[트랜D] Who is the winner of the increasingly fierce electric vehicle market?

Electric vehicles have attracted a lot of attention in recent years due to environmental issues. Having established itself as an eco-friendly vehicle that does not emit fumes, numerous companies have started developing electric vehicles, and now even internal combustion engine automobile companies are developing electric vehicles.

In fact, electric vehicles were developed before internal combustion engine vehicles. Electric vehicles, first developed in the 1830s, were not commercially available due to several shortcomings such as battery sustainability, short mileage, and manufacturing costs. However, since the 2000s, battery technology and semiconductors, as well as IT technologies necessary for electric vehicle development, have developed remarkably, and the era of electric vehicles has begun in earnest.

Founded in 2003, Tesla recorded a huge deficit until 2017, but has since stably mass-produced electric vehicles. By adding autonomous driving functions, we are becoming a leader in electric vehicles. In addition to the passenger car model, we plan to introduce trucks and are expanding the infrastructure for electric vehicles.

In addition to Tesla, pre-built automobile companies such as BMW, Benz, Ford, and Hyundai, as well as Apple, a leader in IT companies, are planning to develop electric vehicles. Significant changes are expected in the electric vehicle market centered on Chinese automakers, including Tesla.
Apple is expected to expand the ecosystem built with hardware and software, including smartphones, tablets, and smart watches, into automobiles. The ability to talk and listen to Apple music without an iPhone in an Apple electric vehicle will become a reality. An electric car can be a huge smartphone.
General Motors (GM) and Ford, the No. 1 and No. 2 automakers in the US, announced that they would reduce the production of internal combustion engine cars and produce electric cars. General Motors and Ford plan to invest approximately 30 trillion won each in the development of electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles.
Chinese companies are also leading the electric vehicle revolution. The sales of electric vehicles of BYD, a leading automobile company in China, increased significantly compared to the previous year. It is recognized for its growth potential as it enables research and development of batteries and various parts together.
Chinese electric vehicle start-ups Nio, Xiaofeng, and Rioto are increasing their vehicle sales together with the Chinese government’s electric vehicle and eco-friendly policies. Baidu, China’s largest search engine, will also set up a separate company and enter the electric vehicle and autonomous driving markets. Baidu can emerge as a new powerhouse in the electric vehicle market thanks to its excellent software technologies such as sophisticated map applications, autonomous driving technology, and artificial intelligence-based voice recognition.
In Korea, Hyundai Motor Company plans to introduce a variety of electric vehicles from sedans to SUVs, centering on the electric car brand’Ioniq’.

Most of the electric cars appeared mainly in passenger cars. However, the shapes of electric vehicles such as commercial and trucks are diversifying depending on the purpose. Cars Next attention is on pickup trucks.

Tesla plans to launch a pickup truck called Cyber ​​Truck in 2021, and electric vehicle maker Rivian is planning to mass-produce the world’s first electric pickup truck and launch it in the US and Canada in 2021. Electric vehicle maker Fisker is planning to unveil its pickup truck model this year and deliver it to customers next year. Another electric vehicle company, Workhorse, has been making electric pickup trucks since 2017 and makes electric vehicle trucks that can be used by delivery companies like UPS.
Following trucks, vans and buses are also made of electric vehicles. Proterra, called the’Tesla of the bus industry’, creates electric buses that focus on long-distance driving and passenger transport. Electric vehicle startup Canoo is making electric vehicles in the form of vans that can be used for many purposes.

Tesla is not defined as a vehicle consuming entity, but a new entity capable of producing and storing energy and data. IT companies such as Apple and Baidu are moving to define automobiles as new IT hardware by installing software on electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles do not generate smoke and have small noise and vibrations, which are different from conventional vehicles. However, some point out that it is not necessarily eco-friendly if fossil fuels are used to generate electricity because electricity is used while charging electric vehicles. It is difficult to drive long distances with batteries compared to internal combustion vehicles, and in some cases, it is inconvenient because the charging infrastructure is not yet fully equipped.
In the electric vehicle market, most automobile companies and numerous startups have entered the market. In the future, improvements such as increased mileage, lower vehicle prices and shorter charging times are expected. Above all, when the charging infrastructure is in place, electric vehicles are expected to take root in our daily lives. The popularization of electric vehicles, the future of automobiles, is becoming a reality.