Tesla is firmly tied to technology and manufacturing processes in this cycle of capacity expansion. In the process of trying integrated casting and CTC, a core problem is that these designs need to be deeply bound to the vehicle manufacturing plant.
Among the traditional car companies, Volvo is the first to stand out – for the next generation of pure electric models with longer range, faster charging speed and lower cost, Volvo will introduce processes for electric vehicles, investing SEK 10 billion in the next few years at its Torslanda manufacturing plant in Sweden to prepare for the production of the next generation of pure electric models.
Figure 1 Layout of Volvo's global facilities
Note: With an annual production capacity of 300,000 units, the Torslanda plant is one of Volvo Cars' longest-running manufacturing plants and the largest single plant in Sweden, which was inaugurated in 1964 under the auspices of the King of Sweden. It can be said that the Torslanda plant can afford all of Europe's electric vehicle capacity after the renovation.
Part 1: Volvo's electrification process
In terms of volume, Tesla will surpass Volvo in 2021. Volvo's global car sales are 698693 units, of which new energy vehicles have also sold quite a few, a total of 189216 units sold worldwide (up 64% year-on-year), accounting for 27.1% of total sales (this proportion is already quite high among traditional car companies).
Of course, the problem is also obvious, from the model point of view is too limited to plug-in hybrid, from the regional point of view is too limited to Europe.
Volvo's pure electric vehicle sales in 2021: 25,727 units (up 452%), with a penetration rate of 3.7%;
Volvo PHEV sales in 2021: 163,489 units (+48%) and penetration of 23.4%;
Total: 189216 (+64%) and penetration 27.1%.
Figure 2 Overview of Volvo's global new energy vehicle market in 2021
At present, Volvo's state around plug-in hybrid cannot maintain sales growth, so looking to the future, we must find a way to sell its pure electric vehicles in the global market. Of course, because Volvo's current carbon emission points are worry-free, it is more necessary to plan how to achieve better pure electric profits like Tesla.
Figure 3 Volvo on a global scale
Therefore, in order to ensure the competitiveness of the next generation of electric vehicles, Volvo decided to invest SEK 10 billion in the Torslanda plant to transform TheRslanda into a new generation of pure electric models, introducing a series of new and more sustainable technologies and manufacturing processes, including the introduction of an aluminium alloy integrated casting process, a new battery assembly plant and a completely refurbished painting and final assembly workshop.
We can understand that this amount of money needs to be spent at the vehicle manufacturing level (SEK 10 billion), and at the same time, Volvo and Northvolt have also invested 30 billion SEK in the development and manufacture of customized batteries for the next generation of pure electric vehicles.
Part 2: Volvo's follow-up program
In this case, the introduction of aluminum alloy integrated casting process for pure electric models is the most critical part of the entire factory investment.
Integrated casting provides many advantages for the car's life cycle, such as sustainability, cost and performance, and by casting the main components of the car structure into a single aluminum component, the weight can be reduced, which reduces energy consumption and increases the range of the car. This also allows for better optimization of the cockpit and luggage space, improving the overall versatility of the car. It also includes reducing the complexity of the manufacturing process, which in turn will save costs in material use and logistics, as well as reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing process and supply chain.
Figure 4 Volvo is completely "touching Tesla across the river"
As a result of the confirmation of the cooperation with Northvolt on the production of batteries, the new battery assembly plant will introduce the process of square shell CTC. The battery cell will be integrated into the floor structure of the car, from the current point of view, CTC for the overall energy density of the battery pack is good, reduce costs, the scope of improvement is limited. The biggest use is to improve the manufacturing efficiency of the whole vehicle, so that the vehicle enterprises can quickly realize the unity of pure electric vehicle design and manufacturing.
Figure 5 CTC based on square shell and current CTP, from the Pack level, progress seems to be limited
brief summary:
My personal judgment, as everyone invests in integrated casting, the possibility of follow-up battery tray being cast by high pressure is also increasing, if the overall shell, rear structure are imported into the casting process, the future is not only the component manufacturing speed, the vehicle manufacturing speed will also increase. In the next step, the phenomenon of automobile companies "touching Tesla across the river" will become more and more obvious, and they will also transform their original factories to completely realize the transition from fuel vehicles to pure electric vehicles.
Figure | network and related screenshots
About author:Zhu Yulong, senior electric vehicle three-electric system and automotive electronics engineer, author of "Automotive Electronics Hardware Design".
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