Electric Vehicles

American gas-station owners are facing a tough decision over whether to invest in electric-vehicle charging stations, a costly bet that currently makes little financial sense but might help future-proof their businesses.

Some gas stations, convenience stores and truck stops are adding chargers to test the technology and protect their market share for the long run. Others say they crunched the numbers and decided they can’t justify the cost, given the small share of electric-vehicle drivers. Charging units and installation typically cost upward of $100,000 each, and might entail the expense of tearing up pavement to lay conduit.

Auto makers including General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. are aggressively expanding their lineups of electric vehicles, and President Biden last week set a target to increase U.S. sales of electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to 50% by 2030. However, electric vehicles made up only about 2% of new U.S. sales last year, and 3% in recent months.

“We don’t see an investable marketplace,” said A.J. Siccardi, president of Metroplex Energy Inc., the fuel-supply subsidiary of RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., which owns more than 750 RaceTrac and RaceWay gas stations, primarily in the Southeastern U.S. “We’re perfectly OK putting capital at risk. The key is we’ve got to have a viable business case,” he added.

Metroplex has been evaluating electric-vehicle charging for about two years and would like to invest but so far hasn’t found a deal that makes sense, Mr. Siccardi said, noting that risks include potential competition with utilities, some of which have their own plans to build charging stations.

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nexen Tire, a leading global tire manufacturer, has announced that the company has been selected to supply original equipment for Kia’s first electric car, the EV6.

Nexen Tire’s ROADIAN GTX EV and N’FERA Sport EVs will be fitted to the EV6, Kia’s first electric vehicle model that is based on Hyundai Motor Group’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The EV6 has a strong performance of more than 475km on a single charge. When using the State of Charge (SOC) mode, the car can charge from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes for ultra-fast charging.

The ROADIAN GTX EV, fitted in size 235/55R19 101H, is a premium all-season tire that meets all of the requirements of an electric vehicle in terms of safety, durability, and low noise. The N’FERA Sport EV, fitted in size 235/55R19 105V XL, improves on high-speed stability and handling performance while providing maximum grip and braking power on both wet and dry surfaces.

The two electric vehicle tires were designed and tailored to provide higher abrasion resistance as well as minimize tire road noise by employing noise reduction system by about 5dB compared to existing products.

Nexen Tire already began supplying OE for Kia’s Soul EV and US EV startup Canoo, giving it a strong foothold in the global electric vehicle industry. The Company intends to further extend its global presence by focusing on research and development as well as investments in mobility.

About Nexen Tire

Nexen Tire, established in 1942, is a global tire manufacturer headquartered in South Korea. Nexen Tire, one of the world’s fastest growing tire manufacturers, currently interacts with approximately 150 countries around the world and owns four manufacturing plants – two in Korea (Yangsan and Changnyeong) and one in Qingdao, China. Another plant in Žatec, the Czech Republic has also begun operation in 2019. Nexen Tire produces tires for passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks with advanced technology and excellence in design. Nexen Tire supplies OE tires to global car makers in various countries around the world. In 2014, the company achieved a grand slam of the world’s top 4 design awards for the first time amongst the various tire makers in the world.

For more information, please visit https://www.nexentire.com/international/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/366c8797-4b4c-4daf-947f-bf12d11a62b5

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. —

Drivers of electric cars will now have an option for charging their cars in downtown Jeffersonville while checking out the shops and restaurants in the area.

Mayor Mike Moore announced on Monday that the city is working toward installing its first electric vehicle charging station in Jeffersonville.

“This is an exciting venture for the city of Jeff,” Moore said. “Right now, there aren’t many places in the city for people to recharge, so this will fill a void. Plus, providing a charging station downtown is a great way to allow residents, employees and visitors to recharge their car while they explore downtown, grab a bite to eat or do some shopping.”

Chad Reischl, director of planning for the city of Jeffersonville, said there are other benefits as well.

“The owners of electric vehicles regularly use an app on their phone or in their car to locate charging stations. Having a place to charge a car Downtown Jeffersonville, may actually be a draw for folks coming in from out of town,” Reischl said. “Having a charging station in a prominent location also sends the message that Jeffersonville is progressively looking to the future.”

The station to be installed will be located in the public parking lot in the 100 block of East Chestnut Street. The city plans to pave and stripe the parking lot.

The station will have hookups for two cars to charge simultaneously. Drivers will pay for their charge through a phone app, or a reloadable RFID card provided by the company that services the station. This way, the city will only pay for the station and the installation. Mayor Moore says this means it won’t cost the city anything once it has been installed.

Moore said placing a charging station in downtown is only a first step. The city hopes to monitor use of the charging station to determine if more are needed in other locations.

Also, the city hopes to incentivize the placement of electric vehicle charging stations in new developments, encouraging developers of new hotels, large apartment buildings, office buildings and other major employers to provide electric vehicle charging stations and/or install the infrastructure that would allow them to be added later as part of their development plans.

“It’s much cheaper and easier, to install the electrical infrastructure needed for EV charging at the time of construction than it is to retrofit them later,” Reischl said. His department will be looking to update the parking standards in its Unified Development Ordinance to include language about EV charging stations in the coming months.

A recently published design patent illustrates what may very well be a next-generation Chevy Equinox electric crossover. With an entirely new platform, design, and technologies, it’s possible that the all-new crossover EV may carry a different name, but for now it’s safe to say that this does indeed look like an electrified take on the Bow Tie brand’s mid-sized crossover.

Given GM’s stance on EVs versus hybrids, we’re inclined to believe that these illustrations are representative of a Chevy Equinox electric vehicle rather than a gas-and-electric hybrid of sorts. To clarify, the automaker has already stated that it is choosing to focus its electrified vehicle efforts entirely on full EVs, and that its findings suggest customers aren’t particularly interested in hybrids.

Additionally, the design illustrations depict a vehicle with a ‘closed’ front end, similar to that of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV as well as the Cadillac Lyriq. Moreover, the figures do not show any accommodations for an exhaust system, which is, of course, necessary for a hybrid model.

There are, of course, other factors that substantiate the conjecture of this being a Chevy Equinox electric crossover. For instance, back in November of 2020, CEO Mary Barra declared that General Motors would increase its financial commitment to EVs and AVs by $7 billion with the intention of launching a total of 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025. Prior to her statement, The General had already revealed the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck, and would eventually go on to expand the GMC Hummer EV product line with the addition of the GMC Hummer EV SUV.

GM has also announced the refreshed 2022 Chevy Bolt EV and it’s all-new larger sibling, the 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV as well as the production-ready Cadillac Lyriq luxury crossover. To that end, Barra has also clarified that the current microchip shortage won’t hinder General Motor’s EV rollout, though it has delayed production of the refreshed 2022 Chevy Equinox model until mid-August.

It’s almost guaranteed that such a vehicle will utilize GM’s Ultium Drive And Motor Technology, which are designed for a broad range of applications, including front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive propulsion combinations and can even be used by high-performance and off-road vehicles. This underlines Barra’s belief that the company has the capability to “put everyone in an EV.”

While the patent was technically filed by SAIC-GM for the Chinese market, we know that most of the Ultium Drive components – including castings, gears and assemblies – will be built with globally sourced parts at GM’s existing global propulsion facilities on shared, flexible assembly lines, meaning such a model could eventually find its way to North America; a feat that satisfies GM’s global ambitions.

Patent Images

Sources

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— Francisco Cruz

A life-long learner who prefers to use cars as vehicles.

Fisker Inc.’s intention to make low-cost electric vehicles in the U.S. with Foxconn offered hope the Taiwanese manufacturing giant’s massive industrial site in Wisconsin might start to justify the hype that earned it billions of dollars in state subsidies. But as the EV startup firms up production plans, state rules barring automakers from selling directly to consumers are a stumbling block. 

Fisker said in May it was reviewing at least four potential sites to produce the PEAR (an acronym for personal electric automotive revolution), designed by the Los Angeles-based company using a new vehicle architecture developed by Foxconn, including the Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin, facility. It’s a potentially ideal location, but state laws that allow only franchise car dealers to sell vehicles have the company looking at other sites.

“The one sticking point for Fisker—now this is still Foxconn’s decision—but the one sticking point for me would be that I don’t want to start producing your current state where I can sell my car direct,” CEO and cofounder Henrik Fisker tells Forbes. “If they change those, I think they will be in the lead, but right now they’re not.”

Like Tesla, Fisker wants to sell its electric vehicles directly to customers from its website and company stores. That’s a problem in many states where powerful, politically influential dealer groups have helped shape rules to avoid retail competition from auto manufacturers. Elon Musk’s EV powerhouse has fought with state legislatures for a decade to allow Tesla to set up its own stores, including Wisconsin’s. The company has a showroom and service center in Milwaukee, though sales aren’t permitted there. Still, although Texas also bans direct sales from carmakers, Tesla is building a new plant near Austin to produce Model Y hatchbacks and Cybertruck pickups.

Unlike Tesla, Fisker is relying on manufacturing partners to get its vehicles to market rather than building its own plants. Production of the battery-powered Ocean SUV begins in late 2022 at Magna’s vehicle assembly plant in Graz, Austria. Priced from about $38,000, Fisker says it will have 25,000 reservations for the model this year and 50,000 by the time production starts next year. 

PEAR will be a smaller, cheaper vehicle designed for urban use and priced from about $30,000 before tax incentives. Fisker hasn’t shared detailed images or features yet, but wants to begin production of it as soon as late 2023. It plans to have capacity from Foxconn to produce up to 150,000 units annually. But just where that will happen remains to be seen. 

“We have voiced our opinion on” Wisconsin’s auto sales rules, Henrik Fisker says, without elaborating. “I hope that maybe they will consider putting something through that would enable us.”

David Callender, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, declined to comment on the matter.

Foxconn’s Wisconsin facility, which qualified for tax breaks worth an estimated $4 billion when it was announced in 2017, has become a white elephant that’s fallen far short of expectations. The company didn’t follow through with an initial goal of building a $10 billion flat-screen panel manufacturing operation and hiring up to 13,000 people. The Taiwanese company and Wisconsin in April reached a new deal with reduced tax breaks for a much smaller manufacturing facility there, though details of Foxconn’s new plans for the Mount Pleasant site haven’t been disclosed.

The facility’s location, near the heart of U.S. automotive and parts manufacturing, transportation networks, water, sewer lines and other industrial necessities make it a standout site that impresses career auto designer Fisker. 

“It’s not just one facility, it’s an industrial park and I was really amazed by the type of work that’s been done by Foxconn and the infrastructure that has been done by Wisconsin,” he said. “This is an amazing site, quite frankly, also in terms of fiber-optic fiber cables, generators for electricity that have been put in, it’s clearly an amazing place to produce a car.” 

Shares of Fisker rose 3.3% to $14.95 at 11:54 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange trading on Monday.  

For imported electric vehicles with a value of less than $40,000 the government is considering to cut the tax rate to 40% from 60% presently.

For electric vehicles more than $40,000, the government is mulling to drop the import duty rate to 60%

The discussion on cutting import duty on electric vehicles was sparked by Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s when he said India’s import duties ‘highest in the world’

Indian government is considering cutting import duties on electric cars to as low as 40%. The new development comes days after Krishan Pal Gurjar, the newly appointed minister of state in the Ministry of Power and Heavy Industries said that no proposal is under consideration to ease Tesla’s or any other foreign manufacturer’s entry into India even for electric vehicles in general. 

According to a Reuters report, the government is considering cutting the tax rate to 40% from 60% for imported electric vehicles with a value (CIF) of less than $40,000. For electric vehicles more than $40,000, the government is mulling to drop the import duty rate to 60% from 100%. The government is looking at obtaining certain economic gains such as a boost to the domestic economy by giving relief to electric vehicle automakers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finance ministry, commerce ministry along with government think tank Niti Aayog are discussing the proposals and consultation from all stakeholders will be sought. 

The discussion on cutting import duty on electric vehicles was sparked by Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s reply on Twitter. An Indian youtuber Madan Gowri had asked Musk to launch Tesla cars in the country. To which Musk replied : “We want to do so, but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country! Moreover, clean energy vehicles are treated the same as diesel or petrol, which does not seem entirely consistent with the climate goals of India.” As per report, Tesla had written a letter to Niti Aayog urging it to cut federal taxes on imports of fully assembled electric cars to 40% from the current 100%.

At present India imposes 100% import duty on fully imported cars with cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value of more than $40,000 and 60% on cars where CIF value is lower than $40,000.  Tesla which earlier this year announced its entry to India registered itself as Tesla India Motors in Karnataka will have to rethink its pricing for the Indian market. Tesla’s top-selling Model 3 costs $37,990 – $54,990 (INR 28 Lakh to INR 40 Lakh) and is expected to be launched in the Indian market for $95,496 (INR 70 Lakhs). In India the majority of electric cars sold are priced below $20,000. 

Following Musk’s comment Hyundai Motor India’s managing director and CEO SS Kim said that a cut in duty rate by the government on imported electric vehicles would help OEMs to create some market demand and reach some scale. Disagreeing with both Kim and Musk, Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal said that India should build (EVs) indigenously and also attract global OEMs to build in India and not just import. 

At present, Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola electric is geared up to launch its electric scooter on August 15 which will compete against the likes of Ather Energy, TVS, Hero, Revolt, among others. OLA is also setting up what it calls the world’s largest electric manufacturing site on a 500-acre site. The plant will have a capacity of 10 Mn vehicles a year. The company is also said to be working on an electric car. According to a ICRA’s report, EV penetration in India will be driven by electric two-wheelers and three- wheelers. The report suggests two-wheelers to account for 8-10% of the total EV sales whereas over 30% of the three-wheelers will be battery-powered by FY25.

With jobs on the line, the UAW is supporting the Biden Admin.’s push for electric vehicles in a big way, saying it is satisfied the president is preparing to protect the livelihoods of American workers at the same time. 

Internal UAW research indicates the union members now building vehicles with internal-combustion engines and transmissions could be displaced by electrification. The union is targeting new battery plants needed to power EVs to create new jobs and has pressed both General Motors and Ford for promises the new factories will be unionized. 

Biden emphasizes the electrified auto industry will be centered in the U.S. and will protect and create American workers’ jobs as he pushes automakers to expand their EV fleets. The president proposes 50% of the vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 will be EVs. “Folks, the rest of the world is moving ahead, and we have to catch up,” Biden says.

General Motors, Ford and Stellantis said in a joint statement they aspired “to achieve sales of 40-50% of annual U.S. volumes of electric vehicles…by 2030,” Reuters reported. 

In addition, the administration is raising the fuel-economy and emissions standards for light-duty vehicles using engines that burn gasoline or diesel fuel. The new regulations will apply to vehicles built between now and 2026. Motor vehicles are considered the largest source of greenhouse gases and curbing their emissions is critical in slowing climate change as the transition to EVs gains momentum, according to environmentalists. 

The president also says he wants to see more semiconductors made in the U.S. An ongoing shortage of semiconductors has crippled global vehicle production and slashed dealer inventories of new cars and trucks. 

“We are at a critical time for the auto industry as countries compete to build the vehicles of the future,” Ray Curry, the UAW’s new president, says in a statement coinciding with the White House ceremony. “We are falling behind China and Europe as manufacturers pour billions into growing their markets and expanding their manufacturing. We need to make investments here in the United States. 

“Fortunately, President Biden recognizes the importance of this moment, and his Build Back Better Plan makes the bold investment in manufacturing, consumer incentives and infrastructure needed to ensure vehicles of the future are made in our country,” says Curry, who took over as UAW president on July 1 during a strike at a Volvo Truck plant in Virginia where union leaders were caught between demands of members looking for more in wages and benefits and a desire to ensure the company would keep its promise to add 1,100 jobs to build battery-electric trucks. 

Curry says new investments alone are not enough. Despite grumbling by environmentalists looking for tougher rules, the announcement on emissions standards brings more certainty and allows better planning for the auto industry and UAW members’ future jobs, he says.  

The UAW’s focus, he adds, is not on hard deadlines or percentages such as those included in the commitments made by the automakers, but on preserving the wages and benefits critical to union members. 

“We must be ambitious, not just about retaining good union jobs but growing them and about expanding U.S. manufacturing of electric vehicles, from parts to assembly,” Curry says. “It is incumbent that these future jobs will be good-paying, American, union-scale wage and benefit jobs that protect salaries and safety standards.”  

Curry also emphasizes the administration’s push to build electric cars, trucks and batteries should include an agreement to follow the policies included in the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which expands to the rights of workers to organize a union. The measure was approved by the U.S. House and is pending in the Senate. 

 

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Renault will partner with Geely to sell hybrid cars in China, marking the French group’s first big deal in the world’s second-biggest economy since it exited its main joint venture last year.

Geely, the Chinese owner of Sweden’s Volvo Cars, and Renault said on Monday they would share resources and technology to sell hybrid vehicles in Asia in an effort by the latter to tap into China’s rapidly growing electric car market.

Renault pulled out of a lossmaking petrol car joint venture with China’s Dongfeng Motor Group in April 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic deepened two years of declining sales. The withdrawal was a rare example of an international automaker reducing its presence in the world’s largest car market.

It was also a reversal of a strategy put in place in 2016 by Carlos Ghosn, the former Renault chief. The company had retained a small presence in China through its light commercial vehicle business with Brilliance China and an electric car joint venture with Jiangling Motors.

The French group and Geely will make Renault-branded hybrids, with the former focusing on branding and customer service. The companies will also partner in South Korea, where Renault has a tie-up with Samsung. The two groups plan to make cars based on platforms from Lynk & Co, a hybrid-focused brand founded by Geely in 2016.

Geely, which also has a minority stake in Germany’s Daimler and is China’s largest privately owned automaker by vehicles sold, has been moving to position itself at the core of the global automobile industry’s switch towards EVs.

In the past year, Geely has opened up its electric car manufacturing architecture to partners, including the internet group Baidu, and has launched a premium electric car brand to try and take on industry leader Tesla.

Sales of so-called new energy vehicles, which include battery-powered and plug-in hybrids, have accelerated rapidly in China since mid-2020 following a year-long decline after the government cut subsidies.

The success of Tesla and local EV makers such as Nio, Li Auto and Xpeng has led to fierce competition in the sector and pressured global automakers to launch electrified models that appeal to Chinese consumers.

After more than three years of hovering at 5 per cent of total car sales, China’s new energy vehicles market rose to about 10 per cent of sales in the first half of 2021. Beijing wants these vehicles to account for about 20 per cent of total car sales by 2025.