HOT TOPICS WITH CENTER FOR AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH SENIOR VP OF RESEARCH 03/10/2023

On a bi-weekly basis, Center for Automotive Research (CAR) welcomes our audience to decompress with our President and CEO, Alan Amici. This week we are joined by a special guest, Dr. K. Venkatesh Prasad, the Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Innovation Officer at CAR. Dr. Prasad covers and shares his thoughts on the latest Hot Topics happening in the automotive industry. If you would like to receive this bi-weekly insight into critical industry issues you and your organization are facing, sign up for our mailing list here to get Hot Topics sent directly to your inbox. 

The Scramble for Resources

• Automakers rush in where miners fear to tread 
• EU, US working on deal to make EV minerals eligible for tax credits -EU official 
• China’s CATL sells $405 mln stake in Australian lithium miner Pilbara 

Prasad’s thoughts:

Every dollar spent by automakers in the race upstream to the mines is a dollar taken away from downstream product development, so while one end of the supply chain gets secure, the other end gets more exposed. We’ll have to watch this space closely to see how long this upstream race will last and how it might pay off or backfire. 

Investments in the EV Market:  

• GM, Ford partner with state and universities to recruit future EV workforce 
• Postal Service taps Ford to build more than 9,000 electric delivery trucks 
• South Carolina offers $1.3B to new Scout electric SUV maker 

Prasad’s thoughts:

These are exciting times for public education, as the large public and private investments in electric vehicles (EVs) and EV infrastructure create incentives for educators to reshape curricula, both coursework and laboratory training, to better match the growing needs of automotive employers. 

Zero Emission Vehicles:  

• Honda’s zero emission stationary fuel cell provides back up power to a data center 
• Explainer: What are e-fuels, and can they help make cars CO2-free? 
• First Hydrogen designs next generation zero emission vehicle 

Prasad’s thoughts:

While the markets are abuzz with battery electric vehicles, public and private investors must have an eye on a future beyond mineral intense batteries, or we’ll fall behind, once again, as we did with BEVs. New concepts and low–volume products with hydrogen fuel cells are making their way into the hands of early adopters now, and the time is ripe for innovation and partnerships.