The Short Cut: EV industry is endangering 22,000 jobs in the UK, and more

Fancy seeing you here! Welcome back. Are you ready to dive right into the latest news? This week we hear from LG Electronics announcing its foray into EV chargers, to Land Rover EV conversion kits. Let’s get to it.

LG Electronics jumps on the EV charger bandwagon

Who would have thought? An electronics company announcing its decision to go electric and make EV chargers. This isn’t so much of a surprise, considering that LG Chem is one of the EV industry’s biggest battery suppliers, but is most definitely an interesting development. LG Electronics has announced its acquisition of AppleMango, a South Korean EV battery charger developer, TechCrunch reports.

In a joint acquisition alongside GS Energy – an EV charging station operator – and IT provider GS Neotek, this will let LG willto move further into the rapidly expanding space of EVs. LG has 60% of the stake, GS Energy has 34% and GS Neotek 6%. While no figures were released as to how much this move cost, a local media report estimated that it was around $7.8 million. LG Electronics will focus on South Korea for the time being, and aims to produce EV charging stations for homes, shopping malls, hotels and other public places.

LG Electronics aims to produce EV charging stations for homes and other public places.

The sneaky EVs dominating the market

Popularity is a fickle thing…and right now it’s the preserve of two EVs that aren’t a Tesla model. Two EVs from Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp are the most in demand cars in the industry, currently, Bloomberg reports. Even though Tesla sells more EVs overall, Hyundai and Kia are emerging from the EV automaker’s shadow as a force to be reckoned with. Hyundai and Kia have managed to sell enough EVs to best even the golden child of the industry, the Ford Mach E. It’s done in a handful of months what took Tesla years to achieve.

Thanks to the surge in EV sales, these EVs are experiencing a boost. Their success is most likely down to the fact they Not only do they boast a longer range than other EVs on the market, and are on the cheaper side of things but they are also on the cheaper side of average cost. With most EVs selling for over $45,000, while these two models come in around are usually priced around $40,000. Even so they – but still offer space and high-tech features such as bi-directional power.

EV industry will put 22,000 jobs in the UK at risk

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has warned that the shift to EVs in the UK is going to put around 22,000 jobs at risk, the Financial Times reports. With petrol and diesel cars set to be banned by 2035 under the UK’s net zero initiative, jobs in specialist areas are at risk. Around 15% of production jobs are in engines, exhaust systems and fuel tanks.

Clepa, a body representing automotive parts groups in the EU, has also predicted that the transition will get rid of 500,000 jobs and only create 226,000. Meanwhile, the UK is attempting to attract more battery manufacturers to the UK and is also facing an increase in energy and gas prices. This could mean more expensive vehicle costs, affecting the industry further.

Spruce up your ol’ Landy with these conversion kits

The University of Cardiff and electric-refit specialist firm Electrogenic have released a ‘drop-in’ kit that will convert old Land Rovers into EVs. Production on the true classic Land Rover Defender stopped in 2016, (even though there’s a new one, we don’t think it’s quite the same) a classic design that was mostly seen in agricultural spaces. To update the classic but dated car, tThe kit allows Land Rover owners to convert their cars into EVs with electric engines that have similar power and versatility as the combustion engine, but none of the tailpipe emissions. It has a range of over 100 miles, and will allow users to extend the lives of their cars, the Independent reports.

These kits are great because they provide a cheaper way for people to use EVs go electric. Rather than getting rid of their old vehicle in exchange for a newer and perhaps less effective more expensive EV. A key part of the farming economy, converting vehicles such as the Land Rover will create EVs with more off-road capabilities and versatility with fewer going to scrapies. The kit debuted at the Glastonbury Festival and claims to extend the lives of the Land Rover Defenders by over 200,000 miles.

The University of Cardiff has created a conversion kit for old Land Rover Defenders.

The wheels on the EV go round and round….Until they don’t

Toyota is recalling 2,700 EVs after it was found that there was a risk its wheels could fall off. A spokesperson for Toyota said the problem occurred “after low-mileage use, all of the hub bolts on the wheel can loosen to a point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle.” In this article by the Washington Post, an analysis is made by Anjani Trivedi of recalls in the EV industry, and whether quality is being sacrificed for quantity.

There’s also concern over EV fires, as they’re much more difficult to deal with than conventional gasoline fires due to thermal runaway. Generally speaking, EV recalls that make the press are the result of large defects, such as fire risk or wheels detaching. Gas cars don’t face the same critique. They still get recalled, but often it’s due to software bugs, wiring faults and other non-critical issues. Largely the result of EVs being quite new, teething issues are still abundant. With more automakers transitioning to EVs, mass-production is resulting in more mistakes as companies hurry out their models.