AD #2648 – Survey Shows EV Growth Continuing, Nickel Supply Could Keep Battery Prices High, Audi e-tron Scooter

This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.

EVs WILL CONTINUE TO CHIP AWAY AT ICEs
A new survey by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute shows that powertrain experts think electrified vehicles will continue to chip away at vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. They believe 55% of passenger vehicles by 2025 will have a spark-ignited IC engine, while 31% will be hybrids, which includes mild, full and plug-in. By 2030 only 35% will be ICE and hybrids will jump to 43%. Battery electrics will also see a big boost in passenger car penetration. They’ll be at 6% in 2025 then move up to 13% by 2030. With that kind of growth, it’s no wonder we’re seeing automakers invest so heavily in electrified vehicles.

DAIMLER DEVELOPS GIANT BUS CHARGING STATIONS
Daimler’s vision for charging giant electric buses is giant, 16.4-foot or 5 meters high, charging stations. They’re that large because they support several different charging methods. 150 kW via the traditional cable, 300 kW to a roof-mounted pantograph or 300 kW to roof-mounted charging rails, which are sometimes called an inverted pantograph. The charging station has a modular design so it can be easily expanded and it can support the charging systems of other manufacturers. Unfortunately, Daimler doesn’t say how long it would take to charge one of its buses.

HENRY FORD SIGNED BASEBALL UP FOR AUCTION
It’s not uncommon to see an automaker’s logo on an item that you wouldn’t normally associate with them and at the 1933-1934 World’s Fair the Ford Motor Company was handing out custom-made baseballs, which included the famous art deco Ford V8 logo. And one of those baseballs with Henry Ford’s signature is currently up for auction. It’s sitting at a bid of $6,500. But this is only the second time a baseball with Henry Ford’s signature has gone up for auction and the last one fetched $15,000. The auction closes on August 8th.

NICKEL SUPPLY COULD KEEP BATTERY PRICES HIGH
Battery makers and car companies are concerned over the long-term supply of nickel, a key material used in EV batteries. According to Bloomberg, demand is expected to outstrip supply within the next five years. One reason for the shortage is the growth of electric vehicles but there’s also been a lack of investment in new mines. By 2030, demand for nickel for lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow to 1.8 million tons, 16 times higher than it is today. But the price of nickel is already on the rise, which has jumped by a third in London and last month hit its highest price in more than a year. Demand for EVs is unlikely to drop, so until nickel supplies are increased, the price of the metal and batteries will not come down.

FORMER UAW EXEC HEADED TO PRISON
The former head of the UAW unit that represented FCA workers is going to jail. Norwood Jewell was just sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in taking money from a company training center. He’s the highest-ranking union official to be convicted in the wide-ranging corruption scandal. Jewell admitted to funneling millions of dollars from the company-funded FCA training center to union leaders and accepted more than $90,000 in illegal payments from FCA for his own benefit. Prosecutors say FCA executives also participated in the scheme, however the automaker claims it didn’t know about or sanction the payments. And the UAW denies the scandal compromised collective bargaining negotiations with FCA. So far, three FCA executives and three union officials have plead guilty in the conspiracy.

AUDI REVEALS E-TRON SCOOTER
Audi just revealed a new e-tron model but this one is a little different. It’s an electric scooter called the Audi e-tron Scooter, which is a combination of a scooter and skateboard. The rider keeps one hand on the handlebar and has one hand free, to allow them to look around easier and give hand signals. The scooter weighs 26 pounds, has a range of 12.5 miles and has a top speed of 12.5 MPH. Production and sales of the e-tron Scooter kick off at the end of 2020 but this thing aint cheap. It will set you back 2,000 euros. But Audi says it might offer the scooter as an extra to customers who buy regular e-tron models.

And hey, be on the lookout for our coverage of the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminar. We’ll be posting interviews from the conference over the next few days. And we’ll be broadcasting live from the conference on Thursday, August 8th at 11AM. Look for that on our website or YouTube channel.

And another reminder, there will not be a new Autoline After Hours this week. But John and Gary will be back next week, August 15th for some of the best insider discussions in the industry.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.