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.
2020-10-28
Kawasaki Heavy Industries says it has been awarded a contract to design an electric propulsion system for the world’s first electric tanker. Two shipbuilders in Shikoku will build the two vessels, with the first one to be completed by March 2023. It is about 60 meters long and has a gross tonnage of 499 tons.
Hyundai Motor will collaborate with LG Electronics on home appliances for the interior of electric vehicles. The two companies will work together to develop OLED TVs to be mounted on the ceiling and walls, as well as home appliances such as refrigerators and coffee makers that make the interior of the car more comfortable. They unveiled the next generation concept car “Ionic Concept Cabin.”
Scania, a Swedish truck manufacturer, is developing an 18-meter long solar cell-clad trailer that will be able to generate energy from devices along 140m2 of surface area on the sides and roof.
According to the truck manufacturer, the powered trailer will be able to generate fuel saving between 5% and 10% in northern Europe, and up to double that in sunny regions like Spain. The tests are also validating the use of the trailers as power stations to feed the main grid, once they have completed charging the batteries and the vehicle is stationary.
Source : Read The Article
During the past few years, many cities and states have committed to full adoption of their transit bus fleets to zero-emission vehicles. While the implementation dates vary, most are aiming to have the transition completed by 2040.
Since transit buses typically have pre-defined routs and access to recharging infrastructure, they are good candidates for adoption. It also helps that this segment is not-for-profit, and a short-term payback is not required. The significant barriers to adoption appear to have been overcome.
2020-09-27
Zetta company has had to shift mass production of its Russian car “City Modul 1” until after 2020 because the Fund of Industry Development refused to provide credit of 99.9 million Rubles (about € 1.1 million).
According to the Fund opinion, the company has insufficient budget to start the production, even with the requested credit. “The company needs an investor, who will believe in market potential of the product, and will co-finance the project together with the fund. The fund is ready to consider application one more time as soon as such investor will be found,” the Fund said
“City Modul 1” would become first serial Russian electric car. Zetta plans to make the car on its own production site in Tolyatti; production capacity is 15,000 units per year.
There seems little doubt that electric powered boats will grow as the fast-improving technology trickles down from the automotive industry, which is driving battery technology, to the marine engine industry.
Today the electric boat has become a $4.5 billion global marine industry segment, and a report by IDTechEx shows that the market for hybrid and pure electric boats will rise significantly to over $20 billion worldwide by 2027.
Brushless permanent magnet electric motors and advances in lithium ion battery technology have allowed leaps to be made in the rush to marine electric. Lithium-ion batteries are half as heavy as lead-acid batteries and last three times as long, and advances in their effectiveness and stability have been significant.
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.”
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.
2020-08-23
In a bid to promote electric mobility in India, the Indian government now permits sales of EVs without a battery. This step has been taken to reduce the upfront cost of EVs, since the most expensive component in an electric vehicle is the battery pack (which accounts for 40% cost of the total cost). Read The Article
PSR Analysis: We anticipate that electric 2 and 3-wheelers will be the first segments to benefit from this move. This move by the central government will support the FAME-II program and the Delhi government’s latest EV policy, aiming for 5 lakh registrations of EVs in 5 years.
As the upfront cost of the electrical 2 and 3 wheelers will be lower than their ICE counterparts when registered without battery, it will be more attractive to consumers. However, implementation will be critical for the success of this move. As lack of infrastructure was one of the key reasons for customers not opting for EVs.
To continue to promote the deployment of electric vehicles in Taiwan, Taiwan Audi officially entered the pure electric vehicle market at the end of 2019 and launched the “E-tron Future” reservation project.
To meet the pure electric future, Taiwan Audi has joined hands with strategic partner Noodoe to accelerate the deployment of Taiwan’s charging network. Evaluating home charging station installation and a cloud-based charging operating system paired with Taiwan Audi’s charging solution aims to realize a pure electric mobile life.
From north to south, Taiwan spans only about 500 kilometers. At the same time, the main population centers are concentrated in the seven largest metropolitan areas. These cities–while clearly defined–are connected by a comprehensive road network that provides excellent advantages in the development of electric vehicles. Audi has been actively promoting the deployment of electric vehicles in Taiwan since last year. It is expected to introduce the first electric vehicle model ─ Audi e-tron – before the end of 2020 with a battery life of 417 kilometers (WLTP). Through the 150kW fast charge mode, it can be charged in 30 minutes to 80% power.
By August 12, after 20 days of product launch, SGMW’s MINI EV will hit a sales record of 15,000 vehicles, making it the world’s fastest car model reaching the threshold of 10,000 units.
Source: D1 EV Read The Article
PSR Analysis: Consider BYD’s electric bus, SGMW’s MINI EV, as well as premium car brands like Tesla: These traditional and emerging automotive OEMs are reformulating rules of the auto game, with their own proprietary technology.
As a matter of fact, it’s not just the automotive market that needs to brace for the impact of electrification, the off-road market also is trending toward electrification. The changing markets include passenger car, light commercial vehicle, medium and heavy duty vehicle, forklift, and lawn mower. Will this wave continue to expand to other off-road applications? How much more will it change the rules of the game? PSR
Qin Fen is Business Development Manager for Power Systems Research
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