Production Of Electric Vehicles Research Articles

Progress, Challenges and Opportunities of Electromobility in Mexico

This paper highlights the attempts made by the government to integrate electromobility in Mexico, despite not having a well-defined National Electric Mobility Strategy, and compares the advances, challenges and future opportunities of electromobility with other countries with similar conditions in terms of the public policy, the evolution of the electric vehicles market, the charging infrastructure, incentives and legal framework, and diffusion channels. The results showed that Mexico has made partial advances in the infrastructure, production and exportation of electric vehicles, consumer incentives and project implementation. However, the country requires strengthening strategies on the economic incentives for the user and industry, homologation of chargers, training of personnel specialised in electric vehicles, handling and destination of batteries, and defining its National Electric Mobility Strategy. As a way forward, our study suggests comparing the electromobility strategies of other countries and understanding the key aspects that might enable the successful introduction of electric vehicles.

Identifying and minimizing critical driving range thresholds for electric vehicles in intercity networks

It is well known that range anxiety faced by electric vehicle (EV) drivers nowadays can be effectively mitigated by either increasing the driving range of vehicles or increasing the distribution density of charging stations. To enact an effective research and development plan, vehicle manufacturers should understand well the relationship between the EV adoption and usage rates and the performance level of battery and energy management technologies. On the other hand, the underlying relationship between EV adoption and usage rates and the number and distribution of charging stations is also critical for charging infrastructure investors in determining their construction plans. This paper is dedicated to analytically identifying two critical driving range thresholds and further reducing these driving range thresholds as much as possible by optimally deploying charging station locations in intercity highway networks. These critical thresholds represent the turning points of individual routing convenience conditions or satisfaction levels for long-distance trips, implying that the inconvenient travel restrictions may be largely overcome if the driving range of EVs goes beyond these thresholds. For this purpose, we develop two integer programming models and dynamic programming algorithms for the driving range threshold identification problems, and extend the modeling framework to accommodate two relevant driving range threshold minimization problems as well, which are solved by a branching algorithm encapsulating the aforementioned dynamic programming procedures. The output of this research offers a set of new analytical tools for EV manufacturers to make strategic decisions on extending the driving range of their products and for charging infrastructure investors to make planning decisions on selecting charging station locations.

A Study on the Preference of Electric Vehicle Front Design Elements

In order to invigorate Korea’s pure electric vehicle market, innovative changes are imperative in both technological advancements and exterior design aesthetics. The front fascia, being the nucleus of car design, profoundly influences not only brand perception but also consumer preferences and purchasing decisions. Hence, the significance of front-end design in pure electric vehicle engineering is becoming increasingly evident. This study aims to assess the front-end design of electric vehicles and delineate the design aesthetics favored by consumers. Focusing on the exterior design aspects of electric vehicles, the study participants were limited to adults aged 20 or above. Utilizing Maximum Difference Scaling, a questionnaire was formulated, and preferences for front-end elements (headlamps, bonnet, bumper, grille, and side mirrors) were scrutinized through cross-tabulation analysis. The findings revealed the bonnet as the most preferred element, with a preference towards simplistic designs observed across all elements, including the bumper, grille, and side mirrors. Headlamps ranked as the second most preferred element, with a tendency towards emotionally evocative designs. This study offers insights into consumer preferences regarding the front-end elements of electric vehicles and is poised to contribute to the revitalization of Korea’s pure electric vehicle market by providing pertinent information to future electric vehicle manufacturers.

Identification of electric vehicle adoption and production factors based on an ecosystem perspective in Indonesia

Identification of electric vehicle adoption and production factors based on an ecosystem perspective in Indonesia

Assessing the supply risks of critical metals in China's low-carbon energy transition

The unprecedented low-carbon energy transition has heightened concerns about the security of critical metals (CMs) supplies that are essential for clean energy technologies. As the world's largest consumer and importer, China’s CMs supply may face significant challenges due to geopolitical uncertainties, price volatility, and other dynamics. Here, we introduce a risk-modeling framework to holistically gauge the multifaceted supply risks for 30 CMs embedded in clean energy technology spanning from 2008 to 2020. Our analysis indicates that approximately one-third of CMs supplies grapple with elevated risk, and half of these CMs are associated with electric vehicle manufacturing. These risks stem mainly from significant disruption potential (e.g., lithium and palladium) and substantial import reliance (e.g., nickel and niobium). Although China's overall CMs supply risk has remained relatively stable, the nation has grown increasingly susceptible to disruptions, especially with the surge in clean energy initiatives and associated price hikes. Our detailed analysis of the risk comparison reveals that China's supply risk for nine metals (e.g., copper and chromium) exceeds that of other countries that consume large amounts of CMs. Therefore, by adopting focused strategies related to metals, both governments and industries could benefit from global partnerships, strategic stockpiling, early warning mechanisms and sustainable supply chain management, paving the way for a smooth low-carbon energy transition for China.

Inline failure detection in laser beam welding of battery cells: Acoustic and spectral emission analysis for quality monitoring

The mobility sector is considered a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. As a result, many countries have initiated the transition from fossil fuel-powered to electrified powertrains. This transformation of the powertrain concept will lead to a rapid increase in the production of electric vehicles and, therefore, to a high demand for so-called traction batteries. As a production step of the traction batteries, a connection between the cell connector and the terminal of the battery cell has to be manufactured. For this purpose, laser beam welding is a reliable and efficient joining technique. In order to ensure continuous quality of the welding process during production and to detect defects in real time, reliable process monitoring is required. In this study, spectral and acoustic emissions during laser beam welding were recorded using a laser welding monitor and an optical microphone. For determining possible correlations between the signals and weld defects, various failure cases were generated by the systematic placement of disturbance elements. These elements included a contaminated surface, a gap between the cell connector and the battery cell, and a misalignment of the cell connector. Based on the recorded signals, statistical metrics were calculated. Finally, weld seams with and without defects were compared to assess the capability of both sensor systems for detecting the weld defects.

Dynamic charging as a complementary approach in modern EV charging infrastructure

Whether the future of transportation is going to be electric or not is no longer a question. Electric vehicles (EVs) offer several benefits toward global sustainability. However, without a variety of charging infrastructures that cover diverse forthcoming charging needs, the speed of vehicle electrification may be slow and limited. In this study, we investigate the synergistic benefits of traditional charging stations and an emerging alternative, i.e., wireless dynamic charging roads, focusing on their impact on the daily commute of EV users. We center our evaluation on quantifiable metrics, chiefly time and convenience, and deploy computer simulations utilizing authentic transportation datasets from New York City, USA. Our findings underscore that integrating both charging stations and charging roads can substantially alleviate detours for EV users and remarkably reduce additional charging time. Our research provides evidence to encourage researchers, EV manufacturers, urban infrastructure planners, and policymakers to explore future charging infrastructures for EVs, with a notable emphasis on wireless dynamic charging roads.

A novel UEBASC‐qZSI‐based BLDC motor drive with modified DTC for EV application

SummaryAt present taking into account the situation of the environment and the growing demand of fossil fuels, electric vehicles (EVs) are a highly promising option for the transportation system. Many manufacturers of electric vehicles employ BLDC motors as the vehicle's driving component. In contrast to the many advantages that BLDC motors offer, one of the major drawbacks of employing these motors is the production of relatively high distortion in electromagnetic torque that is created by commutation. This distortion in torque has an effect on the vehicle's performance. In this proposed work a BLDC motor is powered by a cutting‐edge, highly gained q‐ZSI Ultra‐Extended Boost Active Switch Controlled Based Quasi Z‐source Inverter, or UEBASC‐qZSI. In the aforementioned drive, the torque distortion is minimized with the use of a modified direct torque control approach. With the aid of this UEBASC‐qZSI, the efficiency of EVs can be improved, and the overall safety of the driving cycle is also increased. Any vehicle's efficiency can be enhanced with the help of this UEBASC‐qZSI, and the overall safety of the overall system can also be improved. To validate the efficacy of the system, a Simulink model is developed in the MATLAB platform. Also, a hardware prototype model is developed for experimental authentication. The modeling and investigational findings demonstrate that the proposed system has significantly reduced the torque ripple while obtaining the necessary input dc bus voltage.

Article: A Friend-Shoring Perspective of the Inflation Reduction Act

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains around the world and uncovered the dangers of having a concentrated supply chain. With the geopolitical tensions between the US and China and the invasion of Ukraine, the need for friendshoring supply chains in critical green sectors like electric vehicles (EVs) has become a top concern for the US and other countries in the West. The US is adopting measures to support the production and adoption of EVs with the objective of not just ensuring a low carbon footprint, but purportedly to reduce dependency on ‘countries of concern’, revive its manufacturing sector, and make the supply chain resilient. This has eventually led to a race among the US and other countries to augment the production of EVs. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the culmination of the efforts to support green transportation of the future while supporting domestic production, deepening economic ties with friends and reducing overreliance on potentially hostile countries. Against this background, the authors attempt to analyse the IRA from the perspective of ‘friendshoring’. Friendshoring, supply chain, Inflation Reduction Act, nearshoring, US-China trade relations

Fast or stable: Research on dynamic behaviors of duopoly automakers under the background of energy transformation in the automobile industry

New energy vehicles (NEVs) are crucial way to solving environmental and energy dilemmas. However, the transition from traditional energy vehicles (TEVs) to NEVs is extremely intricate. If the process for TEVs switching to NEVs falls into out order, the automobile industry will be shaken. This paper takes electric vehicles (EVs), representing NEVs, and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), representing TEVs, as research objects, and constructs a dynamic Gounod duopoly model for the production decisions of two oligopolistic automakers under the dual credit policy. Combining the nonlinear dynamic theory and Cournot game, the influence of policy, market, technology, and cost on the stability of duopoly automakers’ dynamic production game equilibrium and the nonlinear evolution characteristics of Cournot-Nash equilibrium are analyzed systematically. Results show that: (1) In the transition from ICEVs to EVs, if the speed of production adjustment is too fast, the automobile system would trap into chaos and shakeouts, and the social welfare would show volatility. (2) The revised dual credit policy increases the credit ratio and decreases the credit coefficient which enhances the stability of automobile system. This revision may accelerate the transformation from ICEVs to EVs in the automobile industry. Especially, the credit coefficient plays a more significant role. (3) The consumer acceptance for vehicle prices and the range of EV are positively correlated with the production of EVs and the social welfare, and negatively correlated with the production of ICEVs. Nevertheless, the cost of the two types of vehicle had the opposite effect compared price acceptance and range of EVs.

Tata Motors Limited: strategic journey towards electric vehicle

Learning outcomes The case study has been prepared for management students/business executives to understand electric vehicle (EV) business, business environment, industry competition and strategic planning and strategy implementation. Case overview/synopsis The size of the Indian passenger vehicle market was valued at US$32.70bn in 2021; it was projected to touch US$54.84bn by 2027 with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 9% during the period 2022–2027. The passenger vehicle industry, a part of the overall automotive industry, was expected to grow at a rapid pace, as the Indian economy was rising at the fastest rate. However, the Government of India (GoI) had put a condition on the growth scenario by mandating that 100% of vehicles produced would be EVs by 2030. Tata Motors (TaMo), a domestic player in the market, had been facing a challenging competitive environment. Although it had been incurring losses, it had successfully ventured into the EV business. TaMo had taken advantage of the first mover by creating an electric mobility business vertical to enable the company to deliver on its aspiration of providing innovative and competitive e-mobility solutions. TaMo leadership had been putting efforts to scale up the electric mobility business, thus, contributing to GoI’s plan for electric mobility. Shailesh Chandra, president of electric mobility business, had a big task in hand. He had to scale up EV production and sales despite insufficient infrastructure for charging and shortages of electronic components for manufacturing. Complexity academic level The case study has been prepared for management students/business executives for strategic management class. It is recommended that the case study is distributed in advance so that the students can prepare well in advance for classroom discussions. Groups will be created to delve into details for a specific question. While one group will make their presentation, the other groups will question the solution provided and give suggestions. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

Frontiers in Operations: Battery as a Service: Flexible Electric Vehicle Battery Leasing

Problem definition: The electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer NIO adopts a swappable-battery design and a battery-leasing business model known as battery as a service (BaaS). It recently introduced flexible battery leasing, which allows customers to temporarily up-/downgrade their primary leased batteries based on the needs for range. We investigate whether this business model innovation is viable, namely whether introducing flexible battery leasing in BaaS could benefit the manufacturer, the customers, and the environment compared with simple battery leasing. Methodology/results: Adopting a game-theoretical model, we find that introducing flexible battery leasing in BaaS can simultaneously improve the manufacturer profit as well as reduce the total customer cost and the total battery capacity. Such win-win-win outcomes generally occur for large high-capacity battery ranges and moderate high-capacity battery costs—both consistent with the ongoing trend in the EV industry and a model-calibration exercise. We further show that this key finding is robust for correlated regular and peak needs for range and when launching BaaS with flexible battery leasing and that if the manufacturer was to choose a high-capacity battery range for flexible battery leasing, it would choose one such that battery reallocation alone can meet all battery up-/downgrade demand without acquiring additional batteries. Managerial implications: Our findings confirm that flexible battery leasing can be a viable BaaS business model innovation and offer insights into when this may be the case. This insight strengthens the strategic support for EV manufacturers’ potential adoption of the swappable-battery design and the BaaS model, and it may inform their operating policies to implement flexible battery leasing. History: This paper has been accepted in the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Frontiers in Operations Initiative. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0587 .

Dual Redox Mediators Assisted Hierarchically Porous Hollow Carbon Shell Cathode for Enhanced Performance Li‐O2 Battery

AbstractRechargeable lithium‐oxygen (Li‐O2) batteries with high theoretical energy density are regarded as a promising candidate for the booming electric vehicle manufacturing industry, whereas their commercial application is hindered due to poor cyclic stability caused by the sluggish kinetics and inevitable cathode passivation. Herein, a synergistic working mechanism of Li‐O2 battery is initiated by implementing well‐designed hollow carbon shells with hierarchically porous hollow structure (HCS) assisted by dual redox mediators (RMs) simultaneously, so as to systemically address issues of diminished discharge capacity and reaction kinetics. The hierarchically porous structure of HCS constructs more space to accommodate Li2O2, increases the accessibility of active sites, and enhances discharge capacity. More importantly, the dual RMs regulate the growth mechanism of Li2O2 in surface‐mediated mode, resulting in an easily decomposed film‐like Li2O2 with higher electron transport capacity and improving the reaction kinetics. As a result of the synergistic effort, an HCS‐based Li‐O2 battery with dual RMs manifests a total discharge capacity of 24580 mA h g−1 and a prolonged cycle life of 2500 h at the current density of 100 mA g−1. This design philosophy will open up a new way to optimize and upgrade the cathode materials of Li‐O2 batteries.

Technical analysis and performance evaluation of retrofitted electric Auto Rickshaws (E-TAR) in rural India

India needs to electrify rickshaws because of the emissions produced by modern cars running on fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel. There are incentives, discounts, and exemptions available for the use of e-auto rickshaws. The production of electric vehicles has also been given a target by the Indian government. The Indian government has taken a number of steps to increase the availability of charging stations and a steady supply of electric cars (EVs). Even after taking all of these measures, there has been little adoption. For Indian auto drivers, the capital cost of purchasing an e-auto is expensive. To attain ideal performance, it is important to modify the present generation of traditional auto rickshaws using low-cost retrofitting. Retro-kit is created and evaluated for performance in this study by changing parameters.

How social media expedites the crisis spillover effect: A case study of Tesla's recall event

Technologies such as intelligent and fully automatic driving are currently developing rapidly. However, product recalls by electric vehicle manufacturers occur frequently because of immature technology. As a crisis factor, product recalls of the focal company pose a risk of contagion to other players. Through a two-period time series analysis, the current study observes that online public opinion regarding Tesla exerts an indirect spillover over abnormal returns on non-focal companies (i.e., BYD, NIO, LI) from two aspects—social media buzz and public sentiment. Moreover, abnormal returns on Tesla directly spill over into abnormal returns on NIO and LI. The low brand equity proximity plays a role in the direct spillover effect. Besides, the time lag is two days in the direct and indirect spillover process. Under the guidance of Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), we classify spillover crises as victim clusters of crisis types and put forth implications and suggestions in practice based on our findings.

Spatial and temporal variance in public perception of electric vehicles: A comparative analysis of adoption pioneers and laggards using twitter data

Promotional strategies for electric vehicle (EV) adoption need to be tailored to the public's perception of these vehicles. However, there is a notable gap in understanding how public perception of EVs differs between adoption pioneers and those slower to adopt (“adoption laggards”) in terms of the percentage of registered EVs. This understanding is vital for the development of effective promotional strategies, especially for adoption laggards. To address this research gap, this study compares various public perception of EVs among adoption pioneers and laggards in U.S. states by analyzing historical Twitter discussions using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, including topic and sentiment analysis. The findings reveal distinct patterns in online EV discussions between the two groups, with adoption laggards being concerned more about affordability and gas prices, and adoption pioneers consistently discussing various topics covering EV and battery manufacturing, charging infrastructure, government EV initiatives, and the EV market. Adoption pioneers exhibit stable, positive attitudes, while adoption laggards display frequent attitude fluctuations, including more negative ones recently. These differences emphasize the importance of EV affordability for adoption laggards and indicate a possible widening gap in EV adoption due to ongoing debates among adoption laggards surrounding the value of transportation electrification. By addressing adoption laggards' concerns and promoting the benefits of EVs, policymakers and stakeholders can enhance perceptions toward EVs, bridging the gap between adoption pioneers and laggards, and promoting widespread adoption of cleaner transportation options.

A reconfigurable bipolar coil for wireless charging systems with interoperability and misalignment tolerance characteristics

Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology has been developing rapidly in recent years. Electric Vehicles (EVs), as an emerging mode of transport, also benefit from the WPT technology. Various EV manufacturers have different coupling structures, which can lead to incompatibility problems between the coils. Meanwhile, due to the human parking, misalignment between the transmitting and receiving coils may occur. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a reconfigurable bipolar coil structure with both interoperability and misalignment tolerance. A 200-W experimental prototype is built, which can achieve 84.33% and 84.76% system transmission efficiency with vertical and horizontal bipolar coils. The effectiveness of the proposed reconfigurable bipolar coil is finally verified by comparing the computational and experimental results.

Design And Simulation Of 10 kW BLDC Motor Speed Control For Electric Vehicles Using FOC Based On Fuzzy Logic Control

The use of electric vehicles in the current era has begun to spread evenly. Apart from the issue of air pollution produced by ICE vehicles, the ease and practicality of using electric vehicles is the reason why the public is starting to become interested in electric vehicles. Electric vehicle manufacturers are currently choosing BLDC motors for their production vehicles because they are considered suitable for applications that require high power and torque output. However, BLDC motors require more complicated control techniques than other DC motors. The commonly used BLDC motor speed control methods are trapezoidal scalar control and field oriented control. FOC is a type of BLDC motor control with a vector control method which has advantages in terms of efficiency compared to scalar control methods. Many studies on implementing FOC as speed control for BLDC motors, but the research that has been carried out still uses PI control as a basis, where it is known that PI control has shortcomings in the form of complexity in its design. Fuzzy Logic Control is known to be easy to design and reliable in control, so this paper will show the performance of Fuzzy-PI based FOC control as speed control for 10kW BLDC motor in simulation using Simulink program. The simulation results of proposed Fuzzy-PI based FOC method have better response than PI based FOC in terms of starting response with 6.43 times faster rise time, 2.45 times faster settling time, 96.31% lower overshoot value and reliability in overcoming disturbances up to 78.05% lower overshoot value and 2.33 times faster recovery time.

Tesla: route to India, route in India

Research methodology The case has been developed by using secondary sources of information. Case overview/synopsis Tesla’s much-awaited foray into the burgeoning Indian electric vehicle (EV) marketplace had hit the “high import tariff” roadblock. Discussions ensued and finally, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the Indian Government found common ground. The moot point of Tesla’s entry mode was resolved. Musk announced Tesla’s plan to set up an EV supply chain and manufacturing facility in the host country. This case discusses factors affecting location decision, market entry modes and international corporate-level strategies. Tata Motors sold affordable cars and was miles ahead in the EV race in India. Musk had to align Tesla’s India strategy with the company’s global strategy to woo the price-sensitive Indian consumers. What were the options available to him? This case examines different business-level strategic options that could help Tesla drive in the fast lane in India. Complexity academic level The case can be used in international strategy course at graduate level. It can also be used in a session on international marketing in marketing management course.

Investigation on different parameters associated with purchase of electric vehicle in India

The primary characteristics of electric vehicles (EVs) from urban areas place an emphasis on clean air and silent operation to protect the city's atmospheric pollution conditions. Thereby, EVs are coming on the Indian road with great popularity; however, some factors such as charging infrastructure, battery life of EVs are still challenging. Therefore, the present attempt is made to analyse the numerous factors associated with purchase of EVs. To gather technical data; a total of 398 participants with different vehicles such as EV two wheelers, EV four wheelers, IC engine vehicles from different Pune Metropolitan Region areas have replied. The ANOVA was used to determine the statistical significance of purchase of EVs in relation to gender, vehicle use, profession and driving experience. Furthermore, hypothesis has been checked to assess the significance of different parameters associated with purchase of EVs in India. The results of hypotheses testing show that the purchase of electric vehicle is significantly different according to EV owner’s gender. The Z-Score is 3.89391. The p-value is 0.0001. The result is significant at p < 0.05. Subsequently, the choice of electric vehicle is not unlike according to driving experience of electric vehicle drivers. TheZ-Score is 0.29779. Thep-value is 0.76418. The result isnotsignificant atp < 0.05. Furthermore, Electric vehicles are more popular among Indian people irrespective of distance of travel as thez-score is 0.00582. Thep-value is 0.99202. The result isnotsignificant atp < 0.05. The outcome of the study will be helpful for EV manufacturers for getting popularity and selling of vehicle according to demand.