Improving productivity with delayed differentiation for EV production

• Main Author: T Thanesvaran
• Other Authors: Chen Songlin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/158802
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The automotive industry is currently going through a revolution. It is the dawn of the electrification era and mass manufacturers of automobiles are racing to get their share of the new electric vehicle (EV) market. Auto manufacturers are announcing new lineups, with some even announcing discontinuing their fuel-burning models. With this sudden shift from traditional fuel-burning vehicles to EVs, manufacturers have to consider that changes to the traditional methods of production are inevitable. New methods and processes of manufacturing will be introduced. Manufacturers have to accept the reality that basing a new EV solely on their existing fuel-burning production infrastructure and using an existing chassis are not efficient strategies. To combat against these inefficiencies, studies and methods have to be explored to find optimal ways to produce EVs and make them viable for manufacturers. One strategy for achieving more efficient production lines is by capitalizing on the modular nature of EVs. EVs have a huge potential to have their parts and components based on generic platforms, creating a potential for savings while riding on the concept of economy of scale. Mass manufacturers of EVs might find this a feasible strategy by investing in platform research to understand and develop a generic platform that will act as a modular building block for its EV lineup. Furthermore, other studies can also be conducted to understand which parts and components can be interchangeable amongst the entire lineup of EVs offered. This way, savings can be realized when a generic platform is produced and has the potential to be differentiated into any one of the models in a manufacturer’s lineup. This report has explored means of improving the productivity of EV production. It leverages on the concept of late differentiation and the modular nature of EVs. A comparison between the current EV production methods and the Delayed differentiation production model is included in this report. Recommendations and scenarios that might apply to certain manufacturers are provided at the end of this report.