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A Boom In Auto Battery Manufacturing | Earth Wise

June 24, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Nearly all automobile manufacturers are in a global race to build electric cars and trucks. There is a rapidly growing need for the battery packs that power those vehicles and therefore manufacturers are in a race to build battery factories to address that need.

The latest battery plant announcement comes from Stellantis – the new company created in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot. Stellantis aims to sell five million electric cars by 2030, which means they will need a lot of batteries. They will be spending $2.5 billion in partnership with Samsung to build a battery factory in Kokomo, Indiana. The facility is expected to create 1,400 jobs. Stellantis already had announced that it would build a battery factory in Windsor, Ontario in partnership with LG Energy Solutions.

They are not alone in their aggressive efforts on electric vehicle battery development. Ford Motor is building two battery plants in Kentucky and a third one in Tennessee. Ford has recently started production of its F-150 electric pickup truck which has attracted large numbers of pre-orders. The gas-powered Ford F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in America for years.

General Motors is opening a new battery production plant in Ohio this summer and has two others under construction in Tennessee and Michigan. Hyundai plans to spend $5.5 billion on an electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility near Savannah, Georgia that is expected to begin operations in 2025.

The auto industry has been struggling in recent times, but there is clearly a massive boom underway as the industry makes the transition from internal combustion engines to battery electric power.

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Stellantis and Samsung to spend $2.5 billion on an electric vehicle battery plant in Indiana

Photo, posted July 29, 2017, courtesy of Steve Jurvetson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Electric Cars On The Rise | Earth Wise

May 16, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The first quarter of the year was a tough one for the U.S. auto industry. Overall sales of cars and trucks were down 15.7% compared with last year. Automakers have been dealing with shortages of computer chips and other supplies, resulting in slowdowns in production.

The one major exception to the trend has been sales of electric cars. In the first quarter, U.S. electric vehicle sales were up 76% compared with last year. This was enough to double EV’s market share to 5.2%, up from 2.5% last year.

Reaching a five percent market share is a significant indicator that electric vehicles are becoming mainstream. According to many industry analysts, this is just the beginning of a major ramp-up in EV sales.

The strong results in the first quarter were largely driven by one company – namely, Tesla. Tesla has been expanding rapidly and has been proactive and creative in avoiding delays due to parts shortages. Tesla’s best-selling car is now the Model Y, which is an SUV implementation of its Model 3 design. Overall, the company is now producing cars at a rate of more than 1 million per year and has recently opened new manufacturing plants in Texas and in Germany.

But Tesla is not the only story in the world of electric vehicles. Mass production is beginning for Ford’s F-150 Lightning truck.

Nissan, Hyundai and Kia have electric cars on the market and shortly near-twin electric models jointly developed by Subaru and Toyota will be available as well.

The electrification of vehicles is an essential step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With gasoline at painfully high prices, electric cars are more attractive than ever.

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Inside Clean Energy: US Electric Vehicle Sales Soared in First Quarter, while Overall Auto Sales Slid

Photo, posted October 13, 2017, courtesy of Rob Bertholf via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.