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Given that the chips required to produce new energy vehicles have multiplied, market research firm IDTechEx predicts that the trend of vehicle electrification will bring additional semiconductor demand of $74 in 2021. However, automakers have to compete with other pandemic-driven applications such as cloud computing and smartphones, and most automakers have been forced to cut production.
It is understood that chips are an important component of the automobile manufacturing industry, and the number of chips used in new energy vehicles is more than double that of fuel vehicles. With the continued tight supply of chips, it is difficult to stop consumers’ enthusiasm for car purchases. Global electric vehicle (EV) sales this year are expected to reach the expected 5 million units.
However, the strong market demand for semiconductors shows no signs of fading and the foundries are unable to increase production, further delaying the delivery of key EV components; IDTechEx points out that the current delivery date for microcontrollers (MCUs) has already extended to 44 weeks.
Fortunately, the supply situation for power electronics components, which make up about a third of EV powertrains, doesn’t look so dire.
The percentage of semiconductor content in various vehicles. (Image credit: Infineon Technologies, IDTechEx) Faced with chip shortages, automakers’ decisions to cut production are prioritizing production of more profitable, best-selling models.
Nonetheless, earnings were mixed, as brands marketed to different audiences.
Ford, which recently announced it would spend $11.4 billion on EV and battery production, said in April that car sales would drop by 1.1 million this year because of disruptions to the chip supply chain.
Toyota, the Japanese carmaker, bolstered its supply chain to weather the storm early in the outbreak, and has since been forced to reduce vehicle production despite trying to switch from hybrids to all-electric vehicles.
At the same time, EV leader Tesla (Tesla) claimed that it has largely solved the problem of chip shortages; according to IDTechEx, Tesla has adopted a new microcontroller design and found an alternative MCU supply. business.
There are also a growing number of emerging EV OEMs targeting niche markets, from small "city cars" in China to luxury motorhomes and SUVs. The increasing number of small city cars may also exacerbate the current chip shortage problem; although the number of luxury models is small, it will be a high-profit market that highlights the status of car owners.
Among these emerging EV manufacturers, the American company Lucid Group recently announced the opening of its "advanced mass production plant" in Arizona, which will produce the Lucid Air RV; the company claims to have received more than 13,000 orders and is expected to Shipping starts in October. The 112-kwh battery pack on the Lucid Air model is claimed to have a range of 520 miles (839 kilometers) on a single charge.
These examples of automakers responding to the challenges of changing supply chains have led market research firms to predict that the EV market will continue to grow. IDTechEx noted that Ford believes the disruption of the chip supply chain in the second quarter of 2021 has "bottomed out."
However, market analysts also pointed out that whether the situation will gradually improve in 2022 mainly depends on whether the demand for chips in the home office application field decreases, rather than whether the wafer foundries increase their production capacity.