Foxconn will build electric vehicle manufacturing plants in US, Thailand

Comments

• Reply 1 of 9

  MisterKit Posts: 495member

  August 12, 2021 2:08PM

  Foxconn certainly knows how to turn out a detailed precise product if Apple gear is an example.
• Reply 2 of 9

  rcfa Posts: 1,124member

  August 12, 2021 2:48PM

  Until they have a different battery chemistry, BEVs are an environmental disaster; FCEVs or combustion engines running on CO2-negative synthetic fuels, or even natural gas (if one takes the CO2 footprint of manufacturing into account), are a much better solution.
  Unfortnately, like Lemmings, they follow all a few pseudo-green apostles, who decided without doing the math, or considering anything other than CO2, that Li-Ion battery based electric mobility is “the future”. 

  A horrible price we’ll pay for that mistake.

  
• Reply 3 of 9

  MacPro Posts: 19,727member

  August 12, 2021 3:15PM

  rcfa said:

  Until they have a different battery chemistry, BEVs are an environmental disaster; FCEVs or combustion engines running on CO2-negative synthetic fuels, or even natural gas (if one takes the CO2 footprint of manufacturing into account), are a much better solution.
  Unfortnately, like Lemmings, they follow all a few pseudo-green apostles, who decided without doing the math, or considering anything other than CO2, that Li-Ion battery based electric mobility is “the future”. 

  A horrible price we’ll pay for that mistake.

  I was under the impression Apple was looking at LFP technology.
• Reply 4 of 9

  mknelson Posts: 1,125member

  August 12, 2021 3:37PM

  rcfa said:

  Until they have a different battery chemistry, BEVs are an environmental disaster; FCEVs or combustion engines running on CO2-negative synthetic fuels, or even natural gas (if one takes the CO2 footprint of manufacturing into account), are a much better solution.
  Unfortnately, like Lemmings, they follow all a few pseudo-green apostles, who decided without doing the math, or considering anything other than CO2, that Li-Ion battery based electric mobility is “the future”. 

  A horrible price we’ll pay for that mistake.

  Many people have done the Math. For currently available technology Li-Ion is the best option.
  
  Synthetic fuels have a huge environmental footprint themselves, and may not be practical with droughts and and heat waves impacting feed stock and land competition for food use. 
  
  Many companies are working on alternate battery technologies*, eliminating the use of Cobalt, improved methods of extracting Lithium (from existing brines and clay deposits) in the medium term. *Many look good on paper or in small scale production, but haven't been developed to where they can be mass produced economically.
  
  Sometimes you need to work with the world you have while working for a better future. Or to put it another way: if wishes were fishes, Jesus would have been a lot less famous.

  
• Reply 5 of 9

  StrangeDays Posts: 12,879member

  August 12, 2021 4:03PM

  rcfa said:

  Until they have a different battery chemistry, BEVs are an environmental disaster; FCEVs or combustion engines running on CO2-negative synthetic fuels, or even natural gas (if one takes the CO2 footprint of manufacturing into account), are a much better solution.
  Unfortnately, like Lemmings, they follow all a few pseudo-green apostles, who decided without doing the math, or considering anything other than CO2, that Li-Ion battery based electric mobility is “the future”. 

  A horrible price we’ll pay for that mistake.

  BEV may not be perfect, but we also know what what’s definitely not perfect — the current state of oil & gas affairs. 
  
  Gotta walk before you can run.

  
• Reply 6 of 9

  chadbag Posts: 2,000member

  August 12, 2021 4:23PM

  I assume this is talking about complete EV assembly, and not just chip or other components for EV. 
  
  Car manufacturing is a lit different than assembling iPhones or laptops or the stuff Foxconn does now.  Hopefully they are able to adjust to be able to compete with those whose expertise IS car manufacturing.   There is a reason that companies like Magna exist and are not making iPhones.  They've honed their skills and know what they are doing with vehicle manufacturing.  
  
  BEV are an intermediate step on the way to better technology for EV cars. The real problem is generating the electricity needed to charge them in a responsible way.  Unfortunately the wackos rule is the West and most western countries won't do new nuclear plants.  Places like China are gaining the lead with their forward approach to nuclear power.  France is an exception in the West.  Today's nuclear technology is not the technology that lead to problems (however minor compared to the pollution spewing conventional plants).  

  
• Reply 7 of 9

  AppleZulu Posts: 2,008member

  August 12, 2021 4:44PM

  Battery technologies continue to improve, and both incremental and dramatic improvements can be introduced rapidly with the next year's model. It's also more practical to collect and recycle car batteries than it is to recapture burnt gasoline exhaust. Shifting the predominant technology to EVs also drives innovation and demand, and causes the charging infrastructure to get built out so that it becomes increasingly practical to drive EVs, which in turn drives demand, innovation, etc. This also makes it possible to more quickly shift the source energy production through high-level policy decisions. As power plants drop coal and make the transition through natural gas and on to improved renewables, the break away from fossil fuels can be more quickly achieved simultaneously in both transportation and in powering homes and businesses. Fossil fuel industries will continue to fight it tooth-and-nail, but as their massive subsidies are transferred to further development of renewable energy, the improvements of those technologies will accelerate. At some point, even the fossil fuel companies will do the math and suddenly chase those subsidies into the renewable sector, and suddenly we'll see Exxon solar and Shell wind, etc.

  
• Reply 8 of 9

  waveparticle Posts: 1,497member

  August 12, 2021 5:12PM

  Toyota Camry Hybrid was introduced in 2007. Its fuel economy is 40 city / 38 highway. In 2021 its fuel economy is 51 city / 53 highway. Toyota Rav4 Hybrid 20015 fuel economy is 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. In 2021 its fuel economy is 41 city / 38 highway. Unfortunately, US auto manufacturers are not able to match Toyota hybrid technology. 

  
• Reply 9 of 9

  JWSC Posts: 1,203member

  August 12, 2021 6:38PM

  Although I have been generally pessimistic with regards to the notional Apple Car as everything we have seen has been talk and hot air so far, this is a most significant move as it indicates intent to manufacture.  I say this because it is unlikely that Foxconn would embark on such an expensive and risky endeavor without Apple’s prodding and financial backing.

  I am inclined to think that Foxconn will be responsible for the electronic components of the vehicle and not the overall manufacture and integration of the vehicle itself, since they have little experience in the automotive universe.