EV Canada Newsletter - Issue #11

Weekly Recap Issue #11 - Tuesday, March 29th, 2022

Canada

LG Stellantis and LG Energy Solution to Create Joint Venture to Invest Over $5 Billion CAD in for First Large Scale Lithium-Ion Battery Production Plant in Canada.

As per a press release, and as we hinted at last week, Stellantis and LG Energy Solution have executed binding, definitive agreements to establish the first large scale, electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The joint venture company will produce leading edge lithium-ion battery cells and modules to meet a significant portion of Stellantis’ vehicle production requirements in North America.

Stellantis Logo and LG Logo

Quick summary:

  • Joint venture company to become first large scale, domestic, electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Canada 

  • Facility to have an annual production capacity in excess of 45 gigawatt hours

  • Plant targeted to be operational in 2024 and create an estimated 2,500 new jobs

Lucid Group has officially announced the opening of its newest vehicle studio which will be located in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, Ontario. 

This is the second Lucid Studio location in Canada and 23rd across North America. Their first Studio in Canada is located in Vancouver, British-Columbia. Lucid expects to begin deliveries of the Lucid Air to Canadians in Spring 2022.

Lucid Studio Pacific Centre

Lucid has collaborated with Electrify Canada to offer those who reserve a Lucid Air by June 30, 2022, two years of complimentary charging on the rapidly growing charging network. Designed to Combined Charging System (CCS) standards and compatible with any open DC fast charging station, the Lucid Air Grand Touring is capable of the fastest charging speeds of any production car available today.

“Opening a Studio at the largest shopping destination in Canada will help us elevate the brand in Canada as we continue to expand in North America,” said Zak Edson, Vice President of Sales and Service, Lucid. “We are looking forward to seeing the longest-range EV driving, and charging, on Canadian roads soon.”

As per Electric Cars Report, every Lucid Studio offers a digitally focused luxury experience tailored to each customer’s preferences. Lucid Studios allow customers to experience the brand and obtain information about its products in locations that underscore the company’s unique design aesthetic. In addition, using a 4K VR configurator, Lucid’s Virtual Reality Experience combines the physical and virtual worlds to showcase seamless personalization of everything from interior finishes and materials to exterior color.

Can-AM has announced that it will be producing two all-electric motorcycles.

To mark the brand’s 50-year anniversary, Can-Am will launch a new family that starts with two electric motorcycles.

The video clip below, released by the company, gives a quick glimpse of where Can-Am started and where the brand is now headed with its electric future.

There have not been any additional detailed information regarding the electric motorcycle, other than that “riders can expect these new state-of-the-art electric Can-Am motorcycles to be perfect for everyday commuting and, to stay true to the track & trail heritage of the brand, recreational on- and off-road riding.”

The street bike could end up being a smaller format electric motorcycle, which would join an already growing trend in North America.

BRP, Can-Am's parent company, has also already committed to electrification of the brand’s various vehicles from motorcycles to jet skis and snowmobiles, even showing off early prototype examples.

The company expects the new electric motorcycles to be available around mid-2024.

EV Around the World 🌏

Elon Musk indicates that Tesla sees potential in battery chemistry with a manganese-based cathode.

Elon Musk has expressed his concern surrounding the electric vehicle industry and the need to focus on the battery supply chain, especially with respect to the minerals used in EV batteries.

Elon reiterated that Tesla will maintain nickel-based chemistries for long-range EV batteries and iron-phosphate for shorter-range EV batteries - much like the rest of the industry.

However, Tesla has been exploring the use of manganese in its battery cells for some time with Elon indicating:

“I think there’s an interesting potential for manganese.”

Back in 2020, Musk had the following statement:

“It is relatively straightforward to do a cathode that’s two-third nickel and one-third manganese, which will allow us to make 50% more cell volume with the same amount of nickel.”

The CEO reiterated the need to prioritize battery mineral supply to accelerate the transition to electric transport and renewable energy. Musk said that Tesla estimates that the world is going to need 300 terrawatt-hours of battery cell production in order to transition fully to a sustainable world.

Here’s Musk’s speech at the Gigafactory Berlin event.(Thanks to David from Tesla Welt Podcast):

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd., better known as CATL, is starting to go green.

CATL is a global leader in energy technology, the leading EV battery manufacturer in China and the largest battery manufacturer in the world.

CATL has announced that they have built a zero-carbon battery plant in Yibin, Sichuan province of China. As the demand for EV's have grown globally, so has questions surrounding the environmental impact of the components of EV batteries such as lithum and cobalt and the manufacturing process to create battery cells.

Having major EV automakers such as Tesla and Nio has helped the company grow the volume of installed EV batteries as it reigns as the world's largest battery manufacturer by installed battery capacity for 5 straight years.

CATL is teasing the new battery plant that they indicate has already reached zero-carbon manufacturing but little details are known. Full details of it's new zero-carbon battery plant will be shared via livestream at 3AM EDT on Friday Arpil 1st.

Here’s a great video showcasing CATL, their accomplishments and future goals:

The 100,000th XPeng P7 Electric Sedan has roll off the production line.

The XPeng P7 is the first model from a Chinese EV brand to achieve the production milestone of 100,000 units just 695 days after its official launch on April 27, 2020.

XPeng has received high praise from customers, as they recognize the P7 quality, smart functionality, production efficiency, supply chain management and their sales & service network.

I personally would love to see these in North America, but XPeng has announced several times that they have no interest in bringing their line up to the North American market despite receiving approvals from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to test their new P7 electric sports sedan on US roads. The testing will be used to add to the company’s research and testing in China, according to He Xiaopeng, co-founder and chief executive of the company.

The P7 premiered at the Shanghai Auto Show in April last year 2019, and initially carried a price between 49,600 CAD 76,500 CAD. The company had received more than 15,000 pre-orders in the first 6 months after the Shanghai Auto Show.

In July 2021, the XPeng P7 achieved the highest ranking in the midsize BEV segment in J.D. Power’s inaugural China New Energy Vehicle–Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (NEV-APEAL) Study. In the same month, the P7 achieved a 5-star safety rating with a total score of 89.4% and the highest active safety score of 98.51% among electric vehicles in China from the China New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP). The P7 achieved a 92.61% occupant protection score in the C-NCAP safety test.

Also in July 2021, the XPeng P7 became the first to receive a 5-star rating from the i-VISTA (Intelligent Vehicle Integrated Systems Test Area) intelligent vehicle testing platform in China with four “Excellent” ratings in smart driving, smart safety, smart interaction, and smart energy efficiency. The car also obtained “Excellent” ratings in lane change assist, AEB emergency braking, LDW (Lane Departure Warning), as well as in smoothness and richness of touchscreen and voice interaction.

QuickEV

EV Meme/Tweet of the Week

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