GENERAL NEWS
Fast-charging network investment
IONITY already has the largest network of high-performance charging stations in Europe , accessible by most electric vehicles . The joint venture is now ramping up its plans for further expansion . By 2025 , the number of charging sites is expected to rise from the current 400 to more than 1,000 . This will result in about 7,000 charging points – more than four times as many as the current 1,500 .
The IONITY network uses the European charging standard , the Combined Charging System ( CCS ). The 800-volt technology in the charging stations means that the network can be used to charge the Porsche Taycan at its full potential of up to 270kW . By using the Porsche Charging Service , Taycan drivers also benefit from a standardised and significantly discounted price at IONITY fastcharging stations ; currently £ 0.30 per kilowatt hour in the UK .
“ We are seeing a clear increase in electromobility and the associated highperformance charging infrastructure . At
IONITY car charging .
Porsche , 50 per cent of the cars delivered worldwide by 2025 are expected to be partially or fully electric ( more than 80 percent by the end of the decade ). By investing in the IONITY joint venture , we are sending an important signal to customers that elevates the comfort and convenience of travelling in an electric vehicle even further ,” said Oliver Blume , Chairman of the Executive Board , Porsche AG .
Porsche and fellow shareholders are set to invest 700 million euros by 2025 . IONITY shareholders include BMW Group ; Mercedes-Benz AG ; Ford Motor Company ; Hyundai Motors with KIA ; Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche ; and possibly soon the investment company BlackRock ( investment in the joint venture is subject to approval by the relevant authorities ).
IOIONITY charging points will be built not only on Europe ’ s motorways , but also near
major cities and along busy main roads . These future locations will be built with six to twelve charging points . Existing sites along routes with high charging demand will be upgraded with additional charging points . As part of the Oasis flagship concept , IONITY aims to significantly increase convenience and service . It intends to acquire more land to set up charging parks with their own catering services and connected shops .
Porsche Charging Service gives drivers access to charging points across the globe owned by various providers , including IONITY . Currently , almost 200,000 charging points are connected in Europe , across 20 countries . Among them are around 6,500 charging points with a charging capacity of more than 50kW DC . Porsche is also planning to set up its own fast-charging stations along Europe ’ s most important transport routes .
“ With Porsche Destination Charging , customers can charge their electric and plug-in hybrid Porsche models for free at the most popular locations . The programme now provides more than 2,700 AC charging points in over 70 countries . Further expansion of the network is in full swing ,” explained Porsche . n
Italy flexes muscles
2021 was ‘ an extremely positive year ’ for the Italian industry of machine tools , robotics and automation , which reported double-digit increases for all key economic indicators . This trend should continue into 2022 , the year ‘ when all the ground lost in 2020 should be recovered ’, according to UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE ( the Italian machine tools , robots and automation systems manufacturers ’ association ).
UCIMU data confirms that production increased by 22.1 % compared to 2020 . This was down to Italian manufacturers ’ deliveries in the domestic market , which increased by 27.8 %, as well as to positive export performance ( 17.4 % more than in 2020 ).
Based on UCIMU ’ s ISTAT data from January- September 2021 ( latest available data ), Italian exports of machine tools started to grow again in almost all destination countries . Sales to Germany , a key destination for ‘ Made in Italy ’ exports in this sector , increased by 38.4 %. Other major destination countries were the United States (+ 9.7 %), China ( -5.3 %), Poland (+ 29 %) and France (+ 1.2 %).
Italian domestic market consumption increased by 30.4 % in 2021 compared to the previous year . The export / production ratio
went down by two percentage points , standing at 53.1 %. In line with the upswing was also turnover growth , exceeding nine billion euros in 2021 ( after collapsing to 7.5 billion euros in 2020 ). However , UCIMU also struck a cautionary note .
“ Despite dynamic demand and improvements , Italian industry in the sector was not able to make a full recovery in 2021 ( after the downturn experienced in 2020 ) because of the difficulty in sourcing components and raw materials . This caused a delay between receipt of orders and actual delivery of machinery . As a result , the average delivery time of machinery currently stands at nine months , as opposed to the five months which manufacturers habitually used to guarantee to their customers ,” it explained .
UCIMU believes that this positive trend will continue into 2022 , when it expects ‘ a full recovery from the collapse due to the outbreak of the pandemic .’ According to its 2022 forecasts , production should increase by
10.9 %, driven by the upswing of exports
(+ 7.7 %) and of manufacturers ’ deliveries in the Italian domestic market ( which should rise by 14.5 %). Consumption should also keep growing ( up 12.1 %) and imports rise by 7.7 %. The export / production ratio should go down again , it said , standing at 51.6 %. Barbara Colombo , President of
UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE , commented : “ While still experiencing slower recovery of business overseas , owing to mobility restrictions , we note lively Italian demand supported , at least partially , by Government incentives for new investments in production technology . These measures are set to last at least until the end of 2025 which is good news because the upgrade process and digital transformation of Italian factories is still in progress and must be supported and incentivised .”
UCIMU has requested the postponement , until December 2022 , of the tax credit deadline for delivery of goods ordered in 2021 , now set for June 2022 . It has also asked for ‘ a softer passage ’ to enable the gradual withdrawal of incentives in 2025 and “ postponement of the tax credit for training and education 4.0 , which is presently not included in Budget Law 2022 .” n
ISMR December 2021 / January 2022 | sheetmetalplus . com | 9