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    Northvolt’s collapse: A tale of reckless extravagance and blurred focus
    Fewer than two years after the collapse of Britishvolt, one of the most promising battery startups in the UK, Swedish battery maker Northvolt filed for chapter 11 in the US on Nov. 21. The filing followed its failure to scale up production as planned at its flagship gigafactory in Skellefteå, Sweden and raise more funds to rescue its operations. While Northvolt’s collapse is seen as another setback to Europe’s battery ambitions, it also underlines a wider trend of new-age, clean-tech startu...
    Automotive Supplier Outlook 2025: Volume 1 Companies A - D
    S&P Global Mobility's Matthew Beecham has engaged senior executives from 42 suppliers in the automotive supply chain for an end-of-year interview initiative. This initiative seeks to gather valuable insights on the challenges faced in 2024 and the strategies being formulated for 2025, prioritizing genuine experiences over elaborate strategies. This report is the first of four volumes published in late 2024. Key discussion points encompass significant trends impacting suppliers, such as sh...
    Tariff trouble: Will Mexico's auto investment engine splutter?
    In the aftermath of the US election, President-elect Donald Trump’s impending return to the Oval Office has sparked widespread speculation about the implications of his second term, particularly in the automotive sector. As the world watches, the intersection of politics and innovation becomes a focal point, with the administration's stance on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its impact on electric vehicle supply chains taking center stage. Meanwhile, the alliance between Elon Musk and th...
    Talking Heads: Looking forward to 2025 - Key themes
    As we approach the end of 2024, our Talking Heads series delves into conversations with the practice leads at AutoTechInsight. The aim is to explore the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in their respective domains. In 2024, the automotive sector faced a series of challenges that tested its adaptability. Supply chain disruptions, coupled with declining raw material costs like lithium, added to these difficulties. Amidst these challenges, manufacturers began pivoting toward plug-in h...
    Automotive Supplier Outlook 2025: Volume 2 Companies E - I
    S&P Global Mobility’s Matthew Beecham has engaged senior executives from 42 suppliers in the automotive supply chain for an end-of-year interview initiative. This initiative seeks to gather valuable insights into the challenges faced in 2024 and the strategies being formulated for 2025, prioritizing genuine experiences over elaborate strategies. This report is the second of four volumes. The key discussion points include ongoing supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and regulatory ...
    EV battery prices will continue to fall, despite upward movement in battery material prices
    Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery prices have decreased around 90% over a past decade. In the past one year itself, prices have fallen nearly 25%. What’s causing the prices to fall so dramatically? This was primarily due to the fall in prices of critical battery metals: Lithium, cobalt and nickel. For example, the price of cobalt has fallen from roughly $70,000 per metric ton in 2022 to about $30,000 in 2024. Similarly, the price for lithium carbonate has also fallen from a high of approximately $7...
    Interview — Citroën will follow dual approach of electrifying existing models and developing dedicated EV platform: Shishir Mishra
    Citroën, one of the youngest car brands in India, has already taken a step that some of the earliest brands have yet to undertake — launching an electric vehicle. The Stellantis Group brand launched the electric version of its hatchback C3 within six months of introducing the internal combustion engine (ICE) C3 in 2022. Citroën said the move reflected its confidence in the Indian EV segment, despite its infancy and challenges. Srikant Jayanthan and Viroop Narla of S&P Global Mobility spo...
    Interview with CTO of Stellantis: “Relying solely on cloud processing is impractical”
    Stellantis is a global automotive leader formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group, encompassing 14 brands such as Jeep, Peugeot and RAM. The company focuses on electrification, connected technologies and operational efficiency, aiming for a sustainable future while addressing diverse consumer needs across major markets. The original equipment manufacturer is committed to achieving a 100% zero-emission lineup in Europe by 2030, focusing on affordability and technological innovatio...
    Lighter and safer: The evolving market of battery pack enclosure
    The bid to make lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries more efficient and safer has been an ongoing process, with discussions mostly revolving around cell technology and chemistry advancements. As the traditional Li-ion cell chemistries approach the advancement ceiling, avenues other than the cell are being considered for increasing the safety and efficiency of batteries. Battery pack enclosures have become an intrinsic part of the discussions around battery pack performance and their overall impact ...
    The shifting landscape of EV batteries: Watt's next?
    Battery swapping is an approach in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, featuring two solutions: full battery swaps and modular systems. Full swaps allow for battery replacement at stations, providing convenience but requiring infrastructure investment. Modular systems enable drivers to add battery packs for longer trips, offering flexibility and reduced vehicle weight. Both solutions depend on advancements in battery technology and infrastructure to be effective. As the industry evolves, optimiz...
    Suppliers to the Cadillac OPTIQ
    The Cadillac OPTIQ is manufactured at at the company’s advanced assembly plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Production of the car is expected to peak at 13175 in 2025, according to a forecast from S&P Global Mobility. With the planned production of Cadillac’s Optiq in Mexico, the GM Ramos Arizpe plant will become the second production site to produce the model, following the Cadillac Jinqiao plant in mainland China, which exclusively serves the Chinese market. Image Sourc...
    Suppliers to the new Volkswagen ID7
    The Volkswagen ID.7 is manufactured at its factory in Emden, Germany. Production of the car is expected to peak at 40998 in 2025, according to a forecast from S&P Global Mobility Image Source : Volkswagen  Suppliers to the new Volkswagen ID7 COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIERS Low -voltage battery Clarios Suspension Componets Rollax Trim Clips , Single Side Clip EFC International Door Control Unit , OnBoar...
    We will see a conflict of technologies between battery swapping and fast charging: Vikramadithya Gourineni, Executive Director, Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Limited
    S&P Global Mobility: With a global slowdown in the sale of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), several legacy automakers are beginning to increase their focus on hybrid vehicles. In India too, there are two lobbies — one that favors leapfrogging to BEVs and the other that looks at hybrids as the next best step. For Amara Raja, while hybrids and BEVs both translate into business, how do you otherwise view this transition? Vikramadithya Gourineni: I have mixed views on this transition. Both...
    South Korean battery companies accelerate development, scale for lithium iron phosphate battery ecosystem
    Intensifying competition and a global slowdown in the demand for electric vehicles are increasingly pressuring carmakers to explore ways to reduce the cost of manufacturing for wider adoption. The growing focus on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology is emerging to be a key step in that direction with almost all global automakers looking to integrate LFP chemistry into their battery portfolios, irrespective of their location. While the battery makers from mainland China, such as CA...
    Assault on battery: The impact of EV slowdown on battery investments
    Since the second half of last year, the electric vehicle segment is facing strong headwinds, much to the surprise of many, as EVs have been witnessing a strong demand in the last few years in several markets around the world. The ambitious zero-emission (ZEV) sales targets by both governments and the automakers painted a rosy picture about the EV industry and how quickly it is expected to evolve. As the novelty of EVs fades, the last several months have brought forth the realization that ther...
    Making waves in the autonomous driving industry: Wayve’s funding splash
    Wayve's recent funding represents the largest AI fundraising in the UK to date. One notable aspect of Wayve's approach to automated/autonomous driving technology is its focus on empowering a variety of manufacturers through its 'Embodied AI' technology. Unlike many competitors that rely heavily on high-definition maps and pre-programmed routes, Wayve utilizes a machine learning model that learns from vast amounts of data, simulating human learning. This adaptability enables Wayve's system to han...
    The game of tariffs: US moves to stifle EV battery imports from mainland China
    The openness of international markets, amplified by the acceleration in globalization over the past few decades, is usurped by the creeping return of protectionism. Nothing illustrates this trend better than the ongoing tug of war over electric vehicles (EVs) and their related supply chains. Policymakers in the US and European Union are rattled by the ambitions of mainland Chinese companies to expand exports of low-cost EV and EV parts, forcing them to announce new policies and reconsider import...
    How OEMs’ involvement in the battery value chain is evolving
    Owing to the geopolitical uncertainties prevalent in the battery supply chain, automakers are always looking to have more control on the sourcing of various battery components. There are three main components that make up a conventional electric vehicle lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery — the cell, the module and the pack. Automakers can, and generally have, different levels of control on the value chain of these components. A few automakers have complete vertical integration where all the three...
    Suppliers to the Mercedes Benz G-class
    The Mercedes Benz G-class is produced at the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria. Production of the car is expected to peak at 33521 in 2025, according to a forecast from S&P Global Mobility. Image Source : Mercedes-Benz  Suppliers to the Mercedes Benz G-class COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIERS Coupling Flange Hirschvogel Automotive Group Floor Carpet Auria Steering Wheel Switch Kostal Low-voltage battery ...
    InterBattery 2024: South Korean battery companies rush to commercialize solid-state batteries
    South Korean battery-makers are working overtime to put solid-state batteries into mass production, along with developing new innovative chemistries to achieve quick charging times. The InterBattery 2024, which was organized in Seoul, South Korea, between March 6–8, saw South Korean battery companies demonstrating the latest innovations in battery technologies, in addition to unveiling their business roadmaps through this decade. For the first time, Samsung SDI, one of the big-three South K...
    Thailand accelerates toward EV powerhouse status in South Asia
    The year gone by was sort of a mixed back for electric vehicles in several countries around the world. While demand for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) went up significantly in some emerging EV markets, most leading countries witnessed a lower-than-expected demand in 2023, especially during the second half of the year. In fact, demand in leading markets like Germany and Norway fell in 2023, compared with 2022. Although the global demand for PEVs grew 36% year on year, it was lower than what was...
    Suppliers to new BMW 5-Series
    The BMW 5-series is produced at the company’s Dingolfing plant in Germany . Production of the car is expected to peak at 37949 in 2024, according to a forecast from S&P Global Mobility. Image Source : BMW (ICE version shown)  Suppliers to  BMW 5-Series COMPONENT NAME SUPPLIERS Prop Shaft Hirschvogel Automotive Group Floor Carpet Auria HVAC Module Denso Low-voltage battery Clarios ...
    Baltimore: Not another port in automotive’s stormy recent history
    As the world awoke on the morning of March 26 to the news that there had been a crash involving a container ship and the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the city of Baltimore, which had caused the bridge to collapse, immediate thoughts were with the safety and welfare of all concerned. Six people are missing, presumed dead in the tragic aftermath. Traffic through the port will be suspended until further notice and looks set to cause disruption to trade and supply chains. One of the sectors that w...
    Not all things begin and end with Tesla: Mexico's burgeoning automotive supply chain
    As with everything that Tesla says and does, its investment in Mexico for a new vehicle plant has attracted much attention. The latest hubbub around the Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon, plant surrounds reports that Tesla is looking to invite its mainland Chinese suppliers at its operations in Shanghai to join it in investing in Mexico. That it is looking to bring some of its mainland Chinese suppliers to Mexico is not surprising. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) do this all the time. They have...
    Talking Heads: Apple shifts gears
    After a decade of unannounced efforts, Apple has reportedly abandoned Project Titan, its ambitious plan to develop electric vehicles. Initially, the project aimed to create an EV to rival Tesla, later shifting focus toward a self-driving car to compete with Google's Waymo. However, it eventually returned to its original focus: An EV with driving-assistance features. As a result, some of its 2,000 employees will transition to Apple's AI division, though layoffs are expected.  In the lates...
    French government rolls back some EV incentives, but will it impact demand?
    The French government has put out several new updates in its electric vehicle policy, including the rollback of €1,000 in the ecological bonus that was applicable on the acquisition of new private cars and vans for households with the highest income in the country. In the official decree published Feb. 12, the government modified the terms of the ecological bonus for the purchase or rental of a private electric car by reducing the earlier incentive of €5,000 to €4,000 for individuals wi...
    Has sodium-ion battery technology finally turned the corner in light-vehicle applications?
    The automotive industry has been in search of a viable alternative to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which is cheaper and more sustainable to produce. While experimenting with several cathode chemistries, including iron-based Li-ion batteries in low-end models and variants, the industry has also been working on sodium-ion batteries for some time now. Although iron-based Li-ion batteries such as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) are cheaper, they are una...
    INTERVIEW: Factorial Energy on the role of solid-state batteries in EVs
    In this S&P Global Mobility interview, Siyu Huang, CEO and co-founder of Factorial Energy discusses the challenges and opportunities in the production and implementation of solid-state batteries (SSBs) in electric vehicles (EVs). Huang highlights the importance of collaboration and standardization to reduce costs and enhance sustainability in the supply chain. Huang explains that SSBs have the potential to address the limitations of current lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in EVs, such as r...
    INTERVIEW: Being asset light is a huge advantage for us, but also a challenge to scaling: StoreDot
    StoreDot is at the forefront of developing a next-generation lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery that is expected to enable extreme fast charging. The Israel-headquartered startup is developing silicon-based Li-ion batteries that replace graphite from the anode. The company has partnered with some of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers and is already testing its cells with them. StoreDot is on the verge of demonstrating its technology in a production-bound EV model and is expecting commercializa...
    How will mainland China’s graphite export curbs impact battery demand
    In an ever-evolving trade war between two of the world’s largest economies, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Oct. 20, 2023, that it would deploy a temporary export control measure on graphite, a critical raw material used in manufacturing batteries. The measure was later implemented as a state policy on Dec. 1, 2023. Mainland China’s implementation of the graphite export control policy came about four months after it had announced restrictions on exports of germanium and galliu...
    Aehra's EV strategy: Shunning the kilowatt power race for user-focused, smooth journeys
    In this S&P Global Mobility interview with Franco Cimatti, chief engineering officer of Aehra, a Milan-based start-up, he discusses the company's clean-sheet approach to designing battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). He also touches on Aehra's positioning, differentiation in the ultra-premium electric vehicle market, the transition from hybrids to full EV solutions, and their partnerships for carbon fiber and battery technology. The discussion delves into Aehra's vision for EV charging, bidirec...
    Tracking the carbon footprint of electric vehicle batteries
    Those who think it is a case of job done in terms of action on climate change for the auto industry, in the wake of the industry’s rapid adoption of electric vehicles, need to think again. We were gently reminded of this when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in its recently released yearbook, highlighted that although businesses, investors and governments are stepping up to take climate action in greater numbers than ever before, it is not enough. The applica...
    INTERVIEW: Manufacturing solid-state batteries cost-effectively is the biggest challenge, says Sakuu’s Arwed Niestroj
    Solid-state batteries (SSB) have long been projected as the next big thing in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that can address most of the technological limitations associated with Li-ion batteries. Many believe that SSBs can change the electric vehicle landscape completely by making EVs a lot more practical and safer. However, the road to mass production of SSBs is still long with several challenges that need to be ironed out. Srikant Jayanthan of S&P Global Mobility spoke with Arwed Niestro...
    Will new FEOC guidelines narrow the funnel for Chinese companies to qualify for IRA tax credits?
    A little over 15 months after the US President Joe Biden signed the US Inflation Reduction Act (US IRA) into law, the government has released guidance on the foreign entity of concern (FEOC), further raising the eligibility criteria for electric vehicles to qualify for a total tax credit of $7,500. On Dec. 1, 2023, the US Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published guidance on compliance with the prohibitions around FEOC in relation to the IRA’s Section 30D Clean Ve...
    Shifting dynamics in the LFP market
    The global electric vehicle (EV) transition faces hurdles due to geopolitical turbulence and vulnerability in the critical raw-material supply chain, risking a slowdown in battery production expansion. Oscillating prices of essential battery metals are putting pressure on supplier and original equipment manufacturer profits, leading to increased component and vehicle prices. Complicating the EV transition is trade friction, evidenced by the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA’s) activities in ...
    Looming EV raw materials supply crunch has OEMs eyeing battery recycling and production scrap
    The expected increase in global EV sales by the end of the decade will put huge pressure on the supply chain for critical battery raw materials such as cobalt, nickel and lithium. For example, despite a current surplus in lithium, demand projections for the mineral will likely be in deficit by 2027, according to a forecast by S&P Global Market Intelligence. That will create a bottleneck for automotive supply and drive the industry’s focus toward battery recycling to keep EV battery costs d...
    Startups assume key position in next-generation EV battery technology development
    There is a viewpoint that the current generation lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery for electric vehicles is close to reaching its performance peak and would need to evolve to meet EV owners’ requirements. The advancement of EV battery technology will be one of the keys to making EVs more practical and affordable. Several novel battery technologies are under development currently, and it remains to be seen which one takes the lead. With the automotive industry’s investments already stretched th...
    Analysis: Why CO2 emissions matter in automotive, EV battery supply chains
    As global leaders recently met in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 to discuss progress on the race to net zero, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC's) latest yearbook revealed that although businesses, investors, governments and states are stepping up to take climate action in greater numbers than ever before, the efforts are still not at the scale needed to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C within this century. The...
    Automotive Supplier Outlook 2024
    The automotive industry grappled with a range of challenges this year, including ongoing supply chain disruptions, chip shortages, rising energy costs, inflation, recession fears, waning consumer demand, a shift towards software and electronics, labor shortages, strike action, and volatile order forecasts. It also faced several geopolitical concerns and challenges, including the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China, which resulted in tariffs and trade barriers that disrupted global su...
    Talking Heads: Key themes for 2024
    As we approach the end of 2023, our “Talking Heads” series delves into conversations with the practice leads at AutoTechInsight. The aim is to explore the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in their respective domains. The automotive industry faces challenges and opportunities shaped by the pandemic and technological advancements. Electrification is a key factor impacting new car prices, especially in Europe. A potential price war among EVs in mainland China is a concern. Afforda...
    Solid-state batteries: SSB is not as easy as ABC
    Hard to believe, but the lithium-ion battery,  which has been synonymous with the auto industry’s electrification phase, not to mention the proliferation of personal electronic goods, is ripe for redevelopment. There have been different chemistries coming in and out of vogue, mainly involving the choice of cathode material, but the fundamentals have remained in place since the first commercialization in 1981. Now, development is advanced for one of the most fundamental elements of the ...
    Four factors shaping the battery metals market
    Amid persistent macroeconomic uncertainty, spot demand for battery metals has waned over 2023, contributing to a general weakening of metals prices, down from record price highs in 2022. But the horizon for energy transition-related demand has arrived, spurred forward by various government initiatives that have supported plug-in electric vehicle uptake to decarbonize the transport sector and a focus on renewable energy sources. Batteries are the most expensive component of electric vehicle...
    CATL focuses on innovation and overseas investments to keep growing
    Mainland China-based battery-cell maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL) is already one of the leading lithium-ion (Li-ion) cell suppliers to the automotive industry. Established in 2011, CATL catered to more than 29% of the demand of Li-ion batteries from the light-vehicle segment in 2022. The company competes with suppliers such as LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and Panasonic. In 2022, CATL Group (including all its joint ventures) supplied more than 187 GWh of Li-ion cells to th...
    Battery recycling climbs up the priority list of OEMs
    During the life cycle of an electric vehicle (EV), battery cell manufacturing and raw material mining has the biggest contribution toward CO2 emissions. The other major challenge is with the supply of critical raw materials, such as cobalt, nickel and lithium. As EV uptake picks up pace, production of lithium-ion battery cells will also have to expand in line to meet the demand. This is expected to put huge pressure on the raw material supply chain of these materials. Along with availa...
    Can the industry follow Tesla’s transition to 48V architecture soon?
    Recently, Tesla announced that it will transition its electrical and electronics (E/E) architecture from 12V to 48V. The purpose behind this decision is to structurally improve power efficiency and further advance vehicle lightweighting. The decision is in line with Tesla's strategy to pursue architectural and modular innovation, and signifies the strengthening of its component ecosystem. During Tesla's Investor Day in March, the company hinted at the adoption of a 48V-based E/E architecture....
    UAW expands strike at GM, Stellantis after a week of standoff with Detroit Three
    After a week into the persisting standoff with the Detroit Three – General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Stellantis – the United Auto Workers (UAW) announced on September 22 that it is expanding the ongoing strike to 38 parts distribution locations across 20 states in the US. In its second wave, the UAW strike aims to target the aftersales and service facilities, which is expected to have a direct and immediate impact on the carmaker’s dealerships, and therefore customers. While the UA...
    Shifting gears from Frankfurt to Munich and the race for electric dominance
    Previously known as the Frankfurt Motor Show, the IAA Mobility relocated to Munich in 2021, shifting the focus away from the traditional static motor show to giving practical demonstrations of new technology. While the ritualistic wall-to-wall “thumpin’-and-pumpin’” music inside the Messe Frankfurt every other September is but a distant memory, the sheer range of exciting new electric and autonomous vehicle concepts are still on display in different locations in Germany’s third-largest...
    Our battery technology delivers a platform for manufacturing efficient, affordable EVs: OneD Battery Sciences
    S&P Global Mobility: How was OneD Battery Sciences established? Please tell us about the origin of ‘SINANODE’ platform. Vincent Pluvinage: I have lived in the Silicon Valley since 1987, and I have taken a couple of companies public. Since 2001–02, I have been active in Silicon Valley as an investor, mainly focusing on innovative technologies, where I can use my physics and bioengineering background, to bring to market technologies that are well patented. I am an inventor at heart...
    Suppliers to Volkswagen ID3
     The Volkswagen ID3 is produced at  the parent plant in Wolfsburg in Germany. The vehicle is expected to peak at more than 43,000  in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    ROUND TABLE: How AI is reshaping engineering in the automotive industry
    AI can address specific original equipment manufacturer challenges, enabling greater product development efficiency and faster time to market, which are crucial in the highly competitive automotive industry. Marking the first of our series of roundtable discussions with automotive industry specialists, we gathered three experts to learn more about the current and potential use of AI in the automotive industry, covering sales efficiency, potential job creation, regulatory aspects and its role in ...
    Batteries on the brink: Opportunities and challenges
    Sustainability vs. economics Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in operation will reach 171 million units globally in 2032, according to S&P Global Mobility. What will happen to all those end-of-life batteries? The race is on to recycled electric vehicle (EV) batteries. But at what cost and who stands to gain? EV sales are blossoming but it is still a waiting game for battery recyclers. Where and when is the window of opportunity for high-voltage battery recycling? A new study by S&...
    Suppliers to the new Volkswagen ID7
    The Volkswagen  ID.7 is produced at the company’s plant Emden in Germany. The vehicle is expected to peak at more than 49967  in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    White paper: Electrification technology in reshaped supply chains for ubiquitous EVs
    With the rapid rates of electric vehicle adoption continuing in major markets globally, legislative agendas supporting aggressive transitions to phase out mainstream internal combustion engine (ICE) usage, and supply chains gearing up accordingly, the narrative around electrification technology is shifting toward one of maturity and scale. Click the link above to download the full article.
    INTERVIEW: Urbix on graphite and other promising anode technologies
    Graphite has been traditionally used in the automotive sector for brake linings and clutch materials. However, its significance has been increasing due to its crucial role in electric vehicle batteries. Graphite serves as the anode material in these batteries, and there are no viable alternatives. The rising popularity of hybrid and all-electric vehicles, along with grid storage systems, has triggered a surge in demand and generated new business for Urbix, a graphite processor, says it is helpin...
    Dry electrode coating process gaining prominence in lithium-ion cell manufacturing
    The general belief that 100% electrification of vehicles is a silver bullet to end all emissions-related concerns of the automotive sector is not as convincing anymore, as the focus is squarely on net zero, the ambit of which extends far beyond zero tailpipe emissions. The net-zero emissions concept includes the manufacturing process, the source of the energy used in manufacturing and the emissions emanating from the entire supply chain. In the current scenario, manufacturing of the Li-on cel...
    What Toyota’s staggering announcements on battery technologies, giga castings mean
    In its most elaborate presentation so far, on June 13 Toyota Motor Corp. shared details of its strategic technology roadmap including the developments on new battery chemistries, hydrogen fuel cells and the pathway to achieve significant cost reduction in manufacturing electric vehicles. One of the largest carmakers in the world with a significant technology advantage on plug-in hybrid EVs and patents on EV batteries, Toyota has been visibly lagging in rolling out pure battery electric vehicl...
    Strong policies push North America and Europe up in the Li-ion battery value chain
    Greater China is going to see some strong competition in lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell manufacturing space, thanks to new localization mandates being introduced in regions, such as Europe and North America, which is attracting a lot of interest from cell makers for setting up new cell production plants. According to the recently published “Global battery cell production capacity tracker 2023” from S&P Global Mobility, the global battery manufacturing capacity is expected to grow a...
    INTERVIEW: Charging trends and the 30-minute retail economy
    The current electric vehicle charging infrastructure offering is diverse in terms of product quality, user experience and payment systems. Sometimes chargers are out of service. Sometimes the payment system is down. Given that the EV charging network is still in its infancy, there is plenty of room for improvement. To learn more about tomorrow’s charging infrastructure, trends in the public transport charging space and the 30-minute retail economy, we spoke to Bill Loewenthal, chief product of...
    INTERVIEW: Spotlight on Manganese
    The role of manganese in the battery-material conversation is frequently disregarded, given that it is used in smaller amounts compared with other metals in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Its primary function is as a stabilizer in the cathode. However, there is growing OEM and investor interest in manganese. Tesla and Volkswagen have expressed interest in shifting their Li-ion battery designs away from cobalt and nickel and toward manganese. Mainland China dominates the manganese market, accoun...
    Can Brazil’s commercial truck fleet turn electric?
    In Brazil, intermodal transport is limited, with average truck trips spanning more than 2,000 km. Combine that with a commercial truck fleet averaging 12 years of age, and a lack of affordable options to replace with new vehicles, and Brazil is facing a truck-emissions timebomb. Brazil has a truck parc of 2.2 million units, and the movements to modernize the fleet by agribusiness, e-commerce and construction have contributed to reducing the fleet average age. However, while the emission restr...
    INTERVIEW: Aehra on the opportunities and challenges for a battery-electric vehicle startup
    The switch to electrification means there is an opportunity for startup automakers unburdened by legacy costs and investments to change the way cars are designed and built. “We assessed the waters with a few SPACs and found the level of redemptions, mixed with the cost overburden of being public too soon was entirely counterproductive.” “We see electric mobility as an opportunity, a brand leveller. Where perceptions of certain brands and products may have lagged reality in the past, u...
    Suppliers to the new BMW i5
    The BMW i5 is produced at company’s Group Plant Dingolfing in Germany. The electric vehicle is expected to peak at more than 39722 in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    Titan Silicon can completely replace graphite from battery anode: Sila Nanotechnologies
    Sila’s anode material plant in Moses Lake, Washington, will produce enough material to serve up to 200,000 electric vehicles in its first phase. With Mercedes-Benz as its first official customer, Sila is working through an early qualification process with other potential customers. Sila’s innovative silicon materials can entirely replace graphite from battery anode. Berdichevsky gives a detailed account of how Sila was formed, the advantages of breakthrough silicon anodes in EV...
    Suppliers to the new Cupra Leon
    The Cupra Leon  is produced at built at Martorell plant in Spain. The VW’s SEAT is expected to peak at more than 52311 in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    Fuel for Thought: ICE shakeout
    The time for denial is over. There are still suppliers of parts related to internal combustion engines that are steadfast in their belief that the looming (and eventual) shift away from ICE toward any number of battery-electric propulsion formats is just a passing fad. In their view, scores of OEMs, suppliers, dealers and infrastructure partners have it completely wrong. They believe that the billions in investment earmarked in virtually every major global market to build a new ecosystem are cap...
    LFP battery making its position stronger in light EV segment
    For decades, the desire to find a middle ground between cost and performance has been driving the automotive industry toward newer, more efficient technologies. As the age of automotive electrification dawns, we see this happening more prominently, especially for batteries. Batteries account for the biggest share (around 30-40%) in the cost of an electric vehicle (EV). Any reduction in this cost will help bring cost parity between an EV and an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. Althoug...
    Charging ahead: McLaren Applied on the next ‘wave’ of electrification
    UK-based McLaren Applied is a specialist in vehicle electrification, particularly inverters. It recently struck a deal with STMicroelectronics for the supply of silicon carbide power modules for its 800V inverter. Inverter technology is rapidly adopting silicon carbide semiconductors, and McLaren has turned to the Geneva-based company in the absence of a local supply chain. To learn more about the inverters market and the migration from distributed ECU E/E architecture to a centralized zona...
    Talking Heads: Forever chemicals
    Last January, five European countries - Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden - submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to restrict PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the EU under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. The group are calling for an EU ban on PFAS as early as 2026, pointing to recent studies that have linked the chemicals’ exposure to a wide range of health problems. The proposed r...
    Fewer EVs qualify through US Treasury’s guidelines on battery sourcing
    On March 31, the US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released proposed guidance on the new clean vehicle provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was signed into law in August 2022. Aimed at incentivizing the domestic production of electric vehicles (EV) and batteries and reducing dependency on foreign supply chains, the proposed guidance, according to the US government, intends to provide clarity and certainty to manufacturers on the IRA requiremen...
    EVangelists: Putting the electric cart before the power generation horsepower?
    One of the most recognized patterns in current well-to-wheel analysis is the differentiation of localized power generation sources and supply chain contributions to the overall carbon footprint of vehicles. Experts like Kelly Senecal rightly point out that in many cases, the power grid is dirtier than a hybrid, even when vehicles manufacturing energy sources are responsibly developed.  Click the link above to download the full article.
    Europe moves closer to implementing battery passports for EV batteries
    The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a provisional agreement on a proposal to strengthen the sustainability rules for batteries in December 2022. The Parliament and the Council said they are also open to further discussions on the new technological developments and future challenges pertaining to the batteries and battery materials. The negotiating representatives on both sides agreed that a carbon footprint declaration and label must be made mandatory for batter...
    Tesla Investor Day 2023: Tesla focuses on the ‘big picture’
    Tesla's co-founder and CEO Elon Musk believes that the desire for people to own a Tesla car is very high. The limiting factor is the (un)affordability of these cars. Remedying that seems to be the next goal for Musk as he wants to reduce the cost of producing the next-generation Tesla models by almost half, making them more affordable. On 1 March, Tesla hosted its Investor’s Day at its Texas gigafactory, where it presented its ‘Master Plan 3’, which succeeds the previous two Master...
    Suppliers to the new Ford Ranger
    The Ford Ranger is produced at at the Michigan Assembly Plant ,USA. The vehicle is expected to peak at more than 75484 in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    Suppliers to the 2023 Volvo EX90
    The Volvo EX90 is built at Volvo's Charleston, South Carolina plant. The full-sized SUV is expected to peak at more than 46585 in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    Supplier to the new Mercedes-Benz GLC
    The Mercedes-Benz GLC produced at the at the Beijing plant in China. The vehicle is expected to peak at more than 122981 in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    Unable to find investors, Britishvolt files for insolvency
    Battery startup Britishvolt filed a notice to appoint an administrator in the insolvency courts in the UK on January 17, 2023, after failing to raise funds from new and existing investors to keep the business afloat. While a majority of 300 existing employees have lost their jobs as an immediate consequence of Britishvolt’s liquidation, the development is also being seen as a blow to the UK government’s efforts of establishing a flourishing ecosystem for electric vehicle (EV) and battery man...
    Talking Heads: CES – the wrap
    In 2023, some 300 exhibitors showcased their vehicle technology. Its increasing importance – usurping the traditional auto shows like NAIAS, Paris, IAA and Geneva along the way – is demonstrated if we wind back the clock to 2014. Then, there were just nine OEMs present and some 125 automotive technology exhibitors. With this growth has also come maturity. The 2023 CES was less about fanciful concepts and more about tangible. Click the link above to download the full article.
    Visual interaction is moving to the forefront of HMI design
    Automotive display HMI is growing in demand owning to convenience features and enhancing customer experience. Moreover, in the coming years development of multi-display will not only provide greater freedom of information usage and control between driver and passenger, but it will also reduce product development complexities and costs for automakers. Although, in real-terms automakers will invest more during the initial years to gain longer-term benefits. Automakers are also engaged in the devel...
    BorgWarner spins off fuel systems, aftermarket businesses to sharpen EV focus
    In an attempt to sharpen its focus on electric vehicle (EV) technologies while accelerating growth under the “Charging Forward” strategy, the Michigan-based automotive component supplier BorgWarner Inc. said on December 6, 2022, that it plans to spin off its fuel systems and aftermarket businesses into a separate, publicly traded company (NewCo). The announcement comes amid the ongoing global shift to EVs as both automakers and component suppliers transition supply chains and their respec...
    Talking Heads: Key themes for 2023
    The current year has again been dominated by the chip crisis. Overlaid on this has been the worsening macroeconomic position due to the fallout from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has had knock-on effects for the industry in terms of demand surety. In turn this has brought an end to the era of cheap capital, which has served to slow the burgeoning mobility startup ecosystem. In the broader sense the sector looks set to be heading to a phase where demand-side considerations replace the curren...
    Update on the semiconductor shortage and outlook for 2023 and beyond
    From the first rumblings out of China in December 2020 the semiconductor has gone on to dominate discussions around the automotive sector. The issues are still ongoing – just last week Jaguar Land Rover announced it was slowing production of certain models due to a continuing supply squeeze – and a few voices in the industry are being heard speculating that the crunch will last until 2026. To get a perspective on the current situation and future developments we talked with Jeremie Bouchaud, ...
    Talking Heads: CASE on the road to nowhere?
    The CASE megatrends – connected, autonomous, shared and electric – in case you’ve not been paying attention, have been the hot topics of the automotive industry in the past decade. They’ve even given rise to talk of the industry in the whole as the mobility industry rather than the more prosaic automotive industry. But is the CASE narrative running into trouble? Hot on the heels of the news that Ford and VW were exiting their Argo AI autonomous driving technology venture came news out...
    Highlights from the 2022 Paris Motor Show
    The biennial Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l'Automobile in French) alternates with the Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2022 edition, which took place from 17–23 October 2022 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, returned in four years after the last one planned in March 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic. The 2022 edition of the show also indicated that automotive shows are becoming a diminishing affair. The list of no-shows included Stellantis’s Fiat, Maserati and Alfa-Romeo brands; VW and ...
    Geothermal brines: The key to low-emission localized lithium supply chains?
    The progressive rise in vehicle electrification has driven a massive increase in demand for lithium products applicable in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. While capacity expansions of the base chemical have largely stayed ahead of demand, geographical concentration of the chemical’s upstream extraction and midstream processing sectors in Latin America and mainland China respectively combined with logistical freight issues caused by the pandemic have driven an exponential hike in spot prices (...
    Winter is Coming
    With energy prices in Europe skyrocketing, placing business bottom lines in triage mode, a harsh winter could place certain automotive sectors at risk of being unable to keep their production lines running. Click the link above to download the article.
    Highlights from the 2022 North American International Auto Show
    The 2022 edition of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) featured a redesigned layout, with the main exhibits and many events indoors at Huntington Place, and other events outdoors in nearby Hart Plaza. Participation was limited this year, with hometown automakers—Ford, General Motors (GM), and Stellantis—carrying the show. Other major exhibitors were Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz. With many other big automakers and brands keeping away from the show, the ma...
    Landmark Umicore deal key to Volkswagen’s EV battery strategy in Europe
    On 26 September 2022, Europe’s largest carmaker Volkswagen Group’s newly established battery company PowerCo and Brussels-based material supplier Umicore announced setting up a joint venture (JV) for precursor and cathode material production in Europe, starting from 2025. The landmark agreement with Umicore is expected to be critical for VW, which has two major long-term milestones to achieve: prepare for the European Union’s regulatory requirement of allowing sale of only zero-carbon-emis...
    Inflation Reduction Act 2022 remains a tough call for carmakers to avail EV tax credits
    It has been almost a month since the Democrats in the US Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA 2022), which became legislation on 16 August 2022 after the US President Joe Biden signed the act. While carmakers and their suppliers across the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain have been scrambling to decode the new mandates, auto industry lobbies from Europe, South Korea, and Japan have already expressed deep concerns about the ability of global carmakers to meet the requi...
    Suppliers to the new Jeep Grand Cherokee
    According to S&P Global Mobility, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee's highest year of production will be 2023, when more than 175780 units will be produced.
    Suppliers to the new Renault Austral
    The new third generation Austral mid-sized SUV is assembled at the carmaker's facility in Palencia, Spain. S&P Global Mobility forecasts that the highest year of production for this SUV will be 2023, when more than 117326 units will be produced.  
    Suppliers to the new Dodge Hornet
    Built in Stellantis’ factory in Pomigliano, Italy ,  Dodge Hornet is expected to peak at more than 32430 in 2023, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    How the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 impacts the US EV ecosystem
    On 7 August 2022, Democrats in the US Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which aims to not only take control of rising inflation by reducing the fiscal deficit but also invest in domestic manufacturing of renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs), secure the necessary supply chain, and cut down the carbon footprint by roughly 40% by 2030. The proposal made within the purview of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) expects to raise about USD739 billion and invest about ...
    Suppliers to the new Mercedes-Benz EQE
    The new EQE SUV is assembled at the Mercedes-Benz Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama. Tuscaloosa is a key production location for Mercedes-EQ luxury electric SUVs, including the EQS SUV and the EQE SUV, which will be available later this year. According to S&P Global Mobility, the highest year of production for this SUV will be 2023, when more than 36810 units will be produced.
    How rapid electrification of vehicles will impact the coolant industry?
    The need to establish a sustainable global transportation system, which accounts for nearly one-third of the global carbon emissions, is leading to rapid electrification of vehicles across segments. As several countries continue to tighten the emission norms for automobiles and roll out new policies for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), vehicle manufacturers are increasingly investing in their respective product portfolios, supply chains, new technologies, and EV ecosystem to ensure that ...
    Software complexity starting to cost CEOs their job
    Complexity in the software has increased to a level where it has become not just difficult to debug and maintain, but it has compounded an OEM’s already difficult situation to comprehend the overall system interactions between various electronic control units (ECUs) and to properly test all the various combinations of features in a car. Most of the software in vehicles is written by suppliers that also use third-party software and work with externals, so the OEM’s control on the result is ve...
    Suppliers to the new Tesla Model Y
    The Tesla Model Y is manufactured at the automaker's factory in Gruenheide, Germany. Output of the mid-size SUV is expected to peak at more than 241600 in 2023, according to IHS Markit.
    Will China drive global alignment in EV battery swap standards?
    China, the largest electric car market in the world, is expected to drive global benchmarks in electric vehicle battery swapping practices, as well as the emerging battery-as-a-service, or BaaS, industry. Neither the EV battery swap model is new nor it was invented in China. However, it is the only market where several companies have implemented the model successfully and have concrete plans to further scale it up as a direct result of the supportive government policies. The established Chinese ...
    Suppliers to the new BMW X1
    Built at Regensburg factory in Germany, the third-generation BMW X1 is expected to peak at more than 132194 in 2023, according to S&P Global Mobility forecast.
    The evolving landscape of inverter technology in EVs
    The automotive industry is slowly but steadily moving toward an electric future. Several factors are at play that will determine the pace of this transition from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to electrified vehicles. One of the key factors is certainly the performance of the EV, especially the range that it will offer in the real-world driving conditions. Slapping a bigger battery onto the EV will give the additional range, but that will significantly add to the cost and weight of the ve...
    Battery Industrialisation Centre underpins U.K. push for manufacturing and technology leadership
    UKBIC is a national battery manufacturing development facility, commissioned to aid and accelerate battery manufacturing in the UK, as well as educating and upskilling the battery sector workforce in preparation for mass production. UKBIC is a publicly funded, open access facility, funded by the Faraday Battery Challenge under the watch of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Located on a 2...
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