This fireside chat recap is from Day 4 of FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week. Day 4 focuses on automotive.
FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Making trucking supply chains resilient amid growth in electrification
DETAILS: The rush to get more electric trucks to market sooner creates supply chain challenges in two areas: battery components and charging infrastructure.
SPEAKER: Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst, Guidehouse Insights
BIO: Abuelsamid is a principal analyst leading Guidehouse Insights’ E-Mobility Research Service. He focuses on transportation electrification, automated driving and mobility services. Abuelsamid was trained as a mechanical engineer and worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades developing advanced electronic control systems and embedded software. He also is an automotive journalist who contributes to several publications.
KEY QUOTES FROM ABUELSAMID
“The problem you have in the auto industry is if you’re missing even one of the thousands of parts that go into every vehicle, you can’t ship the vehicle.”
“There is going to be a dramatic increase in demand for batteries over the next five to 10 years. We’re still trying at the same time to ramp up production for the key raw materials, things like lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, aluminum. The other piece that is likely to pose a challenge is the charging infrastructure.”
“Whether Nikola succeeds or not, a lot of the ideas they’ve articulated make a lot of sense. The approach of generating hydrogen from renewables is ideally the way you want to go.”