A year full of ups and downs is coming to an end. This is particularly true in North America, where the Infrastructure Cuts and Jobs Act, IRA, and NACS drove the market. With trillions of dollars in American funding, the world’s manufacturers continued to sell in the United States, announcing factory after factory to benefit from state funding.
As for Tesla, the biggest news came last. The automaker almost made its own North American charging standard a reality just before the end of the year. SAE International has taken the first steps to create a harmonized version called J340, backed by Tesla’s development and a number of automakers already working on the switch.
Looking to Europe, the power of regulation is also felt, but not reflected in the most read articles. But the fight for new laws and compromises, such as a ban on ICE sales and regulation of Europe’s charging infrastructure, only slightly overshadowed by the watered-down Euro 7 standard, was understandably widely debated. In the UK, the government has postponed the phase-out of internal combustion engines, but the EU’s latest decision to postpone rules of origin for EV imports may come as a relief. Plans for a British battery factory remained in limbo, but carmakers BMW and Nissan have pledged to continue manufacturing electric cars in the UK. At the same time, states from France to Germany to Sweden have cut subsidies but started investing in direct current charging infrastructure, now including large electric vehicles, many of which arrived this year.
But we won’t hold you back any longer – these are exciting times and there’s much more to come – for now, here are the most popular articles of 2023.
– January –
GM switches from pouch-shaped batteries to round battery cells
General Motors reportedly wants to switch from pouch-shaped cells to round-shaped cells in future electric models. The change in cell format was also the reason the automaker and LG Energy Solutions did not move forward with plans for a fourth joint battery cell factory in the United States. A few months later, it was reported that Samsung SDI would supply the cells and that the two companies would build a joint venture factory in the US with an annual production capacity of at least 30GWh.
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– February –
BorgWarner unveils new inverter technology
BorgWarner is currently expanding its 400V inverter business with leading global OEMs by supplying 800V silicon carbide-based (SiC) inverters. High voltage inverters are used in passenger BEVs. A 250kW inverter for passenger cars and all-wheel drive crossover utility vehicles, and a second 350kW module for OEM performance vehicles.
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– March –
Audi unveils new EV by organizing model names
In the spring, Audi announced a new order of model names. To that end, odd numbers are reserved for internal combustion engines, and even numbers are reserved for engines with electric powertrains. And the German automaker is planning a model below the Q4 e-tron. Following Audi’s logic, it should be called Q2 e-tron or A2 e-tron.
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– April –
CATL launches ultra-high energy “condensation battery”
CATL unveiled its new “condensate battery” technology in Shanghai, claiming an energy density of 500Wh/kg at the cell level. The Chinese battery giant believes it is suitable for electric aircraft, but also envisions use in road vehicles, with mass production scheduled to begin this year. This wasn’t the last new battery technology CATL announced in his 2023 year.
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– May –
VW plans ID.4 facelift
After the ID.3, VW confirmed that the VW ID.4 will also receive a facelift. According to media reports, the electric SUV will receive technical updates starting in 2024 and a visual redesign starting around mid-2025. The automaker then announced some changes on the sidelines of the IAA in September, including changes to the motor and battery, among others.
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– June –
Tesla announces UK scrapping scheme bonus
Tesla launched a new car scrapping scheme in the UK this summer for customers trading in older petrol or diesel models. Customers whose car is valued at less than £2,000 will receive £2,000 off the purchase of a new Model 3 or Model Y. This contract was valid for him through June.
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– July –
Nio integrates a 150 kWh semi-solid battery
In China, battery specialist WeLion has delivered its first semi-solid battery cell to electric vehicle manufacturer Nio. Nio uses cells in a 150 kWh battery pack. In October, the automaker announced that it would significantly expand its use of battery packs with semi-solid-state batteries.
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– August –
PepsiCo states that the Tesla Semi’s consumption is 1.1kWh/km.
PepsiCo uses 21 Tesla Semis at its bottling plant in Sacramento, California. The beverage company provided insight into the day-to-day logistics operations of all-electric Class 8 trucks in the United States, including descriptions of consumption, recovery, and range. PepsiCo ordered its first Tesla Semi more than five years ago.
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– September –
Duke Energy announces flat-rate EV charging fees in North Carolina
Duke Energy will begin a flat-rate pilot with automakers General Motors, Ford and BMW. The Complete EV Home Charging Plan will allow customers in North Carolina to charge their EVs at home using up to 800 kWh per month for a fixed monthly fee. The company estimates that the average EV driver uses less than 15kWh per day, totaling up to 450kWh per month. In other words, the pilot will provide almost twice the amount needed in a month.
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– October –
CALB reveals high-density battery with 25-year lifecycle (advertisement)
CALB, China’s third-largest battery manufacturer, announced its 314Ah energy storage solution at the RE+ trade show in Las Vegas as part of its further globalization strategy.
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– November –
BMW stops producing internal combustion engines in Germany
BMW has ended production of the ICE at its headquarters factory in Munich. A previously announced measure was to free up space at a factory in Bavaria for the production of electric cars. However, that doesn’t mean BMW has completely stopped producing ICEs. Production of internal combustion engines was moved to Steyr, Austria, and Hams Hall, England.
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– December –
Tesla NACS becomes official charging standard in North America
The harmonization organization SAE International has published a corresponding document that transforms Tesla’s de facto standard into a harmonized NACS connector standard. This development will prompt the DfT to consider funding for infrastructure, and we believe Volkswagen will also be involved. In the United States, OEMs have announced that they will provide Tesla’s charging technology, the North American Charging Standard (NACS), to EVs starting in 2025.
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This was electrive’s news review of the year, including the 12 most read articles of 2023. Once Merry Christmas is over, I wish her a happy and healthy New Year and a great start to 2024.