It is called VinFast and it is a Vietnamese startup specialized in electric cars. It made its début with a big sedan and a massive SUV, both based on BMW platforms, with modern lines designed by Pininfarina. The ambition was offering high-end models at competitive prices and distributing them in the primary world markets.
The company has recently announced that at least 50 shops will be opened in all Europe, starting from Germany, France and Holland.
The first cars created by the brand were VF e35 and VF e36, now the range has been enlarged with the SUV VF 8 and VF 9, models that precisely will land in the Old Continent.
VinFast will make its début in Europe with a particular service: it will offer its batteries as a subscription, with prices that will change from Country to Country. In Europe, for instance, VF 8 is proposed at 599 Euros per month, with battery included, or 43,350 Euros plus 120 Euros of battery subscription per month.
Another gem? The car delivery, fully free-of-charge, is provided directly to your home.
Vietnamese electric cars are conquering Europe
Huge investments: the $80M collected by Infinitum Electric
Infinitum Electric, creator of the sustainable, breakthrough air-core motor, has recently announced $80 million in Series D funding to scale motor production to meet increasing demand. Infinitum Electric will use the investment to vertically integrate and automate production of its motors for the commercial and industrial market segments, and complete development and commercialization of a traction motor for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market, where its exceptional breakthrough power density can significantly extend the range of electric vehicles.
Riverstone Holdings led the round with Alliance Resource Partners, Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, Inc., and existing investors Cottonwood Technology Fund, Chevron Technology Ventures, Aventurine Partners, Energy Innovation Capital and Ajax Strategies participating, bringing the company’s total funding to date to $135 million. Other current shareholders include industry leaders Rockwell Automation and Caterpillar Venture Capital.
Since the launch of its IEs Series of motor systems in 2020, Infinitum Electric has secured customer agreements with more than $900 million in potential orders across a wide variety of companies in heavy industry, manufacturing, HVAC and transportation that aim to reduce energy and emissions with smaller, lighter, quieter, higher-efficiency motors
Ben Schuler, founder and CEO of Infinitum Electric said: «As industrial equipment, cars, aircraft and buildings are rapidly electrifying, our revolutionary motor systems offer a path forward to reduce electricity demand and carbon footprint. Partnering with Riverstone Holdings, Alliance Resource Partners and our other new and existing network of investors representing leaders in the energy, semiconductor and industrial sectors, puts us in a strong position to scale production, deliver product and impact how the world sustainably consumes and generates power for the next generation».
Ardemagni: new factory for bigger volumes and Industry 4.0
The opening event of the new plant of Ardemagni Spa (an Italian excellence that is part of Duferco) has been held last June 10th. «The old headquarters at Cinisello Balsamo have been recently dismantled – explained Stefano Sacchi, CEO and Giovanni Lanza, Vice-president – after some months of transition that saw the coexistence of both sites. Nowadays we are operating at full rate in the new site, located in Emilia avenue at Cinisello Balsamo, at a distance of one kilometre and a half from the previous one, in Monfalcone 25 street».
The choice of not abandoning the zone mirrors the will of not losing the key logistic advantages.
«Previously we relied on 6,000 covered square metres in 3 different workshops – they affirmed – whereas today everything is concentrated in a single factory taking up 10,000 covered square metres, organized with a much smarter layout, devised according to a lean concept. The space is equipped with 4 slitter manufacturing machines placed in a row».
In the new site they have installed two brand-new slitting lines, which allow faster production featuring excellent quality. Moreover, they have perfected two packaging lines, one of them fully automated. «This new project has been accomplished in May – they added – with the installation of other two slitting lines, resulting in 4 slitters and three packaging lines in all. Worth highlighting the system on automated carriages that transport the coils from the warehouse to machines: a concept of Industry 4.0 where all plants are interconnected with our IT infrastructures».
In the new 10,000 covered square meters, Ardemagni has dedicated broad space to the warehouse, with a maximum capacity of 15,000 tons of stock on site, an aspect that today is more crucial than ever: a certainty for customers that can always have available material and for the production that can be optimized.
In 2010, Duferco and China Steel Corporation accomplished the takeover of Ardemagni service centre. It is a steel service centre that receives large coils of electrical steel that is then slit for the creation of strips with different widths depending on the requirements of customers, which are mainly manufacturers of motors and laminations.
Today, Ardemagni imports, processes and distributes electrical steel from China Steel Corporation in Italy and in Europe, with an export percentage amounting to 50%.
Peugeot Sport and Marelli together for the Hypercar
A recent technological partnership concerns Peugeot Sport and Marelli, based on the development of the most possible efficient solution to satisfy the extreme performances demanded by the hybrid propulsion system of a PEUGEOT 9X8 Hyper-car, which since 2022 will compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
In particular, Marelli – whose contribution is based on know-how consolidated in the design, production and implementation of hybrid and Full Electric high-performance systems – will develop and supply a specific electric motor with high performances and a silicon carbide inverter, which will be part of the electric drive system on the front axle. The development target is maximising the system efficiency and reliability, meanwhile adapting the motor and inverter technology to the weight and volume parameters established by the team.
The partnership marks a new chapter in the long collaboration between Marelli and Peugeot. «We have collaborated for many years now with Marelli and our teams share the same passion and dedication to excellence. This project represents an unbelievable opportunity to combine our competences and to design, to test and to run a new innovative performing electric motor on the track, so determining the success of 9X8 » affirmed Olivier Janssonie. Riccardo De Filippi, Head of Marelli Motorsport stated instead: «Once more, we have combined all of our competences to push the performance of such a unique and extreme car to the limit in a sustainable way, adopting the most advanced Marelli electric propulsion technology».
Volkswagen, great strides for the production of electric vehicles
Volkswagen prosecutes its factories’ conversion to electric mobility. Volkswagen brand is enlarging its network of global production of electric vehicles with the manufacturing start of full-electric ID.4 at Emden. Emden is currently the second site for electric vehicles in Germany after Zwickau and joins the Chinese plants in Anting and Foshan. Chattanooga and Hannover as well will start the production this year. Consequently, in 2022 Volkswagen is creating the conditions to manufacture in the future 1.2 million full-electric vehicles based on MEB modular platform in its factories in Europe, United States of America and China. Volkswagen has invested around one million Euros for the conversion of Emden factory with its 8,000 employees. Therefore, Emden is the first high-tech site for electric mobility in Lower Saxony. Volkswagen Group will invest 21 billion Euros overall in Lower Saxony until 2026 and will make the Land the German fulcrum of electric mobility. «The fast expansion of the production capacity of our successful ID.4 model is a key component of Accelerate strategy. It aids us in speeding up the transformation towards a zero carbon-emission mobility and in satisfying the high demand for electric vehicles», declared the Ceo of Volkswagen brand, Ralf Brandstätter.
The “Swiss Army Knife” of power electronics
Among the top players for the electric propulsion, ranks BAE Systems, which will bring its next-generation power and propulsion technology to the heavy-duty industrial vehicle market. The company’s electric drive system provides a revolutionary design which will help industrial vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) get their electric vehicles (EVs) to market faster and at a lower installed cost.
Steve Trichka, vice president and general manager of Power and Propulsion Solutions at BAE Systems said: «We are providing an all-inclusive solution to bring the industrial vehicle market one step closer to a zero-emission future. Our next-generation components are the Swiss Army Knife of power electronics, delivering multifunctional capabilities in a compact and flexible design. This flexibility makes it easier for OEMs to cover multiple platforms, including traditional diesel and purpose built EVs».
BAE Systems’ next-generation system for the heavy-duty industrial vehicle market builds on the company’s more than 25 years of experience in low and zero emission EV solutions for the transit bus and marine industries. The system uses fewer components and increases electrical efficiency. Its Modular Accessory Power System (MAPS) and Modular Power Control System (MPCS) also allow for scalable, customized solutions to provide the core power for a range of applications, from school buses and mining vehicles to sanitation and yard trucks.
BAE Systems has a deep understanding of systems engineering, a revolutionary design for propulsion and accessory power, proven integration expertise, and aftermarket support to give manufacturers a reliable solution and faster path to market, at a lower installation cost.
Shortage of STEM graduates: so, the ecologic transition slows down
The recent survey by The European House – Ambrosetti highlights that in Italy we scarcely study Stem disciplines – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics: just 16% of the population aged 20-29 has a degree in one of these subjects, against 20% on average of the European Union. Germany, with 20%, and France with 28%, are the excellences.
The Minister of Education, Patrizio Bianchi stated that the shortage of STEM graduates and professors is almost a national emergency, as it already happened in France two years ago: «We need immediate investments, we must work in synergy with Universities. The crucial issue of Mathematics is about new competences and new languages. Two years ago, the president Macron declared Mathematics as a national emergency for France. I am not doing the same thing for our Country, but we are close to it. Here is another theme, too: “How should disciplines be taught? In our graduation course, there is not a specific course that teaches not mathematics, but instead how Mathematics, or Physics, or Italian language is taught. We should not take for granted that a young boy or a young girl, graduated in Mathematics or Literature, are then able to teach it».
Another Italian politician, Roberto Cingolani, Minister of the Ecologic Transition, has cast the spotlights on the matter. «In Italy, there is a structural shortage of minds trained in technical-scientific subjects. We miss 30,000 young experts in STEM subjects. In other Countries there are many more. This is critical for the ecologic transition».
Magnets, the European choice of Schaeffler
There is a brand-new agreement: la global automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler has signed a five-year contract with Norwegian company REEtec AS for the purchase of rare earth oxides. The two have established a partnership to decrease the dependence on China precisely for rare earth metals for magnets used in electric motors.
Schaeffler has been producing electric motors on a large scale since 2021 and offers its customers power classes ranging from 20 kW to more than 300 kW. The company is focusing on sustainability along the entire value chain. Emission-free material production is an important step towards climate neutral operations by 2040.
The aim is to make electric motors for hybrid modules, hybrid transmissions and all-electric axle drives even more sustainable. Powerful permanent magnets manufactured using rare earth metals like neodymium produce optimum magnetic flux in electric motors.
In the future, Schaeffler will procure these metals from REEtec AS, which uses a sustainable production process. The partnership will begin in 2024.
Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer at Schaeffler AG said: «In REEtec, Schaeffler has gained a highly innovative partner that uses a novel and especially sustainable process for the production of pure rare earth elements. Rare earths play an important role in automotive and industrial segments. Schaeffler is focusing on achieving sustainability along the entire value chain and is systematically gearing its activities to the use of materials produced cleanly and sustainably. Through this partnership, we are also securing our supply of neodymium iron boron magnets for electric motors».
«We are delighted to have signed a five-year contract with Schaeffler and to be partnering with a globally successful market leader that prioritizes sustainability and transparency in the supply chain», instead the words by Sigve Sporstøl, CEO of REEtec AS.
Qf stakes on electric motors for industrial machines
Let us take a step back: last December, took place the takeover of 100% of Gkn, global engineering and manufacturing partner of metal powders and product solutions for automotive and industrial markets, by Qf Spa of Borgomeo Group, so sparing the factory at Campi Bisenzio, including the employment of its 422 workers.
In these days, it is released the news that in that factory they will produce state-of-the-art electric motors for machines at the service of the industrial automation of textile, of pharmaceutical and other sectors, including automotive and technologies for renewable energies.
«They have taken a very important step forward, we hope it is decisive» stated the major of Florence Firenze, Dario Nardella. While Eugenio Giani, president of the Tuscany Region, declared: «Positive the recovery prospect provided by the guidelines of the industrial plan and the safeguard of all involved workers». The industrial plan will avail itself of an important research, development and design structure, integrated with industrialization and production. The operation provides for investments worth 82 millions, staking on the development of integrated electric hyper-digital drives, in an integrated system for the implementation of industrial automation, edrives, robotics and logistics. In a successive phase, the electrification of transport systems, connected also with the energy sector, will be started. Besides electric motors, the power converter will be developed.
China loves electric motors
With over 600 start-ups of electric vehicles, today China is the Country deemed the world capital city of electric vehicles. In 2021, they sold in China over 3.3 million electric vehicles, with the huge 154% rise versus the previous year, with BYD and Tesla best-sellers headquartered at Shenzen.
Such rise of the demand for electric vehicles has led BYD to announce they have stopped producing vehicles with combustion engine: now they will produce just hybrid plug-in fully electric and strongly electrified cars. A glance at topical issues: the current Chinese players of tier-1 EV electric vehicles in 2022 are Nio, XPeng, Li Auto, Leapmotor and Nezha.
Among the start-ups of electric vehicles in China, most of them are moving towards tier-2 EV electric vehicles.