Tesla is gaining momentum, delivering 310,000 vehicles in the first quarter, an increase of 70%.
Under the general trend of electric vehicles, traditional car manufacturers did not sit still. The two major companies with a market value of 100 billion in Japan and the United States began to jointly produce electric vehicles, with more advanced battery technology and more affordable prices. The initial goal is to start at one million units.
On April 5, two traditional car companies, General Motors of the United States and Honda of Japan, announced publicly that they would use new battery technology to produce electric vehicles with new architecture.
According to the joint statement, the two companies are working together to leverage the companies' technology, design and procurement strategies to produce millions of electric vehicles, including compact crossovers, globally starting in 2027. The two companies will also work on standardizing equipment and production processes to achieve high quality, high throughput and improved economics.
The new car is less than US$30,000, and the annual production capacity is 2 million units
Electric vehicle market includes China
GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said that GM and Honda will share the best technology, design and manufacturing strategies with each other to provide affordable and satisfying electric vehicles on a global scale, including in North America. , South America and China market, etc.
According to GM's executive vice president, the two parties will work together to provide affordable electric vehicles to millions of customers around the world. Existing plans include launching a new pure electric vehicle in North America priced at about less than $30,000, and by 2025. Expand electric vehicle production capacity to 2 million units.
Honda also pointed out that the two parties have cooperated in the field of electric vehicle batteries since 2018, and jointly developed the Honda electric SUV model Prologue.
The cooperation between the two factories has already started. In 2013, the two parties collaborated to develop next-generation fuel cell systems and hydrogen storage technologies. In 2018, Honda joined General Motors in developing battery modules for electric vehicles. In 2020, GM and Honda announced plans to jointly develop two electric vehicles, including the Honda Prologue, Acura's first all-electric SUV, due in early 2024. Additionally, the two companies have an ongoing partnership with Cruise and are co-developing Cruise Origin. These are the first fully autonomous vehicles designed for driverless ride-hailing and delivery.
The electrification transformation of the two traditional car factories has long been in sight. In 2021, Honda will become the first Japanese automaker to publicly stop selling gasoline-powered cars, and plans to completely phase out gasoline-powered vehicles by 2040. In March of this year, Honda also announced a partnership with Sony to set up a new company this year to jointly develop pure electric vehicles. Meanwhile, GM plans to produce and sell 30 electric models by 2025 and phase out gasoline and diesel vehicles after a decade.
However, as of press time, the market reaction was flat, and after the two stocks shot up before the market, the stock price fell.
The two factories will develop new battery technology by themselves
GM and Honda will also discuss future electric vehicle battery technology collaboration opportunities to further reduce battery costs, improve performance and drive the sustainability of future vehicles.
GM is already laying out new technologies such as lithium metal, silicon and solid-state batteries, as well as production methods that can rapidly improve and update the battery manufacturing process.
In order to achieve the goal of electric transformation, General Motors announced this year that Ultium Cells, a joint venture battery company established with LG New Energy, will build four battery factories in the United States, with a planned total production capacity of 160GWh/year, mainly producing Ultium batteries.
It is understood that the Ultium battery is a modularly designed soft-pack battery with a relatively diversified material system. Lithium iron phosphate, ternary batteries, lithium metal batteries, and solid-state batteries can all be produced. The cells in the Ultium platform battery module are replaceable, upgradeable and flexible.
GM's Ultium platform, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick will all launch new electric vehicles starting this year.
Honda is making progress on its all-solid-state battery technology, which the company sees as a core element of future electric vehicles. Honda has established an all-solid-state battery demonstration line in Japan and is moving further toward mass production.
It is understood that traditional lithium-ion batteries can no longer meet the standards of advanced technology. For example, electric vehicles require high energy density, fast charging and long cycle life. All-solid-state lithium batteries have become a new craze in the field of materials science and engineering.
The battery produced by this new technology does not contain any liquid, is safer, more convenient, and has a shorter charging time. All materials are composed of solid-state materials for lithium power batteries. Japanese manufacturers are at the forefront of this technology, and related research by Toyota has also achieved progress.
