This week, we have news on EV Off-Roading, BMW, Nickel, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Third Master Plan: Enjoy our Top EV News for the week of February 10, 2023.
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King of the Hammers
Autel Energy, a trailblazer in the realm of residential and commercial EV charging stations, has taken the wheel in providing a groundbreaking solution for the world’s first off-road race for electrified vehicles. At the 2023 King of the Hammers (KOH) off-road race and rock crawling event, Autel’s MaxiCharger DC fast chargers will offer a robust and efficient power source for all EVs, allowing drivers to participate in the highly-anticipated “Super Bowl of off-road racing” with less noise and emissions.
With up to 260 kW of power, Autel’s chargers located in Hammertown – the campground that houses KOH guests – can produce 62 miles of range in just five minutes. And the best part? Attendees can enjoy the fast and efficient chargers for free. Destination Hammertown.
Viel Geld
BMW, the German automotive giant, is making a hefty investment of $866 million with the goal of producing both electric vehicles and batteries in Mexico. A significant portion of the funds, over half, will be utilized to enhance its San Luis Potosí plant.
The revamp will see the inclusion of a state-of-the-art battery assembly center, a refurbished body shop, and a brand-new assembly line for on-site battery production. To accommodate the increased production, BMW will also hire an extra 1,000 employees, with half dedicated to battery production and the other half working on assembly lines.
Never Take a Wooden Nickel
With the largest nickel reserves in the world and a ban on the export of nickel ore, Indonesia is positioning itself as a crucial player in the electric vehicle industry, with 21 million tonnes in proven nickel reserves, which is nearly a quarter of the world’s reserves. In three years, Indonesia has signed over a dozen deals worth over $15 billion for battery and electric vehicle production with companies including Hyundai, LG, and Foxconn.
Now, the country is trying to convince Tesla, the world’s most valuable automaker, to manufacture EVs or batteries in Indonesia. Indonesia’s ban on nickel ore exports in 2020 encouraged companies to process and manufacture onshore, leading to processed nickel exports worth over $30 billion in 2022.
The country is expected to account for half of the world’s nickel production increase between 2021-2025 as demand for EVs increases. It doesn’t stop there, Indonesia has additional goals to build an integrated supply chain for EV batteries by 2027 and increase nickel exports by 200 times.
The Third Master Plan
Elon Musk announced that he will unveil Tesla’s third “Master Plan” on March 1st during the company’s Investor Day event. This plan will outline a path towards a sustainable energy future for the Earth and will include updates about Musk’s other companies, SpaceX, and The Boring Company.
The first “Master Plan” was published in 2006 and focused on moving from a niche electric sports car maker to a mainstream automaker. The second plan, released in 2016, focused on selling integrated energy generation and storage, expanding into other forms of ground transportation, and autonomous driving technology. During the third plan presentation, Musk is expected to cover robotaxis and the next-gen platform, the long-promised $25,000 EV, and the Full Self-Driving system.
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