Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Martyn1981

Interesting times ahead. I get the feeling that Chinese EV's are going to have a big impact on the European market, just like the Japanese automakers did ~35yrs ago. BYD in particular are growing EV sales very, very fast.

Maybe Germany needs to brace themselves, their EV's aren't selling particularly well in China, whilst the Chinese may be looking to grab some of their European sales.

Things may look very different by 2025, and onwards.

China EV Exports Surge

Fast forward to 2022 and a recent report from Bloomberg and it looks like China’s ambitions are being realised “… with 342,000 passenger EVs exported in the first three quarters of the year. That’s 29% of all vehicle exports in this segment and a big increase from 2019, when EVs accounted for just 2% of exports.”

As everyone knows, China now dominates world EV battery and battery material supplies. “BNEF’s recently published Lithium-Ion Battery Price Survey shows battery pack prices were 33% higher in Europe than in China and 24% higher in the US. The average price of a battery-electric vehicle in China in 2021 was $26,500, which is less than two-thirds of the average EV transaction price in Europe and less than half of those in the US.”

Martyn1981

The Toyota supertanker is at least thinking about changing direction. They may (next year) decide to revise their BEV strategy and aim for a dedicated BEV platform. [Only a guess, but hopefully this will have a positive impact on the rest of the Japanese automakers, too.]

Toyota seeks suppliers to support new strategy to better compete with EV leaders

Although Toyota revealed its plan to bring 30 battery electric vehicles globally by 2030, the company has reportedly been considering a strategy overhaul to better compete.

In October, a Reuters report suggested Toyota was taking note of Tesla’s success thus far and was considering building a new EV platform from scratch.

However, the updated strategy may come with additional delays to its EV development programs, according to one of the sources.

A big part of the strategy overhaul with suppliers will likely revolve around its e-TNGA architecture, a modified gasoline car platform that’s used for EVs like the bZ4X. The sources say Toyota is considering replacing the E-TNGA with a modern, dedicated EV platform.

Toyota designed the platform to streamline production between hybrids and gas-powered vehicles, but seeing the success of automakers with dedicated EV architecture, the company is considering a new platform for the modern era.

A dedicated EV platform could help improve Toyota’s efficiency while improving its competitiveness. Toyota has been working with two of its suppliers, Denso and Aisin, for its upcoming EV strategy overhaul.

NigeWick

Martyn1981 said:

The Toyota supertanker is at least thinking about changing direction. 

Too little, too late, I suspect. Chinese BEV makers and Tesla will be too far aead of Toyota. Mind you, if they can make a self charging BEV...

Grumpy_chap

NigeWick said:

Martyn1981 said:

The Toyota supertanker is at least thinking about changing direction. 

Too little, too late, I suspect. Chinese BEV makers and Tesla will be too far aead of Toyota. Mind you, if they can make a self charging BEV...

Oh, like a solar powered car that is so efficient it has little panels in the roof that are all you need...

Not just Toyota but all the legacy auto look to be asleep and losing out to the new manufacturers from China.  Rather like the motorcycle manufacturers when the Japanese came out with nice clean (i.e. not oily) motorbikes and then the new-entrants started making desirable and affordable cars.

It is just that those upstarts from the 1970's and 1980's are now the legacy companies snoozing at the wheel.

Martyn1981

NigeWick said:

Martyn1981 said:

The Toyota supertanker is at least thinking about changing direction. 

Too little, too late, I suspect. Chinese BEV makers and Tesla will be too far aead of Toyota. Mind you, if they can make a self charging BEV...

But Nige, they are seriously thinking about, looking into this next year, and possibly doing something! 

I suspect Japan will have to help out the auto industry. It, and it's exports, are essential to their economy. Add in all the jobs associated with it, and the recession would be crippling. Not a nice thing to bet on, but in Japan (possibly globally), I think Honda may be the first of Legacy to fail. [Edit - Sorry meant Mazda. Honda is a large company outside of just the cars part. M.]

Martyn1981

Still very early days for induction charging, but a small step forward for mobile charging .... maybe.

It’s For Real: Wireless EV Charging For Germany’s Famous Autobahn

Germany’s Autobahn public roadway system is getting its first ever wireless EV charging system, but don’t rush over there with your new EV just yet. The first lucky drivers to put the new system through its paces will not be putting the Autobahn’s famous speed limit to the test. They will be sitting behind the wheel of a bus ferrying passengers into the city of Balingen, in the southwestern corner of Germany.

“Michele Mueller, MDOT [Michigan Department of Transportation] senior project manager for connected and automated vehicles, said that electrified roadways could accelerate the adoption of EVs by enabling continuous vehicle operation via safe and sustainable public street energy platforms,” Buchholz explained.

“’A wireless in-road charging system will be revolutionary for EVs by potentially extending an EV’s battery charge without having to stop (and plug-in),’ Mueller said. She added that electrified roadways also could reduce EV range anxiety,” Buchholz also wrote.

Martyn1981

So .... it seems that sneaky Tesla has been testing the FSD Beta on UK roads too. It's been kept hush hush, and only some Tesla staff (apparently have been using it).

Tesla has been testing Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta in Europe with employees for over one year

The launch of FSD Beta in Europe was confirmed by third-party software tracker Teslascope, who was able to obtain information and images from an employee showing FSD Beta operating on a right-hand drive (RHD) vehicle in the United Kingdom (UK) for the first time.

Solarchaser

That's a scary thought, I wouldn't trust it that's for sure.
Every update seems to make it more skittish and less able to adapt to different roads.

70sbudgie

Martyn1981 said:

So .... it seems that sneaky Tesla has been testing the FSD Beta on UK roads too. It's been kept hush hush, and only some Tesla staff (apparently have been using it).

Tesla has been testing Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta in Europe with employees for over one year

The launch of FSD Beta in Europe was confirmed by third-party software tracker Teslascope, who was able to obtain information and images from an employee showing FSD Beta operating on a right-hand drive (RHD) vehicle in the United Kingdom (UK) for the first time.

The first thing that popped into my head on reading that was to wonder how it coped with the magic roundabout in Swindon.

michaels

70sbudgie said:

Martyn1981 said:

So .... it seems that sneaky Tesla has been testing the FSD Beta on UK roads too. It's been kept hush hush, and only some Tesla staff (apparently have been using it).

Tesla has been testing Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta in Europe with employees for over one year

The launch of FSD Beta in Europe was confirmed by third-party software tracker Teslascope, who was able to obtain information and images from an employee showing FSD Beta operating on a right-hand drive (RHD) vehicle in the United Kingdom (UK) for the first time.

The first thing that popped into my head on reading that was to wonder how it coped with the magic roundabout in Swindon.

A magic roundabout is actually just a very short ring road which is scary to a human but probably very straight toward for rules based decision making.