Opinion: How fast will local assemblers shift to EVs?

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Kenya’s internal combustion engine vehicle assemblers can transition to electric vehicle production quite easily and quickly, according to seasoned automotive commentator Gavin Bennet. Local companies’ small-ish scale, limited automation, and a history of flexibility make them well-suited. He also notes that shifting to the EV market is a necessity.   

• Without the need for fuel engine parts such as exhausts, EV plants will benefit from fewer moving parts and more streamlined processes. However, entirely new workflows will still be necessary.

• A major challenge is handling the heavy battery packs and modifying the build sequence to fit them early in production. New joining methods will also be needed to work with lighter EV materials.

More details

By Gavin Bennet

Will Kenya’s vehicle assemblers like Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) and General Motors be able to make electric vehicles?

Yes. And they might be able to convert more quickly and easily than major manufacturers because their scales are relatively small, their production line-processes are less robotised, and they’ve had to be more flexible and innovative since the day they were founded more than 40 years ago.

In short, they are very good at what they do, and more than a few times have been able to solve problems that even source manufacturers have struggled with.

All the world’s vehicle assembly operations will have to gear-up for the switch to EVs, with options to adjust their existing production lines and workflows to accommodate a “mix” of EV and ICE, or build separate new lines for EVs, or (as some will do) build completely new assembly plants.

In some ways, assembling EVs will not only be possible but also... simpler! No ICE-specific equipment for exhaust systems, alternators, fuel tanks and injectors, or starter motors. Fewer moving parts and less complex work actions will make EV assembly lines less complex... but they will require different workflows.

The main challenge will be having the equipment and systems to handle, lift and safely install large and extremely heavy battery packs, and change the sequence of construction so these can be installed on the vehicle’s heavy-duty floor before the body is built (conventional engines can be dropped into their compartment much nearer the end of the line).

There will probably be changes to joining techniques, with spot welding being replaced with self-piercing rivets, glues, sealants, flow drilling and laser welding to suit lighter composites that will be used in EVs.

These “assembly stage” changes are neither petty cash nor massive investments, but production scales will need to be big enough to justify them in business terms. That probably won’t happen unless and until demand for EVs becomes predominant.

The article was originally published by the Business Daily