EV news and analysis – Page 21
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News
Nio suspends assembly in China because of chip shortage
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) start-up, Nio, has been forced to temporarily suspend operations at the plant it shares with state-owned carmaker JAC in Hefei because of a shortage of semiconductors. The line stoppage will last five days between March 29-April 2.
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Article
Chips will require changes to the just-in-time model
The bottlenecks for semiconductors have caused delays for many car manufacturers, highlighting how supply chains in the tech industry are not always easily compatible with those in automotive. Fabian Pertschy spoke to Lars Reger, chief technology officer (CTO) at semiconductor maker NXP, about the importance of components in today’s vehicles and what long-term effects the current semiconductor crisis may have
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News
SKF and Einride trial autonomous truck for cross-facility shipments
Bearing manufacturer SKF is trialling an autonomous electric truck to transport parts between its factory and its warehouse in Gothenburg, Sweden. The vehicle has been developed with Einride, the Swedish transport provider that specialises in electric and autonomous vehicles (AVs), and is based on its Pod concept.
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VW strengthens ties with Northvolt to expand battery capacity in Europe
Volkswagen Group plans to significantly increase battery cell production capacity and reshape the EV battery supply chain in Europe, with plans to add six ‘gigafactories’ by the end of the decade – including an expansion of its partnership with Sweden’s Northvolt.
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News
Biden signs order to secure US supply chain network
President Biden has signed an executive order designed to fortify US supply chains, including those supporting the production of EV batteries and semiconductors.
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Podcast
Sustainable as standard: Transforming automotive supply chains with BSI
In this podcast, BSI’s Robert Brown and Martin Townsend discuss how Covid, digitalisation and the circular economy are reshaping processes and business models across automotive supply chains with Automotive Logistics editor-in-chief Christopher Ludwig
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News
Delegates to reimagine a more resilient and sustainable supply chain at ALSC Europe Live
The lessons learned through the Covid pandemic and the acceleration in the adoption of digital tools to help solve problems now stands the sector in good stead to embrace a more sustainable future, as mobility is redefined by electric and connected priorities. At this year’s Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Europe Live conference, which takes place between April 20-21, discussions will focus on solving the current logistics challenges but also renewing the vitality of the European automotive sector through better informed strategies, more sustainable products, and more efficient and resilient operations.
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News
Ford Europe invests $1 billion in Cologne for EV production
After JLR, Ford has also announced that all its vehicles for sale in Europe will be pure-electric by 2030. It is investing $1 billion in its Cologne (Köln) plant to make that a reality. This move will be supported by the sharing of the VW Group’s MEB electric vehicle platform.
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News
Outsourcing is a cost-effective means to cope with change
Picking the right supplier or logistics partner to troubleshoot supply problems previously managed in-house is proving to be very valuable, according to speakers at the recent Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain North America Live conference.
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News
Jaguar Land Rover reimagines its electric future
Jaguar will be a purely electric vehicle (EV) maker by 2025, with its partner Land Rover also adding six pure electric variants over the next five years as it aims to power 60% of its products with “zero-tailpipe powertrains” by 2030. The first pure-electric Land Rover will go on sale in 2024 and diesel models will be phased out in 2026.
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News
German carmakers race to secure European battery cell production
The millions of electric vehicles being produced also need millions of batteries. But where do the German manufacturers source their cells from?
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News
SK Innovation banned from the US for 10 years following LG lawsuit
The US International Trade Commission has imposed a 10-year ban on SK Innovation for the importation, domestic production and sale of electric vehicle batteries within the US because of intellectual property theft from rival LG Chem. It is a tough sentence, but perhaps unsurprising given the context of the global push to electrification.
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News
Pandemic gives finished vehicle logistics a fresh perspective
According to speakers at the Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain North America Live conference there was a silver lining to the disruption inflicted on the automotive industry by the coronavirus pandemic: it allowed companies to look at things afresh and identify where existing problems in the outbound supply chain lay hidden by day-to-day activity.
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News
Porsche turns to ICL for better visibility on vehicle deliveries
The continuing need for accurate tracking of vehicles in the outbound supply chain became more of a critical issue last year as assembly plants ramped up production after the Covid shutdowns. Demand for new cars remained strong throughout the crisis, which shrank available inventory 32%, from 3.8m to 2.6m when plants were shut or operating on restricted schedules and according to new safety protocols.
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North American vehicle makers steer a course through Covid
This year’s Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain North America Live conference revealed how a strong rebound in North American vehicle sales has taken the supply chain by surprise and exacerbated the misalignment in inbound supply and capacity caused by the Covid-19 shutdowns.
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News
Localised battery production key to EV penetration in North America
Electric vehicle sales in North America have lagged other regions, but changing US policy and new technology is set to change that – as long as the region can develop a local lithium-ion battery value chain
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News
Carmakers ramp up plans for North American BEV manufacturing
As Europe develops an appetite for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with Volkswagen’s ID.3 even becoming the second-best selling car overall in December, North America continues to lag behind. Although it is unlikely to catch up to Europe any time soon, things are beginning to move when it comes to local manufacturing, with some major OEMs and some credible start-ups announcing big investments for new models.
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News
GM plans to be globally carbon neutral in 20 years
General Motors has said it plans to be carbon neutral across its global operations and products by 2040. It has signed the Business Ambition Pledge for 1.5°C, a global initiative driven by UN agencies, business and industry leaders that provides companies with science-based targets to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change
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News
Ineos finalises supply for Hambach takeover
Ineos Automotive has officially taken over operations of the Daimler plant in Hambach, France, after completing the purchase of the facility in December last year. It will start building the firm’s Grenadier off-roader in 2021, as well as continue to build the Smart EQ Fortwo until the end of its model cycle.
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News
BMW’s purchasing strategy gets more sustainable for EVs
BMW Group is more closely aligning its purchasing activity with goals for greater sustainability as it plans for greater vehicle electrification.