General Motors (GM) is working with engineering software specialist Autodesk (ADSK) to develop lightweight 3-D-printed parts.
XThe ability to manufacture lighter parts due to the new partnership could aid the automotive giant as it seeks to bring alternative-fuel vehicles to the market.
GM has laid out plans to introduce 20 electric vehicle models by 2023 and eventually phase out internal-combustion engines. CEO Mary Barra has promised the Detroit company will make money selling electric cars by 2021.
Rival Ford (F), which has already been testing 3-D printing for mass production, is also betting big on an electric future. During its Q1 earnings announcement, management vowed to make an "all-in push" on hybrid and battery electric vehicles. Ford outlined plans for six such vehicles by 2022 as part of an $11 billion electrification investment.
GM was down 0.1% on the stock market today, and Autodesk rose 1.9%. Rival Ford fell 0.1%, Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) lost 0.7%, and Tesla (TSLA) sank 5.55% after reporting a faster cash-burn rate late Wednesday.
The new partnership will use cloud computing and AI-based algorithms to quickly explore multiple permutations of a part's design. Hundreds of high-performance design options based on goals and parameters set by the user will be generated. Variables will include weight, strength, material choice and fabrication method. The user will then decide on the best part design option.
"This disruptive technology provides tremendous advancements in how we can design and develop components for our future vehicles to make them lighter and more efficient," GM Vice President Ken Kelzer, Global Vehicle Components and Subsystems, said in a press release. "When we pair the design technology with manufacturing advancements such as 3-D printing, our approach to vehicle development is completely transformed and is fundamentally different to co-create with the computer in ways we simply couldn't have imagined before."
GM claims the new design technology will provide "significantly more" vehicle mass reduction and parts consolidation opportunities. It also said these would be unachievable through traditional design optimization methods.
The multi-year alliance will see the car giant and Autodesk work together on projects involving generative design, additive manufacturing, and materials science.
Battery Materials Drain
However it is not all rosy on the electric cars front.
They could be hit by production issues after Moody's predicted a shortage of electric vehicle batteries.
Tesla, GM and Ford are at risk if a scarcity of key metals such as cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel cause a slowdown in battery production.
It is not just growth in battery operated vehicle production by car giants such as Ford that will increase demand. The building of a network of vehicle charging stations will exacerbate the shortage issues, according to the note.
"Declining ore grades for copper, continued lack of investment in new mines, and the time required to bring new discoveries to production will constrain metal availability and, ultimately, the metal sector's ability to meet growing demand from battery/automakers, particularly in the near-term," the firm said in a research note.
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