• Señor Mono@feddit.org
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    4 days ago

    Sadly margins are lower and they need to buy the costly components (batteries) and the resources for motors (rare earth minerals) in China.

    They didn’t diversify the supply chain in time and didn’t react when China was contracting all mineral sources in Africa. Now they are on a Chinese lifeline for EVs.

    There are some approaches to recycle batteries for rare earths and to construct motors without rare earth, but until then the worth is creates elsewhere.

    • CosmoNova@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      The thing is a lot of state-of-the-art EV tech is actually developed and manufactured in Germany but car companies are run by 200 year old vampires who have their heads stuck in their own backside.

      So what happens is that Bosch - one of the leading EV motor manufacturers is about to fire 13 000 workers in Germany in a time when everything is about to be electrified. Merz‘ party also seeks to reestablish gas deals with Russia even though renewables are actually cheaper.

      Rare earths are also found in more place each year and recycling them becomes more and more feasible as well. It won‘t always be a Chinese monopoly unless we make it so

      But alas. In a time when the rest of the world is looking forward, German politics and the economy hit the break as if they could stop the inevitable. It‘s another depressing chapter of stagnation under Christian Democrats.

      • Señor Mono@feddit.org
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        4 days ago

        Doesn’t change the point, that that state-of-the-art tech doesn’t drive the price.

        Less moveable/mechanical parts, more electronics…

        The margins lay in combustion engines in oversized fat SUV starting at 50.000€ , and they want to keep that cash cow alive.