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March 26 2024

The Future of Automotive Technology

k999content Blog australia, automotive, battery, electric vehicle, EV, technology 0

Technology is changing so much in our daily lives, including in how we get around. The electrification of vehicles, autonomous vehicles and connected systems within cities are no longer far off dreams, these technologies and a more connected automotive ecosystem are more of a reality in Australia than ever before. In the early 2000s, electronics accounted for less than 20% of the total cost of a vehicle. In 2020 it was up to 40% and we expect electronics to account for about half of the price of a new car by 2030. We are also expecting to see 300 million electric vehicles (EVs) on global roads by 2030. So, how do we ensure we are ready? How do private companies, cities and the people building the infrastructure to support this transformation come together to make this a reality? This blog will look to answer some of these questions.

Vehicles of the Future

There are many ways technology has improved how we get around, the efficiency in which we do so and the safety of our cars. These are exciting advancements and they are changing and improving transportation globally in the following ways: –

Eliminating the need for a human driver – To maintain a competitive edge, many companies are looking toward driverless vehicles to cut costs and increase efficiency. With autonomous capabilities, we will see material transport and rideshare services operating with nobody in the driver’s seat.
Battery Optimization – Similar to how AI learns your phone use, patterns and behaviours and charges your phone accordingly to best utilize your battery and increase its longevity, this is expected to be possible with car batteries in the future. Electric vehicles are creating new opportunities and batteries are expensive, and an important factor that dictates the lifespan of a car, and these advancements will help keep EVs on the road for longer.
Predictive maintenance – This is the ability to estimate, or predict, when maintenance should be performed on a vehicle. There are already sensors within cars and trucks, and it can be expected to leverage pipe fabrication while monitoring the different parts of a vehicle – like the engine, brakes, and any other moving component. If problems can be detected early and repairs can be made, this avoids costlier, and often time-consuming, catastrophic failures down the line.
IoT and Cars – With the rise of automation and intelligent integration, IoT is poised to make a significant impact in the automobile industry. When you bring your car to a mechanic, they will be able to connect to it via their phone, getting a full rundown of what is going on before ever opening the hood of the car. They can start diagnosing problems faster and more efficiently.

Fully Connected Automotive Ecosystem

The ability for vehicles to connect not just with each other, but also with mobile devices and smart ecosystems (smart cities, smart infrastructure, etc.) is an exciting prospect. Rather than rely solely on machine vision systems to perceive what is around them, key objects within communication range can provide feedback to reduce computational burden and increase confidence in what the vehicle “sees”. These objects could include smartphones to identify pedestrians, traffic lights to manage traffic flow at intersections, and road signs to enforce traffic laws. Furthermore, smart infrastructure has the potential to streamline how autonomous vehicles navigate from point A to point B. Beacons staggered along roads and streets can broadcast location data for vehicles to utilize when GPS signals are weak or lost entirely (e.g., when driving through tunnels or amongst tall buildings). Smart parking meters can charge vehicle owners directly, based precisely on how long the space was occupied. Streetlights can increase their brightness as vehicles approach them to increase visibility and decrease their brightness the remainder of the time, to conserve energy. The possibilities are truly endless.

Conclusion

It can be observed that there is immense potential for automotive technology to develop going forward. With the rise of EVs and a fast-growing automotive ecosystem as tailwinds, automotive technology led by heavy steel fabrication companies looks poised to take great strides. It is time to embrace this technology globally – especially in countries where battery vehicles are already prevalent in large numbers.

Electric car charging station for charge EV battery. Plug for ve

March 18 2023

Foreign steel Approved for American EV Charging Stations

k999content News battery, charging, EV, fabrication, manufacturing, metal 0

Metal fabricators supplying components for electric vehicle (EV) battery charging stations will have broad leeway to use steel from foreign suppliers.

That is the decision made by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in announcing “Buy America” exclusions for EV chargers funded over the next five years through the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. This effectively gives the green light for $5 billion set aside for the EV chargers. NEVI was authorized by the $550 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15, 2021.

The IIJA had significant domestic content requirements that FHWA has interpreted liberally because of its concerns regarding the ability of states and industry to effectively certify compliance with domestic content requirements. The Steel Manufacturers Association, which represents U.S. steelmakers that rely on electric arc furnaces and scrap metal to make metal, called this “false logic” and argued: “In fact, mill test certificates for steel inputs are routinely provided to both distributors and fabricators so that complete traceability is maintained throughout the distribution chain.” Form Energy has recently stated its plan to build a battery manufacturing plant in West Virginia.

FHWA said that as of 2021, only ChargePoint, FreeWire Technologies Inc. (FreeWire), and Rhombus were U.S. companies that believed they had existing direct-current fast-charging systems that could comply with the IIJA’s Buy America requirement. “FHWA remains uncertain regarding their immediate ability to meet demand on all FHWA projects for EV chargers that satisfy FHWA’s Buy America requirement within the next 12 months,” the agency said in a statement. That view was seconded by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). “It is in the public interest that EV infrastructure deployment not be delayed unnecessarily while industry makes good-faith efforts to integrate the new Buy America requirements into their sourcing and manufacturing processes,” AASHTO officials said in their own statement.

The new FHWA rule implements a two-phase EV-charger-specific Buy America waiver. From March 23 through June 30, 2024, domestic content requirements are waived for all EV chargers where final assembly takes place in the U.S. Starting on July 1, 2024, domestic content requirements are waived for all EV chargers where final assembly takes place in the U.S. and where the cost of components manufactured in the U.S. exceeds 55% of the total cost of all components. The waiver remains in place until terminated, but it is required to be revisited after five years. U.S. steel and steel-using fabrication companies and manufacturers opposed several aspects in the proposed exclusion when it was initially proposed a year ago.

But the FHWA, in the final waiver issued in February, appears to have satisfied just a few of its objections. One change is that the final waiver excludes such things as associated payment systems, distribution systems, telecommunications and networking equipment, energy storage systems, and other supporting equipment and systems. They had initially been included. The final waiver also excludes EV charger housing components that are predominantly steel and iron. The final waiver also gave heartburn to aluminium extruders represented by the Aluminium Extruders Council, which argued aluminium extrusions, which are commonly used in EV charging station manufacturing, are readily available from U.S. manufacturers. Extrusions are used for various structural components like heat sinks, support feet, hinges, and doors. Some EV charging station producers also use aluminium for the outer shell of the charging station itself.