EV market news for July 2019
On July 1 Electrek
reported:
Tesla Electric Airplane? Elon Musk sees electric aircraft in 5 years." Quoting a Musk tweet when asked about electric planes: "Yes, but still a bit too limited on range. That will change in coming years as battery energy density improves." When he revealed that he had a design for an electric VTOL aircraft, Musk estimated that Li-Ion batteries would need to achieve a 400 Wh/kg energy density in order for batteries to beat kerosene and his electric aircraft to be viable. Today, battery cells with high cycles are achieving about 300 Wh/kg of energy density.
On July 9 New Mobility News
reported:
‘ICE to become more expensive’. According to Skoda, the technological cost required to meet the new 2023 Euro standards will drive conventional diesel and petrol powertrains prices up. “The gap with electric cars will grow smaller because we estimate that battery prices will drop. Plus, some countries have taken drastic measures. In Norway, only EVs will be sold by 2025,” he continues. According to the Skoda board member, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars will become the sweet spot. The brand’s scenario foresees that, by 2025, 25% of the market will be composed of electric vehicles.
On July 9 New Mobility News
reported:
Dawn of electric car pushed by EU regulations. By 2020-2021, that average has to drop to
95 g/km or else carmakers will have to pay hefty fines. During this year and the next will be launched a plethora of new electric cars. They will range from the new Renault Zoe, DS3 Crossback e-Tense, VW ID.3, Peugeot e-208, Opel Corsa-e, Honda e, and more. Not including the ones already on the market, such as the Audi e-tron or the Mercedes EQC.
On July 11 TechWireAsia
reported:
Norway leads the way with environment-friendly autonomous ships. “Autonomy is just a tool to make this electrified, emission-free system work.”
On July 16 Yahoo News
reported:
Government gives Jaguar Land Rover £500m loan guarantee for next-generation EVs. The loan guarantee from UK Export Finance will support JLR’s design and manufacture of new EVs, as well as its export activities. Not a loan in itself, the government export credit agency’s guarantee will aid the British firm in securing credit and direct funding – with the government stepping in should JLR default on repayments.
On July 16 CNN
reported:
Jump aboard the eDumper, the world's largest electric vehicle. The "eDumper" is a very different type of beast -- 110 tons heavy when fully loaded and powered by a 4.5-ton all-electric battery, this dump truck prototype is the largest electric vehicle [EV] in the world. Produced by Kuhn Schweiz AG, the truck is operating in a mountainside quarry in Biel, Switzerland. With the eDumper's 600 KWh battery -- the same as about seven Tesla Model S 75Ds -- and the regenerative braking, the truck saves 50,000 tons of diesel each year and also reduces the CO2 footprint by 1.3 million kg every year.
The eDumper, the world's largest electric vehicle
Source
On July 18 Money Control
reported:
Electric three-wheelers sell more than conventional ones first time in India. Hailed for their superior savings and cheaper operating costs, the demand for electric three-wheelers has defied the general slowdown in the market.....sales of electric three-wheeler segment grew 21 percent during 2018-19 to 630,000 as against 520,000 sold in 2017-18.
On July 29 Electronic Specifier
reported:
Electric car tipping point: delight or destroy? The up-front price of pure electric PE cars will be dropping below that of internal combustion engine ICE ones around 2025. In motor industry terms, the 2025 tipping point is very close, and the industry may not have fully grasped the seismic effect it will have on sales of yesterday's powertrains, including full hybrids HEV and plug-in PHEV. However, Das cautioned: "As car manufacturers diverted by lesser opportunities go under and the pure-electric winners prosper there is only one cloud on the horizon - lithium-ion batteries. Although they may have dropped to only 20% of car cost by 2025, supply is an issue. IDTechEx believes that the restrictions on Li-ion battery output go way beyond factory capacity. There may be temporary shortages of the required cobalt and even lithium. Ongoing fires cause output delays and distrust.
On July 30 CNN Travel
reported:
Tests to begin on Ampaire electric hybrid passenger airplane. That's right, Los Angeles-based aviation company Ampaire has announced it'll start testing aircraft partly powered by electricity on some commercial routes later in 2019. In what will likely be seen as a significant step toward improving the environmental credentials of air travel, Ampaire has retrofitted existing aircraft with electric powertrains, hoping to cut down C02 emissions and address high operating costs. While the initial flights, operated in partnership with Hawaii-based Mokulele, are being scheduled as a proof of concept, it's hoped the aircraft will get official FAA certification by 2021 to allow it to enter full commercial service.
Ampaire is testing hybrid planes - Hope to get FAA certified by 2021
Source
EV company news
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)
Tesla is currently ranked the number 1 globally with
14% global market share. Tesla is the number 1 electric car seller in the US, with
56% market share, and number 1 in Europe with
17% market share. Also an amazing stat was that Tesla Model 3 sold
39,632 units in June, which is ~15% of all global electric car sales and more than double its nearest competitor. By comparison the number 2 selling electric car was the BAIC EU Series selling
17,916 units.
On July 3 Green Car Reports
reported:
Tesla delivers a record number of cars for Q2. Tesla posted record deliveries and production in the second quarter of 2019, according to totals that the company released Tuesday afternoon.
On July 9 Green Car Reports
reported:
No updates for Tesla Model S, Model X, says Musk. "There is no 'refreshed' Model X or Model S coming, only a series of minor ongoing changes," Musk wrote.
On July 11 Green Car Reports
reported:
Tesla opens access to CHAdeMO chargers for Model 3 drivers. This week, Tesla released a long-awaited adapter to allow Model 3 owners to plug their cars into CHAdeMO chargers on other networks, and Tesla fans—and especially Model 3 drivers—are celebrating.....The new Model 3 CHAdeMO adapter is available on Tesla's website for $450.
On July 16 Green Car Reports
reported: "Tesla to release new self-driving chip to older cars late this year, Musk says."
On July 17 MarketWatch
reported:
Tesla is getting China right, Morgan Stanley says. Tesla Inc. may be able to ramp up production in China faster than anyone believed, possibly landing the Silicon Valley car maker as the “leading luxury EV player” in the country, analysts at Morgan Stanley said Wednesday. They expect production in the Shanghai plant to start in November, the analysts said. The factory is likely to make 35,000 to 40,000 vehicles by next year, and around 60,000 in 2021.
Note: A seeking Alpha report on the same story
states: "The construction of Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai "tracks perfectly on schedule" as of last week and looks set to be ready by the end of September for complete production to start from November, Jonas says....Baird reiterates its Outperform rating on TSLA with a $355 price target, while Morgan Stanley rates the stock at Equal Weight with a $230 target."
On July 19 Green Car Reports
reported: "Superchargers at the Strip: Tesla rolls out first entire V3 station in Las Vegas."
Tesla Supercharger V3 station-Las Vegas Strip
Source
On July 25 Green Car Reports
reported:
Amid scrutiny, Tesla sees higher margins ahead for Model Y, China-built Model 3......Despite strong delivery numbers, the California automaker announced it posted bigger losses Wednesday for the second quarter of 2019 than Wall Street had anticipated, prompting analysts to scrutinize its margins on cars. In a financial call held Wednesday, that scrutiny took form around pinch points for profitability and pricing, after Tesla announced it had lost $408 million (or $2.31 a share, unadjusted), while sales soared and the company boasted of higher production efficiencies.
On July 25 Green Car Reports
reported:
Tesla CTO and battery mastermind JB Straubel exits.....Drew Baglino will take over most of the responsibilities held by Straubel, who will be transitioning to the role of senior advisor.
BYD Co. (OTCPK:BYDDY) (OTCPK:OTCPK:BYDDF) HK:1211
BYD is currently ranked the number 2 globally with
13% global market share, and is ranked number 1 in China with
22% market share.
No other news for the month; however see Toyota section below regarding a Toyota/BYD deal.
Beijing Automotive Group Co. (BAIC) (OTC:BCCMY, HK:1958), Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. [SAIC] (CH:600104) (SAIC includes Roewe, MG, Baojun, Maxus)
BAIC is currently ranked the global number 3 with
6% market share. BAIC is number 2 in China with
10% market share.
SAIC is global number 4 with
6% market share, and number 3 in China with
8% market share.
On July 23 Automotive News China
reported:
China's BAIC buys 5% stake in Daimler. China's Beijing Automotive Group Co. has bought a 5 percent stake in Daimler, cementing its relationship with the German automaker after China's Zhejiang Geely Holding emerged as a potential rival. Daimler in March agreed to build the next generation of Smart cars as EVs in China for global markets in a
joint venture with Geely. Daimler has reassured BAIC that any new industrial alliances involving Mercedes and a Chinese partner would only happen after a consensus is found with BAIC.
BMW (OTCPK:BMWYY)
BMW is currently ranked the number 5 global electric car manufacturer with
5% global market share. BMW is number 2 in Europe with
13% market share.
On July 9 Bloomberg
reported:
BMW takes on VW and Tesla with $36,400 Electric Mini Cooper. BMW AG’s first electric Mini will hit the streets by the end of the year, targeting urban buyers and giving the German manufacturer more ammunition to compete with Volkswagen AG’s ID.3 hatchback and Tesla Inc.’s Model 3…The 32,500 euro ($36,400) car adds an electric motor and battery to the existing three-door Mini Cooper SE…The battery Mini is BMW’s second all-electric car after the i3 city car, which was unveiled in 2013.
BMW Electric Mini Cooper - Out late 2019
Source
On July 19 Green Car Reports
reported:
Choice of new BMW CEO solidifies automaker's electric plans. BMW is doubling down on its strategy of building electric versions of its mainstream cars, rather than a separate line of EVs. That strategy was pushed by Oliver Zipse, who will take over as CEO from Harald Krueger on August 16, and it gives the company more flexibility to produce electric cars—on the same assembly lines as internal-combustion and plug-in hybrid versions.
Nissan (OTCPK:NSANY)/ Renault (OTC:RNSDF)/
Mitsubishi (OTCPK:MSBHY, OTCPK:MMTOF)
Nissan is currently ranked number 6 for global electric car sales with
4%market share, and Renault is ranked global number 16 with
2% market share.
On July 17 Reuters
reported:
Renault forms Chinese electric vehicles venture with Jiangling Motors to target the Chinese electric vehicles [EV] market, in a deal which will also see Renault take a 50% stake in the new venture.
Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd (OTCPK:GELYY, HK:0175) (includes Polestar), Volvo Group (OTCPK:VOLVY), Kandi Technologies Group (NASDAQ:KNDI), Proton, Lotus
Geely is currently ranked the number 7 in the global electric car manufacturer's sales ranking with
4% global market share.
On July 17 Green Car Reports
reported:
Polestar 2 performance package cues Tesla Model 3 rivalry. The launch edition of the Polestar 2 is expected to sell for $63,000, though even that may not have all the elements of the performance package. The Tesla Model 3 Performance starts at $56,190 with delivery. The price of the Polestar 2 Performance Package hasn't been set, but the company is reportedly targeting a price of about $5,000.
Polestar 2
Source
On July 18 Green Car Reports
reported:
Lotus Evija supercar marks start of a new electric era for sports-car brand. Lotus is no newcomer to electric cars, having produced the chassis for the original Tesla Roadster. On Wednesday, the British sports car company unveiled its own electric sports car, the Evija, which it says will be the most powerful car on the market with electric motors producing 1,973 horsepower. The company didn't list its battery size, but says it will be able to charge fully in nine minutes.
Lotus Evija supercar electric car
Source
Volkswagen Group (OTCPK:VLKAY)/ Audi (OTCPK:AUDVF)/ Porsche (OTCPKOAHF)/ Skoda
Volkswagen is currently ranked the number 8 top-selling global electric car manufacturer with
4% market share.
On July 2 Green Car Reports
reported:
Electric Volkswagen Type 20 Microbus concept ties the past to the future. The Type 20 Concept is fitted with an active pneumatic suspension designed by Porsche, allowing it to rise for easier entry as the driver approaches.
Volkswagen Type 20 Microbus concept
Source
On July 15 Green Car Reports
reported:
VW holds battery suppliers tight amid anticipated shortages. Board member Stefan Sommer told Reuters, "We have not been able to build as many cars as we wanted to. Our supplier is not delivering the numbers that we need.” "We have built up our own expertise, which we share with suppliers, which helps when we build a new plant. It gives us an early indication if there are teething problems," he said.
On July 29 Bloomberg
reported:
Porsche’s battery-powered Taycan on track to overtake 911. Taycan production could surge to 40,000 a year, beating 911. Porsche model is key for Volkswagen’s electric-car shift....Just over a month before its official unveiling in September, Porsche has already amassed deposits for nearly 30,000 Taycans.
All-electric Porche Taycan has nearly 30,000 deposits
Source
Hyundai (OTC:HYMTF) Kia (OTC:KIMTF)
Hyundai is currently ranked number 9 for global electric car sales with
3%market share. Kia is ranked global number
11.
On July 1 Green Car Reports
reported: "Genesis confirms electric sedan for 2021."
Genesis Mint concept for two-seat urban electric car
Source
Toyota (NYSE:TM)
On June 27 Reuters
reported:
Toyota to invest $2 billion in developing electric vehicles in Indonesia over the next four years, starting with hybrid vehicles, Indonesia’s coordinating ministry for maritime affairs said.
On July 9 New Mobility News
reported:
Toyota tests partially solar driven Prius. Toyota Motor Corporation, NEDO and Sharp Corporation are going to test the potential of solar panels on electric vehicles jointly.
Toyota's Prius solar prototype
Source
On July 17 Bloomberg
reported:
Toyota strikes deal with world’s top supplier of electric car batteries. Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to buy batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. as part of a broader partnership. The two companies are also discussing various topics from the development of new technology to recycling.......Toyota has also partnered with BYD, Panasonic in batteries.
On July 19 Reuters
reported:
Toyota, China's BYD team up to develop battery EVs. In a joint statement, Toyota and the Chinese electric automaker said on Friday that they would develop sedans and sport utility vehicles, which would then be sold under the Toyota brand in China before 2025.
Toyota's concept EV - RHOMBUS
Source
General Motors/Chevrolet (NYSE:GM)
GM/Chevrolet is the number 2 ranked electric car seller in the US with
8%market share. They are ranked
20th globally.
On July 30 Automotive News
reported: "GM's transmission plant in Mich. to close in three days."
Daimler-Mercedes (OTCPKDAIF, OTCPKDAIY) (Smart)
On July 2 Green Car Reports
reported:
Mercedes-Benz A250e in the works to join plug-in hybrid lineup. Mercedes-Benz may expand its lineup of plug-in hybrids with a small A-Class sedan, called the A250e, according to a report from Britain. The A-class is the cheapest sedan Mercedes-Benz sells, starting at $33,495 with delivery.
Ford (NYSE:F)
On July 12 Green Car Reports
reported:
Ford will use VW platform to build an electric car for Europe. Ford and Volkswagen announced jointly on Friday that VW will share its MEB affordable electric car architecture with Ford, while VW will join Ford's Argo self-driving effort. In addition to its own efforts to build electric cars, Ford will build a new electric car for the European market based on Volkswagen’s mass-market MEB platform. Ford CEO James Hackett says the car will be built at a Ford factory in Europe starting in 2023.
On July 23 Live Electric
reported:
Tough Goes Electric. The all-electric F-150 will be a new and exciting kind of Built Ford Tough. We’re aiming to blow away truck customers with new capabilities that they never saw coming. Recently we set out to flex the muscles of our new, all-electric F-150 prototype.....An all-electric Ford F-150 prototype during a capability test. The battery-powered truck successfully towed more than 1.25 million pounds of rail cars and trucks during the test.
The all-electric Ford F-150 prototype successfully towed more than 1.25 million pounds of rail cars and trucks
Source (also a video)
On July 29 Automotive News China
reported:
Ford's first EV in China priced below 200,000 yuan. Ford Motor Co. plans to launch sales of its first electric vehicle, a battery-powered version of the Ford Territory compact crossover, at a starting price of 199,000 yuan ($28,924).
Note: Ford plans an
$11 billion investment, which will include 16 fully electric vehicles and 40 electrified vehicles, globally, through 2022.
Fiat Chrysler (NYSE:FCAU)
On July 17 Green Car Reports
reported:
Next-generation Fiat 500e electric car arrives for Europe in 2020. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has announced plans to build up to 80,000 copies of a new electric Fiat 500 at the company's Mirafiori, Italy, factory starting in 2020. The company's chief operating officer for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Pietro Gorlier, told Reuters earlier this month that the new 500 will be a dedicated electric car.
Honda (HMC, OTCPK:HNDAF)
On July 23 Green Car Reports
reported:
Honda plans larger, high-performance platform for US EVs. Honda is stepping up its EV game going forward—well, more than five years forward. In a release from the meeting Honda summed that the platform "will enable flexible product development, including body design, adoption of battery types to accommodate the desired EV range and whether to employ an all-wheel drive system."
On July 29 Green Car Reports
reported:
Honda packs its retro urban EV with a dash full of screens.
You can forget about the delightfully retro-simple look inside and out that was part of what made the Honda E such a standout. Honda is shaping up to be one of the first carmakers with a full-width array of distinct screens, in the Honda E, when it goes on sale in Europe early next year. Unlike the Byton M-Byte with its single, curved, 42-inch display, the Honda E uses five screens spanning the low-flat dashboard. Each serves a different purpose. The outer two act as monitors for the E's outside-mirror cameras; the one behind the wheel displays instrument readouts; and the two in the center provide different infotainment functions or can serve as a single, wide screen for watching movies when the car is parked.
Tata Motors (TTM) group (Jaguar, Land Rover)
On July 5 The Verge
reported:
Jaguar’s next EV will be an electric XJ sedan. Part of a £1 billion remaking of the company’s UK manufacturing plant. The plan to make an electric XJ was announced as part of a £1 billion ($1.25 billion) investment the company will make to retool its manufacturing plant in Castle Bromwich in the UK ahead of a greater push into electric vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover says it will make a “new range” of electrified vehicles at the revamped UK plant, and all models from 2020 onward will have electric or hybrid options.
Nio Inc. (formerly NextEV) (NIO)
On July 1 Green Car Reports
reported:
Nio recalls SUVs in China after battery fires. Chinese startup automaker Nio is recalling nearly 5,000 of the ES8 SUVs that it has sold in China following a spate of fires in their battery packs. Nio says the pack assembly is the problem. A module in the pack can rub against a cable that samples voltage and eventually wear through the insulation—causing a short that leads to a fire. The company will replace the packs in affected cars over the next two months.
On July 29 Automotive News China
reported: "Nio forms Beijing unit to develop EVs, components."
Other EV companies
Other EV companies I am following include Atlis Motors, Byton (private), Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. (private), Didi Chuxing, Dyson (private), Electrameccanica Vehicles Corp. (
SOLO), Faraday Future (private), Fisker (private), Great Wall Motors, GreenPower Motor Company Inc. [TSXV:GPV] (
OTCQX:GPVRF), Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Lamborghini, Lucid Motors (formerly Atieva) (private), Mahindra & Mahindra (
OTC:MAHDY), Mazda (
OTCPK:MZDAY), Peugeot [PA
EUP] (
OTCPKEUGF), Qiantu Motor, Subaru (
OTCPK:FUJHY), Rivian Automotive (private), Suzuki Motor Corp. [TYO: 7269] (
OTCPK:SZKMY) (
OTCPK:SZKMF), Tata Motors (
TTM) group (Jaguar, Land Rover), WM Motor, Xiaopeng Motors, and Zhi Dou (private).
The
list of countries and cities banning (or planning to ban) petrol and diesel vehicles include at least - Norway (2025), Netherlands (2030), China (?2030/35), Germany (?2030), Ireland (2030), Israel (2030), Scotland (2032), UK (2040), France (2040), Taiwan (2040), Japan (2050); Rome (2024), Athens (2025), Paris (2025), London, Stuttgart, Mexico City (2025), Madrid (2025), and Amsterdam and Brussels (2030). Added to this are countries pushing hard to become 100% EV - Norway and India (30% by 2030).
Autonomous Driving/Connectivity/Onboard entertainment/Ride sharing
A June article I missed, CNBC
reported: "Uber tech executive explains their new autonomous vehicle."
On July 12 CNBC
reported: "Ford and Volkswagen partner to develop autonomous vehicles."
On July 17 The New York Times
reported:
Despite High Hopes, Self-Driving Cars Are ‘Way in the Future’. “We overestimated the arrival of autonomous vehicles,” Ford's chief executive, Jim Hackett.
Conclusion
June 2019 global electric car sales were up 67% YoY. Electric car market share for June reached 8.5% in China, 3.2% in Europe, and 1.8% in the USA (2019 YTD figure).
On June 25, China electric car subsidies were reduced, so it will be interesting to see what happens next month when China July 2019 sales are released.
Highlights for the month were:
- Tesla Electric Airplane? Elon Musk sees electric aircraft in 5 years.
- Dawn of electric car pushed by EU regulations. By 2020-2021, that average has to drop to 95 g/km.
- Skoda - ‘ICE to become more expensive’. Skoda forecasts: "By 2025, 25% of the market will be composed of electric vehicles."
- Norway leads the way with environment-friendly autonomous ships.
- Electric three-wheelers sell more than conventional ones first time in India.
- The eDumper is the world's largest (land based fully) electric vehicle.
- Ampaire is testing hybrid planes - Hope to get FAA certified by 2021.
- Tesla passes BYD to be the global No 1 e-car seller, also No 1 in USA and Europe.
- China's BAIC buys 5% stake in Daimler.
- BMW takes on VW and Tesla with $36,400 Electric Mini Cooper out late 2019.
- Renault forms Chinese electric vehicles 50% joint venture with Jiangling Motors to target the Chinese EV market.
- Geely - Lotus Evija supercar marks start of a new electric era for sports-car brand.
- Volkswagen - The all-electric Porche Taycan has nearly 30,000 deposits and will be unveiled in September. VW holds battery suppliers tight amid anticipated shortages.
- Toyota to invest $2 billion in developing electric vehicles in Indonesia. Toyota Motor to develop BEVs and batteries with BYD Co Ltd in China. Toyota also did a deal with CATL to secure batteries. Toyota tests partially solar driven Prius.
- Ford shows of its all-electric Ford F-150 prototype.
- Fiat 500e fully electric car arrives for Europe in 2020.
- Jaguar - All models from 2020 onward will have electric or hybrid options.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4280794-ev-company-news-month-july-2019
It’s hard to believe EV revolution is not coming, imo.