Did you knowSHIFT is taking the stage this fall?
But what does it mean for the rest people buying cars?
How bad is the problem, and how did we get here?
Heres what they had to say.
What exactly are semiconductor chips?
Die-cut silicon wafers are used to manufacture these chips in expensive semiconductor factories.
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But what makes them so important?
So, how did we get here?
Theres a bunch of different opinions as to the cause of the problem.
Kshetri points out that COVID-19 shutdowns lead to a drop in car sales.
Consequently, the auto industry reduced semiconductor purchases.
In addition, the auto industry was badly affected by afire at Japans Renesas Semiconductor Manufacturing.
The company usually produces about one-third of microcontroller chips embedded in cars globally.
What exactly is the demand for chips in vehicles?
Automakers use about 10% of the chips on the semiconductor market.
A typical car (the Earth-killing throw in) uses between 50 and 150 semiconductors.
However, a modern electric vehicle can use up to3,000 chips.Oof.
So what does this all mean for Electic Vehicle production?
Assuming 2022 is not mega drama, new Roadster should ship in 2023.
Files explained the dilemma facing chipmakers:
Do they ship chips to their valued clients or small startups?
Some suppliers of chips for computers and processors have a backlog of orders that is over 40 weeks long.
Many of the startup EV makers just do not have enough cash to wait a year for the chips.
Will the semiconductor chip shortage speed up other innovations?
But aside from the shortage,environmental concerns aboutongoing electrical consumption and rare earth minerals are an industry challenge.
Traditional semiconductor chips might be getting a competitor throughgallium nitride (GaN).
GaNs can conduct electrons better than silicon at a lower manufacturing cost.
They may even be able to decrease them.
So… what is the impact on consumers?
Overall,you should prepare to pay more and wait longer for the cars you want.
Many have told us theyve had deliveries pushed back from 3Q or 4Q 2021 to 1Q 2022.
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Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
