JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019 - 3

EDlTORlAL

N°131 Nov. - Dec. 2019

Enough to satisfy every appetite !

---56th year

By

CEO/Publisher:
Eric Pierrejean

Editorial
Editor-in-chief & Media director:
Frédéric Reux - reux@jeccomposites.com

Frédéric Reux

Editor-in-chief
reux@jeccomposites.com

Technical editor:
Aïcha Mikdam - mikdam@jeccomposites.com
Contributors:
Marie-Hélène Corbin - corbin@jeccomposites.com
Franck Glowacz - glowacz@jeccomposites.com
Antoine Morel - morel@jeccomposites.com
Isa Hofmann
Kim-Oanh Truong - kim@jeccomposites.com
Thierry Saint-Martin - saintmartin@jeccomposites.com

Editing & Graphic design
Deputy-editor & Graphic designer:
Antoine Morel - morel@jeccomposites.com
Graphic designer:
Habib Boufetah - boufetah@jeccomposites.com

Advertising
Nathalie Pradier - pradier@jeccomposites.com
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Printing: Chirat, Saint-Just-la-Pendue (42), France
Legal registration: ISSN 2678-7024
Dépôt légal : 4 eme trimestre 2019
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Total Average
Qualified Circulation:

50,508 copies

BPA June statement 2019.
Print circulation of 27,480 and
electronic circulation of 23,028

"

Almost suddenly and dramatically, the
automotive sector has entered into a crisis.
There were already signs of a slowdown,
but nothing to announce a crisis of this
scale. Very few people had foreseen it,
and certainly not to this extent. Sales have
declined significantly in China, a country
that has been a strong driver for growth in
recent years. And the figures in Europe and
the United States are not good, either.
This situation can be explained by a number
of factors. Commercial pressures that are
ultimately weighing down trade; the EU
under pressure with Brexit; potentially
serious war situations, especially in the
Middle East; increasingly stringent emission
regulations; bans on combustion engines
in the world's large cities; the growing
disaffection of consumers due to scandals;
new utilization practices that are depressing
sales; new technologies and undoubtedly
also the arrival of newcomers, challenging
the status quo. All of the above doesn't rule
out other motives, but is already enough
to challenge and negatively impact even a
global sector as powerful as automotive.
The latest Frankfurt Motor Show (12-22
September) is an expression of this serious
crisis. This event, which usually reflects
the sector's power and that of the German
automotive industry, is suffering. At least
twenty major auto builders were absent.
At the same time, the show provided the
opportunity to discover many new hybrid
and electric models. According to Inovev,
five out of the 14 new models - more than
a third - are electric powered. Builders are
obliged to invest heavily to be able to upgrade
their ranges and propose vehicles that meet
the new requirements and expectations.
In this pressured context, composites
have some advantages, as the trends are

in their favour. The hybridization and
electrification of vehicles both constitute
great opportunities. There is not a Tier
1 manufacturer that is not presenting
composite battery boxes or other weightlowering solutions to increase the range
of electric vehicles. The other significant
factor is the growing interest in hydrogen.
In that respect, we have every reason to
be optimistic. An average pressure vessel
requires 35 kg de carbon, and it takes two
per vehicle on average. You can do the math!
If the growth forecasts are substantiated,
there will be a need for tons of additional
carbon to meet the demand. The Hydrogen
Council, whose members include all the
major international groups, estimates that by
2030, there will be 10-15 million hydrogenpowered vehicles and some 500,000+ trucks.
This also concerns buses and trains. China
alone is planning on a million hydrogenpowered vehicles within that same time
frame. Enough to satisfy every appetite! In
France, the more modest ambition of the
Hype taxi company is to have 600 of the
vehicles, mostly Toyota Mirai, by the end of
2020.
Another phenomenon that works in favour
of composites: smaller series and greater
demand for customization. According to the
same source, 50% of the new vehicles at the
Frankfurt show will also be produced in series
of fewer than 100,000 units. Composites are
well placed to meet this type of demand.
And finally, we can count on the Uptis
composite airless tire developed by Michelin
and General Motors that was presented at
the Movin'on Summit in Montreal on 4-6
June of this year. The potential is huge. Just in
terms of replacement, more than 200 million
tires are taken out of circulation each year
due to punctures or other damage.

N°131 November - December 2019 /

jec composites magazine

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019
