Tuesday 15 November 2016

Lithium Race: Going After Tesla Model X Success - Jaguar I-Pace’s Battery Electric Vehicle Technology At A Glance.

  
Jaguar I-Pace.

  Autocar reports that Jaguar is going after Tesla Model X success with Jaguar I-Pace lithium battery electric technology. Nobody would like to be left behind and this iconic brand which now belongs to Indian Tata conglomerate is trying to stay relevant in the post fuel-burning era. Tata Motors bought Jaguar Range Rover in the midst of the financial meltdown in 2008 and Range Rover is the most popular SUV in the UK now. Jaguar SUV and Range Rover, particularly, are the best suited to go full electric and it is a pity that after a few false starts they are so late to the party. 
  Liberty Electric Cars based on Range Rover has never really taken off even with Chinese supporters and ideas to extend its powertrain to use for electric buses in China. As we all know, BYD backed by Warren Buffett has made it the reality and now is the largest manufacturer of electric buses in the world as well as electric cars. Let's hope that Jaguar will have a better electric start now. 
  We need as many electric cars as we can, literally millions of them to make "The Switch" in time. And Tata Motors is in the best position to facilitate and benefit from the switch to EVs in India. Once they can refine technology on the luxury end of the auto brands they can go and provide billion of people in India suffering from incredible pollution these days with the best affordable EVs.



Autocar. Jaguar I-Pace Lithium Battery Chassis.





Lithium Boom Continues To Fuel Chinese Majors.



  


  Industrial Minerals reports about Ganfeng Lithium and Tianqi Lithium from China and their incredible growth confirming my observations.  


Infographic:


"Lithium: Goldman Sachs estimates that a Tesla Model S with a 70kWh battery uses 63 kilograms of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) – more than the amount of lithium in 10,000 cell phones.
Further, for every 1% increase in battery electric vehicle (BEV) market penetration, there is an increase in lithium demand by around 70,000 tonnes LCE/year." Read more.



Lithium Race: Which Will Be The First Country To Ban Fuel-Burning Cars: Norway, Netherlands, Germany, India or China?





  "Dr. Joe Romm provides us with more information on the recent decision of German Bundesrat to ban fuel-burning cars. This tipping point for electric cars to become the fast growing mass market is the result of the technological advance called "The Learning Curve" when doubling of production brings on average 26% in cost reduction. It is true for the price of Solar PV, it is even faster for the chip makers and for Lithium Batteries Bloomberg reports about 14-19% cost reduction every year.
  Now we are in the fast lane approaching this transition with first electric cars priced below $40k and with a range of over 200 miles coming to the market: GM Bolt and Tesla Model 3. BMW i3 with the new larger battery, Renault Zoe with 400 km range and Nissan Leaf with upgraded battery are driving the sales in Europe and China stands on its own with 25 companies making 51 models of electric cars. 
  Lithium Technology is here and the best electric cars will become only cheaper and better. Bloomberg estimates 2022 - 2026 when EVs will reach parity with ICE on capital cost alone. I will translate: depending on the country from 2022 electric cars will become cheaper to buy than comparable ICE ones. They will provide much better performance, safety and fraction of running cost to operate. This progress is inevitable and Tesla shows what is coming with Tesla Model S outselling ALL luxury sedan brands in the U.S. and Western Europe by a very wide margin. In the Q3 of this year, Tesla Model S sales were almost double of Mercedes S-Class and more than double of BMW 7!  
  And, finally, as Dr. Joe Romm is pointing out that governments start to wake up to the horrible cancer hazard air pollution on our streets from fuel-burning cars and voices for the ban of such cars are louder and louder.  We can already add Netherlands to his list of countries and I have put China there as well. Masters of the asymmetric warfare Chinese will definitely capitalize on the advance they have managed to gain with their New Energy Plan at the right time. China has the largest EVs market in the world, Warren Buffett-backed BYD is the largest manufacturer of electric carsChinese companies are the largest lithium chemicals producers for the lithium batteries already. Lithium Megafactories are rising with billions of dollars in investments and they are buying the best lithium projects to secure supply of this critical metal.
  If and when China will ban fuel-burning cars remains the speculation at this moment, but it will change the geopolitical landscape overnight making many Trillions of dollars in assets in the West worthless and some major companies literally shrinking in size within a year or two. We will have more Chinese names at the top of the World's largest companies for sure and size of the Chinese economy will jump reflecting the new growth based on the manufacturing base of the 21st centuryThis Energy rEVolution will be very fast and brutal to those unprepared. It is time to check your portfolios in order not to get caught in "The Death Spiral" - like Fitch is predicting for the oil companies. And whoever would like to start new trade wars should be thinking twice and long term in advance, like China is doing building secure lithium supply to power new Energy Plan and Electric rEVolution. With the diminishing role of Oil as the only source of Energy, will our world be able to have a peaceful transition to the new order? I will leave these worries to our brave politicians, you should think about your investments and on which side of the history you would like to be to make the difference. You can find my chronicles of this Energy rEVolution on this blog and below are some links for your own research including the Dr. Joe Romm article. Read more."



Autocar:


Jaguar Land Rover's new electric vehicle platform underpins the I-Pace Concept and has enabled designers and engineers to take a fresh approach

Matt Burt

With some of the new Jaguar I-Pace Concept’s most interesting features lying beneath its surface, here’s an at-a-glance guide to the technology that makes up the new ‘skateboard’ chassis.
BATTERY PACK
The I-Pace Concept features a 90kWh battery comprising 36 modules which are enclosed within a structural aluminium housing.
Each module contains the latest lithium-ion pouch cells, which use nickel-cobalt-manganese chemistry. These cells were selected for their combination of high energy density and because they can maintain a higher current for longer, which means that the battery can deliver both driving range and sustained performance. Compared to some other cell types, they also offer considerable future development potential.
The battery pack is positioned as low down as possible and right between the axles, dropping the centre of gravity and enhancing vehicle agility.
ELECTRIC MOTORS
The car features two efficient, synchronous permanent magnet motors arrange concentrically with a single-speed transmission to make them as compact as possible.
Jaguar’s engineers designed and developed the motors in-house to achieve the compact design, efficiency and power density they desired. The motors have an outer diameter of 234mm, are 500mm long and weigh about 38kg each.
Integrated into the front and rear axles, with the driveshafts passing through the centre of the motors in a space-efficient layout, the two electric motors deliver a total output of 397bhp and 516 lb ft. The torque is on tap immediately as the vehicle pulls way from a standstill.
The two motor set-up also enables the new Jaguar concept with four-wheel drive, and the set-up means effective torque shuffling between the axles is possible, making the car adaptive to varying road conditions.
Like other hybrid and electric vehicles, the I-Pace features regenerative braking, which slows the vehicle down and recharges the battery in the process. The driver can adjust the level of regenerative braking via a button within the transmission controls on the centre console.
BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The control system is fundamental to the I-Pace Concept’s performance and range by ensuring that the battery operates at optimum efficiency under all conditions.
A heat pump is an integral part of this system: by scavenging heat from the outside air to help warm the vehicle’s interior, the heat pump can deliver a double-digit increase in driving range - even in freezing winter conditions, when battery efficiency traditionally  suffers.
The pack is liquid-cooled using a dedicated two-mode cooling circuit. In moderate ambient temperatures the battery improves efficiency by relying only on a radiator to remove the heat generated by the cells.
At higher temperatures the chiller linked to the vehicle’s main air conditioning system provides greater cooling capacity to keep the battery in optimum condition.

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