Will the price of lithium continue to climb?
Could lithium be the gasoline of the future?
As the automotive industry pushes for a greener tomorrow, automakers will have to work with the rising cost of lithium.
The price of the chemical element — otherwise known as lithium carbonate, which is used in pure electric and hybrid battery packs — has risen to $23,000 (U.S.) a ton in the past few weeks and experts believe with more demand, that price will continue to climb.
This news comes at a time when electric cars are all the rage with close to 400,000 people putting down a deposit on the Tesla Model 3, due for a late 2017 release. With demand for lithium increasing, the California brand could face pressure to keep the Model 3’s starting price at $35,000 (U.S.).
Tesla will be affected the most, as they only deal in EVs, but there’s concern for all electric vehicle automakers. If Tesla is able to fill all of its Model 3 orders, there could be a future shortage of lithium, which is already in short supply and controlled by only a few countries: Australia, China, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Quakes force Japan’s auto industry to shut down plants Two earthquakes in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu have killed more than 40 people, left hundreds injured, destroyed buildings and left the Japanese auto industry at a standstill.
Toyota, heavily involved in the area with three plants, has announced an extended production shutdown and will debate on whether to resume production beginning Monday.
Nissan has two plants on the island and has suspended production. It will wait to resume work based on an assessment of the plants and its supply chains that endured some damage.
Honda doesn’t have a car factory in the region, but it had to halt production at its motorcycle plant; while Mitsubishi has been affected on the main island of Honshu due to supply chain problems, forcing them to suspend operations. GM Canada to build a ‘Mobility Campus’ in Toronto GM Canada is embarking on a new venture with the announcement of a plan to create a new “Toronto GM Mobility Campus,” after the automaker bought Cinespace Film Studios at 721Eastern Ave.
The seven-acre campus will be used as a multi-use facility for research and development, GM vehicle sales and services — including electric vehicles — a public experience centre that features mobility innovations and regular office space. Ford sticking with status quo EV — for now The chase for more electric range is rampant with Tesla, Chevrolet and Nissan all pushing to reach further than anyone has gone in the smaller-car category. However, not every company is getting in the game. According to a report from Automotive News, Ford is taking a different approach with its upcoming 2017 Focus Electric and staying close to status quo.
Kevin Layden, Ford’s director of electrification programs and engineering, says the 2017 Focus Electric will have a range of 160 kilometres, a jump from the current 122-kilometre range, but nothing close to the 345 kilometres listed by Tesla for its upcoming Model 3.
He says keeping the range at that level allows Ford to save costs by utilizing its smaller batteries, while maintaining a similar weight. Volkswagen reveals teaser of upcoming SUV concept The 2016 Beijing Motor Show begins Monday, and Volkswagen has served up a teaser photo of what appears to be the design and vision for its next Touareg SUV.
Volkswagen looks to have upped its luxury game, making it more sporty and elegant. Based on the teaser photo, the SUV concept has sleek LED headlights that blend into its horizontal slat grille, as well as Cshaped fog lights.
The interior is expected to be high-tech, digital and interactive featuring the merging of its Active Info Display and infotainment unit.
As Volkswagen shifts away from diesel, the powertrain will be of the plug-in-hybrid variety, producing 376 horsepower and 516 lb-ft. of torque. It will have a fully electric range of up to 50 kilometres with the ability to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in six seconds.
We should expect to see it come to production as a 2018 model year vehicle. Kid-focused ride-hailing service forced to shut down Shuddle, a ride-hailing service that catered towards parents in need of safe transportation for their children ages 8-16, is closing up shop after a few years filled with financial troubles and legal turmoil.
The California-based start-up company sent emails to their membership and left a final message on its website.