Geely commences production of all-electric Polestar 2 in China...

Geely commences production of all-electric Polestar 2 in China

Polestar, the electric car brand owned by Volvo’s parent Geely, has started production of the Polestar 2 in Luqiao, China, while car makers around the world grind to a stand still due to the Covid-19 crisis.

First models of the Polestar 2 are now rolling off the assembly line, bound first for Europe and then for China and US markets, the company said in an announcement on Tuesday.

Auto makers have ground to a halt in many areas of the world, including in Europe, the US and China. But the spread of Covid-19 in China has reportedly plateaued, according to official data, thanks to tough isolation and quarantine measures, allowing production to go ahead – albeit with precautionary measures.

“The world is facing enormous upheaval in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.

“We start production now under these challenging circumstances, with a strong focus on the health and safety of our people. This is a great achievement and the result of huge efforts from the staff in the factory and the team securing the supply chain. I have a huge amount of respect for the entire team – thanks to them!”

“Being able to produce in Luqiao means we are able to bring Polestar 2 to market with high build and quality standards right from the beginning,” said Ingenlath.

The Polestar 2 is the first all-electric vehicle to be borne out of the electric car offshoot that sprung from Volvo’s original plug-in hybrid Polestar, and the all-electric 5-door lift-back promises to lay down a challenge to other brands such as Tesla.

It has a 78kWh battery which Polestar says will offer up to 500km driving range and 300kW (combined) dual motors delivering a hefty 660Nm torque, and its price will start in Europe at €39,900 ($A72,403 converted). And, as we reported in May 2019, it will also be offered on a subscription model.

The Polestar 2 will also come with world-class connectivity, powered by a built-in Android infotainment system featuring Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play Store.

It is understood that the Polestar is slated for a release in Australia in late 2020, and while a price has not yet been set for Australia, it is understood that Volvo will be targeting sales of 1,800 vehicles in Australia in its first 12 months from release, and will also be available via a Tesla-like online purchase model including showrooms as opposed dealerships.

Chinese Volvo owner and Daimler partner Geely has also been chipping in on the effort to contain the novel Coronavirus.

German auto site Automobilewoch reported on Monday (Europe time) that staff at Geely headquarters in Hangzhou near Shanghai started loading protective equipment and test kits headed for Germany and Sweden, and was also considering sending equipment to Malaysia, where the group is active through its Malaysian automotive subsidiary Proton.

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Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited, abbreviated as CATL, is a Chinese battery manufacturer and technology company founded in 2011 and specialized in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, as well as battery management systems (BMS).

It is headquartered in Ningde, Fujian Province and operates manufacturing bases in Ningde, Qinghai and Liyang. Its three main R&D centers are based in Ningde, Shanghai and Berlin.

CATL's annual sales volume amounted to 21.18 GWh of energy storage capacity in 2018.

Based on annual shipments, CATL is the world's third largest provider of EV, HEV and PHEV battery solutions behind Panasonic (Sanyo) and BYD. The company aims to have a global lithium-ion production capacity of 50 GWh by 2020.

In 2018, it was announced that CATL will establish a new battery factory in Arnstadt, Thuringia, Germany. BMW announced in 2018 that it would buy €4 billion worth of batteries from CATL for use in the electric Mini and iNext vehicles.

Partnerships

CATL’s battery technology is currently used by a number of electric vehicle manufacturers.

In the international market, CATL is collaborating with PSA, Hyundai, Honda and BMW.

In China, its clients include BAIC Motor, Geely Automobile, GAC Group, Yutong Bus, Zhongtong Bus, Xiamen King Long, SAIC Motor and Foton Motor.


Supply agreement with CATL.

Battery cell modules for electric trucks

September 18, 2019 - Daimler Trucks & Buses and battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) have entered a global battery cell modules supply agreement for electric series trucks.

CATL will supply lithium-ion battery cell modules for a wide range of Daimler Trucks & Buses’ global electric truck portfolio to be introduced in markets from 2021 onwards, including the Mercedes-Benz eActros, the Freightliner eCascadia and the Freightliner eM2.

The development of the battery systems lies with Daimler Trucks & Buses.

Battery pack assembly will be carried out by Daimler Trucks & Buses as well -- at its Mercedes-Benz Mannheim plant in Germany and its Detroit (Michigan) plant in the US.


The revolutionary new Mercedes-Benz eCitaro

World premiere: the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and the eMobility system

Electric mobility means rethinking bus transport in cities. The new all-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro takes electromobility using city buses to a completely new level. It offers an impressive and unprecedented standard in energy efficiency, courtesy of its innovative thermal management system that uses innovative components available for the first time with the launch of the eCitaro.

It is the start of an innovation initiative for electric mobility, because together with the premiere, Daimler Buses already presents a concrete timetable for the city bus powertrain of the near future.

The eCitaro already covers a large part of the operations of city buses today – in just a few short years, it will be able to completely replace the combustion engine with unique battery technology and a fuel cell as a range extender.

The new eCitaro is far more than just a city bus: It is embedded into the eMobility system of Daimler Buses. This eMobility system supports transport operators from thorough consulting services and the assistance of an intelligent charge management system to the training of the employees and the provision of specific services.

The eMobility system and the Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro consequently pave the way for switching to electric mobility for buses in cities and population centres.

Proven electric axle, new modular battery concept

Lithium-ion batteries with a total capacity of up to about 243 kWh provide the power. They are modular in design: the batteries are split between up to ten modules, each supplying around 25 kWh. As well as two battery modules on the vehicle roof, the standard equipment includes four modules in the rear of the bus.

In the eCitaro, these are taking the place of today's powertrain combination of combustion engine and transmission. Depending upon customer requirements, another two or four battery modules are mounted on the roof of the eCitaro.

Each battery module is made up of 15 cell modules as well as a control unit for monitoring purposes and as a means of balancing the charge of the battery cells. Each separate cell module houses twelve battery cells. Mercedes-Benz uses easily manageable prismatic cells with a capacity of 37 Ah each.

With a minimum of six and up to a maximum of ten possible battery modules, transport operators can adapt their usage and charging strategy very precisely to individual needs. Opting for the largest number maximises the range of the buses, while a smaller number reduces the weight as well as the cost of purchase and allows more space for passengers - but potentially makes time-consuming opportunity charging necessary.

Since the development of battery technology is progressing at a rapid pace, the eCitaro is already designed to be transitioned to the future battery technology. For example, this involves the lithium-ion batteries with lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cells (NMC) currently in use. On the eCitaro, they are characterised by a balanced mix of energy density and simultaneous quick-charging capability.

The next generation of NMC batteries with larger capacity and resulting increased range will be provided to customers of the eCitaro after reaching production readiness. This will be already two years from now, as things stand today. With 33 kWh per battery module and a resulting total capacity of up to 330 kWh, the eCitaro will then cover about 50 percent of all applications. This greater battery capacity also makes a meaningful introduction of an eCitaro G articulated bus with a reasonable range possible.

Because the future NMC batteries and the batteries in use today have identical geometries and connectors, transport operators will even be able to increase the range of the existing eCitaro buses by swapping out the batteries at a later time and thereby further increase the operational flexibility.

In parallel to this development, another step is already preordained during that same period, the optional use of future lithium-polymer batteries. They also belong to the class of lithium-ion batteries, but here the usually liquid electrolyte is in a solid state, which is why they are also referred to as solid-state batteries. Solid-state batteries are characterised by an especially long service life and high energy density. With a rated battery capacity of about 400 kWh in the solo bus and even more in the articulated bus, the eCitaro will then meet about 70 percent of all requirements without opportunity charging.

The characteristics of solid-state batteries differ significantly from NMC batteries: They have a different shape, are more voluminous overall, are not interchangeable with NMC batteries and not suitable for quick-charging. As a result, city buses equipped with them cover different operational profiles. For this reason, the eCitaro will in future be offered with a choice of NMC or solid-state batteries.

https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Electric-mobility.xhtml?oid=9265809



With Tesla deal set, Chinese battery maker CATL makes plans to quadruple output

The world’s biggest electric vehicle battery maker, CATL, will invest up to $3.7 billion to quadruple its production capacity for lithium-ion batteries used in cars and storage systems.

In today’s report from Japan’s Nikkei, the financial publication tied CATL’s announcement with its plans to supply batteries to Tesla.

China’s CATL shipped the equivalent of 32.5 gigawatt-hours of automotive lithium-ion batteries in 2019. The company is the industry leader with a global share of 28%, according to South Korea’s SNE Research. It supplies batteries to Daimler, Honda, Toyota, Volvo, and Volkswagen.



ASX ANNOUNCEMENT

11November 2019

Yibin Tianyi is an emerging lithium chemical producer in China backed by China’s largest EV battery manufacturer CATL and Shenzhen listed company, Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology Co., Ltd

AVZ Managing Director, Mr. Nigel Ferguson said:

“We are excited to welcome Yibin Tianyi as a new,strategic investor in AVZ,especially given the backing they have from CATL–China’s largest EV battery manufacturer.

Their intention to become one of the largest global lithium chemical producers certainly complements our vision of developing the largest hard rock lithium deposit in the world.

“Yibin Tianyi’s intention to invest in AVZ and enter into a binding offtake arrangement underpins the tier 1 quality of our Manono Project.

https://avzminerals.com.au/asx-announcements

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