Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493443
52 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2023 their product. EnergyStartups has compiled a list of the "Top 10 Electric Car Startups" which ranks 95 companies by value. 10 Summary Only time will tell if Foxconn can deliver on its plans. Its success in the PC and smartphone business was aided by the small size of these electronics and the large effort by North Amer- ica and the EU to outsource electronics manu- facturing. Automotive and transportation are now national priorities for these regions, so duplicating the consumer electronics growth may be a tough road to follow. Times have changed in the last 30 years; innovation is rampant. Already, many are try- ing organic adhesives to replace spot welding, while newer plastics have strength greater than aluminum with lower weight. Fuel cell tech- nology for large trucks may be miniaturized for autos. e industry is also focusing on small, super-efficient hydrogen-powered electric generators as a means to produce the electric- the competition. Compare Tesla's website to MIH's—Tesla is already taking orders. Cur- rent internal combustion engine (ICE) manu- facturers have also started working on EVs; 18 companies have introduced EVs to the market. GM has four models on the road, in addition to a very impressive EV architecture that the company has termed the ULTIUM program. GM's offerings include five power trains for dual-wheel power with five additional power modules for single-wheel drive and dozens of battery configurations (Figure 4). ey have also secured the cooperation of LG Energy Systems to build three new GM battery plants in North America. What's Happening Now ere are currently 57 EV startups, with most in Asia, and specifically 20 in China; several companies in China have produced ICE vehicles for many years. I believe many of these startups will flock to Foxconn to get access to its EV Reference Design and to start mastering the many technologies necessary to build a functioning EV. Established ICEs with their own manufacturing, on the other hand, are likely to stay away due to the fear of hav- ing to share their hard knowledge with all the newcomers. But issues of product design secu- rity and IP will be a major challenge for MIH, as new products must be introduced almost every year to keep the public interested in Figure 7: GM's five large dual-wheel power modules and five smaller single-wheel power units 7 . Only time will tell if Foxconn can deliver on its plans.