News: Passenger Cars, Minivans, and SUVs

2024-08-24

Alternative Power Report, August 2024

Alternative Power Report – Aug 2024Download

The August issue of PSR’s Alternative Power Report includes several articles on battery development, including ones describing news at Tesla. This month’s report also includes news on hydrogen power and the decline in diesel sales. PSR

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

2024-07-15

Canada Considers Tariffs on Chinese EVs Similar To US and EU Moves

ALTERNATIVE POWER REPORT
Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

The Canadian government is preparing tariffs on Chinese-made EVs to align with the US and European Union, which have already proposed heavy duties to deter “unfair” competition imported from overseas

The country holds strong ties with the US and EU and looks to align with its trade partners in solidarity while blocking a potential loophole China could use to enter North America.

Source: Electrek: Read The Article

PSR Analysis:  Canada is still in the early stages of these tariffs, with discussion ongoing. Prime Minister Trudeau has not publicly committed Canada to imposing tariffs on Chinese EVs, stating the cabinet is monitoring the situation closely.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

EU Tariffs Hit Chinese EVs, Draw Stern Words from Beijing

The European Commission told automakers (July 11, 2024) it would impose extra duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese electric cars starting in July 2024, risking retaliation from Beijing, which called the move protectionist. Less than a month after Washington announced plans to quadruple duties for Chinese EVs to 100%, Brussels said it would set additional tariffs ranging from 17.4% for BYD to 38.1% for SAIC, on top of the standard 10% car duty. It said this was to combat excessive subsidies

it’s worth noting that commercial EV sales are soaring.  PSR

Source: Reuters (via MSN): Read The Article

PSR Analysis: On the face of it, this seems like the start of a trade war with Chinese automakers demanding retaliatory tariffs on European cars, however several EU member states have already started to back track (led by Germany) so it remains to be seen as to what the eventual outcome will be.  

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

EV Sales Headed for Long-Term Growth

ALTERNATIVE POWER REPORT

The short-term picture for EV growth is mixed, but long-term prospects look good. EV sales will continue to grow despite the mixed near-term outlook, according to BloombergNEF’s Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook (EVO) which indicates that rapidly falling battery prices, advancements in next-gen battery technology, and improving relative economics of EVs with ICE counterparts continue to underpin long-term EV growth globally.

Global passenger EV sales are expected to continue to grow, but at a slower pace in the next few years.

Source: Electrek: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: We have seen articles incorrectly claiming that the EV market is in decline, so it’s a welcome article that lays out clearly why the market is expected to slow but not decline while ICE engines peaked in 2017 and have started a long term decline. PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Belgium May Lose Audi Car Production in Brussels

EUROPE REPORT 

Audi said it intends to “restructure” its Forest production site in Brussels, a move that clearly could end with the site closing by 2027. Production of the model Q8 e-tron, the only model produced in Forest, will end sooner than was expected. Audi Brussels manufactured about 53,000 cars in 2023, but the sale of the large Q8 car with a high price tag (the catalog price starts at 86,000 EUR) does not meet market demand in Europe.

The possible closure could put more than 1500 employees out of work. The full production of the electric SUV Q8 e-tron will be relocated to Mexico and China where production costs will be lower than in Europe.

Read More»

LG, Hyundai Open Indonesia EV Battery Plant

SOUTH KOREA REPORT

South Korean battery giants LG Energy Solutions and Hyundai Motor have opened their first battery plant in Indonesia. The plant will produce batteries for electric vehicles to be sold locally and in neighboring countries. Indonesian President Joko made the announcement at a ceremony held July 3 in the Karawang region near the capital, Jakarta, to mark the opening of the new plant.

The investment is $1.2 billion, split 50-50 between LG Energy and Hyundai Motor. The annual battery production capacity is 10 GWh, which is equivalent to 150,000 electric vehicles. The plan is to invest an additional $2 billion in the second phase to increase the capacity to 20 GWh.

The company will produce lithium-ion batteries using a cathode material called NCMA. The high nickel content increases battery performance and range. The new plant will be LG Energy’s fifth production site in Southeast Asia, following those in South Korea, Poland, China and the U.S.

LG Energy has already supplied NCMA to Tesla, among others. In addition to Indonesia, the new plant will also serve as an export base for batteries used in electric vehicles sold by Hyundai Motor in neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, India, South Korea and elsewhere.

Source: The Nikkei

PSR Analysis:  South Korea, which is positioning its battery industry as a key national industry, is moving very fast. The fact that it was able to get its battery plant up and running before its competitors may give it an advantage in its future business development in the region. But China’s CATL, the world’s largest EV battery manufacturer, plans to build new factories for batteries, battery materials and battery recycling in Indonesia in cooperation with local companies. The investment is about $6 billion. The news of the new plant in Indonesia is good news for South Korea’s automotive industry, but whether South Korea will be able to maintain a stable supply of EV battery materials in the future remains to be seen yet. PSR

Akihiro Komuro is Research Analyst, Far East and Southeast Asia, for Power Systems Research

Chinese Joint Venture Begins Mississippi Battery Plant

CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao
Jack Hao

ACT Company (AMPLIFY CELL TECHNOLOGIES LLC ), a Chinese a joint venture company, has broken ground for a battery production plant in Mississippi.

ACT Company was established by EVE Energy’s wholly owned subsidiary EVE Energy US, Cummins, Daimler Trucks, and Paccar. The joint venture will produce prismatic lithium iron phosphate batteries, mainly for designated North American commercial vehicle applications. It will have an annual production capacity of about 21GWh and will provide more than 2,000 local jobs.

The project is expected to start shipping in 2026, and the three foreign enterprises and their affiliates will become the main customers, purchasing most of the products from the factory.

ACT Company is the first project of EVE Energy’s CLS model, aiming to enhance the flexibility and competitiveness in the global cooperation process, and to work with more partners to jointly promote sustainable development. The successful beginning of this project marks the entry of EVE Energy into a new stage of global development.

Read More»

2024-07-14

Honda To Cut Thai Car Production

THAILAND REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Honda said it plans to integrate its two automotive manufacturing plants in Thailand by 2025. The move will cut annual production capacity in Thailand by 50% to 270,000 units.

Production at the Ayutthaya plant will be discontinued and consolidated at the Prachinburi plant in central Thailand. The Ayutthaya plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units. Honda’s total production capacity in Thailand is 270,000 units, but there was a surplus of 147,000 units in 2011. The company will improve the profitability of its four-wheel business by reducing fixed costs. The Ayutthaya plant will continue to be used as an auto parts plant.

Source: The Nikkei

PSR Analysis:  Just last month in PowerTALK, I reported on Suzuki’s withdrawal from four-wheel production in Thailand, and now it is clear that Honda is also struggling in the Thai market due to the rapid growth of EVs, with the Japanese brand’s share falling 8% year-on-year to 78% in 2023. By 2024, the share is expected to fall even further.

While some in Europe and the U.S. are discussing a review of BEVs, the debate is not as active in Southeast Asia. The region has reserves of rare metals needed for EV batteries, and each country has positioned EV manufacturing as a growth driver for its national manufacturing industry. Since it is difficult to change policy, EVs will continue to be promoted in the future. PSR

Akihiro Komuro is Research Analyst, Far East and Southeast Asia, for Power Systems Research

2024-06-18

China Threatens EU, U.S. with Tariffs Up To 25%

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

Trade tensions have continually risen among China, the European Union, and the US in recent years, with much of the drama surrounding imported EVs, so 10 days after the Biden administration introduced a 100% tariff on several categories of Chinese goods, including EVs, China has threatened to retaliate with tariffs on its own vehicle imports.

The EU has also been included in this threat but while it is conducting a probe into China’s EV exports, it has placed this probe on a temporary halt pending EU’s elections

Source: Electrek: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: With China not having enough car carriers to export all the EVs it is manufacturing, it’s very hard to see the EU not following the tariff route, but the real question that arises is whether or not this will lead to a trade war. China produces so many EVs that it needs to export, it’s also hard to see how they can retaliate without widening the areas affected. PSR Top of Form

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research