News: Passenger Cars, Minivans, and SUVs

2022-09-28

Vinfast To Export Initial 5,000 EVs To Europe and the U.S.

SOUTHEAST ASIA: VIETNAM REPORT

Vinfast has announced plans to export approximately 5,000 EVs to the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2022. This is the first time for them to export EVs. The company also plans to start construction of a new EV plant in the U.S. by the end of this year, accelerating its global strategy.

According to the plan, exports to the U.S. and other countries will begin in early November, with delivery to customers starting in December. Vinfast’s CEO revealed that the company has orders for approximately 65,000 EVs worldwide.

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South Korea Sees First Trade Deficit with China in 28 Years

FAR EAST: SOUTH KOREA REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

The economic relationship between China and the ROK has reached a turning point. According to statistics from the ROK, for the first time in 28 years, the ROK has a trade deficit with China. China has been the best customer of the export driven ROK economy, and this is causing concern in the ROK. At the same time, Chinese companies are intensifying their takeover of Korean companies, and in response to the escalation of the U.S.-China conflict, they have begun to pursue a strategy of using Korea as a foothold to capture the U.S. market.

A management official at South Korea’s Hyundai Motor’s joint venture plant in Chongqing, China, said that the passenger car assembly plant is idle and that negotiations are underway to sell it to a Chinese company. Hyundai Motor started operations in Chongqing in 2017, including an assembly plant with an annual production capacity of 300,000 units, but sales slumped due to the rise of Chinese automakers. At one point, the company occupied second place with a market share of nearly 10%, but recently it has fallen below 2% and slumped to 10th place.

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2022-08-20

BorgWarner Buys EV Charging Company

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

Global auto supplier, BorgWarner has announced it is buying EV charging company Rhombus Energy Solutions. The deal will boost its EV charging presence in North America while adding to its European market and will accelerate its charging business by leveraging its existing capabilities. This is the latest in a round of EV related acquisitions the company has made. In August 2021 it took control of AKASOL,(a German EV battery company) and in March 2022, BorgWarner acquired 100% of Santroll Automotive Components (a light vehicle eMotor business).

Source: Electrek Read The Article

PSR Analysis: This acquisition will generate good revenue for BorgWarner and continues their move into this market. It’s also a good example of the many acquisitions that OEMs are making into the broad arena of electric power as they see future opportunities. Other recent examples include: Nikola acquiring Romeo Power to bring its battery supply inhouse, Terex investing in Acculon Energy, and Cummins acquiring Meritor (Cummins believes eAxles will be a critical integration point within hybrid and electric drivetrains).    PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

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

Australian Solar Park Could Generate Hydrogen for Less Than $2/kg


Frontier Energy conducted a pre-feasibility study (PFS) at its Bristol Springs Solar project in Australia to show that it has the potential to be a low-cost green hydrogen producer, with power sourced from the company’s planned first stage 114 MW DC solar farm. The solar would power a 36.6 MW alkaline electrolyser, producing an estimated 4.4m kilograms of green hydrogen per year.

Source: PV Magazine Read The Article

PSR Analysis: With green hydrogen costs being around $3/kg to $6.5/kg, production of green hydrogen at this cost significantly boosts the use of hydrogen as a fuel for either Hydrogen ICEs or FCEVs. It also closes the price gap with dirty hydrogen which is generated using fossil fuels. Dirty hydrogen costs around $1.8 per kg, according to S&P Global.  PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

BMW Focuses on Hydrogen Fuel-cell EVs


BMW remains primarily focused on electrified combustion engines and battery electric cars, but it is adamant that hydrogen FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) will play a part of its transportation package. A limited batch of hydrogen-fueled BMW X5s soon will enter production, and the company says it is already planning for the next model with FCEVs making their way into its 2025 next-generation electric vehicle portfolio

Source: H2 Energy News Read The Article

PSR Analysis: This moves BMW into the Toyota/Hyundai camp supporting FCEV, with Tesla and VW being firmly in favor of battery-powered Electric Vehicles only. BMW is developing its position so that it can offer a full range of alternative power vehicles and meet customer demand whichever way it goes.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

2022-07-20

CNG Vehicles Are Moving in Cruise Mode

INDIA REPORT 
Aditya Kondejkar

Sales of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) vehicles in India are set to scale a new peak, driven by robust double-digit expansion in 2023 demand, with lower total ownership costs decidedly tilting the scales in favor of gas-powered cars instead of those running on liquid automotive fuels.

“We are seeing excellent traction for CNG vehicles,” says Tarun Garg, Director – Sales, Services and Marketing, Hyundai Motor India. “CNG provides a very good option to customers in terms of reduced total cost of ownership. Not only is the price of CNG fuel less than petrol/diesel, the fuel efficiency, too, is relatively better and emissions are lower.”

Currently, the country has more than 4,500 operational CNG stations, compared with fewer than 1,000 in 2014. To push adoption of CNG vehicles in the personal mobility space, in 2019, the petroleum and natural gas ministry announced plans to set up more than 10,000 CNG stations over the decade. It is anticipated that the country will save approximately  Rs 2 lakh crore in oil imports if personal car users switched to CNG vehicles. Read The Article

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VinFast Ends Sales of Two Gasoline Vehicles

VIETNAM REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

VinFast, an automotive subsidiary of Vingroup, the largest conglomerate in Vietnam, announced that it ended orders for two types of gasoline-powered vehicles in early July. The models covered are SUVs and sedans, and the company now will only sell the Fadil, a compact gasoline-powered vehicle. The company has announced its plan to withdraw from the production of gasoline-powered vehicles by the end of this year and is hastening its shift to EV production.

VinFast states that the reason for the suspension of orders for the two models is that “procurement of parts has become difficult and the number of units delivered to customers was not as large as expected.” The company did not mention the timing of the suspension of orders for Fadil. The company began selling EVs in Vietnam in December 2021.

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Hyundai Launches Flagship EV, the IONIQ6

SOUTH KOREA REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Hyundai Motor Company unveiled in July its flagship EV model, the IONIQ 6, that has a driving range of 6.2 kilometers per kilowatt-hour, a 20% increase over the current 5 model. The cruising range was also increased by 22% to 524 kilometers or 326 miles, (based on Korean government certification standards). Hyundai Motor claims that its EVs have the world’s highest level of electricity consumption efficiency.

The company called the IONIQ 6 “a ‘mobile personal studio,’ a space where you can rest and relax on your own. It offers a new experience that is different from existing EVs.”

In Korea, pre-orders will begin in late July, with shipments starting in September. Pricing will start at 55 million won (approximately 5.8 million yen), and sales are expected to reach 12,000 units by the end of the year. It will be released in Europe by the end of the year and in the US in the first half of 2023. Sales in Japan have not yet been decided. The newly announced “6” has a lighter body, and the cruising range has been extended by improving the energy-saving performance of the drive components and semiconductors.

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2022-07-01

Sustainability, Reliability Keys for Future e-Mobility Solutions

PSR-PowerTALK_July_2022-F2Download
Emiliano Marzoli
Emiliano Marzoli

STUTTGART, Germany— One critical trend emerged during my conversations with many industry players at the Battery Show Europe and the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe here last month: Battery thermal management is an important element in EV development and operations. 

I attended the Battery Show Europe here June 27-30 with Dalibor Sablic, PSR senior business development manager-Europe.

An estimated 6,000 attendees walked the floor to discuss products and services with nearly 600 exhibitors at the show. There was a positive energy and outlook for the future of the e-mobility industry, a refreshing change in atmosphere following many quiet months caused by the COVID pandemic. 

During the show, I had an opportunity to meet with representatives of Dow and learn about the wide array of products and services the company is developing for the e-mobility segment.  

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