Electric vehicle manufacturing is moving along at a rapid pace, spurred as much by environmental concerns as by technological progress. We’ll look at which manufacturers are making a splash and what EV trends say about the direction of the wider industry.
Aston Martin: Partnership with Lucid
Aston Martin has partnered with Lucid, one of the industry frontrunners in electric vehicle design, including powertrains and battery systems. The partnership allows Aston Martin to have access to its tech, so the company can build a Battery Electric Vehicle platform that can compete in the luxury market.
Aston Martin has already invested more than $2.5 billion in advancing their tech, and they’ve set some very high standards for the performance they want from their upcoming vehicles. Lucid is best known for its Lucid Air model, which can drive up to 520 miles without a charge.
Toyota: Solid-State Battery Improvements
Toyota has been getting a lot of external pressure to switch from hybrid to electric, though as of now, they haven’t abandoned the approach just yet. At a recent technical briefing, the company announced that it had made several developments to its solid-state batteries. In fact, the company claimed that their tweaks could result in a car that can go more than 900 miles without charge.
Their next-generation battery is set to debut between 2026 and 2027 on both high-performance and mass-market vehicles. This performance battery is a variant of its current lithium nickel cobalt manganese, boasting a 20% longer driving range at a fifth of the cost.
Bentley: Self-Driving Tech on First EV
Bentley is debuting its first all-electric vehicle, one that will also have self-driving tech built in. The CEO confirmed that it will be partially hands-off at first and potentially upgraded to fully autonomous down the line.
This car is also making use of its SuperVision, one that uses 11 cameras to monitor for threats at every turn. The EV makes use of Performance Platform Electric, which supports up to 939 hp and was originally developed for Audis and Porsches.
Ford: Building New Battery Plants
Ford was recently given a $9.2 billion loan by the US government to build three battery factories. This development was spurred by an aggressive push to help the US compete with China in terms of sustainable transportation. These factories will make it easier for Ford to expand their presence in the market.
As of now, the company is developing EVs in Kentucky and Tennessee as a collaboration with BlueOval SK, with the plan being to manufacture up to 2 million EVs by 2026. These plants are expected to have an annual output of 43 GWh for one plant, which is around 430,000 battery packs at 100kWh each.
WiTricicty
This company doesn’t qualify as an electric vehicle manufacturer, but it is developing charging technology with encased coils both on the transmission and the receiving sides. The key benefit is that their tech allows drivers to simply drive over a pad to charge as opposed to plugging in the charger.
Founded by professors at MIT, the American-based company is planning to enter the Japanese market as soon as next year. They’ve already teamed up with Sinanen Holdings in Tokyo as a middleman between them and commercial facilities/logistics companies.
Chevrolet
The Silverado EV WT boasts a battery pack that is under the passenger compartment, which creates a lower center of gravity that improves the handling over a conventional EV. It also has an RST variant designed to go faster than other Silverado models.
Accelerating from 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds in Wide Open Watts (WOW), the car can unlock maximum torque for any driver who wants to engage with this feature. It’s 780 lb-ft of torque, 665 hp, and a truly incredible feat for this EV.
Volvo
Tesla is unsurprisingly the gold standard in charging stations across the country, which is why other companies are racing to take advantage of their ubiquity. Volvo recently signed a deal with Tesla for their EVs to be equipped with plugs designed by Tesla, so Volvo drivers can take advantage of Tesla’s 12,000 charging stations in North America. This deal is set to go into effect in 2025, though Volvo will offer an adapter for superchargers in the first half of 2024.
Automotive innovation is moving at a rapid pace. If you want to stay on top of electric vehicle manufacturers and the future of the automotive industry, LINTEC Automotive has you covered.
