Auto Pacfic Predicts EV Sales
AutoPacific just issued its forecast of fully electric light vehicle sales in the U.S. of around 700,000 units in 2022 with strong annual increases throughout the 6-year forecast period. Our forecast comes as consumer demand for EVs is also at its highest yet, having spiked significantly in the past two years.
Consumer demand for EVs is also at its highest yet, having spiked significantly in the past two years.
The market is seeing exponential growth in the number of EV nameplates available to consumers, making EVs more visible to vehicle shoppers and in turn increasing their consideration for them,” says AutoPacific President and Chief Analyst Ed Kim. “Growth in EV demand is a combination of several factors including increased awareness of EVs, increased variety of vehicle brands and nameplates, types and price ranges available, improved charging infrastructure, increased range, and environmental-friendliness,”
75% of Consumers See EVs as the “Way of the Future”, But the Road to the Future Will be a Challenging One
Since March of 2021, when AutoPacific began asking EV intenders why they would choose an EV, the top three reasons have consistently been “charging is cheaper than fueling,” “an EV is better for the environment,” and “EVs are the way of the future.” Consumers also like the convenience of charging and the quietness of an EV. “EVs are establishing their place in the market by providing consumers with more than just efficiency compared to traditional internal combustion vehicles,” says Kim.
While EV demand is growing, there remains much work to be done as about 89% of AutoPacific’s respondents still indicate they intend to buy something other than an EV for their next vehicle. Conquesting consumers out of gasoline, diesel, and hybrid vehicles – none of which require changes in daily routine to accommodate charging – will continue to be an uphill challenge for years to come.
Toyota bZ4X to Charge with EVgo
When the 2023 Toyota bZ4X battery electric SUV arrives at dealers later this year, it will come with more than just stylish looks and emissions-free utility. The all-new EV will also mark the start of a collaboration between Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (Toyota) and EVgo to provide new bZ4X customers with on-the-go access to DC fast charging stations. EVgo’s high-powered chargers provide EV drivers both flexibility and convenience to quickly charge at prime locations, such as frequently visited grocery stores, shopping centers, and central downtown areas, allowing drivers to travel and charge with minimal downtime and aligning with their break, shopping, eating, or errand time.
First FF 91 Finished @ Hanford Plant
Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (“FF”), a California-based global shared intelligent electric mobility ecosystem company, unveiled the first production-intent FF 91 ultra-luxury EV. This marks the company’s manufacturing Milestone #4, pre-production builds for final engineering validation and certification, now referred to as production-intent vehicles. FF remains on schedule for the FF 91 start of production (“SOP”) in Q3 2022.
“Building the first production-intent vehicle at the Hanford plant is an important step towards reaching the start of production in Q3. This iteration is the closest to the FF 91 production model we’ve seen to-date,” said Matt Tall, vice president of manufacturing at FF. “The FF 91 is expected to be the first ultra-luxury EV to reach the market, with a unique driver and passenger experience.”
The company will build more production-intent vehicles over the coming months for vehicle testing and validation, as well as final certification. Production-intent vehicles feature production-specification components.
With the completion of the first production-intent vehicle, FF is launching the “Born in California, Global DNA” multi-channel communication campaign along with our “ieMedals” co-creation campaign. The FF 91 is designed and built in California by FF Co-Creators and the company’s global employees, with technology from many top tier suppliers from across the globe.
To commemorate the production achievements of the FF 91, the company launched the ieMedals campaign. With each production-intent vehicle manufactured in the months leading up to the FF 91’s SOP, FF will honor a different supplier of the FF 91 from around the globe with a unique ieMedal. Users on the FF Intelligent App can earn the supplier ieMedals for their individual accounts by completing specific tasks or fulfilling co-creation challenge requirements. The ieMedals are electronic awards added to users’ FFID accounts on the FF Intelligent App.
Polestar Supported for Net Zero
Some of the world’s leading automotive industry suppliers, namely SSAB, Hydro, ZF, ZKW and Autoliv, are joining forces with intent to collaborate with Polestar in its development of a truly climate-neutral car – uniting companies across the auto supply chain to help the transport sector play its part in reducing climate impact.
The Swedish electric performance car company has signed Letters of Intent to collaborate with a selection of strategic partners in metals, tyres, safety, driving systems and electronics, on each area of focus on Polestar’s Life Cycle Assessments of its current vehicles’ carbon footprints. The LCAs have helped pinpoint the components and processes involved in producing cars that need to be reimagined to reduce and ultimately eliminate carbon emissions.
Nordic steel and metals producer SSAB intends to collaborate with Polestar on fossil-free steel, which could potentially replace not only conventional steel in a car but also other materials with significant carbon footprints.
Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company Hydro intends to collaborate with Polestar’s experts on zero-carbon aluminium, while automotive systems supplier ZF intends to explore with Polestar how their innovation in electric powertrain and overall systems competence could eliminate carbon emissions and save resources.
Automotive safety supplier Autoliv intends to partner with Polestar on safety equipment like airbags and seatbelts with zero emissions, and automotive lighting manufacturer ZKW also intends to team up with Polestar on climate-neutral electrical control systems and wiring.
“It was clear from the start that this is not a solo-mission and we are very excited to present such a strong line-up of interested partners, all leaders within their fields. We are leveraging innovation and collaboration to address the climate crisis,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO.
Polestar has announced an invitation to other suppliers, researchers, universities, entrepreneurs, investors, and governmental and non-governmental organisations, for possible collaboration. On top of the open call, Polestar will be reaching out to researchers from across the globe through SDSN, the world’s largest academic network, working in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.
Hans Pehrson, leader of the Polestar 0 Project and former Head of R&D at Polestar, says: “We believe in the exponential development of climate solution technologies. For this project, we must tap into solutions that are still in the innovation stage. Even more exciting is that the solutions we develop will not only benefit the automotive industry overall but help decarbonise manufacturing and society more widely as well. Wherever we look in the world we see materials like steel, aluminium, electronics and rubber. Imagine when we can make these materials climate-neutral to produce. Together, we can make the seemingly impossible possible.”
Polestar and its partners will focus their attention on the Polestar 0 project. Announced in 2021, this is Polestar’s industry-leading initiative with the goal to create a truly climate-neutral car by 2030 by eliminating emissions from the supply chain and changing the way that cars are made, rather than planting trees to offset CO2 emissions*. Polestar decided to commit to this target for one simple reason: the transport sector is the fastest-growing greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sector, expected to reach a share of more than 30 per cent of total GHG emissions in the future.
New Kia Owners Get Free Electrify America EV charging
Kia America and Electrify America have announced a partnership to provide Kia EV6 buyers with 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of complimentary EV charging/energy at any Electrify America station across the U.S. The agreement between the two companies will enable Kia owners 3,500 to 4,000 miles of all-electric driving at no charging cost, depending on the vehicle model and various conditions.
Electrify America’s vast DC charging network is the largest in the country, allowing high-speed charging of up to 350 kilowatts (kW) for capable vehicles. Kia customers can access this advanced charging network through the Electrify America mobile app. An enrollment code for the app is provided through the owner’s portal or the Kia Access App after the EV6 owner enrolls into Kia Connect, the brand’s robust in-car telematics system.
New Sustainable Infrastructure from Siemens
Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the U.S. unveiled a new sustainable, EV charging concept structure designed for electrifying fleets and high demand charging applications at scale. The new VersiCharge XL concept (UL standard) was created to electrify new or existing parking lots and building structures quickly and efficiently by using a modular, scalable design made in partnership with Nexii Building Solutions using their proprietary, sustainable building material with low carbon footprint in the U.S. The solution, which resembles a modern-day fueling station, was developed in late 2021, and then installed in only three days at Siemens’ research and development hub for Electrical Products and eMobility solutions in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, USA.
This innovative product was rapidly developed and co-patented with Nexii, a green construction technology company, and is the industry’s first electric vehicle (EV) charging system to house all necessary electrical infrastructure components that power EV chargers in an above-ground, enclosed, and low carbon structure. The above ground design requires minimal disruption to existing parking lots by eliminating costly, time-consuming, and substantial civics works and reduces on-site construction waste and environmental impact.
ChargePoint Partners with Wheels Donlen
ChargePoint Holdings, Inc., a leading electric vehicle (EV) charging network, and Wheels Donlen, a leader in automotive fleet management, announced a fleet partnership to provide Wheels Donlen customers with fleet mobility and home charging solutions. These leading technology brands will offer Wheels Donlen customers access to the ChargePoint® nationwide charging network, at-home charging hardware and cloud software that provides holistic management and consolidated billing for fueling across customer fleets.
Cox Automotive to Supply Support to Lion Electric
The Lion Electric Company (NYSE: LEV) (TSX: LEV) (“Lion” or the “Company”), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Cox Automotive Mobility to provide rapid response service to Lion customers throughout the United States. The partnership comes following a successful pilot program between the two companies that began in 2021.
The agreement gives Lion customers access to Cox Automotive Mobility’s 25 maintenance service centers, more than 1,000 technicians and nearly 800 mobile service trucks in the field, providing more options for convenient, on demand support. Fleet services provided by Cox Automotive Mobility will help to augment the customer support already provided through Lion’s network of Experience Centers, which serve as local hubs for maintenance, distribution, training and education on electrification. Lion will provide Cox Automotive Mobility’s technicians with in-depth training on its products including maintenance of high-voltage systems.
New UTI Curriculum for Ford FACT
Universal Technical Institute (UTI) is rolling out new curriculum in its Ford FACT (Ford Accelerated Credential Training) program to prepare its students to keep the next generation of vehicles on the road. Automotive technicians are in demand, and as the electric vehicle (EV) market continues to grow, those with knowledge of high voltage batteries and electric vehicles have become essential to automakers like Ford.
The new course is another step in UTI’s overall EV strategy, which includes enhancing its core curriculum, enhancing and offering new EV certifications in certain manufacturer-specific advanced training (MSAT) programs, and developing new training models and partnership opportunities to expand UTI’s overall EV ecosystem.
The new Ford EV curriculum will feature blended learning courses on High Voltage Systems Safety, Hybrid Vehicle Components and Operation, Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Components and Operation and an introduction to High Voltage Battery Service, as well as a Ford instructor-led class on Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Operation and Diagnosis.
More Compatible EV Charging from Lectron
Lectron has officially announced its expansive product portfolio to support electric vehicle owners with all of their charging needs. Recognizing the push for more EV infrastructure, Lectron is quickly becoming the top brand addressing charging needs and compatibility concerns among EV drivers.
“Lectron is pioneering ways of solving range anxiety at home and on the road, for both Tesla and non-Tesla EV owners, thereby helping to bring about the widespread adoption of sustainable transportation,” shared Chris Maiwald, Founder and CEO of Lectron.
Through world-class manufacturing and innovation, Lectron has an unyielding focus on eliminating the worry of coming across incompatible charging stations. A few products include:
- Tesla to J1772 Adapter (48 Amp): The only adapter on the market that supports 48 Amps of maximum current and 250V of maximum voltage, it gives those with J1772 vehicles access to an additional 15,000 charging stations nationwide.
- J1772 to Tesla Adapter: Perfect for Tesla Model S/3/X/Y drivers, and allows them to access any J1772 compatible charger, giving consumers four to six times as many charging destinations at their disposal.
- Level 2 Charger (40 Amp): Designed to make charging portable, quick and effortless at home or on the road, and is compatible with all J1772 EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs; it has an extra-long, 18-ft cable that is made to reach across most driveways or garages, for maximum convenience.
- V-BOX Charging Station (48 Amp) COMING SOON: Slated to be released in Q2, this product features best-in-class charging speed and power, and plugs into a standard NEMA 14-50 wall outlet; supports J1772 compatible electric vehicles.
The brand is expanding its charging footprint through its relationship with Karma Automotive, an American producer of luxury electric vehicles. Karma recognizes the importance of making a consumer’s transition to EVs seamless and pain-free and has found success with offering Lectron products to its customers. “With the integration of Lectron products, Karma drivers are able to travel with the peace of mind of always having a reliable EV charging option available to them,” says William Monroe, Channel & Network Development Director of Karma Automotive.
Atlis Motors to Supply Military Supplier
Atlis Motor Vehicles (ATLIS), a start-up mobility technology company, announced the signing of a collaborative agreement with a U.S. Military supplier to jointly design and produce new technology to convert military vehicles such as gasoline or diesel-powered High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) into electric vehicles. Under the agreement, the technology can be sold to third-party customers, including the United States and international allies.
Through this partnership, ATLIS’s expertise designing, developing, and manufacturing the fully electric XP platform for Class 1-2, light to medium-duty trucks, will be combined with the supplier’s extensive experience in the design, manufacturing, and sale of military-grade equipment to the United States Military and foreign allies.
The Atlis XP platform is the base for the 500-mile range electric ATLIS XT pickup, and it is a stand-alone medium to heavy-duty electric platform. The XP is the only full suite EV skateboard solution to convert a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle to an EV. Its modular system is designed to be plug-and-play, from a pickup to a box truck to a HMMWV. The standard XP platform consists of two identical modular drive systems located in the front and rear of the vehicle, four traction motors, independent suspension, drive-by-wire technology and an ATLIS battery pack.
The U.S. Department of Defense continues to express a desire to transform its fleet of ground vehicles through the introduction of electric and hybrid-electric drive technologies to address climate change, boost U.S. industry, and achieve operational advantages. ATLIS and the supplier believe their joint development work will be able to supply technology to electrify military fleets with longer-range, faster charging, fully-capable vehicles.////
Motive Energy, one of the largest forklift battery and charger suppliers in the United States announces the expansion of its offerings to include Solar, Energy Storage Systems (ESS), and Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging. Motive Energy is restructuring into two divisions: Power Solutions and Energy Solutions. Motive Energy’s existing material handling offerings will form its Power Solutions division while Motive Energy is reorganizing its 15-year-old Solar group with its ESS and EV Charging divisions under Energy Solutions.
Polaris to Sell Wallbox Chargers
Wallbox N.V. (NYSE: WBX), a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy management solutions worldwide, and Polaris Inc., a global leader in powersports announced a new partnership in the U.S and Canada. The news follows Polaris’ recent launch of its 2023 RANGER XP Kinetic which is expected to see first shipments this summer.
Polaris will sell the 40 Amp version of Wallbox’s best-selling charger worldwide, Pulsar Plus to make it even faster for consumers to charge their electric vehicle. The smart EV charger, which has been adapted to meet the growing needs of the US and Canadian markets, became a bestseller in just three months. Pulsar Plus is the smallest home charger on the market and is compatible with all EVs. Pulsar Plus 40 Amp is especially suitable for off-road vehicles, as its NEMA plug allows for more flexibility for farm and rural charging locations.
CellLink Corp Factory in Georgetown
CelLink Corporation will open a manufacturing facility in Georgetown to produce flexible circuits used in electric vehicles and battery storage units. The facility will be at the Gateway35 Commerce Center, a master-planned industrial park by Titan Development (“Titan”). CelLink selected Titan’s Building 1, a Class A 294,297-square-foot building that is strategically located in Georgetown between I-35 and SH 130. This new building is expected to be completed in June 2022.
CelLink manufactures the world’s largest and most electrically and thermally conductive flexible circuits, essential for the automotive and energy storage industries. The company is a key supplier to major electric vehicle manufacturers providing intelligent wiring systems needed for automotive wiring and battery packs with a key focus on efficiency and safety.
“We are excited to see Georgetown become part of the growing electric vehicle and energy storage industries,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “Companies like CelLink and industrial park developers like Titan will strengthen the economic foundation of our community bringing sales tax revenue, creative talent, and good jobs to our city.”
CelLink plans to hire 800-2,000 employees in high tech jobs over the next 10 years, which will make them one of the largest private sector employers in the city. The total capital investment for the project is estimated to be $130 million in five years.
Aloha Envoy Tech to Hawaii
Envoy Technologies announced the launch of its first electric car share in Hawaii in partnership with Kowa American powered by the Envoy Mobility app. The Nissan Leaf will be available to residents at Halekauwila Place Apartments located in Kaka’ako, a vibrant urban island community in Honolulu. Envoy’s Mobility as an Amenity™ service and technology platform provides residents with freedom of movement without the expense of traditional car ownership or hassle of renting a car. This also directly addresses the car rental shortages experienced throughout the United States. Plus it helps to reduce emissions and improve air quality through an eco-friendly and sustainable mobility option.
“The Hawaiian islands are a perfect location for this type of sustainable travel,” said Drew Hopkins, Envoy’s Chief Operating Officer. “Supporting the environmental health of the beautiful Hawaiian ecosystem is important to ensuring these islands will be enjoyed for generations to come.”