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New Detroit","the-new-detroit","article/the-new-detroit",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":560,"content":570,"excerpt":1048,"featured":50,"reporter":1049,"_editable":1053,"component":1054,"seo_title":553,"categories":1055,"visibility":1062,"author_company":49,"featured_image":1063,"seo_description":1048,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":1067,"formattedArticleDate":1068},"ede5d6cd-15d7-41e1-9dbe-e6355359eb05","2018-06-25 00:00",[],[561],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":564},"didi-bostock","Didi Bostock",{"job_title":565,"image":566,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},"Editor - Energy Transition & Economics",{"filename":567},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/2c5ca5c1a3/didi-bostock.jpeg","Didi is the Energy Transition & Economics Editor at Benchmark, covering a broad range of markets across the energy transition. His remit spans from downstream sectors such as BESS and EVs, through to midstream such as new technologies and battery production, to upstream critical minerals mining. He also leads on financial analysis across these supply chains, alongside in-depth policy analysis.\n","https://www.linkedin.com/in/didi-bostock-656342198/",{"type":571,"content":572},"doc",[573,583,590,597,602,607,612,617,622,627,632,637,642,647,652,657,662,667,674,679,684,689,696,701,706,711,720,725,730,737,742,747,752,757,762,769,774,779,784,791,796,801,806,811,816,821,826,831,838,843,848,853,858,865,870,875,880,887,892,897,902,907,912,919,924,931,936,941,946,951,958,963,968,974,979,984,989,996,1001,1006,1011,1016,1023,1028,1033,1038,1043],{"type":574,"attrs":575,"content":576},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[577],{"text":578,"type":579,"marks":580},"Detroit is now a synonym for industrial decline and urban decay but in the mid-twentieth century this could not have been further from the truth. At the turn of that century Henry Ford, after a couple of relatively unsuccessful ventures, launched the Ford Motor Company and used assembly line improvements and new labour practices to produce cars on a mass scale. Detroit – or “Motor City” – was the beating heart of the automobile industry and became the headquarters of the “Big Three” manufacturers: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.","text",[581],{"type":582},"italic",{"type":574,"attrs":584,"content":585},{"textAlign":49},[586],{"text":587,"type":579,"marks":588},"The boom years were followed by a tremendous bust which Detroit is yet to recover from. But the United States’ love affair with the car is far from over and today’s technological disruptors are driving the industry forward in Silicon Valley.",[589],{"type":582},{"type":574,"attrs":591,"content":592},{"textAlign":49},[593],{"text":594,"type":579,"marks":595},"In this feature Benchmark Mineral Intelligence looks at the Silicon Valley companies that are key to the electric vehicle revolution.",[596],{"type":582},{"type":574,"attrs":598,"content":599},{"textAlign":49},[600],{"text":601,"type":579},"Sixteen years ago, the movie The Minority Report showed Tom Cruise causing mayhem in a futuristic United States whose highways were dominated by electric vehicles and autonomous cars. In 2002 these transport methods seemed fanciful. But today this future has moved closer to reality, largely thanks to Silicon Valley’s innovators.",{"type":574,"attrs":603,"content":604},{"textAlign":49},[605],{"text":606,"type":579},"Silicon Valley has capitalised on technological improvements, lower costs and fewer barriers to entry to make significant strides in bringing the electric vehicle closer to the mass consumer market.",{"type":574,"attrs":608,"content":609},{"textAlign":49},[610],{"text":611,"type":579},"Parallels can be drawn between the innovation seen today in California and Michigan a century ago. Like their predecessors the Silicon Valley start-ups are using disruptive technology and new techniques to transform the automobile industry. And like Detroit did then, Silicon Valley is experiencing a growth in the number of companies hoping to grab a piece of the EV pie.",{"type":574,"attrs":613,"content":614},{"textAlign":49},[615],{"text":616,"type":579},"This feature explores some of Silicon Valley’s key players, the products flooding the nascent EV scene, and the incumbent automobile manufacturers and their response.",{"type":574,"attrs":618,"content":619},{"textAlign":49},[620],{"text":621,"type":579},"TESLA",{"type":574,"attrs":623,"content":624},{"textAlign":49},[625],{"text":626,"type":579},"The original start-up of the Silicon Valley EV scene, the Palo Alto based EV and, now, lithium ion battery manufacturer has wandered far from its Roadster roots.",{"type":574,"attrs":628,"content":629},{"textAlign":49},[630],{"text":631,"type":579},"Since its inception in 2003 by a group of tech entrepreneurs including Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, JB Straubel and Ian Wright, it was Elon Musk who oversaw Tesla’s rise to the world’s highest profile EV producer, a company that is now NASDAQ listed with a market cap of over $50bn.",{"type":574,"attrs":633,"content":634},{"textAlign":49},[635],{"text":636,"type":579},"The original Roadster was Tesla’s first ever production car released and is now reaching its 10th birthday. The Roadster’s availability was limited and just under 2,500 cars were sold in total but in November 2017, with a hint of nostalgia, Musk unveiled a revamped Roadster, due to be released in 2020. Tesla claimed that the battery capacity will be an enormous 200kWh and will have a range of 1,000km – specifications which have been refuted as currently unattainable by some pundits.",{"type":574,"attrs":638,"content":639},{"textAlign":49},[640],{"text":641,"type":579},"Tesla first started delivering its Model S Sedan in 2012. The P100D and 100D version of the car have a battery capacity of 100kWh, with a range of 315 and 335 miles respectively. There is also a smaller capacity vehicle with a range of 259 miles — the 75D — which as its name suggests has a capacity of 75kWh.",{"type":574,"attrs":643,"content":644},{"textAlign":49},[645],{"text":646,"type":579},"According to its annual report, Tesla delivered 100,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in 2017 and is looking to deliver the same number in 2018.",{"type":574,"attrs":648,"content":649},{"textAlign":49},[650],{"text":651,"type":579},"The Model 3, unveiled in 2016, is an affordable EV for the mass market priced at 35,000 USD. Consumers have the option of choosing two models. The short-range version has an expected range of 220 miles, using a lithium ion battery with an estimated 50kWh capacity, while the longer-range car provides a range of over 300 miles from an estimated battery size of 75kWh.",{"type":574,"attrs":653,"content":654},{"textAlign":49},[655],{"text":656,"type":579},"In Q3 2017 Tesla delivered 1,764 Model 3s but having received over 325,000 reservations in the weeks following its release, it will have to ramp up production significantly to meet demand. As Tesla noted in their most recent annual report “Based on our current progress, we are targeting a production rate of 2,500 Model 3 vehicles per week by the end of the first quarter of 2018 and 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week by the end of the second quarter.”",{"type":574,"attrs":658,"content":659},{"textAlign":49},[660],{"text":661,"type":579},"In November Tesla unveiled the Tesla Semi, which is a battery-powered semi-trailer truck Tesla intends to bring to production in 2019. Battery capacity is yet to be confirmed but the vehicle will have a range of 300 or 500 miles and it is expected that energy consumption will be less than 2 kWh per mile. The vehicle will be powered by 4 independent motors, which suggests that the battery for the truck will be both expensive and heavy. Although the fuel-cost savings should balance this out. The haulage industry will of course be watching this closely.",{"type":574,"attrs":663,"content":664},{"textAlign":49},[665],{"text":666,"type":579},"FARADAY FUTURE",{"type":574,"attrs":668,"content":669},{"textAlign":49},[670,672],{"text":671,"type":579},"In 2017 Faraday Future (FF), one of the more well-known start-ups in Silicon Valley, announced its first production model the FF 91. It should be available to purchase at the end of 2018 and it was reported that the company received 64,000 reservations after its launch. The SUV electric vehicle is",{"text":673,"type":579},"expected to use a sizeable 130kWh lithium ion battery. This will give the FF 91 an impressive 2.39 seconds nought-to-60 mph time. But with this strong performance and large battery size it is likely that Faraday Future’s flagship EV will be at the more expensive end of the EV market. Faraday Future have not released pricing information but there are rumours it could cost between the broad range of 100,000 and 300,000 USD.",{"type":574,"attrs":675,"content":676},{"textAlign":49},[677],{"text":678,"type":579},"Following on from the FF 91 launch many in the industry suggested that Faraday Future could be the company to take on Tesla. But in its current situation, it is difficult to see Faraday Future offering much of a challenge in the short-term.",{"type":574,"attrs":680,"content":681},{"textAlign":49},[682],{"text":683,"type":579},"The company was reported to have had financial issues — summed up by the firing of its CFO, Stefan Krause, in November 2017 for “possible violation of law and lack of contribution to FF’s goals”.",{"type":574,"attrs":685,"content":686},{"textAlign":49},[687],{"text":688,"type":579},"Budgetary issues also arguably led to the abandonment of its initial plans to build an EV factory in Nevada announced in 2016.",{"type":574,"attrs":690,"content":691},{"textAlign":49},[692,694],{"text":693,"type":579},"However, the impact of these setbacks did not prevent the company from signing a lease on a new manufacturing facility in Hanford, California in August 2017. This should help",{"text":695,"type":579},"the company stay on target and deliver the FF 91 in 2018, despite their apparent financial problems.",{"type":574,"attrs":697,"content":698},{"textAlign":49},[699],{"text":700,"type":579},"LUCID MOTORS",{"type":574,"attrs":702,"content":703},{"textAlign":49},[704],{"text":705,"type":579},"Lucid Motors, founded in 2007 and formerly known as Atieva, originally produced batteries for other EV manufacturers but decided to enter the EV field proper in 2014. Members of the senior team have significant experience across the industry,",{"type":574,"attrs":707,"content":708},{"textAlign":49},[709],{"text":710,"type":579},"The company expects to begin deliveries of its first EV, the Lucid Air, in 2019.",{"type":574,"attrs":712,"content":713},{"textAlign":49},[714],{"type":715,"attrs":716},"image",{"id":49,"alt":717,"src":718,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":719},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/9d6ea73f62/bm-screen-shot-2018-06-25-at-112343.png",{},{"type":574,"attrs":721,"content":722},{"textAlign":49},[723],{"text":724,"type":579},"The Lucid Air is expected to enter production in 2019.Credit: Lucid Motors",{"type":574,"attrs":726,"content":727},{"textAlign":49},[728],{"text":729,"type":579},"Initially prices will start at $60,000 for the 240-mile range sedan which will be manufactured in Arizona, although it is headquartered in Silicon Valley. The company anticipates that it will produce 10,000 units in the first 12 months of production and 60,000 by 2022.",{"type":574,"attrs":731,"content":732},{"textAlign":49},[733,735],{"text":734,"type":579},"The Lucid Air’s standard lithium-ion battery will have a capacity of 100 kWh but there will also be an option of 130kWh providing a driving range of 400 miles. Lucid has developed a strategic partnership with Samsung SDI through which they intend to work on producing the next generation",{"text":736,"type":579},"of lithium-ion battery cells. This will make Samsung one of the major suppliers of lithium-ion cells for the Lucid Air.",{"type":574,"attrs":738,"content":739},{"textAlign":49},[740],{"text":741,"type":579},"ALTA MOTORS",{"type":574,"attrs":743,"content":744},{"textAlign":49},[745],{"text":746,"type":579},"When discussing electric vehicles, the car tends to receive plenty of attention. But a rising tide raises all ships and the move towards electric power is now being seen in the motorcycle industry, with the electric bike. Alta Motors, which both designs and builds its bikes in California, is the leading motorcycle industry in the move towards e-bikes – predominantly focusing on off-road and dirt bikes.",{"type":574,"attrs":748,"content":749},{"textAlign":49},[750],{"text":751,"type":579},"Alta uses 18650 lithium-ion cells in its battery packs for its Redshift bikes, which Alta states can provide 2-3 times energy per weight than other commercially available battery cells. Alta acknowledges that it is difficult to put those particular cells into practice in larger batteries used in EVs but this has not prevented them from trying to develop advanced battery systems. The Redshift’s battery pack is 5.8kWh, weighs 30.8 kg and has a maximum 350V. Alta sells its bikes through over 40 dealerships across the USA, a number which has been steadily increasing in recent years. Sales volumes are expected to grow exponentially.",{"type":574,"attrs":753,"content":754},{"textAlign":49},[755],{"text":756,"type":579},"The prospects of the electric bike look to continue to improve — in March 2018 it was announced that Harley-Davidson had taken a stake in Alta. The deal will see Alta work together with the motorbike behemoth to build electric motorcycles. This mirrors the changes we have seen in the car industry: established manufacturers are making moves into the EV space as the combustion engines future is brought into question by new and dynamic EV companies.",{"type":574,"attrs":758,"content":759},{"textAlign":49},[760],{"text":761,"type":579},"PROTERRA",{"type":574,"attrs":763,"content":764},{"textAlign":49},[765],{"type":715,"attrs":766},{"id":49,"alt":717,"src":767,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":768},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/5cd2511543/bm-screen-shot-2018-06-25-at-113027.png",{},{"type":574,"attrs":770,"content":771},{"textAlign":49},[772],{"text":773,"type":579},"Credit: Proterra",{"type":574,"attrs":775,"content":776},{"textAlign":49},[777],{"text":778,"type":579},"Proterra may not have the sleek appeal of Tesla or Lucid Motors but the electric bus manufacturer is certainly making its mark on the EV industry.",{"type":574,"attrs":780,"content":781},{"textAlign":49},[782],{"text":783,"type":579},"Founded in 2004, Proterra had its electric buses on the road by 2009 and its popularity has continued to grow since then; having sold more than 400 vehicles in total.",{"type":574,"attrs":785,"content":786},{"textAlign":49},[787,789],{"text":788,"type":579},"Recent growth has been impressive and much of this has come from local",{"text":790,"type":579},"governments, many of whom are taking advantage of federal grants and looking to replace diesel vehicles with environmentally friendly EVs. Sales have mostly been concentrated on the west coast but the company is seeing demand from across the USA, having recently shipped a number of vehicles to Washington, D.C, and New York.",{"type":574,"attrs":792,"content":793},{"textAlign":49},[794],{"text":795,"type":579},"The company has two production plants — in South Carolina and California. The 100,000-square-foot factory in California was opened in 2017 at a cost of $20 million and it is understood that the facility will produce 400 buses per year.",{"type":574,"attrs":797,"content":798},{"textAlign":49},[799],{"text":800,"type":579},"In September-2017 Proterra’s Catalyst E2 Max set a world record and drove a record-breaking 1,101.2 miles, which was the longest distance travelled by an EV on a single charge.",{"type":574,"attrs":802,"content":803},{"textAlign":49},[804],{"text":805,"type":579},"The record-breaking Catalyst’s lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 660 kWh. This is the largest capacity EV produced by Proterra but they also offer six other buses with capacity ranging from 94 to 550 kWh.",{"type":574,"attrs":807,"content":808},{"textAlign":49},[809],{"text":810,"type":579},"NIO",{"type":574,"attrs":812,"content":813},{"textAlign":49},[814],{"text":815,"type":579},"NIO, formerly NextEV, is a Shanghai start-up but its US headquarters are in Silicon Valley. It was reported in Q1 2018 that NIO was considering a US IPO that should raise between $1 and $2 billion.",{"type":574,"attrs":817,"content":818},{"textAlign":49},[819],{"text":820,"type":579},"NIO has two cars in production: the ES8, a 7-seater SUV exclusive to the Chinese market and the EP9, which is a two-seater sports car.",{"type":574,"attrs":822,"content":823},{"textAlign":49},[824],{"text":825,"type":579},"The ES8 was launched in Q4 2017 and will have a base price of RMB 448,000. There is also the option for customers to make use of a battery rental plan, which lessens the upfront costs by providing a discount of RMB 100,000 on the car’s price. The ES8 will be made to order through the company’s own app and it has been reported that NIO expects to deliver 30,000 units in 2018.",{"type":574,"attrs":827,"content":828},{"textAlign":49},[829],{"text":830,"type":579},"The battery capacity is 70 kWh, which is liquid-cooled and uses VDA square cell batteries. NIO claims this should provide the ES8 with a range of over 500 km at a speed of 60 kph.",{"type":574,"attrs":832,"content":833},{"textAlign":49},[834,836],{"text":835,"type":579},"It might seem surprising that the ES8 is available exclusively in China but speaking at a meeting of US governors in the summer of 2017 Tesla’s Elon Musk acknowledged that “sometimes people are under the impression that China is either dragging their feet or somehow behind the U.S. in terms of",{"text":837,"type":579},"sustainable energy promotion, but they are by far the most aggressive on Earth. It’s crazy.”",{"type":574,"attrs":839,"content":840},{"textAlign":49},[841],{"text":842,"type":579},"The speedy EP9, which recently set a world record for a road-legal car at Germany’s Nürburgring race circuit, uses an 82kWh capacity lithium ion battery. However, the impressive performance of the car will only be available to a limited number of customers, as it is understood that the company is capping production at twenty EVs.",{"type":574,"attrs":844,"content":845},{"textAlign":49},[846],{"text":847,"type":579},"ROMEO POWER",{"type":574,"attrs":849,"content":850},{"textAlign":49},[851],{"text":852,"type":579},"The combustion engine powered Detroit’s boom years the battery pack is energising EV manufacturers in Silicon Valley and Romeo Power is a specialist in designing and producing battery modules and packs for a broad range of EVs, from cars and electronic bikes to forklift trucks. Their engineering and manufacturing teams are filled with experience and include former leaders of SpaceX, Tesla and Samsung.",{"type":574,"attrs":854,"content":855},{"textAlign":49},[856],{"text":857,"type":579},"In August-2017 Romeo announced it was opening a 113,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in California. This has helped the company to increase production of its cylindrical lithium-ion battery packs.",{"type":574,"attrs":859,"content":860},{"textAlign":49},[861,863],{"text":862,"type":579},"Romeo boasts that its battery packs — which can be produced with a capacity ranging from 1kWh to 1 MWh -— have “the",{"text":864,"type":579},"highest energy density by 25 per cent” and that the “technology is optimised for the fastest charging times, decreasing standard battery charge times by 15 to 30 per cent.”",{"type":574,"attrs":866,"content":867},{"textAlign":49},[868],{"text":869,"type":579},"Romeo’s process for developing high-performance lithium ion batteries for customers is their strong competitive advantage. The initial phase of development takes 3-4 months, which involves designing, planning and agreeing on the design with their client. At the end of this period a prototype is delivered. In the next phase, which is 3-12 months in duration, the prototype is soft-tooled until Romeo moves onto the last stage of development. In this final phase of 3-12 months hard-tooling of the battery begins, pre-production builds are finalised, candidates are released and finally the battery enters mass production.",{"type":574,"attrs":871,"content":872},{"textAlign":49},[873],{"text":874,"type":579},"THOR TRUCKS",{"type":574,"attrs":876,"content":877},{"textAlign":49},[878],{"text":879,"type":579},"Only one month after Tesla announced its Semi electric truck, Thor Trucks unveiled its competitor, the ET-One, which Thor expects will beat the Semi to market although both companies are targeting production in 2019.",{"type":574,"attrs":881,"content":882},{"textAlign":49},[883,885],{"text":884,"type":579},"The ET-One will be priced at $150,000 to $250,000 and is only designed for short-haul travel of 250-300 miles per charge. Although the trucks will be more expensive than",{"text":886,"type":579},"traditional haulers, Thor claims that the cost of fuel will be 70% cheaper per mile and the cost of maintenance 60% cheaper.",{"type":574,"attrs":888,"content":889},{"textAlign":49},[890],{"text":891,"type":579},"The haulage trucks will use cylindrical lithium-ion cells. Thor have yet to release specific details of battery capacity, but as the packs are modular Thor expects to be able to cater to up 1MWh on request. Thor will use an array of existing components available to build its cars rather than building its EVs from scratch — perhaps reflecting the small scale and low capitalisation of the company when compared to other start-ups.",{"type":574,"attrs":893,"content":894},{"textAlign":49},[895],{"text":896,"type":579},"APPLE",{"type":574,"attrs":898,"content":899},{"textAlign":49},[900],{"text":901,"type":579},"There has been a conspicuous lack of reference to Apple so far and for good reason — there are currently no concrete details of their plans to enter the EV market. Though Apple have been coy about their intentions, the wider industry expect them to act, as suggested by Elon Musk who said in a 2016 BBC interview that it “was an open secret” that Apple were pursuing an EV project.",{"type":574,"attrs":903,"content":904},{"textAlign":49},[905],{"text":906,"type":579},"Musk is not alone — rumours of Apple developing an electric car abound across the EV market. There are other hints that point towards Apple’s electric car project. In March 2018, The Financial Times reported that since being permitted to test three autonomous vehicles in California in April 2017 Apple can now test up to 45 self-driving vehicles in the state, which puts it ahead of both Uber and Tesla.",{"type":574,"attrs":908,"content":909},{"textAlign":49},[910],{"text":911,"type":579},"For now, the market will have to wait for Apple to make an announcement but the consensus is that the company is working on producing an EV. Considering the stockpile of cash and resources it has access to and the potential the EV industry offers it would be surprising if Apple fails to partake.",{"type":913,"attrs":914,"content":916},"heading",{"level":915,"textAlign":49},2,[917],{"text":918,"type":579},"Self-driving and flying cars: the future is now",{"type":574,"attrs":920,"content":921},{"textAlign":49},[922],{"text":923,"type":579},"Rapid improvements in technology have made electric cars a viable alternative to those powered by combustion engine. Further improvements in technology have meant that the self-driving car is now a reality — simply put, there are already self-driving cars on the roads albeit in test-mode.",{"type":574,"attrs":925,"content":926},{"textAlign":49},[927,929],{"text":928,"type":579},"EVs and self-driving cars are often seen as different sides of the same coin, as advances",{"text":930,"type":579},"in battery technology and capacity have helped the concept of the autonomous car become practicable. It should be noted, however, that there are many hybrid autonomous cars out there and that not all cars will be battery-powered.",{"type":574,"attrs":932,"content":933},{"textAlign":49},[934],{"text":935,"type":579},"In March-2018 self-driving cars received considerable media attention, unfortunately this was for tragic reasons when a self-driving Uber hit and killed a woman in Arizona. In response Uber suspended all testing of its self-driving cars across the United States. This was not the first fatality involving a self-driving car — in 2016 a passenger in one of Tesla’s vehicles was killed when the car was in autopilot mode. These incidents will likely lead to further scrutiny from the media, public and politicians and increased regulation.",{"type":574,"attrs":937,"content":938},{"textAlign":49},[939],{"text":940,"type":579},"Despite these accidents California is pushing for the adoption of self-driving vehicles. In February, the state approved regulations to allow for full driverless testing by issuing permits in April 2018. But by the end of March there had been no applications. This suggests that safety concerns — and perhaps the consequences posed to public relations — have led to hesitation on the part of car-makers rather than regulators.",{"type":574,"attrs":942,"content":943},{"textAlign":49},[944],{"text":945,"type":579},"Until recently, much like the autonomous car, the concept of a flying taxi had been limited to outings in sci-fi films. But in November 2017 Uber announced that it would be adding a third city – Los Angeles – to project Elevate, which is Uber’s bold plan to bring flying cars into its arsenal of futuristic transportation options. By 2020 Uber is aiming to launch its aerial taxi service, which will also be available in Dallas and Dubai.",{"type":574,"attrs":947,"content":948},{"textAlign":49},[949],{"text":950,"type":579},"The authorities are on board with Uber’s plans, giving the project further credence. Jeff Holden, Uber’s Head of Product, announced that the company had agreed on a new air traffic control system with NASA to regulate the flying cars flight paths. Flying cars might still seem fanciful to many but Holden was quoted stating “there’s been a great deal of progress that’s been hard to see from the outside.” The ending line in their recent promotion video is the rather optimistic “closer than you think”.",{"type":574,"attrs":952,"content":953},{"textAlign":49},[954,956],{"text":955,"type":579},"In its October-2016 white paper Uber acknowledged that there are a number of barriers that could prevent it from implementing its ambitious plans, including the certification process in each country and",{"text":957,"type":579},"air traffic control limitations.",{"type":574,"attrs":959,"content":960},{"textAlign":49},[961],{"text":962,"type":579},"Uber has decided that batteries are the preferable energy source for propulsion, however, it was also noted that current battery technology is not advanced enough to support their plans. In their white paper Uber wrote that the “specific energy… of batteries today is insufficient for long-range commutes” and that the “charge rate…of batteries today is also too slow to support high-frequency ridesharing operations.” According to this white paper the company expects that a 140kWh battery capacity would be required for a four-person aircraft.",{"type":574,"attrs":964,"content":965},{"textAlign":49},[966],{"text":967,"type":579},"The flying taxi remains at the periphery of the battery-powered boom, but it highlights the changes at hand and the creative spirit of Silicon Valley’s EV pioneers.",{"type":913,"attrs":969,"content":971},{"level":970,"textAlign":49},1,[972],{"text":973,"type":579},"OLD DETROIT",{"type":574,"attrs":975,"content":976},{"textAlign":49},[977],{"text":978,"type":579},"Reshaping the industry: what’s happening to traditional car makers?",{"type":574,"attrs":980,"content":981},{"textAlign":49},[982],{"text":983,"type":579},"While Silicon Valley might seem the EV epicentre, in recent years the old Detroit has begun to catch up. The traditional carmakers have significant scale and resources on their side and are unlikely to give the EV upstarts in California a free-ride, although they have seemed slow to adapt so far.",{"type":574,"attrs":985,"content":986},{"textAlign":49},[987],{"text":988,"type":579},"In January, Ford announced it would double its spending on EVs to $11 billion as part of an ambitious plan to bring 40 battery-powered cars, of which 16 will be pure-battery EVs, to market by 2022. But this decision illustrates how little Ford has focused on the shift that the automobile industry is experiencing.",{"type":574,"attrs":990,"content":991},{"textAlign":49},[992],{"type":715,"attrs":993},{"id":49,"alt":717,"src":994,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":995},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/b5c171b878/bm-screen-shot-2018-06-25-at-114235.png",{},{"type":574,"attrs":997,"content":998},{"textAlign":49},[999],{"text":1000,"type":579},"Credit: The Detroit News",{"type":574,"attrs":1002,"content":1003},{"textAlign":49},[1004],{"text":1005,"type":579},"General Motors’ (GM) Chevrolet Bolt is seen to many as key early EV models that will offer a response to the threats posed by the EV makers in Silicon Valley. GM also has a hybrid vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, which makes use of battery-technology.",{"type":574,"attrs":1007,"content":1008},{"textAlign":49},[1009],{"text":1010,"type":579},"The total number of units sold now exceeds 20,000 and the company had seen month-on-month sales increases for the Bolt, except for a blip in January and February 2018.",{"type":574,"attrs":1012,"content":1013},{"textAlign":49},[1014],{"text":1015,"type":579},"The production of these cars, in particular the Bolt, shows how seriously GM is taking the threat that the move towards EVs poses to the business.",{"type":574,"attrs":1017,"content":1018},{"textAlign":49},[1019,1021],{"text":1020,"type":579},"In 2017 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ CEO Sergio Marchionne said that Chrysler was",{"text":1022,"type":579},"planning for half of its vehicles to use battery power and, as with Ford, they intend to achieve this by 2022.",{"type":574,"attrs":1024,"content":1025},{"textAlign":49},[1026],{"text":1027,"type":579},"Detroit’s big three are not alone and companies from across the globe are manoeuvring to adapt to the growing EV market. Surprisingly, Toyota and Volkswagen have agreed to collaborate in EV and self-driving technology.",{"type":574,"attrs":1029,"content":1030},{"textAlign":49},[1031],{"text":1032,"type":579},"This unexpected alliance suggests that the big players will put differences aside to ensure their survival.",{"type":574,"attrs":1034,"content":1035},{"textAlign":49},[1036],{"text":1037,"type":579},"In the past ten years Silicon Valley has brought electric vehicles from relative obscurity to the mainstream. Electric and battery-powered autonomous cars are on the cusp of being adopted by the mass market for which much credit can be attributed to the pioneering technology companies in California.",{"type":574,"attrs":1039,"content":1040},{"textAlign":49},[1041],{"text":1042,"type":579},"Although the response from traditional carmakers has been slow, they have scale, distribution networks and resources on their side. The giants of the automobile industry are clearly anticipating change and positioning themselves to adapt to it.",{"type":574,"attrs":1044,"content":1045},{"textAlign":49},[1046],{"text":1047,"type":579},"In the coming years, we will see whether Silicon Valley can continue its EV charge unabated and if Detroit’s old guard can respond and prosper in the automobile’s next phase.","Detroit is now a synonym for industrial decline and urban decay but in the mid-twentieth century this could not have been further from the truth. At the turn of that century Henry Ford, after a couple of relatively unsuccessful ventures, launched the Ford Motor Company and used assembly line improvements and new labour practices to […]",[1050],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":1051},{"job_title":565,"image":1052,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},{"filename":567},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"ede5d6cd-15d7-41e1-9dbe-e6355359eb05\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[1056,1059],{"slug":1057,"name":1058},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":1060,"name":1061},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals","private",{"id":49,"alt":717,"name":717,"focus":717,"title":717,"source":717,"filename":1064,"copyright":717,"fieldtype":1065,"meta_data":1066,"is_external_url":51},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/4f7cef232b/bm-istock-648325980.jpg","asset",{"alt":717,"title":717,"source":717,"copyright":717},"Jun 25, 2018","25th June 2018",[],[],1792773944395]