes-Benz is targeting more clients and more volumes.
Mercedes-Benz has handed over one eCitaro G electric articulated bus with solid-state batteries each to Hamburger Hochbahn and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein. The two new electric articulated buses each have seven battery packs with solid electrolyte and an energy content of 441 kWh, allowing up to 200km range, depending on operational conditions.
It’s often said that there’s nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing old things. That may be especially true in how we handle data.
Ever since Power Systems Research began tracking global production of engines and powertrains in 1976, its analysts have been alert to new trends surrounding power and data movement.
Today, as three essential metrics in data handling change— cloud costs, volume and processing time—, the structure of data networks also is changing. In many cases, it’s not practical to send vast amounts of data to the cloud to be processed and then wait for the results. Now, it’s often necessary to have smaller data centers located near the activity, at the edge of the action, if you will.
