Battery Metals

THE future of driverless driving looks like a giant toaster with a funny hat.

That’s an approximation of a new autonomous vehicle unveiled last week by Nuro, a Silicon Valley startup that’s been cryptic about its business plan since it launched about 18 months ago. Nuro’s shiny, minimalist appliance on wheels doesn’t have doors or windows to speak of, because it will be carrying packages-not people. As every major automaker and dozens of tech companies race to replace drivers in Uber cars and taxi fleets, Nuro is ignoring humans altogether and steering for Amazon.com, United Parcel Service and any retailer looking to build its e-commerce business. “We realised we could make it possible to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere,” said co-founder Dave Ferguson. “We like to call it a local teleportation service.”

Nuro’s delivery pod weighs about 1,500 pounds, with most of that mass packed into a battery pack that powers its electric motor. It’s roughly the same length and height as a conventional SUV, but only 3.5 feet wide. There is a glass windshield, mostly just to keep other drivers from freaking out.

Each will come with a modular, customisable interior that can carry about 250 pounds. A grocer will be able to opt for shelves and refrigeration; a dry-cleaner can go with hanging racks; while peer-to-peer versions shuffling the detritus of Craigslist may have two empty cargo bays with some anchoring straps. “We spent a bunch of time doing ergonomic experiments,” Ferguson said.

Along the spectrum of self-driving technology, Nuro’s cargo vehicle falls somewhere between a car from the ‘The Jetsons’ and one of those smart suitcases that follow travellers around the airport. To be sure, the market is massive. UPS alone delivers about 19 million packages a day. Excluding management and pilots, it employs roughly 353,000 people and spends 57 cents of every sales dollar on compensation and benefits. Robot-cars, meanwhile, are far easier to negotiate with at review time and ask only for some electricity.

Of course, Nuro isn’t the first company to notice the Amazon Prime packages piling up on porches. Ford began testing human-free pizza delivery with Domino’s last summer. Toyota rolled out a delivery vehicle in Las Vegas this month. Dubbed e-Palette, the futuristic van already has partnerships with Amazon.com and Pizza Hut. Renault-Nissan plans to unveil a driverless delivery van in September. Udelv Inc, a self-driving startup, is testing an autonomous delivery vehicle in California this month.

However, Nuro, by all accounts a scrappy newcomer, has some street cred. Co-founders Jiajun Zhu (who goes by ‘Jay-Z’) was one of the first engineers working on Waymo, the self-driving unit launched by Google (now Alphabet Inc) Ferguson, who has a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon, joined him there in 2011.

Since leaving Waymo, the pair has rounded up $92 million of venture capital over two rounds led by Banyan Capital and Greylock Partners. The company’s most critical asset, however, may be its staff. It’s lured dozens of workers from Bay Area giants, including Apple, Google, Tesla and Uber.

As the South Australian government fights a state election where Labor is in a three-way battle for power with the Coalition and Nick Xenophon’s SA Best party, it has announced plans to build a 250MW “virtual power plant”, linking household rooftop solar and battery storage.

Beginning with a trial of 1100 low-income Housing SA (social housing) properties, the project aims to connect at least 50,000 households over the next four years, in what it says will be the largest virtual power plant in the world.

Each property will be fitted with a 5kW solar panel system and 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 battery, which will be installed at no charge to the household and financed through the sale of electricity.

The energy generated by the solar panels will be stored in the Tesla batteries and any excess energy will be fed back to the grid, which will be centrally controlled.

The government claims electricity costs for participating households will be cut by 30%. About 6500 people have already registered for the program and it may be extended if public interest remains high.

The project will ultimately create 650MWh of storage, allowing the combined resource to be pooled to help provide grid stability and extra capacity when supply is short.

It is expected to create more than 500 jobs over the next four years, 250 jobs from the installation of the solar panels and batteries and a further 260 in the supply chain.

The government predicts the project will mean an end to blackouts like the crippling statewide blackout in September 2016, as well as providing 20% of the state’s average daily energy requirements. Tesla said the virtual power facility could provide as much capacity as a large gas turbine or coal power plant.

The government’s website says: “Powerwall can detect an outage, disconnect from the grid, and automatically restore power to your home in a fraction of a second. As long as the battery has storage in it at the time, you will not even notice that the power went out.”

The program will be funded via a $2 million grant and a $30 million loan from a state-funded technology fund. The project has a total value of $800 million, most of which will be funded by investors.

“My government has already delivered the world’s biggest battery, and now we will deliver the world’s largest virtual power plant,” Premier Jay Weatherill said on February 4. “Our energy plan means that we are leading the world in renewable energy and now we are making it easier for more homes to become self-sufficient.”

Social Housing Minister Zoe Bettison said people in social housing can often struggle to meet their everyday needs and this initiative will take some pressure off their household budgets.

“But all South Australians will also benefit from the increased generation in the South Australian energy mix, with lower energy prices and increased energy stability,” she said.

Chargemaster is extending the rollout of its POLAR national charging network by adding 2,000 new charging points in 2018, including 400 rapid chargers.

The company say this is to “match the increasing take-up of electric vehicles”.
It means in total, electric vehicle drivers on the Chargemaster network are expected to have access to over 8,500 public charging points, including 700 rapid chargers in the UK by the end of the year.

David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster, explained that the additional charging points will help the company “maintain its position” as a market leader. He said: “Over 40,000 drivers already rely on our network, which gives them access to over 40% of all public charging points on UK-wide networks, backed up with our dedicated 24/7 customer support.”

Investing

Chargemaster is the UK’s leading provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and operates POLAR, the largest electric vehicle charging network in the UK based on numbers.

Last month, 30 points were charged across the UK including in Canterbury, Rotherham and Swansea.

The company say it is “investing heavily” in providing charging points in key strategic locations, such as hotels, petrol stations, sports clubs and shopping centres.

Chargemaster is working with national partners to deploy EV charging infrastructure at strategic locations, including IHG hotels, Asda supermarkets, intu shopping centres and Q-Park car parks.

Previously, it installed around 230 charging points to support a ‘growing number’ of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the roads, following a £2 million contract with Nottingham city council.

At the end of 2016, Chargemaster was also awarded a £2.3 million contract to provide additional charging infrastructure under the Go Ultra Low Cities programme for Milton Keynes.

China’s gigantic power company plans to acquire a stake in a major German grid operator. As German politicians watch warily, sector analysts say there are advantages for both sides.

To hear critics tell it, the Chinese are taking over part of Germany’s power grid and stealing German technology. But if one listens to Boris Schucht, the CEO of German grid operator 50Hertz, then the fact that the State Grid of China Corporation is taking a 20-percent stake in his company is a good thing.

50Hertz is one of four operating the German grid, serving around 18 million customers mostly in northern Germany, and has been moving toward more environmentally friendly energy for some time, with the support of its shareholders. And, as Mr. Schucht says, “we want to progress in this area with an expanded group of partners.”

As it is, 50Hertz is already wholly foreign-owned, in a 60/40 split between Elia, the Belgian grid operator, and IFM, an Australian investment fund. IFM now wants to sell half its stake to SGCC, although Elia is believed to have first option to acquire the stake, usable until the end of March. If Elia does not exercise that right, the SGCC acquisition could be complete by summer. The proposed purchase price has not been revealed.

E-vehicles, hybrids and eco- friendly technology took centre stage at the opening day of the biennial Auto Expo, with Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra and new entrant Kia Motors along with luxury vehicle makers Mercedes-Benz and BMW displaying their future products.

Keeping in mind the government’s vision of 100 per cent electric vehicles (EVs) for public mobility and 40 per cent for personal mobility by 2030, the companies committed to put investments in the new technology while also seeking support and clarity on policies.

The expo witnessed 65 unveilings and 14 launches, including Hyundai’s new Elite i20, Mercedes Maybach S650 priced at Rs 2.73 crore and unveiling of Toyota’s mid-sized sedan Yaris and Honda’s all-new Amaze, SUV CR-V and premium sedan Civic which will make a comeback to the Indian market.

“The Auto Expo this year is a defining moment in the development of Indian automotive industry… It is a curtain raiser for electric vehicles…,” Mahindra & Mahindra Managing Director Pawan Goenka told reporters.

He said the company has already invested Rs 600 crore on its electric vehicle programme and has committed another Rs 700 crore for the next 2-3 years on it. M&M displayed six new electric concept vehicles and models at the expo.

Echoing similar sentiments, Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said Tata Motors is committed to the future of mobility, specially the government’s vision in the electric vehicles space.

“We are making a serious commitment towards innovation and investment in the launch of a full range of products that will connect the aspirations of our customers,” he added.

Tata Motors showcased six electric vehicles in mass and personal mobility segments, which includes a 12-metre electric bus and passenger carriers—Magic EV and Iris EV along with Tiago EV, Tigor EV and sportscar Racemo EV, a special Auto Expo edition.

Maruti Suzuki India, which unveiled its electric concept compact SUV ‘e-SURVIVOR’, said products alone will not be enough to realise India’s grand vision of bringing down emissions substantially, reduce dependence on imported fuel, and secure a leadership position on clean technology capability.

“India will need a comprehensive ecosystem that supports cleaner technologies, including electric vehicles,” Maruti Suzuki India MD and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said while unveiling the Concept e-SURVIVOR here at the expo.

That ecosystem will include local production of components, capabilities for battery manufacture and recycling.

“Of course, we will need a vehicle charging infrastructure of a scale and size that matches Indias needs,” Ayukawa added.

The company also showcased a range of technologies to accelerate electrification of powertrains in India, ahead of its planned launch of an electric vehicle in India by 2020.

South Korean auto maker Hyundai, which operates here through its wholly-owned arm Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), also unveiled its global electric vehicle Ioniq.

Another South Korean auto maker Kia Motors Corporation, which will start selling its vehicles in India from next year, said it planned to introduce a range of vehicles, including an India exclusive compact electric vehicle in the country between 2019 to 2021.

The company displayed its Soul EV along with plug in hybrid models, Optima and Niro, while also unveiling its SP Concept, the conventional India-specific SUV which will be launched next year.

Japanese auto maker Honda also displayed its NeuVConcept and Sports EV concept but said it will wait for clarity in policy for EVs in India before firming up any definite plans for the segment.

“In order to stitch up a strategy (for EV segment) we are requesting to have a road map regarding plans of charging stations…Without a clear policy it will be difficult to select models,” Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) President and CEO Yoichiro Ueno told reporters.

He said that only after there is clarity, the company would be able to assess whether such vehicles could be manufactured in the country.

Similarly, French auto major Renault showcased its electric concept cars TREZOR and ZOE e-Sport and said it is awaiting a clear policy and road map on infrastructure for electric vehicles to take a long-term strategic decision.

On the luxury front, German carmaker Mercedes-Benz displayed its Concept EQ, with the appearance of a sporty SUV, giving a preview of a new generation of vehicles with battery electric drives. It will have a powerful electric drive of 300kW total output with a range of up to 500 km along with driver assistance systems for maximum safety, the company said.

Similarly, compatriot BMW India also showcased its showcased plug in hybrid electric vehicle i8 Roadster, which will be launched in India later this year along with i3S, an electric vehicle with a range of over 280 km per charge.

The showcase of electric and hybrid vehicles at the expo, which also had the presence of Bollywood star Akshay Kumar and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, was not restricted only to passenger vehicles. It was also seen in commercial vehicles applications, specially buses.

Hinduja flagship firm Ashok Leyland unveiled its electric bus Circuit-S which is powered by its partner SUN Mobility’s swappable smart battery.

“Our vision is to transform public transportation by designing, developing, and marketing a breakthrough, India- specific solution that makes our city buses emission-free, cost-effective and scalable,” Ashok Leyland Managing Director Vinod K Dasari said.

JBM Solaris Electric Vehicles Ltd, a joint venture between India’s JBM Auto and Europe’s Solaris Bus & Coach SA, introduced its electric bus series ‘Eco-Life’ which will hit the Indian market in the second half of the year.

In the two wheeler segment, TVS Motor Company today unveiled its concept electric scooter ‘Creon’ along with a 220cc single cylinder engine concept motorbike ‘Zeppelin’.

The company also showcased its ethanol powered motorcycle, Apache RTR 200 Fi Ethanol aimed at reducing carbon footprint on the environment.

Hero Electric also unveiled eight of its global products in India, at the expo and the company said it planned to launch these products in a phased manner.