Electric Cars Destroy Jobs?!

[pinto + 293]

Hyundai Motor’s union chief warned its workers may face a similar crisis to the one hitting General Motors’ (GM.N) South Korean unit as sales in key markets slide, adding that electric cars were ‘evil’ and will destroy jobs. South Korea’s auto industry, known for its robust unions whose workers tend to be paid more and have better benefits than their compatriots in other sectors, has come to a crossroads. Blaming high labor costs and falling sales, General Motors (GM.N) plans to close one of its plants in the country by May and is weighing options for its three other factories. Longer term, advent of electric cars, which when they go mainstream could wreak havoc on traditional auto jobs as they don’t require engines and transmissions. But this is not just a problem in South Korea. This is something that all other countries will be dealing with. Very soon big automakers will have to "adapt or die". Whining but not doing anything about it achieves nothing.

[Petar + 76]

 Perfect - start to build some or bye bye...It's a 21st century.

[damirUSBiH + 327]

I remembered a few similar "threat". The light bulb is going to destroy jobs said the candle maker.The stagecoach didn't like the train or cars but the times they are a changing. New time - new rules. And survival.

[Pavel + 384]

In any case, if we destroy our planet with CO2, there will be no jobs. Balance is everything. Sure, we want folks to have jobs, but not at the expense of our planet.  Nature is a circle in which everyone has their place. Mutual respect and understanding.

[jpZelabal + 63]

Black gold is still to be used a lot worldwide as there is still not enough alternative energy sources.... Still to generate enough electricity to power electric cars and many other things- we have to burn something such as gas, coal, use nuclear energy( which is green but not accepted in all countries as there are many hazards just to mention a few :Chernobyl, Fukusima) use energy of falling water or whatever which can rotate the turbines to generate electricity. So, oil-petrol will be used as energy source for long, long, long time... Hyundai, don't be afraid

[pinto + 293]

He is right, some jobs will be destroyed, while new jobs will be created. That’s the way progress works. Case in point: horse drawn buggies...

 

[Pavel + 384]

52 minutes ago, damirUSBiH said:

I remembered a few similar "threat". The light bulb is going to destroy jobs said the candle maker.The stagecoach didn't like the train or cars but the times they are a changing....

Robots are also destroying jobs......factories/industries are now employing less workers...

[Cokiga Damke + 53]

Robots are much more reliable than humans for some operations

[damirUSBiH + 327]

 I agree the electric cars will end many feeder jobs from suppliers as well as mechanics. Unfortunate but, the electric wave is here to stay.

[Petar + 76]

9 hours ago, pinto said:

Hyundai Motor’s union chief warned its workers may face a similar crisis to the one hitting General Motors’ (GM.N) South Korean unit as sales in key markets slide, adding that electric cars were ‘evil’ and will destroy jobs..... 

I don't think EVs are evil, but this is one example of a new technology transforming business models, workplaces. Change is hard, but relentless. 

[Pavel + 384]

As I know, electric cars don't destroy jobs, people destroy jobs

[franco + 96]

Union leaders are the formal representatives of the work force not factory management or corporation leaders. They tend to be the exact opposite of company executives. Those are the peeps that tell those company executives "you have to pay our guys more! You have to give us more paid vacation time! You have to give us better health insurance!"  Next, my other thought here is that while there will be loses in workers building the ICE motors, most will still have a job making the electric drive motors. Job losses are inevitable when there's a new technology that's being adopted.

[Petar + 76]

Too hard speech. I mean he's right, thousands of jobs will be lost because electric cars have few moving parts compared to ICE. On the other hand thousands of jobs can be created in solar and wind and the infrastructure required to power them.

[pinto + 293]

They need to plan ahead instead of complaining about the loss of jobs. Technology has been replacing jobs for hundreds of years. Remember the term, “Luddite?” That is exactly what this union leader should be called.

[jpZelabal + 63]

 

 well, well, it's called fear of evolution:)

[Pavel + 384]

Okay Hyundai. Keep making tin cans which rust within the warranty period 

[franco + 96]

3 minutes ago, Pavel said:

Okay Hyundai. Keep making tin cans which rust within the warranty period

Have you been in a cryogenic freeze the last ten years? Wash your vehicle and it won’t rust. I’ve owned a Hyundai for 5 years and don’t have any rust on it.  Look after your vehicle. Common sense.

[pinto + 293]

Technology in general takes away jobs. That in itself isn’t an argument against it.

[WaytoPeace + 62]

While people expect change, what they do not expect and are not prepared for is the accelerating pace of change.  Workforce skills must be constantly upgraded and adapted.  Unfortunately, this is particularly hard for a lot of the older folks who may have less then 10 years left before their expected retirement.  Our educational system must prepare students not just for existing jobs, but to expect, and to be able to imagine and learn new technologies as they are developed in the future.  The days when someone could learn most of whatever they needed to know for their life long careers by age 22 are long since passed.  The problem is not technological change, but our unpreparedness to progress with it.  

[BlackTortoise + 103]

Unfortunately people are not aware that tech changes are coming, wheather we like it or not. Now all we are talking about is do we need these changes or not, instead of focusing how to adapt to them. And we are so not ready for them. 

[Stormysaga + 62]

The head of the Hyundai Motor Union predicts that as much as 70% of the workforce could lose their jobs as a result of the transition to EVs. It sound exaggerated. 
 

[Missy + 43]

3 minutes ago, Stormysaga said:

The head of the Hyundai Motor Union predicts that as much as 70% of the workforce could lose their jobs as a result of the transition to EVs. It sound exaggerated. 
 

Exaggerated, yes. Io'm sure tech advances will displace some jobs, and probably more and more throughout the years. But as anything, costs and the market will dictate how fast this happens and to what extent. As mafia-esque labor unions continue to squeeze automakers and other industries to pay a bolt-screwer a bazillion dollars a year, automakers will move to automate to save on costs. This Korea business is a prime example. There is a limit as to what you can pay your workers. Normally the market dictates what each type of job is worth based on how hard it is to find help. Unions are a spanner in how the market is supposed to work.

Unions have no one to blame but themselves if the fat cat union bosses soon find themselves irrelevant.  

[CMOP + 227]

How many jobs does building robots create? Hm....

[Missy + 43]

6 minutes ago, CMOP said:

How many jobs does building robots create? Hm....

Maybe robots will build robots. But wait--who will build the robots that will build the robots? Hmm.......

[Guillaume Albasini + 851]

Engine factories will close... battery factories will open...

 

from a recent Reuters recap on battery plant projects :

 

Below are details of plans to establish electric vehicle (EV) battery plants in Europe:

NORTHVOLT http://northvolt.com

The Swedish company, headed by a former Tesla executive, has partnered with Siemens , ABB  and Volkswagen-owned  truckmaker Scania to build the 4 billion euro ($4.7 billion)plant while the European Investment Bank has provided financial support.

 

TERRAE https://www.terrae.com

The German-based consortium of 17 companies and research institutions plans to build two foundries, where lithium-ion battery cells are custom produced to customers' specifications. The two factories aim to have a capacity of 34 GWh by 2028.

 

BYD http://en.byd.com

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is also one of the world's biggest battery producers with the lowest production costs in the industry, according to Bernstein Research.

BYD is considering cell production in Europe, an executive told Reuters, adding it was not clear where it might be located.

BYD has a growing business making electric buses and is also involved in monorails, solar farms, and energy storage. The company has two production sites for electric buses in Europe, in Hungary and France.

The company, backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc , warned in March that Chinese subsidy cuts for new-energy vehicles could slash its quarterly profit by as much as 90 percent.

 

CATL http://www.catlbattery.com/en

China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co (CATL) , one of the biggest EV battery producers, said in November it was planning a $2 billion initial public offering to boost its lithium-ion battery output six-fold to 50 GWh capacity by 2020.

In January last year, CATL bought a 22 percent stake in Finnish auto supplier Valmet Automotive and has said it plans to build a factory in Europe, but has not announced details.

Volkswagen and Daimler have said they plan to buy batteries from CATL.

 

LG CHEM http://www.lgchem.com/global/main

South Korea's LG Chem plans to produce 100,000 EV batteries per year at a Polish factory due to be completed this year.

LG Chem supplies batteries to Volkswagen, General Motors  and Renault SA

 

SAMSUNG SDI http://www.samsungsdi.com

South Korea's Samsung SDI Co plans to open a factory near Budapest this year which would be able to produce batteries for 50,000 electric vehicles a year.

Samsung SDI, an affiliate of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd , also produces rechargeable batteries for electronic devices such as smartphones and energy storage systems.

Samsung SDI, which already has a plant in Austria assembling battery packs, has supplied batteries to Volkswagen and BMW.

 

SK INNOVATION http://eng.skinnovation.com/main.asp

South Korea's SK Innovation plans to break ground this year on a battery plant in Hungary and launch production from 2020, producing 7.5 GWh of batteries per year.

Customers would include Daimler, it said.

SK Innovation started as Korea Oil Corporation and owns South Korea's largest crude oil refiner. It also has divisions for chemicals, lubricants, batteries and electronic materials.

 

GSR CAPITAL http://www.gsrcapital.com/en

Last year, Chinese investment firm GSR Capital bought Nissan Motor Co's  electric vehicle battery business - Automotive Energy Supply Corp - including battery plants in Japan, the U.S. state of Tennessee and England.

The UK plant produces 2 GWh of lithium ion batteries per year for Nissan electric vehicles.

In February, GSR signed a $4.5 billion joint venture deal with Turkey's Zorlu Holding to build a factory that would launch production in 2023 for batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

GSR said in March it would invest $500 million in Swedish electric car maker National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) and planned to start production of EV batteries at NEVS.

GSR Capital Chairman Sonny Wu told Reuters the Swedish plant may launch output in mid- to late-2019 and GSR was also looking at elsewhere in Europe for additional battery factories.

 

GS YUASA http://www.gs-yuasa.com/en

Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa Corp said in January it would set up a factory in Hungary that would assemble lithium ion batteries and would consider producing cells on the site in the future.

Last year, the Nikkei business daily reported the company would begin mass-producing a new lithium-ion battery that would double the range of electric cars as early as 2020.

 

LISHEN http://en.lishen.com.cn

Chinese battery maker Tianjin Lishen plans to open a sales office in Germany, its first in Europe, and has held talks with Volkswagen and Daimler, a source at the company said in April.

Lishen's biggest shareholder is China Electronic Technology Group (CETC), a state-owned firm managed by the central government, according to its website.

 

SAFT https://www.saftbatteries.com

France's Saft, owned by energy company Total  produces a range of batteries, including for back-up power and industrial applications, but not for electric vehicles.

In February, it created an alliance with Siemans, Solvay  and Manz  to develop a new generation of batteries.

The group will focus on advanced high-density lithium-ion and solid-state technology, targeting the market for electric vehicles, railway, marine sectors, among others.

 

CONTINENTAL https://www.continental-automotive.com

German auto parts and tyre maker Continental AG formed a joint venture in March with China's CITC Ltd to produce so-called "mild" hybrid batteries in China.

Continental also said it was considering making EV batteries using solid-state technology, but for now was holding out for more advances to be made in the field.