Hyundai Motor and LG Chem To Build $1.1 Billion EV battery Plant in Indonesia

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.

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Q3 2021 European Economic Outlook

In this episode of PSR PowerTALK, Christopher Bamforth, European Market Analyst for Power Systems Research, comments on his Q3 2021 outlook for the European economy.

Transcript 

Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast produced by Power Systems Research. 

00:00:06 Emiliano Marzoli 

From Power Systems Research I am Emiliano Marzoli, editor of PSR PowerTalk, and today we’ll discuss an update on the economic outlook for Europe with Christopher Bamforth, our European Market Analyst. 

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Global Economy On the Path To Economic Recovery, Despite Increased Uncertainty

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

The global economy is on a healthy rebound trend, but issues with supply chain, logistics and the re-surgency of COVID-19 during Q3 2021 remained.  Power Systems Research witnessed a strong economic recovery globally in H1 2021; however, many challenges still remain.  The rebound will continue to vary widely among different regions/countries, but a complete recovery is not expected until the global pandemic is under control.   With some minor changes among regions and market segments globally, our overall forecast from last quarter remains in place, and that is good news to our industry players, OEMs, powertrain, and component suppliers.

The global economic performance last quarter was in line with our initial projections from earlier this year.  As we projected last quarter, we did not expect any rapid economic recovery in H2 2021, however, we continued to witness a steady increase in economic activities.  During the last quarter of 2021 Power Systems Research expects this trend to remain in place.

Government support in the form of fiscal policies and public health management are driving the economic rebound and largely explain variations in performance across countries. With the targeted monetary support to consumers and certain industries, the demand for products and services globally is coming back, and we expect this trend to carry over into Q1 2022.

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Japan Could Miss Out on Southeast Asia’s Shift To EVs

INDONESIA AND THAILAND REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Competition in the development of EVs is fierce, and the momentum for their introduction is growing in Southeast Asia. While Chinese and Korean manufacturers are aggressively entering the market, Japanese manufacturers, which hold an 80% share of the new car market, have not made any significant moves.

Although the COVID-19 disaster has brought the market to a standstill, Southeast Asia, with a population of 660 million and a rising middle class, will continue to be a promising growth market.

A proactive EV strategy is required to protect the current market dominance. In Indonesia and Thailand, the two largest markets in the region, Japanese cars have a 90% share of the market. However, it is only the Chinese and South Koreans who are providing the buzz about EVs.

In Indonesia, South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. will begin producing EVs in March at its completed vehicle plant that recently went into operation. For the time being, it will rely on imports for key components, but it is building a plant for mass production of onboard batteries in collaboration with LG Group, another Korean electronics giant.

In Thailand, China’s SAIC Motor Group and Great Wall Motor have already started selling EVs. The latter plans to start mass production of EVs in 2023 at a plant it acquired from GM in the US. Compared to China and South Korea, which are trying to secure a scale of production with an eye to exports, Japan is generally cautious, with Toyota and Mitsubishi considering local production of EVs in Thailand starting in 2023.

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Sony Unveils EV SUV, Announces Collaboration With Honda

FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

On March 5, the Sony Group unveiled its prototype EV “VISION-S” SUV to the public for the first time in Japan. The vehicle brings together Sony’s strengths in sensor, audio, and video technologies. On March 4, Sony announced a partnership with Honda, and the two companies will jointly develop EVs through a new company in which both companies will invest, with the aim of launching the EVs in 2025.

Following a sedan-type prototype announced in 2020, Sony unveiled an SUV at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a digital technology trade show held in the U.S. in January 2022.

The side mirrors will have no mirrored surfaces and will use images and data collected from nearly 40 sensors, including those in the front and rear of the vehicle, to enhance safety. The dashboard has three displays that can show movies and other content in addition to driving information. Inside the car, Sony’s audio technology is used to provide a realistic music experience.

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DATAPOINT: 2022 U.S. Production Hydraulic Power: 6,800 Units

6,800 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Hydraulic Power Units to be produced in the United States during 2022.

A Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) usually refers to a self-contained, free-standing engine assembly that is used to drive one piece of equipment. HPUs are powered by internal combustion engines or AC/DC electric motors.

This information comes from industry interviews and from two proprietary databases maintained by Power Systems Research: EnginLink™ , which provides information on engines, and OE Link™, a database of equipment manufacturers.

Market Share:  Dominating production of HPUs in NA is Stanley Hydraulic with 49% of total units produced.  In second position is Great Northern (Brave) with 9.5%. Tradewinds Powers is third with 8%. 

Trends: Production of HPUs in the US increased 22% from 2020 to 2021.  Production is expected to increase another 6% from in 2022.  Hydraulic Power Units (power packs) are used in a variety of applications and industries ranging from marine, construction and military applications. 

The overall gain in 2022 is attributed to the increase in construction and marine related activities.  This product segment will continue to increase steadily over the next 5 years as warranted by current economic conditions and related demands. Expect an additional 10% increase by 2025.    PSR

Carol Turner is Senior Analyst, Global Operations, for Power Systems Research

MEGURI2040: The Fully Autonomous Ship Program

FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

The Nippon Foundation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group company Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and Shin Nihonkai Ferry Co., Ltd. have successfully completed a demonstration test of the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems on a large ferry, conducted on the Iyonada Sea from Shinmoji, Kitakyushuu City, in January.

This demonstration was part of MEGURI2040, a fully autonomous ship navigation project launched by The Nippon Foundation in February 2020.

Japan’s declining birthrate, aging population, and shrinking population have resulted in labor shortages in many fields. Seafarers in coastal shipping, which requires hard work on board, are no exception. More than half of the seafarers in coastal shipping are over 50 years old, which poses a major challenge.

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We’ll Be at the Battery Show in Stuttgart

The Battery Show Europe and the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe is scheduled to be held June 28-30 at the Messe Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany.  More than 6,000 attendees are expected to tour the show and visit the more than 540 exhibiting suppliers.

Power Systems Research (PSR) will have a team of analysts at the show collecting data and  developing insights on alternative power sources. The team includes

  • Emiliano Marzoli, PSR manager of European Operations
  • Dalibor Sablic, PSR senior business development manager-Europe
  • Guy Youngs,  PSR Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead

The show is one of the largest in Europe and features manufacturers, suppliers, engineers, thought leaders and decision-makers and is focused on the latest developments in the advanced battery and automotive industries.

For registration details and more information about the show, visit the show website at https://www.thebatteryshow.eu/en/Home.html To meet with a member of the PSR team, contact Emiliano Marzoli at info@powersys.com or call the PSR Brussels office at  +32.2.643.2828.   PSR