Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493443
50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2023 • Safety standards and liability • Lengthy warranties • Maintenance and support for up to 15 years or more per model • e need for geographic assembly • Foxconn's reliance on Taiwanese management in foreign countries To be successful, EV companies will need to differentiate their models to attract customers, requiring even single-EV companies to initiate periodic model changes and updates. It took 30 years for Taiwan OEMs/ODMs (TSMC, Hon Hai, PCB fabricators) to build the infrastructure necessary to launch this initiative, and all while no one was watch- ing. e Big ree automotive infrastructures (U.S., Germany, and Japan) have been build- ing for 120 years and already have a multitude of component and parts suppliers, as well as the universities needed to educate EV creators. China and Taiwan, in contrast, are just get- ting started—but Foxconn has already made great strides toward making China and Taiwan major players on the EV stage. Foxconn plans to ship 500,000 to 750,000 EVs by 2025, mostly to Asian customers; that's up to $34 billion or $45,000 per vehicle. It plans to take the modular approach used for electronics and robotics to assemble the frame and put all the modules into these EVs. MIH EV Design LLC, Foxconn's joint venture with Lordstown (Ohio) Motor Corp. (LMC) will use the Mobility in Harmony (MIH) Open EV Platform to co-design and develop EV pro- grams for the global commercial vehicle mar- ket by leveraging the services seen in Figure 3. Foxconn invested $230 million, with $100 million to start up, and gave LMC a $45 mil- lion loan "to support its initial capital commit- ment," according to an LMC announcement 8 . Foxconn owns 55% of the new company and LMC owns 45% 9 . Foxconn recently acquired a major LMC fac- tory where it will help Fisker Inc. begin pro- Figure 4: Ultium power train and battery 7 .