| Digging into EV’s core |
Over the past two years, automakers have competed in a spending race on electric vehicle investments. When one announces a multi-billion-dollar commitment, another tops it. Automakers and battery manufacturers have touted battery-chemistry advancements to improve range and efficiency and reduce cost, and they’ve outlined plans to establish battery cell plants throughout the U.S.
Much of the conversation has been centered on the end products—the battery cell or the EV itself. The conversation is beginning to expand, addressing more details on how the automakers and their suppliers will secure the materials to make the batteries—vital metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and manganese.
Without significant investment in broader sourcing of these metals, the industry could face a shortage, similar to the semiconductor crisis it has faced this year.
Industry leaders are working to avoid that now.
In Monday’s issue, in the first installment of our series (read it all here), we’ll examine why automakers are establishing a new supply chain for batteries, how the industry aims to localize the footprint of battery cell sourcing and manufacturing to reduce carbon emissions, and how automotive companies are evolving battery chemistries. We’ll also include a story on General Motors’ metal sourcing investments as the automaker aspires to go all-electric by 2035, drawn from an interview with Shilpan Amin, vice president of global purchasing and supply chain.
The next installment will dig into the extraction process of raw materials, with an account from the Salton Sea, a 343-square-mile saline lake in California created from Colorado River flooding in 1905. GM and Controlled Thermal Resources are planning for large-scale lithium extraction at the site.
Our final installment will dive into responsible sourcing: addressing ethical questions and highlighting the opportunities in recycling and reusing battery materials.
Sourcing battery metals safely, responsibly and locally is the foundation of the EV future. This space will be vital as the industry propels toward electrification.
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In Monday’s Automotive News:
A focus on customers bears fruit: Stellantis has placed heavy emphasis on the customer shopping experience, and by one measure the strategy has born fruit: Several brands made major gains in J.D. Power’s latest U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index, including Jeep, which showed the greatest improvement of any brand in the study. Stellantis is leaning into sales satisfaction improvements with new initiatives, including the training of certified Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer ambassadors, Dodge Power Brokers dealerships and the steady rollout of Jeep-focused showrooms and standalone stores. Jeff Kommor, head of U.S. sales for Stellantis, tells Automotive News about how the adoption of tablets in the showroom has eased the sales process for many.
Winter is coming: The chip shortage has hit General Motors customers right in the keister. The automaker will stop offering heated seats, a popular feature, in many of its crossovers and all but top-end trims of its full-size pickups. GM didn’t have much of a choice, as its supplier is dealing with production constraints. Automotive News talks with dealers and looks at how this might impact sales. Is this a feature that will make some consumers cross a vehicle off their shopping list?
Weekend headlines
Musk says Tesla app coming back online, apologizes for server outage: About 500 users reported they faced an error late Friday afternoon.
EV charging startup Plug Zen poised to supply Verizon: The minority-owned company’s plans were delayed by the computer chip shortage.
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NACTOY finalists revealed: EV startups Lucid and Rivian are among the finalists for North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year. Car of the Year finalists are the Honda Civic, Lucid Air and Volkswagen Golf Mk VIII (Golf R/Golf GTI). Truck of the Year finalists are the Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Cruz and Rivian R1T. Utility Vehicle of the Year finalists are the Ford Bronco, Genesis GV70 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Biden visits GM EV plant: President Joe Biden, speaking at the opening of GM’s Factory Zero plant in Detroit, said the U.S. will surpass China to lead the charge in electric vehicles.
Product reveals and buzz from L.A.: More than a dozen vehicles, concepts and variants were unveiled. Follow the events with Automotive News’ roundup from the show.
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A selection from Daily Drive:
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Nov. 23, 2014: Bob Thomas, who was CEO of Nissan’s U.S. sales company in the 1990s as the Japanese automaker veered into financial trouble, died at 69 after a brief illness. The U.S. Air Force Academy graduate used controversial advertising to keep Nissan in the public eye in the late ’90s as the brand hungered for product. After his 1997 departure from the automaker, less than two years before its merger with France’s Renault, Thomas joined the then-fledgling public dealership group AutoNation as executive vice president of marketing strategy. He later was recruited as North American CEO of Edmunds.com.