EV challenges and innovation

Issue # 227, November 27, 2023

The electric vehicle (EV) industry continues to innovate, to leverage opportunities and to address challenges it faces. Hyundai's smart factory in Singapore for example can deliver a personlized EV in six hours, run by AI and robots with least human intervention. Global car makers look at best practices from China for EV manufacture. Single-crystal materials for electrodes can significantly extend the life of sold-state batteries. The ultra-hard stainless steel sheets Tesla planned to use in cybertrucks have thrown challenges in the vehicle manufacture. Toyota's hybrid approach vs a full EV approach gets attention as EV sales slows down in the US. Cost effective separators for zinc batteries can give a boost for this technology, as an alternative for Lithium-ion batteries. Below are some challenges faced by the EV industry and the innovative ideas that have come out.

Smart factories for personalized EVs

Hyundai can now build and deliver cars just six hours after an order is placed using minimally staffed factories, run by AI with robots to do the key manufacturing work. Showcased for the first time at its new Innovation Centre in Singapore, this ‘Smart’ facility – currently producing the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and, from 2024, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 – will be used as a test bed for scores of similar sites that will pop up in cities around the world. These new-era electric car factories will serve local urban markets, with a major focus on personalisation and customer experience. - Autocar

Lessons from China in EVs

Global automakers turn to China for EV lessons. Volkswagen for example takes a little less than four years to get a new product to the market, while Chinese companies are able to do so in a little more than 2½ years. Now it is aiming to cut its vehicle development process to about 2½ years. That would be achieved through a bundle of actions, some of which are inspired by the Chinese way. One is to use more Chinese components obtained from speedy local suppliers, rather than relying on German ones. From display and media systems to EV batteries and headlights, Volkswagen said sourcing these items from Chinese suppliers will cut development time by roughly 30% and costs by between 20% to 40%. - WSJ

Single-crystal electrolyte for solid-state battery

A Japanese company has developed a new material with a government lab that it says will greatly extend the life of solid-state batteries, an emerging next-generation technology. Koike worked with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology to produce a single-crystal material that can be used as an electrolyte in solid-state batteries. - Nikkei Asia

The Cybertruck's material challenges

With the Cybertruck, Tesla sought to break from convention by cladding its electric pickup in ultrahard stainless steel, a material that doesn’t need to be painted, resists dents and adds to the vehicle’s distinctive look. The choice of metal has further complicated an already difficult new-model launch. The stainless steel has been difficult to shape into panels without gaps or alignment issues. The stainless steel is made in "coils that resemble giant rolls of toilet paper." As a result, the metal is prone to curving and attempting to resume its previous shape, even when it has been flattened. - WSJ

EVs or hybrids in future?

Elon Musk’s vision for an EV future is being challenged anew by Toyota and its re-energized hybrid plans. Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda had stubbornly cautioned that the all-in EV approach wasn’t what many customers wanted or were prepared for. Months later, as the likes of Ford and General Motors pulled back their EV production plans, Toyoda seemed to gloat. “People are finally seeing reality," Toyoda said last month. - WSJ

Zinc battery separators

Japanese chemical group Nippon Shokubai will scale up production as early as next year of a main component in rechargeable zinc batteries, an emerging alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Mass production of separators for zinc batteries remains rare, and the development could give a major boost to the supply chain, helping to popularize a low-cost storage option for renewable energy. - Nikkei Asia