The electric pickup of Livian, the emerging force of BEV, begins to ship! Cars of emerging powers of BEV 1

The launch of Amazon

Livian is a so-called start-up, but it is funded by Ford to cooperate in the development and manufacture of equipment. However, Ford recently announced the cancellation of plans to use Livian skateboard chassis to launch the Lincoln brand SUV. What happened? Is it not necessary to rely on the judgment of emerging forces with Volkswagen (Volkswagen) and its own BEV platform? BEV's start-up business is changing rapidly, and so are its share prices. This is an example of this.

Livian was founded in 2009. The most famous thing is that it received an order for 100000 delivery trucks (distribution vehicles) from the IT giant Amazon in 2019. Amazon confirmed that it held $3.8 billion in unlisted shares, including preferred shares, in September 2021 before Livian went public. At the same time, the video shows Blue Origin, an aerospace business started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, using Livian's PUT to pick up crew members in manned spaceflight.

A large number of orders from Amazon have made it easier for Livian to raise money. If it goes public, the stock price can also be expected, in fact, that's it. Is the combination of a large number of orders and the purchase of unlisted shares a promising investment for Amazon? It's like saying, "Livian's career is guaranteed by us." In addition, Amazon increased its purchases of Livian shares in November. Increased buying boosted the share price, with Amazon's Livian shares rising by more than 15 billion yen in total in just a few days. Such transactions are not uncommon in IT.

Livian's PUT "R1T" [Photo 1] is the size that an ordinary ICE (internal combustion engine) car can buy for $20, 000. Not many consumers can pay $70, 000 for the Zais PUT. However, the functions that PUT does not have so far, such as the wide-through storage space between the rear of the cabin and the cargo dock, such as [Photo 2], are novel. This idea is seen in Nissan's conceptual model SUT (sports utility truck) published in the 1990s, but it is difficult to achieve. Take in the spare tire under the cargo counter behind the storage space [Photo 3]. In other words, this part is not full of batteries.

Judging from the situation in the factory, there is a Zig with a battery pack [Photo 4]. LiB (Lithium Ion Battery) has not been installed. From the shape of the fixture, is there a type of battery pack that is slightly longer than the battery pack installed on the fixture? From the form of resistance spot welding around the black battery pack, it can be imagined that the package is made of iron (steel plate).

Interior decoration is a way to create "BEV is the new means of transportation". It consists of display panels that are not physical instruments, touch screen displays that centralize all functional operations, and wood grain decoration [Photo 5]. The touch screen is like a flat panel terminal, which looks very new and displays with a high degree of freedom. However, the operation while driving is usually a "call at the same time" operation, in which the driver confirms with his eyes and guides his fingertips to a specific place.

In the case of a physical switch, the blind touch can be confirmed by the touch of the fingertip, but not if it is a touchscreen. However, this kind of display is much cheaper than placing physical switches. By the way, Tesla was pointed out by the NHTSA (National Highway Safety Administration) that the driver could not work after operating the monitor more than a certain number of times, and even gave recall advice. Does the BEV professional startup meet the endurance tests and design requirements that should be removed from the on-board devices taken for granted by ordinary car manufacturers?

As long as the wood grain palette is of this degree, it can be printed. Although it is not clear whether to use a real stamping plate sliced into thin slices or printing, on the whole, it is a refreshing and well-liked shape. It is neither an European style nor an American car, nor is it approachable furniture. But there is no meter. I think, according to the angle of incidence of the sun's light, the display becomes difficult to see. Ordinary automakers must conduct instrument visibility tests. Now, there is a visibility simulation software, such as the old Opptis in France, but it is quite close in the design phase, and finally clogged in the actual vehicle driving experiment. What exactly does this cockpit look like?

The SUV "R1S" is made on the same platform as the "R1T" [Photo 6]. The outline of the body is the same, from the back door to the rear is the cargo platform, or the carriage, but different. The inner plate on the side of the body is made as a whole, but this method is general and not novel [Photo 7]. People who have never seen a car factory say, "that's amazing!" "you may be surprised that it is now taken for granted that the side structure (side) of the body is integrated. Livian's side panel does not look like a thick steel plate, nor is it a custom blank that connects sheets of different composition and thickness. The material is not indicated in the data.

Modules such as doors and dashboards are manufactured [Photo 8] and suspended hangers are transported in the car body factory, as well as the combination of the body and the upper body [Photo 9], are also very common in today's automobile factories. Painting processes carried out entirely by robots [Photo 10] are also common. Laying the battery under the floor of the wheel seat, integrating the chassis with the suspension and drive system, and placing some changes in the upper body design on it is also a very common BEV, which has no change from the usual trapezoidal frame PUT.

According to the factory videos and materials released by Livian, although the equipment is new after all, it is very common and not fastidious as an automobile factory. But the price is $70,000. I think the biggest golden bug to eat is LiB. The use of nickel / manganese / cobalt is considered to be the so-called ternary LiB, but it is not clear whether the buyer is only Samsung SDI of South Korea or two companies. By the way, Tesla sued: "Livian lengthened Tesla's staff and obtained technical information."

Livian's public VTR at a normal factory in Bloomington, Illinois, is a nostalgic sight for me. This is the factory of DSM (Diamond Star), a joint venture between Mitsubishi Motors and Chrysler in 1986. The author has interviewed this factory. With an annual production capacity of 240000 vehicles in 1988, Chrysler has been a MMMA plant since 1993 from DSM, which was closed in May 2016. Livian bought this.

Tesla got a mass-production plant from Toyota cheaply (in terms of common sense of car plant construction and equipment transfer) from MUMMI, a joint venture between Toyota and GM. It's the same with Livian. Moreover, there is a good reason that both are factories jointly set up by Japanese and American carmakers.

But Tesla bought a warm California factory, while Livian bought a cold Illinois factory. The American auto industry used to be centered around Detroit, Michigan, to neighboring Illinois and to the north near the Canadian border, but now factories are moving south to Texas. The reason is that "there is no need to pay heating fees" and "labor costs are also very cheap".

Livian's factory is filled with equipment that was not available in the Mitsubishi era. However, ceilings and columns are still Mitsubishi era. Like today's factories, the "moving floor" of trolleys that can freely change the height of the car during the final assembly phase has been introduced [Photo 11]. There is a floor around the assembly vehicle as a working space, moving with the floor. Mazda has also recently introduced such equipment to Fangfu factories.

The author has not seen the real thing of Livian yet. Journalists living in the United States, which has a good relationship, said: "I just haven't got on the bus yet," but the appearance quality is "very ordinary." What matters is Ford's move, which he announced not long ago that he would buy the BEV chassis from Livian. Tesla's lawsuit against Livian and his relationship with the somewhat dubious Amazon are a judgment of "keeping a distance for the time being" for Ford, an established and famous company.

How big is Livian's initial order for "R1T"? It is said that online reservations are gathered together, how many people will actually buy it? And early disputes. The goods that are beginning to appear are often plagued by minor problems, but what about there? 70,000 dollars for shopping, it's very cheap.