Electric Vehicle And Battery Metal News - January 2019

SBTV brings you the latest news from around the world on the Electric Vehicle Revolution and Battery Metals.

In this update:
01:16 Shenzhen is now almost fully serviced by e-Taxis
03:06 GoCompare study: China has the highest number of electric cars
04:11 Volkswagen, China spearhead US$300 billion global drive to electrify cars
07:42 India's electric vehicle goals being realized by electric scooters and motorcycles
09:47 Indonesia aims to have 20% domestic electric vehicle sales by 2025
11:52 Solid-state batteries are promising but still years away from production
13:45 Electric cars to be the new norm in Norway
15:29 Singapore's SP Group launches 38 high-speed charging points for electric vehicles

1) Shenzhen Is Now Almost Fully Serviced by E-Taxis

• City’s goal to replace all fuel-powered taxis with electric-powered models is nearing completion.
• According to the Shenzhen Transport Commission, the city had launched 20,135 electric-powered taxis by the end of 2018, accounting for 94.21 percent of all operating cabs in Shenzhen.
• The introduction of e-taxis is part of a major environmental protection initiative to combat air pollution and foster sustainable development.
• The commission's eventual aim is to ensure that 99.06 percent, or 21,485, of all operating taxis, are electric-powered.

2) A new study by GoCompare shows the state of electric vehicle adoption in 30 International Energy Agency (IEA) member countries

• With 1,227,770 cars, China has the highest electric car stock in the IEA countries.
• China, the fourth largest country in the world by area, has more charging points than any other country.
• With 23.25 charging points per 100km, the Netherlands had the highest number of charging points per 100km.

3) Global automakers plan US$300 billion global drive on electric vehicle technology

• Nearly half of the money is targeted at China, accelerating the industry's transition from fossil fuels.
• Spending is driven mostly by government policies adopted to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
• Almost one-third of the industry's EV spending total, about US$91 billion, is being committed by the Volkswagen Group.
• The industry is also seeking more alliances and partnerships to help spread the higher investment costs.

4) India's electric vehicle goals being realized by electric scooters and motorcycles

• Fuel costs are driving two-wheeler buyers to electric scooters and motorcycles.
• India's government has set a target of electric vehicles making up 30 percent of new sales of cars and two-wheelers by 2030.
• India is the world's biggest market for scooters and motorcycles - six times that of car sales over the same period.

5) Indonesia opens up country to electric vehicle manufacturing investments

• Indonesia, which is South-east Asia's largest economy, has seen its government supporting electric vehicles in an effort to reduce its reliance on imports of fossil fuels.
• Instead, the country hopes to tap its abundant nickel reserves, a key component for making lithium-ion batteries.
• Green vehicle scheme will start with electric motorcycles, then public buses before private cars were included.

6) Solid-state batteries are promising but still years away from production

• Solid-state battery technology promises major improvements on existing lithium-ion batteries.
• If it can be mastered, solid-state technology could help speed the demise of the combustion-engine car and potentially slash EV charging times to about 10 minutes from as much as several hours.
• Before solid-state batteries can reach mass production, a list of puzzles would have to be solved - short battery life, uncompetitive costs, violent swelling and shrinking of materials when charged or discharged.

7) Electric cars soon to be new normal in Norway

• Almost one-third of all new cars sold in Norway last year ran on batteries.
• Oil-rich Norway aims to eliminate all emissions from new cars by 2025, and offers generous subsidies for buyers who opt to go electric.
• It wasn’t until the first quarter of 2018 that it was surpassed by Germany, Europe’s biggest car market.

8) SP Group launches 38 high-speed charging points of EVs in Singapore

• The 38 points - 19 43kW alternate current (AC) chargers and 19 50kW direct current (DC) chargers - are high-speed chargers able to power up a mid-sized electric car within an hour.
• They are the first of 1,000 charging points SP aims to launch by 2020.
• SP expects electric car drivers to see "at least 50 per cent cost savings" compared to those who drive comparable petrol-powered models.