Milano Digital Week Workshop | Electric mobility, from research to charge column, the feasible course

Will the electric car be for all indeed? Who is ready for a full electric car today? What do we need in Italy for the electric mobility diffusion?

Electric mobility, from research to charge column, the feasible course

Workshop in live streaming, Friday 19th, from 10:00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. at Milano Digital Week

The Workshop, organized by Electric Motor Engineering and Mecspe, will give concrete answers to these questions involving the whole chain of the present electric mobility world: from applied research to the energy distribution on the territory for the vehicle charge, listening also to the opinions by Bikeconomy international observatory, the indications by ELMO Interuniversity Consortium on the electrification of mobility, the witnesses by some manufacturers of solutions for the automotive industry and by producers of electric vehicles. Today, competences, technologies and infrastructures already enable the sustainable mobility course.

REGISTER HERE

Conference moderator will be prof. Marco Villani, professor of Electric Machines Design and Electric Systems for Mobility at University of L’Aquila and technical director of Electric Motor Engineering review.

WORKSHOP PROGRAMME

10.00 – 10.05	Greetings and start of proceedings	Alessandro Garnero, editorial director Tecniche Nuove Group
10.05 – 10.20	Event presentation	Marco Villani, professor of Electric Machines Design and Electric Systems for Mobility at University of L’Aquila.
10.20 – 10.40	RESEARCH – Synergies at the service of research and sustainable development in the e-mobility sector	Ciro Attaianese, University of Naples Federico II and President of Elmo Consortium
10.40 – 11.00	ECONOMY & MOBILITY – Sustainable multi-mobility astride Next Generation EU and urban and territorial regeneration	Gianluca Santilli, President of Bikeconomy Observatory
11.00 – 11.20	AUTOMOTIVE, The electric car for all	Stefano Sordelli, Future Mobility Manager of Volkswagen Group Italia
11.20 – 11.40	AUTOMOTIVE, The electric mobility of the future: Bosch vision	Federico Brivio, Director, customer Electrification, Robert Bosch S.p.A.
11.40 – 12.00	TECNICA, European Project H2020 Refreedrive: new solutions of electric motors for automotive	Giuseppe Fabri, researcher at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Information and Economics of University of L’Aquila
12.00 – 12.20	TECHNOLOGY, Schaeffler innovative systems and components for sustainable mobility solutions	Eugenio Bizzocchi, Director Automotive Technologies Schaeffler Italia
12.20 – 12.40	INFRASTRUCTURES, Direct Current Infrastructures for electric vehicle charge – Protection and Sectioning	Marco Carminati, Global Direct Current & Arc Flash Mitigation Applications Specialist, ABB Group
12.40 – 13.00	UTILITY	ENEL

In collaboration with

Amazon acquiring Zoox, a self-driving startup

Editorial Staff

The e-commerce giant Amazon has moved another step in the field of autonomous vehicle, with the purchase of Zoox, a California-based company working to design self-driving ride-hailing vehicles.
The Financial Time reports that the deal is worth $1.2 billion.
“Zoox is working to imagine, invent, and design a world-class autonomous ride-hailing experience,” said Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO, Worldwide Consumer. “Like Amazon, Zoox is passionate about innovation and about its customers, and we’re excited to help the talented Zoox team to bring their vision to reality in the years ahead.”
“This acquisition solidifies Zoox’s impact on the autonomous driving industry,” said Aicha Evans, CEO of Zoox. “We have made great strides with our purpose-built approach to safe, autonomous mobility, and our exceptionally talented team working every day to realize that vision. We now have an even greater opportunity to realize a fully autonomous future.”
“Since Zoox’s inception six years ago, we have been singularly focused on our ground-up approach to autonomous mobility,” said Jesse Levinson, Zoox co-founder and CTO. “Amazon’s support will markedly accelerate our path to delivering safe, clean, and enjoyable transportation to the world.”
Zoox will continue to exist as a standalone business, according to Amazon’s announcement, with Aicha Evans, Zoox CEO, continuing in her role, as well Jesse Levinson, Zoox co-founder and CTO. They will continue to lead the team as they innovate and drive towards their mission.

Stellantis, the gigafactory for ACC batteries inaugurated in France

Editorial Staff

Together with TotalEnergies and Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis has recently inaugurated the gigafactory of Automotive Cells Company (ACC) for the manufacturing of batteries headquartered at Billy-Berclau Douvrin, France.
It is the first of the three planned in Europe and it has a starting manufacturing capacity of 13 gigawatts/hour, scheduled to increase up to 40 GWh by 2030. The plant will manufacture high-performance lithium-ion batteries with a minimum CO2 footprint.
The gigafactory will share in Stellantis goal of reaching a production capacity of 250 GWh in Europe within 2030 and will allow the Company to carry on its mission, to offer a complete range of battery technologies able to satisfy the requirements of customers in the whole Stellantis brand’s portfolio. The Company is operating to assure a capacity of around 400 GWh by 2030 thanks to five gigafactories located in Europe and North America and to other supply contracts.
Considering that the chemistry of batteries is in constant evolution, Stellantis is exploring all available technologies to satisfy the diversified requirements of its broad base of customers and to grant a green, safe and accessible mobility. Innovative solutions like the technology of solid-state batteries by Factorial and lithium-sulphur batteries by Lyten allow improving vehicles’ performances and the customer experience, enabling a more sustainable mobility offer for all.
“At the time of the establishment of this partnership, in 2020, we agreed an ambitious programme for the development of electric vehicles’ batteries, to carry out our plan of mobility electrification” declared Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis.

The great race of General Motors towards electric

Editorial Staff

Ultium Cells, a joint venture of LG Energy Solution and General Motors, announced a $2.6 billion investment to build its third battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States. The facility will be located in Lansing, Michigan. The new battery cell plant is expected to create 1,700 new jobs when the facility is fully operational. The approximately 2.8 million-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in late 2024.

The top player in Detroit has recently announced a record investment worth 6.6 billion dollars in Michigan to enhance the production of electric vehicles, of which 2.6 billions to build a factory for electric batteries, in joint venture with LG Energy Solution. The target would be increasing the yearly production capacity to one million vehicles within 2025.
«This significant investment -said Mary Barra, GM Chair and CEO – demonstrates our commitment to strengthen our Michigan and U.S. manufacturing presence and grow good-paying jobs. We will have the products, the battery cell capacity and the vehicle assembly capacity to be the EV leader by mid-decade».
Young-Soo Kwon, CEO of LG Energy Solution said: «With a shared vision, GM and LG Energy Solution pioneered the EV sector by seizing new opportunities in the market well before anyone else did. Our third battery manufacturing plant, fittingly located in America’s automotive heartland, will serve as a gateway to charge thousands and later millions of EVs in the future».
The mission of GM on the market is surpassing Tesla as the best-seller brand of electric cars in the United States by the half of the decade.
The current situation? Gm sold less than 25,000 electric vehicles last year, ranking third in the United States behind Tesla and Ford.

Advanced mobility services

Luca Melideo

ZF has established Car eWallet GmbH, a start-up headquartered in Berlin that will be entrusted by the Germany company with Car eWallet service activities, permitting to pay for the refuelling, for recharging electric cars or also for tolls, parking and car sharing. The project involved then the temporary collaboration between ZF and IBM and UBS partners, positively ending last Spring. Now, the target is further developing and marketing the service: in an initial financial phase, ZF will give the start-up the starting capital; in the future, investors will have to grant funds. «In this way – explained Alexander Graf from ZF Friedrichshafen AG, one of the first creators of Car eWallet and today project manager – we can exploit the dynamism of the scenarios where start-ups operate, where several innovative approaches can be developed more freely and quickly compared to what happens in a corporate structure».

FCA+PSA=Stellantis: spotlights on the electric car

Editorial Staff

The name of the super-group that will definitely take shape during the first 2021-quarter from the merging of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) with PSA is Stellantis.
A logo that will complete the graphics chosen for the name is expected to be soon presented in its turn.
Until now, it is certain that the two historical brands will still exist and coexist with the new one, and likewise all the brands of cars and models that the two multinationals represent. From Citroen to Vauxhall, including Opel, Peugeot and DS; and from FIAT to Maserati, besides Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Jeep, Dodge and Abarth.
The name chosen is of Latin origin: the verb stello means to brighten with stars, and in numbers stars seem to smile to the newborn star of the automotive production.
In the sector and on a global scale, it ranks fourth by firepower, with sales amounting to 8.7 million cars, over 400,000 workers in all and about 200 billion Euros of turnover.

«Solutions for the sustainable mobility»

The development of electric vehicles and more in general the research of «solutions for the sustainable mobility in next decades» are among the targets declared by the giant originated by the 50:50 merger of the two partners. Another goal is to gain better ranking on international scenarios, to full detriment of other market leaders, gaining ground in China, too.
Concerning the e-mobility, PSA has planned for the current year the presentation of seven hybrid plug-in and as many electric models; FCA has worked at the electric 500 and at three PHEV but it is programming to have zero emission clones of all fleet models next year.
Moreover, synergistic operations in the ambit of the battery production are under study, due to both the Italian-American vendor’s intention of giving birth to a specialized line at Mirafiori, and due to the announced inauguration of two new specific poles in the European plants of Groupe PSA. Since the beginning, they have thought the contribution of the latter’s platforms in the implementation of EV, in their manifold declinations, would be decisive. Not fortuitously, summer has diffused rumours about the SUV by Alfa Romeo, whose release is supposed to have been planned in 2022. The car is based on the electric version (eCMP) of Multienergy Common Modular Platform, operating since 2019 and at the origin of the electric models of Peugeot 2008 and 208, of Corsa and Mokka, DS3 Crossback and Tense.
(Roberto Carminati)

Motor Valley, 20 millions to favour innovative start-ups

Editorial Staff

On the occasion of the opening of the new “Cdp Space” in Modena, an office of “Cassa depositi e prestiti” entrusted with the sustainable development of the whole area, they have released a business accelerator that bodes well for the future of the automotive and mobility chain.
The project aims at attracting and favouring innovative start-ups, making 20 million Euros available in the ambit of the new “Mobility & Digital Acceleration” fund of MEF operational branch, with the support of Modena technological broker Crit and of the international platform Open Innovation Plug and Play.
The project uniqueness consists in having united partners that excel in the respective competences: Cdp in the fund management, Crit in hi-tech innovation connected with the territory, Plug and Play in the business acceleration on a global scale.
The target is enriching the historical know-how of the Emilia, Piedmont and Italian engineering chain, boosting the already existing companies, to favour investments in human resources and in the development of excellent start-ups.

Motor Valley Accelerator: great opportunities for startups, also in the electrification world

Editorial Staff

Until May 16th, the startups operating in the sectors of mobility and automotive industry will have the opportunity of competing for one of the 10 available places in the Motor Valley Accelerator programmes: accelerator born from a CDP Venture Capital initiative through its Accelerator Fund in collaboration with Modena Foundation and UniCredit, with the support of CRIT, Modena technological broker, and Plug and Play, Open Innovation platform.
Therefore, it has started the selection of the startups that will be allowed following an ambitious growth course, supported by a network of professionals from industry and the venture capital world.
The Motor Valley Accelerator programme is aimed at developing the best experiences, at spreading national and international know-how and at favouring the exchange of best practices among all involved players and of investment in the Italian and European mobility chain.
What are the possible candidates? Startups already established or that are going to be set by the end of May in Italy, managed by a skilled team who submits a clear design vision and practical execution skills: technologies, products and services that can revolutionize the way of conceiving mobility.

GM anticipates its launches. Ultium is the key

Editorial Staff

Mei Cai GM Ultium Battery Cell Development — General Motors is already at work on the next evolution of its Ultium battery cells. GM R&D Lab Group Manager Mei Cai, PhD, displays a working prototype of a battery cell with a lithium metal anode, a significant step on the path to remarkable energy density breakthroughs, with even more power and range at lower costs. This cell has already completed more than 500 deep charge/discharge cycles. (Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors)

The company General Motors is accelerating its electric-vehicle efforts, pulling forward the schedule on many future launches, and expanding the number of EV models it sells globally to 30 by the end of 2025. Here it is the words of Mary Barra, Ceo. Two new all-electric Chevrolet vehicles are coming: they are a full-size pickup truck and a compact crossover utility vehicle, whose schedules have been pulled forward by 11 months and a whopping 21 months.
Fully 40 % of the GM models sells by the end of 2025 will be battery-electric: more than two-thirds of those 30 different electric vehicles will be offered in North America. They will include entries from all four GM brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC.
Moreover, the company will pull forward the launch date for its 2023 Cadillac Lyriq: from the end of 2022 to the first quarter of that year. This reflects the company’s new standard timeline for development of new Ultium vehicles. It will have taken the 2022 GMC Hummer EV just 34 months from program approval in the summer of 2018 to the first production model rolling off the assembly line at the end of next year.
Ultium is already a key achievement in electrification, with battery pack costs nearly 40% lower than the Chevrolet Bolt EV. Despite the pandemic, GM’s work on electric vehicles accelerated during 2020.
GM is projecting that second-generation Ultium packages, expected in the mid-decade, will cost 60 percent less than batteries in use today at double the expected energy density.
These second-generation cells will approach cost parity with gas-powered engines.

Electrification of heavy vehicles: the race of Daimler Truck

Editorial Staff

Elektrisch in Serie: Der Mercedes-Benz eEconic rollt ab sofort im Werk Wörth vom BandElectric in series production: The Mercedes-Benz eEconic rolls off the production line at the Wörth plant as of now — Elektrisch in Serie: Der Mercedes-Benz eEconic rollt ab sofort im Werk Wörth vom Band Electric in series production: The Mercedes-Benz eEconic rolls off the production line at the Wörth plant as of now.

Daimler Truck is accelerating the electrification of its vehicle fleet: The Mercedes-Benz eEconic for municipal use is going into series production at the Wörth site in the southern Rhineland-Palatinate. Within a short period of time, the second model of the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz trucks will roll off the production line in Wörth, following the series launch of the eActros for urban distribution transport in October 2021. The eEconic was developed together with customers and, following intensive test series, has been undergoing practical trials with customers since May 2022. The first vehicle from series production will be handed over to Urbaser A/S, a company operating in the waste disposal sector in Denmark. Other customers have already opted for the series-production eEconic. The vehicles are to be delivered successively over the course of the year.
«From the sketch to the finished vehicle, from the prototype to the production truck – now the time has come: with the eEconic, we are putting the first electrically powered and series-produced Mercedes-Benz Special Truck on the road. The exchange with our customers has shown: cities and municipalities want CO2-neutral vehicles for their fleets. Especially with regard to large cities, there is a need for quiet, clean and safe logistics and waste disposal solutions. And we offer just the right truck for this» said Dr. Ralf Forcher, Head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks.
The eEconic will be manufactured in the existing Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks assembly line, in parallel and flexibly alongside the trucks that will be powered by internal combustion engines. After the vehicle has been largely assembled, the eEconic’s electrification continues in the Future Truck Center, where – just like the eActros – it is equipped with the electric drive components. In several production steps, the high-voltage batteries and the charging unit are installed, among other things. Once all high-voltage components have been assembled, the entire system can be put into operation and the truck is ready to drive.
The key technical specifications of the eEconic are largely identical to those of the eActros. The eEconic as a waste collection is designed to cover the vast majority of typical waste collection routes operated by an Econic in a single shift without intermediary charging. The electric drivetrain enables a level cab floor to be implemented – this facilitates moving through the cab and is particularly advantageous when the driver wishes to leave the vehicle through the folding door on the co-driver’s side, well out of the way of the traffic.

Market Trends

«Solutions for the sustainable mobility»