08 Mar 2022 | Report: Tesla’s New Cells Will Be ‘Game Changer’
Episode 1398, Mar 08, 2022, 05:00 PM
On the podcast today:
• Ford Dealers Will Finally Be Forced to Learn About Electric Vehicles
• Numerous Ford Mustang Mach-E Trims No Longer Able To Be Ordered
• GM Announces $400 Million EV Battery Materials Plant In Canada
• Nickel price surge could threaten automakers' EV plans
• EPA proposes cuts to smog, soot pollution from heavy trucks
• Stellantis builds EV capacity with battery supplier partnerships
• Tesla’s cylindrical battery could be ‘game-changer’: report
• Hero Electric & Sun Mobility partner up for battery swapping in India
• Brand New Six-Figure Tesla Model X Delivered With Mismatched Tires
• PEUGEOT reaches over 1000 e-LCV sales already in 2022
• Ending the UK’s dependence on Russian diesel
• Tesla Supercharger fee gaffe results in Model 3 owner temporarily getting $600K bill
Show #1398
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, you trusted source of information. It’s Tuesday 8th March, it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.
FORD DEALERS WILL FINALLY BE FORCED TO LEARN ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES
- In the wake of the decision to split its EV and gasoline vehicle divisions, Ford has announced that its dealers will need to "opt-in" to selling EVs along with normal combustion cars, according to Automotive News.
- While the company has no apparent plans to create new dealers or work outside its network of roughly 3,100 existing retail stores, Ford CEO Jim Farley said in an interview that dealers should "get ready to specialize."
- Dealers that currently sell the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit, and are anticipating inventory of the new F-150 Lightning can continue selling them for the next year and a half.
- The new dealer agreement isn't finalized yet, but Ford executives have made clear they hope for a no-inventory, direct-order model, as well as non-negotiable pricing and smaller facilities for dealers.
- Tesla, one of Ford's main EV competitors, works off of a direct sale model, which Farley estimates helps Tesla save almost $2,000 per vehicle. But he added that "not everything can be done remote" and that Ford still understands the importance of brick-and-mortar dealerships in customer satisfaction.
Original Source : https://www.thedrive.com/news/44619/ford-dealers-will-finally-be-forced-to-learn-about-electric-vehicles
NUMEROUS FORD MUSTANG MACH-E TRIMS NO LONGER ABLE TO BE ORDERED
- Ford has reportedly stopped taking orders for two Mustang Mach-E trims due to excessive demand. According to Ford Authority, who site sources "familiar with the matter", the Blue Oval will not take any new orders for Premium and California Route 1 trim levels for the remained of the 2022 model year.
- Mach-E buyers will only be able to get the Extended Range battery by buying the $61,995 GT. The Select trim only comes with the Standard Range pack, although you can get it in either RWD or AWD guise.
- The ongoing semiconductor shortage likely played a key role in Ford's decision. The marque has already experienced production issues this year. Last month Mach-E production was temporarily halted due to supply chain issues.
Original Source : https://insideevs.com/news/571729/mach-e-trims-not-available
GM ANNOUNCES $400 MILLION EV BATTERY MATERIALS PLANT IN CANADA
- General Motors and South Korea's POSCO Chemical announced plans to build a new EV battery materials plant in Quebec, Canada.
- The two parties said they are working with the governments of Canada and Quebec to build a new facility that will produce cathode active material (CAM), with the investment estimated at $400 million (C$500 million).
- The cathode active material produced at the new plant will go into GM’s Ultium batteries, which will power electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. CAM is a key battery material consisting of components like processed nickel, lithium and other materials making up about 40% of the cost of a battery cell.
- By the end of 2025, GM plans to have capacity to build 1 million electric vehicles in North America. The company targets the majority of components by value to be sustainably sourced, processed or manufactured in North America.
Original Source : https://insideevs.com/news/571967/gm-announces-400million-battery-materials-plant-canada/
NICKEL PRICE SURGE COULD THREATEN AUTOMAKERS' EV PLANS
- The price of nickel is surging as investors take stock of the new global reality: Russia, a key supplier of the metal, is now facing extensive sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
- In an unusual step, the London Metal Exchange suspended nickel trading on Tuesday morning after three-month contract prices more than doubled to over $100,000 per ton.
- Nickel is a critical ingredient in the lithium-ion battery cells used in most electric vehicles sold in — and planned for — the U.S. market. Its abrupt price surge has analysts and investors raising hard questions about automakers’ ambitious electric-vehicle programs.
- When the battery cell is charged, lithium ions are driven from the cathode to the anode. As the cell is discharged, the ions move back to the cathode, releasing energy.In recent years, automakers have discovered that adding more nickel to the cathode can boost a battery’s energy density, which translates into more range per pound of batteries.
- Some use even more, in part to reduce or eliminate cobalt, and in part to increase density for premium applications: The cathodes in cells that Korean battery giant LG Chem supplies to Tesla are 90% nickel, for instance.
- Given the relatively high cost of nickel, and the concerns about supply that were being voiced before Russia invaded Ukraine, automakers have signaled that lithium-ion batteries with high-nickel cathodes are likely to be limited to premium applications.
Original Source : https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/08/nickel-price-surge-could-threaten-automakers-ev-plans.htm
EPA PROPOSES CUTS TO SMOG, SOOT POLLUTION FROM HEAVY TRUCKS
- The Biden administration is proposing stronger pollution regulations for new tractor-trailer rigs that would clean up smoky diesel engines and encourage new technologies during the next two decades.
- The proposal released Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency would require the industry to cut smog-and-soot-forming nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90% per truck over current standards by 2031. The emissions can cause respiratory problems in humans.
- Although truck manufacturers are working on battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, the EPA says the proposal is not a zero-emissions truck requirement. Rather, the agency says there are pollution control devices in development that can keep diesels in use and still clean the air.
- Environmental groups praised the EPA's action, but many urged the administration to move quickly on the proposal and then go farther toward requiring zero-emissions trucks.
- The new standards would bring widespread air quality improvements, particularly in areas already exposed to heavy truck traffic, officials say.
Original Source : https://www.autoblog.com/2022/03/08/epa-smog-soot-heavy-trucks/
STELLANTIS BUILDS EV CAPACITY WITH BATTERY SUPPLIER PARTNERSHIPS
- Stellantis entered into a pair of joint partnerships with Korean battery suppliers, adding necessary capacity for planned North American EV production
- The battery partnerships are long-term investments in Stellantis' goal of 5 million battery-electric vehicle sales by 2030.
- Jeep’s first fully electric SUV will roll out in early 2023, and a Ram 1500 BEV pickup truck will arrive in 2024
Original Source : https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/stellantis-battery-supplier-partnerships-EV-parts-components-procurement-distribution/619719/
TESLA’S CYLINDRICAL BATTERY COULD BE ‘GAME-CHANGER’: REPORT
- Tesla’s new tab-less cylindrical battery cell has the potential to become a game-changer in the electric vehicle industry, according to the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (KATECH).
- The KATECH released an industry trend report on Monday that said the EV market must prepare for what is to come after Tesla starts mass producing its 4680 batteries.
- The institute predicts battery companies that currently focus on producing unified cells and pouch cells will have to choose between continuing to speedily produce their cells or coming up with their own tab-less cylindrical cells.
- It added that as important as it is to develop next-generation secondary battery technology, it is just as important to improve the design and economic feasibility of existing secondary battery technology.
Original Source : http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php
HERO ELECTRIC & SUN MOBILITY PARTNER UP FOR BATTERY SWAPPING IN INDIA
- In India, electric two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Electric has announced its partnership with Sun Mobility, a provider of energy infrastructure and services for EVs, to deploy electric two-wheelers integrated with the latter’s smart-swappable battery technology.
- Sun Mobility battery swapping stations will also be appearing at petrol stations from the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)
- Sun Mobility’s swappable battery also powers Piaggio‘s Ape E-City
- Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric, said, “Battery Swapping is emerging as a good catalyst for the exponential growth of the electric two-wheelers in India. It reduces the upfront cost of buying a two-wheeler, eliminates the range anxiety and the apprehensions about the useful life of the batteries. It certainly makes a lot of sense for the B2B customers as the swapping stations can be placed in the working zones for the riders to allow them to run their bikes without waiting for the recharging of the batteries.”
Original Source : https://www.electrive.com/2022/03/07/hero-electric-sun-mobility-partner-up-for-battery-swapping-in-india/
BRAND NEW SIX-FIGURE TESLA MODEL X DELIVERED WITH MISMATCHED TIRES
Original Source : https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-model-x-mismatched-tires-delivery/
PEUGEOT REACHES OVER 1000 E-LCV SALES ALREADY IN 2022
Original Source : https://electriccarsreport.com/2022/03/peugeot-reaches-over-1000-e-lcv-sales-already-in-2022/
ENDING THE UK’S DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIAN DIESEL
Original Source : https://newautomotive.org/blog/ending-dependence-on-russian-diesel
TESLA SUPERCHARGER FEE GAFFE RESULTS IN MODEL 3 OWNER TEMPORARILY GETTING $600K BILL
Original Source : https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-supercharger-fee-600k-gaffe-china/
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