News: Passenger Cars, Minivans, and SUVs

2024-11-11

Alternative Power Report, November 2024

Alternative Power Report – Nov 2024Download

The November 2024 issue of the Alternative Power Report published by Power Systems Research includes articles on battery development and discussions on the declining costs of battery power for EVs. Reduced battery costs means reduced costs for EVs, too. An article discusses the outlook for clean energy in the U.S. now that Trump has regained the White House. PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

2024-09-23

Battery Made from Stone Could Transform EVs

Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) have developed a super-ionic material based on potassium silicate, a compound extracted from ordinary rocks. This innovation could potentially revolutionize the way we power electric cars.

Potassium silicate, the key material in this new battery technology, is abundantly available in the earth’s crust. Potassium silicate is also resilient to air and moisture, allowing it to be easily integrated into batteries as a thin layer without the need for expensive protective measures.

Source: MSN: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: We continue to see many new innovations in battery technology which show a lot of promise. This one has the potential to be safer and cheaper, but we are far from commercialization so this innovation is a long way off. PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Fast Charging Gets Faster in LFP Batteries

Zeekr, an electric vehicle (EV) maker within the Geely Auto group, has integrated its self-developed fast-charging battery technology, based on lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, into its latest vehicles

According to the company, the 75 kWh battery pack supports ‘5.5C ultra-fast charging,’ enabling vehicles to charge from 10% to 80% in just 10.5 minutes using 800V charging at Zeekr’s proprietary stations.

Source: PV Magazine: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Until this, all Lithium -ion batteries using NMC cathodes were faster than LFP batteries. This reverses that and means that this ultra fast charging together with safer LFP chemistry could eventually replace standard NMC battery chemistries

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Tata Negotiates for Production Plant in Brazil

BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT 

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

The São Paulo state government is working to attract the attention of automotive companies to the state, including Tata Motors, a subsidiary of the giant Indian-based Tata Group.

Tata’s staff has been in Brazil since the end of August 2024 and they will meet São Paulo government again in Germany by the end of September.

The secretary of Government, Jorge Lima, also revealed negotiations with a Chinese auto parts manufacturers for a factory in the state. The company’s name remains confidential, as São Paulo is competing with Minas Gerais and Paraná for the facility.

Source: Automotive Business     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Indian Companies have been looking at the Brazilian and South American Market since 2000 and now the announcement made by the São Paulo Government shows some movement to make it more than just a study. The experience with Ethanol that Brazil and India have and comparable size and cost for low end vehicles adds data to the business decision.   PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director, Business Development-South America, for Power Systems Research

Colombia Resumes Taxing Vehicles from Brazil

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BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT 

Starting in 2025, vehicle exports from Brazil to Colombia will once again be taxed at a 54% rate. The tax exemption agreement, in place since 2017, will not be renewed. According to the Colombian government, this decision is designed to protect its local automotive industry, currently dominated by Renault. This is a setback for Brazilian manufacturers, who exported fewer vehicles in 2024, with a 30% drop compared to the previous year.

Source: Automotive Business     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: This means an important reduction of exports from Brazil, affecting some OEM exports severely; for others, there will be no impact. These production impacts are already deployed in the forecast in OE Link database.

Fabio Ferraresi is Director, Business Development-South America, for Power Systems Research

Malaysia H1 2024 Car Sales Gain Ground

MALAYSIA REPORT  
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

New vehicle sales in the six major Southeast Asian countries in the first six months of 2024 fell 9% year-on-year to about 1.49 million units, the lowest level since 2021, when they were battered by COVID-19. Malaysia, which has benefited from strong domestic demand, is closing in on Indonesia, the largest market in the region.

Malaysia grew by 7% to 390,296 units. Sales growth was driven by strong domestic demand linked to economic growth. Sales of domestically produced small cars such as the Proton and Produa were particularly strong. In contrast, sales in Indonesia, the region’s largest market, fell 19% to 408,012 units due to a decline in the use of car loans and other factors caused by high policy interest rates. Thailand was down 24% to 308,027 units; Vietnam was down 2% to 134,884 units and the Philippines was up 10% to 227,225 units.

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