Tag Archives: electric vehicle

Business, Construction, Construction News, Mid Wales

Premier Forecourts and Construction achieves RISQS accreditation, enters rail infrastructure market

Premier Forecourts and Construction, a leading provider of forecourt and infrastructure solutions, has secured RISQS (Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme) accreditation. This key achievement marks the company’s entry into the rail infrastructure sector, expanding its service offerings alongside its established proficiency in EV charging hubs and traditional fuel stations.

The RISQS accreditation is a critical step in the company’s development strategy, enabling it to work alongside major contractors, on projects that focus on infrastructure surrounding the rail network, such as stations, adjoining amenities, and car parks. Leveraging decades of experience delivering comprehensive service station solutions, Premier Forecourts and Construction is uniquely equipped to meet the challenges of the rail sector with precision and innovation.

A key factor in the South Wales-based company’s successful accreditation is its unwavering commitment to compliance and quality. The company’s achievements in attaining ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety), and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) certifications have laid the foundation for this latest success.

Supporting these efforts is Premier Forecourts and Construction’s newly formed Compliance Team, an all-encompassing function designed to ensure that the company’s operations continue to meet and exceed the highest industry standards. The team is led by Ashley Davies, who has been with the business for 14 years and was recently promoted to Head of Compliance. Previously serving as Health & Safety Manager, Davies now oversees all aspects of Compliance, Health & Safety, Environment, and Quality Assurance, supported by Iesha Llewellyn and Leigh New.

Ashley Davies, Head of Compliance at Premier Forecourts and Construction, said:

“Compliance is vital to everything we do. Our RISQS accreditation is a testament to the team’s hard work and the systems we’ve developed over the years. It represents not just a certification but our ongoing commitment to excellence in every aspect of our operations.”

This strategic expansion builds on Premier Forecourts and Construction’s decades of success in delivering complex projects for service stations nationwide. As the only company of its size with the capability to execute both electric vehicle (EV) and traditional fuel projects, the business now applies its unique skillset to meet the specific demands of rail infrastructure.

Steve Evans, Managing Director of Premier Forecourts and Construction, said:

“Our ability to pivot into new sectors like rail is a testament to the depth of talent and experience we have within our business. Our strong foundation in compliance, combined with our reputation for delivering high-quality infrastructure solutions, positions us perfectly to support the needs of the rail sector while continuing to excel in our core markets.”

Premier Forecourts and Construction’s expertise positions it uniquely to address the evolving needs of transportation infrastructure. The company’s commitment to sustainability and forward-thinking designs ensures it remains a trusted partner for both existing and new sectors, offering innovative solutions tailored to client needs.

News

Echion Technologies to supply its XNO™ Li-ion battery anode material to Morrow Batteries under a multi-year commercial agreement

Deal will deliver next-generation sustainable batteries with market-leading safety, cycle-life, and charging speed

Echion Technologies, UK (‘Echion’) and Morrow Batteries, Norway (‘Morrow’), are pleased to announce the signing of a multi-year anode materials supply agreement. Echion’s unique XNO™ anode material will support the delivery of Morrow’s ‘LNMO-X’ core technology track, which offers safe, long-lasting, cobalt-free, fast-charging cells to the global lithium-ion battery market, and was publicly unveiled in February 2022. With this announcement, it is confirmed that the ‘X’ in LNMO-X refers to Echion’s XNO™ anode material. Under the agreement, Echion will supply up to 150 tons of its XNO™ anode materials to Morrow, with options for Morrow to secure further capacity over the next 5 years.

This represents a significant step for the European battery industry, demonstrating the ability of two of its most innovative players to scale-up and commercialise world-leading battery technologies. With Echion’s proven anode technology, Morrow secures a unique competitive advantage to differentiate in high value markets requiring outstanding safety, cycle-life, and fast-charging capabilities without compromising energy density.

As European industries take action to reach ‘net-zero’ by 2030, LNMO-XNO™ will be a key technology to accelerate the electrification of heavy-duty applications, including trains, ferries and AGVs. Thanks to Echion’s XNO™, Morrow’s customers will benefit from market-leading fleet and vehicle-level total cost of ownership.

Morrow’s cell production capability is quickly ramping up, supported by the Morrow Industrialisation Centre. Its cell manufacturing facility is already under construction in South Norway and will reach 43 GWh capacity at the end of 2024. With LNMO-XNO™, Morrow is taking a further step towards delivering the world’s most sustainable batteries.  Echion CEO, Jean de la Verpilliere said, ‘We are delighted to be supporting Morrow with our XNO™ anode materials. We are pleased that Morrow sees the value and commercial advantages in our unique anode technology. Our material helps to achieve sustainable batteries through more efficient use of materials, improved safety and longer battery life’. He continued, ‘We are confident in our ability to supply high performance materials in large volumes to Morrow and are focused on delivering outstanding quality to our customers’.

For Morrow, CTO, Rahul Fotedar commented, ‘We are receiving great customer interest for the prismatic LNMO-XNO™ product, including ongoing joint development activities with one of the global giants in the field of industry and transportation. The technology’s ability to deliver competitive energy density at blistering charging speeds and long cycle life has the potential to unlock new application areas. Our cooperation with Echion is key to the scaling of this innovative battery product.’

News

Electric vehicles and charging stations are engines of growth as Autotech M&A holds steady during Covid – Hampleton Partners’ report

London, UK – 16 February 2022. The latest Autotech & Mobility M&A Market Report from Hampleton Partners, the international M&A and corporate finance advisory firm for technology companies, reveals that the appetite for Autotech & Mobility deals has remained consistent despite the impact of Covid disruption, the global semiconductor shortage and supply chain issues. Hampleton recorded 46 deals in the second half of 2021 and a total of 97 across the whole year, in line with previous years.

Valuation multiples also showed a reliable trend development on both a revenue and EBITDA basis: the trailing 30-month median revenue multiple increased and came in at 3.2x, while the corresponding EBITDA multiple has remained steady at 11.8x.

Electric vehicles and charging stations

Michel Annink, director, Hampleton Partners, said: “As EV sales take off, demand for charging solutions is exploding. Forecasts predict that EV charging will be a €36 billion market in Europe for passenger cars alone in 2030.

“New revenue pools are emerging within EV charging, including recurring revenues from mobility services and payments, operations and energy management and asset ownership and electricity representing the lion’s share of this market.”

Key 2021 deals included Chargepoint’s acquisition of ViriCiti, a provider of electrification solutions for eBus and commercial fleets, for $88 million, and EVgo’s acquisition of PlugShare, an e-mobility software company for $25 million.

Electrification of the passenger car market reached a tipping point in December, when Europe recorded more EV than diesel sales for the first time in history and annual diesel sales dropped by more than 50 per cent.

The future of M&A in the Autotech & Mobility sector

Michel Annink continued: “Despite continuous pandemic-related market challenges, Autotech M&A activity remained strong in 2021. The year saw the largest Autotech & Mobility M&A transaction since 2017, Qualcomm’s $4.5 billion acquisition of Swedish ADAS technology provider Veoneer, and other major deals including Toyota’s acquisition of Lyft’s self-driving division for $550 million.

“As for the future, there is great promise for the many companies that are already or could become active in the public EV charging market, such as infrastructure companies, charging equipment manufacturers, companies that install or maintain public charging points, charging station operators, site owners and providers of charging software that offer apps for payment and location search.

“We believe that 2022 will be a year of increased M&A activity in the industry as the automotive sector undergoes mass reinvention, with carmakers scrambling to seize upon the vast growth of EVs and autonomy. Across the board, we expect continued activity and robust valuations in the sector.”

Hampleton’s Autotech & Mobility M&A Report analyses transactions, trends and activity across the Enterprise Applications, Internet Commerce & Content, Embedded Software & Systems, and Mobility & Fleet Management segments of the sector.

Download the full Hampleton Partners’ Autotech & Mobility M&A Market Report 1H2022:

https://www.hampletonpartners.com/reports/autotech-report/

News, North of England

UK needs to swiftly amplify accessibility of chargepoints

Written by Mr. Kunal Sawhney, CEO, Kalkine Media

Building an efficient electric vehicle (EV) landscape is not only about making the vehicles affordable to purchase and own, but it also entails several other factors, including the post-sale services, charging infrastructure and availability of chargepoints in rural and semi-urbanised localities.

The government of the United Kingdom, alongside the major EV manufacturers and ancillary suppliers, are collectively working to increase the perceived value of the vehicles that can encourage more consumers to buy eco-friendly vehicles in the present decade, thereby supporting the nation’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

The elimination of all the fossil fuel powered passenger vehicles by 2035 from the roads will be pivotal in bolstering the broader objective of attaining a net zero status by 2050.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has laid out several measures to make sure that there is an ample number of EV chargepoints in the country by the time the authorities put a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030.

According to the CMA, the availability of EV chargepoints has been increasing relatively well at locations including private parking garages, driveways, shopping centres and workplaces, but several parts are still facing problems that can hinder the government’s plans of embargoing the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

A potential delay in the near-term objectives, including the ban on petrol and diesel cars, can certainly extend the timeline of the larger objective of becoming net zero nation by 2050. At the moment, the rural jurisdictions only account for a handful of EV chargepoints, mostly due to lower investment, while the roll-out of on-street charge stations by the local authorities is witnessing very slow growth in the installation.

As far as the driver’s ease is concerned, a large section of car owners, including the commercial drivers, will rely on the on-street chargepoints as nobody has sufficient time to detour to a shopping centre every time when the vehicle needs a backup, while workplaces can only establish a few chargepoints due to space constraints.

As of now, the total public chargepoints in Yorkshire and the Humber per head are quarter as compared to those available in London. Recharging your vehicle certainly requires a high amount of time as compared to refilling with petrol or diesel, as a result of which, it can be burdensome for drivers when there is an emergency.

The level of difficulty and frustration in accessing a chargepoint can abate the apparent enthusiasm amidst the car buyers, it could even lead to an immense disappointment and will eventually diminish the number of people who are looking forward to switching to an EV.

The transformation at such a large scale unequivocally requires added advantages, and, at the same time, there must be ease of switching to EVs from the conventional vehicles and age-old habit of quick refilling. Furthermore, the vast difference in the prices and tariffs set by privately held chargepoints can induce concerns about the reliability of charge stations.

As the EV ecosystem passes the nascent stage, people often find it difficult to compare prices for recharging the vehicles. In order to facilitate an experience like a refuelling station, the authorities are required to ensure that the recharging stations must have quick service chargepoints and transparent pricing.

All the operations chargepoints should be easy-to-locate, the working condition should be updated regularly in EVs that have a lower buffer of energy as compared to petrol or diesel vehicles. Along with this, the charging experience should be simple and quick to pay, with no obligatory requirement of signing up or registration and an abundance of payment options.

Uniformity of chargepoints should also be maintained as with the limited number of stations, the country is not in a position to bifurcate the recharging places for different types of vehicles. As per the estimates of the competition regular, the present count of chargepoints in the UK stands at 25,000, while more than 10 times this number will be required if the government wants to eliminate the petrol and diesel vehicles within the predefined time period.

News

How can Vauxhall plant help the UK auto industry’s EV transition?

Written by Kunal Sawhney, CEO, Kalkine Group

Dutch multinational automotive company Stellantis N V said it would invest up to £100 million into its subsidiary, the Vauxhall car manufacturing factory in Ellesmere Port, located in the northwest of the UK.  The site is expected to be Europe’s first dedicated electric vehicle plant and help secure 1,000 jobs at the site and 3,000 more in the supply chain.

Stellantis plans to manufacture electric vehicle vans such as the Vauxhall and Opel Combo-e, Peugeot e-Partner and Citroen e-Berlingo vans and their passenger car variants from later in 2022. The move comes ahead of the UK’s plans to ban the sale of fossil fuel powered vehicles from 2030, while hybrid vehicles will be banned by 2035.

Recently, Japanese automaker Nissan had also announced plans to set up a £1 billion car and battery Gigafactory in Sunderland located in the northeast of England, as part of the UK’s electrification plans. The plant is expected to create up to 6,000 new jobs.

UK’s auto sector challenges

While the UK has pledged ambitious climate targets of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, the country lacks a robust electric vehicle infrastructure to ensure electric vehicles are adopted on a mass scale. According to a report by the UK car industry body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK needs at least 2.3 million charging points to meet its electric vehicle demand by 2030 and several more Gigafactory battery plants.

While the Vauxhall plant and Nissan Gigafactory will help with job creation, the SMMT report found that if the UK auto sector cannot transition to net zero emissions without the right strategy, it could cause about 90,000 job losses in the sector.

Brexit is another challenge. The UK will have to either produce electric cars in the UK or the EU by 2026 to avoid attracting tariffs under the current EU-UK trade agreement.

Government recommendations

One of the key ways the government can help support the auto industry’s net zero transition is by offering government support in the form of increasing direct investment in the UK’s battery supply chain and commit to creating 60 GWh of battery production through building more Gigafactories.

Extending existing electric vehicle incentives and launching new measures such as exempting electric, hydrogen and plug-in hybrid cars from value added tax, Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax are some more ways for the government to help the auto sector’s transition to electric vehicles.

Moreover, creating new policies such as incentivizing carmakers to sell zero emission cars, such as the laws in California, US could also help the sector.

Furthermore, reducing operating costs, investing in skilling workers in the sector, and improving the UK’s overall competitiveness will better support the industry’s net zero goals.

Sector recommendations

Also, the ongoing global computer chip shortage has impacted automaker’s electric vehicle production. According to current estimates, the semiconductor chip shortage is expected to last until the end of 2021.

Using cutting edge technologies such as the industrial internet of things (IoT) can help solve the future supply chain crises relating to chip shortage in the future by integrating IoT with a business’s workflows and systems.

Additionally, increasing investment into the UK’s semiconductor industry, particularly in areas such as chip manufacturing and different streams of the supply chain, is another key component to addressing the shortage issue.