news overview
Apr 15, 2021

Growing Production Of E-Vehicles— Creating Opportunities…

The EV Hype Is Real, OEMs Defining the Commitment

The day when the majority of vehicles on the road are fitted with electric powertrains may still be a long way off. However, as providers of solutions to the transportation industry, the real metric of importance is the share of automotive OEMs and Tier Suppliers developing solutions driven by an electrified future. The segmentation percentages of new and overall vehicle fleet powertrain distribution masks the massive shift in vehicle architecture-development changes being advanced by the powertrain of the future. Announcements by global OEMs of their future electrified-vehicle programs make it clear that the opportunity to participate in the growth of the vehicles of the future is today.

While some may view the following reports with skepticism, product road maps from some of the largest global OEMs include a significant commitment to produce large volumes of EVs by 2030.

  • GM on Oct. 17, 2017, stated it would have 20 different all-electric models by 2030.
  • Toyota on Dec. 13, 2017, announced 10 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) by the early 2020s, EV options for all models produced by 2025, targeting 5.5-million electrified models by 2030.
  • Ford on Jan. 14, 2018, disclosed that it would have 40 different all electric models by 2022, involving an $11-billion investment.
  • Fiat Chrysler (FCA)—While some have accused FCA of arriving late to the party, Sergio Marchionne has committed to build electric vehicles starting in 2019.

Within a period of three months, three of the largest car companies in North America presented their plans for an electrified future. FCA may have been late arriving, however, Marchionne finally capitulated and set out an electric-vehicle road map, announcing new electric vehicles coming under its Jeep, Maserati and Fiat brands within the next four years.

Is the Changing Vehicle Creating New Challenges or Opportunities?

Similar to their historical predecessor, the internal combustion engine with its set of design and packaging constraints, electric powertrains have their own unique set of challenges that in turn create new opportunities.

With batteries in some of the most refined BEVs weighing in at around 1,000 pounds and up, and representing 25 percent or more of the total vehicle weight, addressing the new structural, thermal and electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation forces placed on the vehicle is creating a fantastic opportunity for innovation across the industry.

Given the relatively large package volume and mass associated with plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and BEV energy-storage units and their impact on overall vehicle architectures, design decisions influencing materials and manufacturing processes must be made years in advance of the product reaching the market. While in the past, many of these decisions could be viewed as bolt on/attached parts that could be decided much later in the design cycle, product engineers must make certain critical design choices much earlier in the cycle as a function of these new electrified powertrains.

The corollary to the above constraint is the “opportunity” for the supply base to add even more value to the vehicle through material, process and design optimization. Depending on how you view the challenge, this will either require participation earlier in the development cycle or offer you the opportunity to be involved earlier in the development cycle.

Similar to the two views outlined above, the earlier we are involved in the development cycle, the greater the risk that the materials or technology may not be adopted in mass production. At the same time, the earlier we are involved in the development cycle, the sooner we understand the decision-making criteria that will influence the adoption of a given material or technology, allowing companies to invest resources (human and financial) more wisely. This includes a greater potential for success, as well as the ability to mitigate wasted resources on strategies that will not provide the desired return.

In addition to changes in overall mass and weight distribution associated with electrified powertrains, the stepwise change in vehicle NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) provided by these new powertrains is unprecedented. For those of you involved in strategic planning and new product development, I would urge you to coordinate a ride and drive of a current BEV before your next regular strategy meeting. 

There is no way to re-calibrate your teams perception of NVH levels in the next generation of vehicles without experiencing firsthand the incredible difference in cabin-environment experience enabled by these new powertrains.

An interesting byproduct of this exercise is that vehicle occupants will have added sensory bandwidth with which to experience the vehicle and may begin noticing other aspects of the vehicle cabin that they otherwise would not. Features, functionality, comfort . . . our minds have a certain capacity to absorb input. As we remove noise from the equation, new inputs will fill that void . . . creating yet new opportunities.

While there are many questions around what the vehicle fleet of the future will look like, there is sufficient data today to say with a high degree of confidence that there are opportunities on the vehicle as a function of these new powertrain configurations that remain to be capitalized on.

Adam Harms – Managing Partner, Ruhl Strategic Partners

As appeared in Lightweighting World

To further forward conversations regarding Lightweighting and accelerating the adoption of Advanced Materials and Technologies into the complex automotive and next generation mobility markets, please join and participate in the LinkedIn Lightweighting Barriers group.

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