TOP EV NEWS #1 – TESLA SHAREHOLDER WOES

Tesla’s (TSLA) share price has been following a steady downward trend since the launch of the Model 3, but a double whammy of bad news accelerated selling this week. Tesla stock is down 16% since the 16th of October as news of the company’s failure to meet delivery targets for the Tesla Model 3 became a daily news feature with only 220 vehicles delivered at the end of September of 1,500 targeted. The company’s Q3 results released this week showed that despite record revenues on a sales growth of nearly 5% the company posted a wider than expected loss of $619.4 million, burning over $1.4Bln in cash. News that Trump’s tax plan included an immediate scrapping of the $7,500 Federal Tax subsidy triggered a sudden sell-off resulting in a drop of $20 to trade below the $300 level support we identified earlier the year. The $280 to $300 range is a key support area for the breakout we saw in April, should it not hold we can easily see TSLA to trade below $250, potentially even $200. A key long-term resistance now is $350 with $320 expected to be the top for the next couple of weeks. Tesla also changed the guidance on Model 3 deliveries and its target of 5,000 units per week have been pushed back by a quarter to Q1 2018,

See our previous forecast on Tesla stock (TSLA) in Week 14, Week 18 and Week 20.

Tesla sales for October in the USA also failed to impress with the company not reaching a Top 3 spot in part due to increasingChevrolet Bolt sales. The accelerated sales of the Bolt can see GM dethroning the Tesla Model S as the top-selling EV for 2017. To date 20K Tesla Model S vehicles have been sold and 17k Chevrolet Bolt’s of GM’s 30,000 annual production capacity.

On a more positive note the company this week seemed to stick to the third unveil date the company set for the unveiling of the Tesla Semi truck after pushing back the event twice in the last two months to focus on the Model 3 bottlenecks. Tesla this week sent out an invitation to the official event to be held in Hawthorne California on the 16th of November at 7 pm.

TOP EV NEWS #2 – EV STRATEGY UPDATE

Lamborghini announced on its Facebook page that it would release its vision for a future sports car on Monday the 16th of November 2017 developed in conjunction with the Massachutes Institute of Technology. Earlier the week Autocar reported that Lamborghini would release a plug-in hybrid Huracan in 2022 featuring new lightweight battery fuelling the suspicion that the vehicle unveiled on Monday would, in fact, be a Lamborghini Huracan sporting solid-state battery technology.

According to an interview by Auto Express with Citroen CEO, Linda Jackson, the French automaker will have a model mix consisting 80% of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles from 2023. According to Linda Jackson, the company is driven by market needs and guided by a growing demand for electric vehicles in China. Citroen and its Chinese partner, Dongfeng, has partnered on the development of the new platform that will form the backbone of the strategy.

Renault and its Chinese partner Dongfeng announced this week that it would launch three locally produced electric models by 2022. The EVs are expected to be either crossovers or SUVs.

The Nikkei Asian Review (NAR) reported that Honda would produce fast charging EVs from 2022. According to the NAR, the Japanese carmaker is developing EVs capable of a 240km (150 miles) range from a single 15-minute charge.

TOP EV NEWS #3 – EV SALES FOR OCTOBER

Global EV sales are powering ahead with most Top 20 countries EV sales already surpassing total EV sales for 2016. This week the USA and Swedish EV sales were made public. EV sales in the USA for October 2017 followed a seasonal pattern, while significantly lower than the record set in September it was still 36% higher than October 2016. EV sales in Sweden reached its second record month since August already surpassing total EV sales for 2016. For the top ranking EVs in Sweden and the USA during October 2017 follow the links.

TOP EV NEWS #4 – EV TECH ADVANCEMENTS

The Californian based lithium-Ion battery company Enevate Corporation, founded in 2005 at the University of California this week announced its HD-Energy battery technology. The new technology allows for extreme fast charging of 240 miles in only five minutes, that is 50 miles in 60 seconds. The NCM based lithium batteries have an energy density of 750 Wh/L. Enevate’s HD-Energy technology can safely operate in -40°C, capture more energy during regenerative braking allowing for longer ranges in cold climates. The HD-Energy technology is resistant to lithium plating in fast charging and low-temperature environments, a challenge for conventional graphite lithium batteries.

Automotive News reported on Toyota’s Fine Comfort Ride concept first introduced at the Tokyo Auto Show earlier this month. According to the Japanese carmakers Chief Engineer, Takao Sato. The plastic-aluminum hub encircled by a rubber band could potentially shave off 30% (11 pounds) from a tire’s weight by 2025 on electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Airless tires by Michelin and Bridgestone is already available in golf-carts, lawnmowers and construction equipment. Pricing is not expected to be the prohibitive factor as costs already compare with current tires. Overcoming rolling resistance (friction) is the biggest hurdle the company is expected to cross. The plastic-aluminum tires have a friction deficit of between 10 and 20% compared to existing pneumatic tires which is unacceptable for the drivetrain platforms needing every extra mile out of the power source such as EVs.

TOP EV NEWS #5 – AUTONOMOUS NEWS FROM PAST WEEK

Ford, AT&T, Nokia and chipmaker Qualcomm partnered around developing C-V2X (cellular vehicle to everything) technology for commercial deployment in 2020. The partnership will commence testing at the San Diego Regional Proving Ground and aims to demonstrate the cost-efficient benefits associated with embedded cellular technology in vehicles and synergies between the deployment of cellular base stations and roadside infrastructure to improve safety and driving efficiency.

The Korean automaker SsangYong will start testing its autonomous vehicle technology on public roads in Korea. The SAE Level 3 system will be mounted on Tivoli SUV. SsangYong is accelerating its autonomous vehicle development to get in line with the Korean Government’s plans to commercialize self-driving by 2020.

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