Global Round Up-13 (EV)

1.EV, Plug-In Hybrid cars sale dip in EU from last year

Limited driving ranges and a patchy charging network have resulted in a dip in the sales growth of electric and plug-in hybrid cars across major markets in the European Union in the first half of 2018. According to consulting firm EY, registration of electric cars increased by just 33% in the six months till June this year, as compared to a 54% rise in the same period in 2017. Of course, the growth rate remains healthy, albeit on a small base, and this is more a case of support infrastructure slowing down faster growth.

EY partner Peter Fuss said, “Charging infrastructure remains inadequate and the models currently available mostly don’t offer a good-enough range. The situation will only change in the medium term. Starting in the luxury segment, electric powertrains will establish themselves as serious alternatives.”

2. China launches an electric car battery recycling standard as old batteries are expected to come back in high numbers

Battery recycling is expected to become an increasingly significant part of the electric vehicle supply chain in the near future. And as the leading provider and consumer in the industry, China is launching an electric car battery recycling standard as EV adoption ramps up in the country.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has already pushed a standard for tracking the entire life cycle of batteries in electric vehicles, but it is now establishing a new scheme with automakers to recycle the batteries at the end of their lifecycle.

3. 30 new BYD electric cars go to Brazilian municipal civil guard

The Brazilian city of São José dos Campos is electrifying the fleet of vehicles used by the Secretariat of Citizen Protection thanks to 30 new fully electric vehicles from BYD. The 29 new BYD e5s and 1 BYD e6 leased vehicles were delivered on July 26th and will be used by the local police force.

“BYD believes it is important to contribute effectively to a sustainable society. The company has similar projects to supply EV fleets in the area of public safety in China,” said Adriano Caputo, Sales Manager of BYD Brazil.

4. Volkswagen to launch electric charger network in Canada

Canadian automaker Volkswagen has announced ‘Electrify Canada’ to set up 32 DC fast-charging stations in select cities and along highways in the country. Each station is said to have several fast chargers with an average of four chargers per site.

The stations will include a mix of 150-KW and 350-KW fast chargers, along with some Level 2 chargers that will support existing electric cars that don’t have fast charging capacity. The 350-KW fast chargers are expected to recharge a 300-mile electric car to 80% capacity in less than 15 minutes.

Volkswagen group president and CEO Daniel Weissland said, “We are thrilled to be able to offer this service and to take a leadership position in providing this key EV adoption enabler to the Canadian market.”

5. LG Chem to build EV battery plant in China

South Korea-based LG Chem plans to invest about $1.77 billion to build its second electric car battery plant in China to meet the growing demand in the country. According to the company spokesperson, the investment will be made by 2023 to increase its total output capacity to 32 GW hours per year, or batteries for around 500,000 electric vehicles. LG expects to begin production in October 2019.

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