New ‘Battery Belt’ Opens Organizing Front in the South by Ben Carrol
July 31, 2024
Introduction:
(Labor Notes) Towering cranes pierce the sky, contrasting with the rural surroundings. It’s an early morning in June, the air already gauzy and thick, and construction is humming at the Toyota Battery mega-site in Liberty, North Carolina.
Trucks and other heavy machines dart in and out of the complex. A line of food trucks is tucked around the corner, alongside a dozen tour buses used to move workers.
Production is slated to begin in 2025. By 2030, when the 7 million-square-foot complex is fully operational, it will have 14 production lines—10 dedicated to batteries for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electrics, and four for hybrid electric vehicles—operated by 5,100 workers. The total population of Liberty is 2,655.
Though this factory stands out for its staggering $13.9 billion price tag, it’s one of several electric vehicle (EV) plants under construction or soon to break ground across the South.
MANUFACTURING BOOM
Dubbing the region the “Battery Belt,” federal and state governments are ushering in a dizzying manufacturing boom in nearly every aspect of the EV supply and production chain—from charging stations to mineral refining, battery production to battery storage and disposal.
The article goes on to note labor union organizing efforts related to this boom in EV manufacturing.
Joby Aviation Rolls Third Aircraft Off Production Line at Its Facility in Monterey County, California by James Herrera
August 11, 2024
Introduction:
(MSN) MARINA – Joby Aviation has rolled out its third production prototype aircraft off its pilot production line in Marina recently and expects four aircraft to be in active flight test later this year.
The aviation company has designed and produced an electric air taxi that will carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds up to 200 mph offering high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and zero operating emissions.
Joby has been doing business and developing a manufacturing facility in Marina for about the past seven years where it launched production of its aircraft at its Pilot Production Plant with the first aircraft rolling off the line in June 2023. The Marina facility is one of three in California with others at Santa Cruz — where the company is headquartered — and San Carlos. Joby Aviation also has a facility in Munich and chose Dayton, Ohio, in September of last year, as the site for its new manufacturing plant.
In March, the company announced its acquisition of an existing facility at Dayton International Airport where it has begun hiring in support of its initial operations there. The facility acquired by Joby will be fitted out to support initial manufacturing operations in Dayton, which are expected to begin later this year. The facility will be used for the manufacturing of aircraft parts in support of Joby’s Pilot Production Line in Marina.
In April, Joby broke ground on its new 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Marina expecting to begin operations in 2025. The company said the expansion will more than double the total footprint Joby Aviation has at the Marina Airport and will enable the company to deliver 25 aircraft a year.
Ten-minute EV charging has been realized – quite nearly, at least. We've seen many "world's fastest" EV battery charging claims roll through in recent months and years, but most relate to battery tech that's still deep in the research or prototype phases. This week, Chinese auto manufacturer Zeekr staked a new claim on the title, but this one's for the 800-V lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery in the updated 007 sedan launching in mere days.
Much like its better-known global Geely siblings Volvo and Polestar, Zeekr consistently keeps its finger on the pulse of the latest bleeding-edge battery tech. Difference being, the Chinese battery market has a faster pulse.
Biden Channels $50 Million to Help Auto Suppliers on EVs by Ben Geman
August 15, 2024
Introduction:
(Axios) The Energy Department is steering around $50 million into six states to help small- and mid-sized auto suppliers convert facilities to serve EV value chains.
Why it matters: The money for states with large auto workforces is the latest of many White House financial carrots to help the industry go electric.
Michigan, a critical swing state, is getting the largest share. But money is flowing to several very red states, too.
• It's an example of what backers hope makes the Inflation Reduction Act durable — the billions of dollars flowing into GOP-leaning states and congressional districts.
Driving the news: DOE on Wednesday is announcing the eligible states and amounts, which enables specific applications to start flowing in.
Electric Vehicles are the Future. What Happens to Our Gas-guzzling Cars? by David Zipper
September 3, 2024
Introduction:
(Vox) Despite a recent slowdown in US sales, global forecasts for electric vehicles remain bullish. Countries across North America, Europe, and Asia are expanding charger networks and offering EV subsidies; global EV sales are projected to nearly triple by 2030, reaching 40 million vehicles annually.
The incipient wave of EV purchases raises a question: What will happen to the millions of gas-powered cars whose owners no longer want them?
The likely answer: Rather than scrapping used gas vehicles or selling them domestically, rich nations will dispatch them to developing countries where limited incomes and low levels of car ownership have created eager buyers for even older, substandard models.
An influx of used gas cars would be a welcome development for those in the Global South who aspire to automobile ownership, a luxury that many in affluent countries take for granted. But it would undermine efforts to mitigate climate change, since shifting gas guzzlers from one country to another doesn’t lower global emissions. For developing countries themselves, a sharp increase in car ownership could amplify calls to build auto-reliant infrastructure, making it harder to construct the dense neighborhoods and transit networks that can foster more sustainable growth. And since these imported used cars would be fueled by gasoline, air quality would further decline in cities that are already choked with smog.
The world is in an era of polycrisis, facing concurrent challenges including climate change, toxic air, and extreme inequality. Difficult trade-offs are often inevitable. Such is the case with the thorny issue of what to do with the millions of gas cars that the rich world will discard as its fleets are electrified.
Ford to give away free charging units to new EV buyers
Source: Axios
6 hours ago
Ford plans to give new-EV buyers a free charging unit and free installation in an industry first.
Why it matters: EV sales have been lagging behind expectations as many consumers remain wary of the unknowns and inconveniences around regularly charging their vehicles at home and on the road.
Driving the news: The automaker announced Monday that anyone who buys or leases a new Ford EV during the fourth quarter will qualify for a free EV charging unit and home installation through the Ford Power Promise program.
Ford CEO Jim Farley tells Axios that if the offer is well received, the company will likely extend it.
"I obviously never had the chance to talk to Mr. Ford, but I can imagine that when he launched the Model T, he would have loved to have included a gas station for every customer," Farley said in an interview, referencing founder Henry Ford.
Farley acknowledged there's a cost to Ford but did not specify how much the company expects it to be.
The big picture: Ford executives said the offer is a response to the fact that many prospective purchasers find the process of buying and installing a home EV charging unit intimidating and laborious.
The typical new-EV buyer spends two to three months acquiring a unit and hiring an electrician, according to Ford.
"This means less stress and more convenience for our customers," Becca Anderson, senior director of customer success for Ford's Model e division, said on a media call.
