The Motor Valley will go electric, the supercars will all be battery-powered
The Motor Valley will go electric
Following a conference organized by some exponents of the Land of Motors, hosted at Expo Dubai 2020, it was finally decided what the future of the Motor Valley will be. The President of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Stefano Bonaccini, attended the event "The Secret Ingredient to Create a Supercar"; the Global & After Sales Vice President of Ducati, Francesco Milicia; Dallara's CEO, Andrea Pontremoli; the Lamborghini Head of Communications, Tim Bravo, and the CEO of Autopromotec, Renzo Servadei. The future supercars will therefore be battery-powered, but will preserve all those key aspects that have made them famous all over the world; the propulsion system will change, but unique and highly performing solutions will remain.The Motor Valley includes Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati, Lamborghini, Dallara and Pagani as the main world brands, but there are also 16,000 small and medium-sized enterprises nearly 70,000 jobs. But what will actually happen in the future?
Ferrari and Lamborghini have long declared their intention to embrace electric mobility more concretely and their respective models will arrive between 2025 and 2027. Pagani, on the other hand, did not release any particular statements on the matter, although some rumors suggest that the heir of the Huarya will arrive in 2024 and will also be available on battery. Dallara, on the other hand, has recently signed an important agreement with the Silk-FAW joint venture which, right in the Motor Valley, has decided to open a new production site dedicated to the development of electric cars. Maserati will enter the electric market with the Folgore line, also expected between 2024 and 2025.
Ducati, starting from 2023, will be the sole official supplier of motorcycles for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, the electric class of the MotoGP World Championship, winning the agreement previously signed with Energica. Ducati is still working to develop the first electric street bike, but there is talk of a time window identified between 2025 and 2030, to arrive at offering a finished product capable of satisfying customer needs.
GM reaches supply deals for electric vehicle motor magnets
Posted: Dec 9, 2021 / 08:18 AM PST / Updated: Dec 9, 2021 / 08:18 AM PST
This image provided by MP Materials shows a new a new factory to be built by MP Materials in Fort Worth, Texas, starting in 2023. General Motors has taken two more steps to make sure it has the raw materials for the transition from petroleum to battery power, this time involving magnets for electric vehicle motors. On Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021 the company said it has a deal with MP Materials to supply rare earth metals and finished magnets for the motors from a new factory to be built in Fort Worth, Texas, starting in 2023. (MP Materials via AP)
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors has taken two more steps to make sure it has the raw materials for the transition from petroleum to battery power, this time lining up magnets for electric vehicle motors.
On Thursday the company said it has a deal with MP Materials to supply rare earth metals and finished magnets for the motors from a new factory to be built in Fort Worth, Texas, starting in 2023.
It’s also negotiating what is likely to be a joint venture with Vacuumschmelze (VAC) of Germany to build a U.S. factory to make electric vehicle motor magnets. Production is to start in 2024 and will create “hundreds of new jobs” the companies said.
The companies didn’t announce financial terms of the deals. Shilpan Amin, GM’s head of purchasing and supply chain, said it has a parts supply agreement with MP Materials with no GM capital investment. The capital structure of the venture with VAC is still being worked out, but the companies said they would build a plant together.
At present there are no factories in the U.S. equipped for large-scale production of electric vehicle motor magnets, Amin said. MP said 90% of the supply now comes from China.
The moves come as automakers scramble to line up parts supplies for what is expected to be a dramatic shift from internal combustion engines to zero emission electric power during the coming decade. GM, for instance, has a goal of selling only electric passenger vehicles by 2035.
The LMC Automotive consulting firm expects U.S. sales of new fully electric vehicles to hit nearly 400,000 this year, almost double last year’s figures. But they still make up only about 2.6% of sales. But the firm expects sales to grow to more than 730,000 next year and more than 2 million by 2025. Even at 2 million, EV sales still would be only about 12% of U.S. new vehicle sales.
MP Materials has the potential to supply magnets for about 500,000 EV motors per year, Amin said. Combined, the two deals will supply all of GM’s magnet needs at least for the near term, the company said.
MP said engineering and design work on the new 200,000-square-foot plant are underway, and that it will employ more than 100 people. The factory’s products also will go to clean energy, electronic and defense markets, the company said.
