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Multiple large-scale trends in the automotive industry are converging to drive vehicle electrification and encourage its adoption among consumers. The intersection of new environmental initiatives, global economic changes and rapid technological advances have batteries and electric motors poised to eventually supersede the internal combustion engine as the dominant form of vehicle propulsion (Figure 1).

EV sales are now expected to overtake internal combustion vehicles in the 2030s and to continue accelerating in the years to come. The consultancy firm Ernst & Young LLP expects internal combustion and other non-electric vehicles to account for under one percent of global vehicle sales by 2045. The electric vehicle (EV) will transform all types of mobility, from cars, busses and trucks to trains and even aircraft.

However, ensuring the mainstream success of EVs requires further effort from all members of the automotive and transportation industry. Additional technological progress is required to improve the driving range of EVs and make them more competitive with the internal combustion vehicle. This includes battery capacity, thermal management and the aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle body. Outside of the vehicle, EV charging infrastructure remains lacking in many regions; in particular, fast charging stations. EV manufacturers also face challenges during the production, maintenance and retirement of EVs. EV batteries and high-voltage powertrain components require special consideration during vehicle service, accident response and towing and recycling or disposal.

Automotive and transportation companies are faced with a multi-threaded challenge. They must develop advanced technologies while managing differing regulations and supporting the expansion of charging infrastructure around the world. Digitalization can provide the foundation for the development of advanced vehicle technologies and collaboration across the industry.

Challenges to Overcome

First, many automakers have encountered manufacturing-related challenges while developing and scaling new EV platforms. Manufacturing concepts that have been in use for over a hundred years at many companies are not fit for the needs of EV platforms. For instance, the increased modularity of EV platforms and the growing demand for enhanced vehicle personalization have proven to be incompatible with existing manufacturing facilities.

Current manufacturing processes must also be adapted to ensure appropriate handling of the high-voltage and sometimes toxic materials that make up EV battery packs. These methods or considerations developed for the safe handling of battery packs during production will also need to be extended or adapted to the aftersales service environment, to first responders managing accidents involving EVs and to inform the appropriate process for recycling or disposing of batteries after their service lives have ended.

The next major hurdle for EV manufacturers is the reduction of the long charging times common for contemporary EVs. As the expected drive range of EVs improves, the relatively slow process of ‘refueling’ the battery is becoming one of the most troublesome competitive disadvantages of EVs against internal combustion vehicles. Rather than mere minutes for a fill-up, fully charging an EV can take up to several hours depending on the vehicle, charging station, electricity demand and other factors (figure 2).

While early EV adopters have found creative ways to pass the time while recharging, mainstream consumers will not be motivated to switch until charging times are brought within shouting distance of the fuel stops with which they are accustomed. It is therefore imperative for EV manufacturers to reduce charging times to improve the competitiveness of their vehicles in the market.

As shorter charging times are likely to increase demand for EVs among mainstream consumers, this may also support efforts to expand charging infrastructure worldwide. A broad, accessible and fast charging network will be among the most critical steps on the path to vehicle electrification. However, the development of such a network is utterly dependent on collaboration between automotive and transportation companies, energy and utility companies and various layers of government, from the national to the local level.

The internal combustion vehicle may not have become the dominant mode of transportation without creating a vast network of fuel stations, which was dependent on widespread collaboration between oil companies, automakers and regulators. The result of this collaboration was a fuel station on nearly every corner. Charging stations will need to reach at least equivalent levels of saturation to support a mainstream shift towards the EV.

Increased demand for EVs will also spur demand for charging points, helping to grow the network as more and more consumers opt for electrified transportation. Collaboration among EV manufacturers, energy utility companies and regulators can ensure this demand is met.

Digital Solutions Pave the Way

Digital transformation—the widespread digitalization of processes, data flows and methodologies—will provide the foundation automakers need as they confront the diverse yet intertwined challenges of vehicle electrification on a mass scale. Such a transformation can accelerate development cycles, enable data to be captured and leveraged throughout the product lifecycle and support agile and secure collaboration among industry partners and other organizations. With these capabilities, automotive and transportation companies will be better equipped to pursue vehicle electrification at a mass scale.

Modern manufacturing design and simulation software can ensure production lines can meet the needs of EV manufacturing (figure 3). For example, Porsche, the famed manufacturer of sports cars embraced a digital approach when creating an advanced manufacturing process for their new Taycan electric vehicle. Porsche needed to construct an entirely new production facility for the Taycan electric sports sedan among the existing factory at Zuffenhausen, in record time and while allowing sportscar production to continue unhindered.

Porsche is also well known for the level of customizability in its vehicles, and this tradition is continued with the Taycan. This means that every station in the Taycan production facility had to offer a high degree of flexibility—a huge logistical challenge since production is spread over several floors.

Porsche worked with Siemens to develop a unique manufacturing concept, known as FlexiLine, to meet the constraints of the Taycan production line. This new approach to production uses autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) to move car bodies from one processing station to the next (figure 4). Rather than fixed conveyor belts, the AGVs powered by Siemens technology, provide maximum flexibility. FlexiLine makes it possible to adapt operating cycles to actual needs and, for example, stop an AGV to perform automated tasks and then speed it up to move on to the next processing station. The entire production system underwent virtual simulation and testing in advance of construction to ensure proper and smooth operation. The result is a highly flexible, space-optimized production system that was implemented in just four and a half months.

Digitalization is also a powerful facilitator of the close collaboration and design innovation needed to improve EV charging times. Through robust and secure digital threads, automakers will be able to work with the manufacturers of EV charging points to optimize charging time.

Vehicle charge time is determined by multiple factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the vehicle. Battery thermal management systems, charge point hardware and even the demand on the electrical grid can speed up or slow down the vehicle's charging. Digitalization makes it easier for employees to work together across engineering domains, functional teams and organizations. With a robust digital thread, teams from throughout an organization can easily share information, engineering data and more in a managed and secure manner.

EV manufacturers will be able to leverage these digital threads to coordinate with charging station manufacturers, allowing for the optimization of thermal management software, battery design and more to improve charging times under various conditions. Furthermore, as vehicles and charge points are connected to the IoT, actual utilization data can be captured and analyzed to drive a closed-loop design and optimization process for charging, thermal management or the entire vehicle or charging network. Over-the-air software updates, for instance, can be constructed based on data from vehicles in the field, then pushed out to correct a glitch or inefficiency in the charging process.

Conclusion

Consumer preference is already shifting towards vehicle electrification, bolstered by government regulations and increasing accessibility as costs plummet. Therefore, now is an opportune time for automotive OEMs and suppliers to invest in digitalization to support the development of advanced technologies, products and manufacturing processes. As the competition ramps up, companies that embrace digitalization from product definition, through manufacturing, and into the field will be able to deliver higher quality products to market in less time, respond to changes with greater agility and intelligence and better support the growth of the EV market as a whole.

While EV manufacturing presents new and novel challenges to automotive OEMs and startups seeking to become major electric mobility players, the capabilities offered by digitalization will provide the foundation on which they can succeed and thrive in the age of electrified mobility.

Learn more at plm.automation.siemens.com.