How to Determine If Your Passenger Brake Pads Need Replacement

You should regularly check the condition of your Passenger Brake Pads. They can become worn out at a different rate on each side, causing your car to pull to one side or the other. Unchecked brake problems can put unnecessary stress on your steering rack, ball joints, steering knuckles, and wheel bearings. Here are some tips to help you determine whether your brake pads need replacement.

If you need to replace the brake pads on your car, consult your owner’s manual for recommended replacement methods. You can also schedule brake pad service online. To learn more about Passenger Brake Pads, please visit the manufacturer’s website. Just click on the ‘Service’ tab to find the information you need. The manufacturer of your car at times may provide you with a free estimate. Semi-metallic brake pads are made from synthetic materials. They are gentle on rotors, but tend to wear off quickly. Semi-metallic brake pads contain flaked metal and synthetic materials. They are more durable than non-metallic brake pads, but they also wear out faster and create more dust. They are more expensive than semimetallic brake pads, but they are also less noisy. So, which one is best for your vehicle?

If you have a newer vehicle, it may be time to replace your Passenger Brake Pads. This will save you money over time and may even save your life in an accident. Passenger vehicles are equipped with two types of brakes: drum and disc brakes. The latter uses friction to slow the vehicle. For this reason, it is vital to regularly check and replace your brake pads. When you notice that your pads are worn out, you can purchase replacements immediately.

If you hear brake noises, they could mean your Passenger Brake Pads are worn. In most cases, the noise is from metal scraping against the brake rotor. When the pad is worn thin, it closes an electric circuit that will activate a dashboard warning light. These wear indicators can also alert you to imminent brake failure by squealing. These are some tips to check your Passenger Brake Pads.

When choosing a brake pad, make sure to check the materials used. Organic brake pads are environmentally friendly. Non-asbestos pads are made of organic materials, which means they don’t pollute the air. Other types of brake pads are designed to be quieter. You should choose the type of brake pad that fits your driving style. If your vehicle is heavy, you might want to buy a lighter version of a brake pad.

Morocco’s green mobility revolution

By Michaël Tanchum

The geo-economic factors driving its rise as an electric vehicle manufacturing hub

Rabat’s recent announcement that it would soon sign an agreement for the construction of a “gigafactory” to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries has placed Morocco in pole position to become a green mobility leader in the Middle East and North Africa.

A development of enormous significance for the kingdom, Morocco’s rise as a global-scale, EV manufacturing hub is as critical to Western supply chain resilience as it is to promoting carbon-free mobility to combat climate change. The focus on shortening supply chains to ensure the stability of European consumer markets has already fueled the rapid advance of Morocco’s automotive manufacturing sector and its development of more advanced manufacturing processes. Now, Morocco’s reserves of critical battery minerals are accelerating its entrance into EV manufacturing. With ample solar and wind energy resources along with utility-scale infrastructure already in place to utilize them, Morocco has the potential to drive a green mobility revolution by powering the production of EVs using renewable energy.

Nearshoring: The driving momentum behind Moroccan EV manufacturing

On July 21, 2022, Moroccan Minister of Industry Ryad Mezzour informed the press that the kingdom was close to signing a deal with EV battery manufacturers to establish a massive local production facility. Without identifying any

company, Mezzour said the plant would be a gigafactory and that Rabat hopes to sign a $2 billion deal for the plant before the end of this year. A term popularized by the pioneering American EV manufacturer Tesla, a gigafactory is an extremely large-scale battery manufacturing plant in which each production line has an annual output of around 3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cells, sufficient to make batteries for 30,000-45,000 EVs, depending on the size and the model. While Mezzour has been vague about the number of lines and total capacity of the proposed Moroccan facility, Tesla’s successful $2 billion gigafactory in Shanghai, China, was originally intended to produce 500,000 EV batteries per year. It is possible that the output of Morocco’s gigafactory will be of a comparable order of magnitude.

The production of EV batteries on such a scale would be appropriate for Morocco’s impressive automotive manufacturing ecosystem, which already has the capacity to produce over 700,000 vehicles per year. Now Rabat is aiming to increase Morocco’s output to 1 million vehicles per year by 2025, with many of those being EVs. Already in November 2021, Morocco’s public finance bill for 2022 proposed a reduction of the import duty on lithium-ion cells from 40% to 17.5% to promote the local assembly of Li-ion batteries using cells imported from East Asia. The key to Morocco’s rise as a green mobility manufacturing giant will be expanding its automotive ecosystem to include local manufacture of Li-ion batteries, which represent 30% to 40% of the cost of the average EV. The new gigafactory could thus accommodate producing the targeted additional 300,000 vehicles as EVs.

Nearshoring, combined with Rabat’s smart industrial planning and careful cultivation of foreign partnerships, is the engine of the self-reinforcing momentum propelling the advancement of Morocco’s automotive manufacturing sector. During the years immediately prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains were already starting to shorten as companies and countries placed greater emphasis on resiliency than on the immediate cost efficiency of just-in-time inventories delivered from distant points across the globe. For Europe, this structural transformation meant bringing sourcing and manufacturing closer to European endmarkets. In order to maintain a competitive advantage in operating expenditures, international firms began to locate manufacturing facilities in Morocco.

Rabat fueled the momentum for nearshoring in Morocco through its 2014-2020 Industrial Acceleration Plan and its concurrent development of high-speed, high-volume capacity transportation that saw the construction of Tanger Med Port, the Mediterranean’s largest, as well as the al-Boraq rail line (Casablanca–Tangier), Africa’s first highspeed rail system. Morocco’s linked state-of-the-art port and rail prompted Groupe Renault to establish a second Moroccan manufacturing plant and Groupe PSA (now part of the Stellantis conglomerate) to open a Peugeot manufacturing plant in Kénitra, north of Rabat. The Renault and Peugeot plants are supported by approximately 250 international suppliers from the U.S., Europe, Japan, and elsewhere that operate their own local manufacturing plants. For example, the Chinese firm CITIC Dicastal, the global leader in aluminum cast parts, built a $400 million plant in Kénitra that can produce 6 million pieces annually to supply Peugeot.

As a result of the nearshoring momentum, Europe’s two best-selling car models — the Peugeot 208 and Renault’s Dacia Sandero — are made in Morocco. Now, Rabat has its sights on manufacturing their EV versions. Starting in 2020, Renault shifted its entire production of the Dacia Sandero from Romania to the company’s plants in Casablanca and Tangier, where labor costs can be up to 50% lower. In 2021, Renault launched its Dacia Spring EV model in Europe, marketing it as the continent’s cheapest electric car. The car is manufactured by Renault in China, home to CATL — the world’s leading producer of EV Li-ion batteries, whose global market share reached 35% in the first quarter of 2022. The production of EV batteries in Morocco, with at least some of the major battery metals sourced locally, could represent a sufficient cost advantage to convince Renault to build the Dacia Spring or successor EV models at the company’s Moroccan plants. Prioritizing supply chain security for its European end-markets over justin-time inventories supplied by East Asia, Renault would likely start EV production in Morocco once Li-ion battery manufacturing gets under way.

Stellantis, the parent company of Peugeot, is ahead of Renault. Peugeot’s Kénitra plant, established in 2019, manufactures the gas-powered version of the Peugeot 208. Since the all-electric Peugeot e-208 uses the same chassis, Moroccan EV battery production could incentivize Stellantis to shift production of the e-208 from Slovakia to its facility in Kénitra, likewise benefiting from labor cost reductions. Indeed, Stellantis’ German auto manufacturing subsidiary Opel has already initiated production of its Rocks-e EV model in Kénitra, at the plant of its sister company Peugeot. Morocco geared up for the move by developing semiconductor production capacity for EV microchips. Franco-Italian STMicroelectronics, Europe’s leading integrated device manufacturer, operates a sizeable automotive chip production facility in Bouskoura, on the outskirts of Casablanca and connected by rail link to the rest of the country’s auto manufacturing chain. In 2021, the company inaugurated a new production line in Morocco to manufacture electronic chips for Tesla.

Professor Michaël Tanchum is a non-resident fellow with the Middle East Institute’s Economics and Energy Program. He teaches at Universidad de Navarra and is a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES). The author would like to thank Rocco Schwerfel for his research assistance.

Close is beautiful: Morocco’s cobalt reserves contribute to EV battery breakthrough

Li-ion batteries, the basis of modern EVs, require expensive and difficult-to-obtain metals, primarily lithium and cobalt, to discharge their electric current. A lithium-based compound acts as the anode, which donates the electrons that flow through the system, while the cobalt-based compound acts as the cathode to receive the electrons. The most common EV batteries are the energy-dense batteries that use a nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cathode or sometimes a nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) cathode. Energy dense Li-ion batteries with cobalt generally enable EVs to have longer driving ranges between charging.

Cobalt availability is a limiting factor for the widespread diffusion of passenger EVs. While a cellular phone battery requires 0.2-0.4 ounces (5-10 grams) of cobalt, an electric car battery requires 10-20 pounds (22-44 kilograms). Currently, there are about 12 million electric passenger cars on the road worldwide, but the number is expected to jump to 54 million as early as 2025, increasing the demand for cobalt. Over 50% of the world’s reserves of this crucial metal are located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which currently produces 70% of the world’s mined cobalt. China, the largest EV battery maker, is also the leading producer of refined cobalt, accounting for about 65% of the global output. Beijing seeks to dominate the DRC’s mining of the highly strategic metal, and, accordingly, Chinese production of mined cobalt in the DRC is expected grow 60% by 2024, compared to 2020.

Cobalt extraction in the DRC is so-called artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), conducted under harsh and toxic conditions by around 255,000 Congolese citizens using their own rudimentary tools and hands; among these workers are 40,000 children as young as 6 years old. Western technology companies and EV manufacturers are under increasing pressure to ensure that the cobalt they use is produced from safe and sustainable mining practices.

Geopolitical competition with China over supply chains, coupled with environmental, social, and governance concerns, are leading Western-headquartered EV manufacturers in particular to look for closer and less ethically problematic suppliers of cobalt. The need is intensified by the fact that Europe is likely to be one of the centers of immediate EV market growth, spurred by the European Commission’s July 2021 directive to phase out all fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the European Union by 2035. Similarly, Morocco cannot afford to lose its European market. As Industry Minister Mezzour explained, “Morocco has no choice, because 90% of our automotive exports go to Europe and Europe has decided to switch to all-electric by 2035.”

The proximity of Morocco’s cobalt reserves to European EV manufacturing centers, which face high demand pressure for this critical metal and the ability to ensure that it is extracted through more palatable mining practices, has thus turned their attention to North Africa. This is despite the fact that Moroccan cobalt reserves are relatively small: only the world’s 11th largest. In 2020, the kingdom’s cobalt exports totaled $84 million, ranking Morocco the 13th-biggest exporter. Nonetheless, in July 2020, German automaker BMW signed a $113 million contract with Moroccan mining company Managem to supply 20% of the cobalt required to manufacture BMW’s next-generation electric drive trains. Renault, on June 1, 2022, signed a contract with Managem to supply 5,000 tons of cobalt sulfate annually for seven years. As the purchasing director for Renault explained, the deal with Morocco ensures “a supply closer to our ecosystem of manufacturing electric batteries in Europe.” Considering that Managem is supposed to start supplying cobalt to Renault in 2025, the company may also be eyeing local battery production in Morocco.

A further incentive for Renault is that the cobalt supplied by the North African state is expected to have a low carbon footprint, with up to 80% of the energy for production coming from renewable sources. The company has set carbon reduction goals for its EV batteries of 20% by 2025 and 35% by 2030, compared to 2020. The reduction in the carbon footprint of Morocco’s cobalt supply will also be achieved through the recycling of end-of-life batteries. Global mining and metal trading giant Glencore entered into a partnership with Managem in January 2022 to produce recycled cobalt from disused lithium- ion batteries at Managem’s hydrometallurgical refining facilities operated by its subsidiary Compagnie de Tifnout Tighanimine (CCT), about 23 miles (37 kilometers) from Marrakech. Glencore will provide CCT with so-called black mass, processed from dismantled and shredded Li-ion batteries. In addition to cobalt, the partnership is also seeking to extract lithium carbonate and nickel hydroxide from the black mass supplied by Glencore. If extracted in sufficient quantities, Morocco could locally source all of the major metals used in NMC Li-ion batteries.

The kingdom possesses small nickel and manganese reserves that could supply domestic NMC cathode manufacturing. And Morocco may have its own domestic supply of lithium as well. Moroccan media reported in May 2022 the discovery of significant deposits of this alkali metal in the country’s disputed Sahara region near the Mauritanian border.

Morocco’s phosphate reserves turbocharge EV battery manufacturing

Morocco’s massive phosphate reserves are a critical factor in its transformation into a global-scale, EV battery production hub. A growing trend in electric passenger cars is to replace NMC Li-ion batteries with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, substituting expensive cobalt and nickel as well as manganese for relatively cheaper phosphate and iron. While not providing the same longer driving ranges as NMC batteries, phosphate-based LFP batteries are less expensive, safer, and last longer than their cobalt-based counterparts. The increasing utilization of LFP batteries favors Morocco for EV battery production as the country sits on over 70% of global phosphate rock reserves and is the world’s second-largest phosphate producer, after China.

Morocco’s phosphate mining sector was established in 1921 to provide a source of phosphorus primarily for the manufacture of synthetic fertilizers. The kingdom’s massive phosphate mining and fertilizer manufacturing sector, run by the state-owned OCP Group (formerly Office Chérifien des Phosphates), has transformed Morocco into a gatekeeper of the world’s food supply. During the 1980s and 1990s, OCP began manufacturing phosphoric acid (H3PO4), the chemical input to phosphorus-based fertilizer, and the fertilizer itself. Phosphoric acid is also the input to make iron (II) phosphate Fe3(PO4)2, an iron salt of phosphoric acid. The iron (II) phosphate can then be used to make lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), now the increasingly preferred material for Li-ion cathodes in EV batteries.

By using phosphate and iron — Morocco is also a net exporter of iron ore — to make LFP batteries, instead of nickel, manganese, and cobalt for its NMC counterpart, Morocco could enjoy a cost advantage of upward of 70% per kilogram. Moreover, iron phosphate is nowhere near as toxic as cobalt oxide or manganese oxide. The LFP batteries have a longer cycle life, with a slower rate of capacity loss compared to NMC batteries. And LFP batteries are much safer as well: With higher thermal stability, LFP batteries emit significantly less heat than NMC batteries and are not as susceptible to exploding or igniting when an EV is Due to these advantages, Tesla announced in its Q3 2021 report, “For standard range vehicles, we are shifting to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry globally.” In speaking to the Moroccan press, Industry Minister Mezzour indicated that Morocco was looking at producing stationary batteries for the storage of renewable energy as well as for EV batteries. These stationary Li-ion batteries bear a clear resemblance to Tesla’s “megapack” line of utility-scale energy storage units that the company launched in 2019, suggesting that Tesla may be one of the international firms in negotiations with Morocco for the gigafactory.

Conclusions

In 2020, OCP mining operations produced 40.7 million tons of phosphate and exported 10.3 million tons of the raw material. From its phosphate supplies, OCP Group manufactured 7.1 million tons of phosphoric acid, exporting 1.9 million tons of the key input. Morocco will need to expand its phosphate and phosphoric acid production to make LFP EV batteries. In response to the global shortage of fertilizer due the Russo-Ukrainian war, OCP announced on May 17 that it would increase its 2022 fertilizer production by 10%, putting an additional 1.2 million tons on the global market. The figure reflects OCP’s ability to create a 1-million-ton-capacity fertilizer production line in six months, which entails commensurate increases in phosphate and phosphoric acid production.

For Morocco, the diversification of uses and markets for its phosphate output is highly desirable. At the same time, Rabat bears a responsibility to ensure that OCP does not develop insufficient phosphate production capacity, which would result in demand pressure competition between LFP batteries and phosphorus fertilizers, thus driving up fertilizer prices and consequently increasing the level of global food insecurity. Morocco’s Western partners, especially those whose companies are involved in the kingdom’s LFP battery production, should encourage and support Morocco to develop spare capacity in its phosphate sector. Analogous to the role Saudi Arabia’s Aramco plays in stabilizing oil markets, Morocco’s OCP should have the ability to bring spare phosphate production capacity online and take it offline as needed.

Morocco possesses considerable solar and wind resources. Phosphate production as well as other parts of Morocco’s EV manufacturing chain should become increasingly powered by renewable energy to ensure that its green mobility vehicles are produced in a sustainable and climate smart manner. OCP covers 89% of the energy needs for its phosphate and phosphorus fertilizer production through cogeneration (re-using exhaust energy to create cleaner and cheaper power from fossil fuels) and renewable sources. It plans to eventually cover 100% of its energy needs in this manner. Reliant on gas and coal imports, Morocco’s Western partners should work with Rabat to move the country’s EV manufacturing to be powered by locally available solar and wind resources to promote greater supply chain resilience as well as ensuring that its manufacture of green mobility vehicles is also green.

How to Sell Your Car Privately

By Jane Ulitskaya

Whether you’re looking to replace your car or offload an extra one to take advantage of elevated used-car values, selling a vehicle privately can get you more money than trading it in to a dealer. The financial gain comes with some tradeoffs, however. You’ll need to dedicate more time and effort to the selling process, and there are more risks involved from screening potential buyers, going on test drives and taking payment. Learn how to navigate each step of the process to ensure the extra effort pays off.

1. Determine Your Car’s Value

Many factors influence a car’s value. The vehicle’s age, mileage and condition are important, but external variables including market conditions, fuel prices and brand appeal also play a role. For example, the inventory shortage has caused a spike in used-car values, especially for older vehicles: Among car dealers, the median price for a 10-year-old (modelyear 2012) used car was $16,331 as of July 2022. In comparison, the median price of a 10-year-old (model-year 2010) vehicle was just $8,995 in July 2020. To determine the vehicle’s value, look at comparable used-car listings or get the vehicle appraised by a dealer or used-car chain.

2. Create an Ad to Connect With Shoppers

vehicle to potential buyers. First, photograph the car and create an ad using online tools, sell-it-yourself option. Once you’ve highlighted your car’s strong suits in the ad, you’ll need to communicate with potential buyers via email and phone calls. Use this opportunity to screen shoppers, and beware of any red flags like a buyer that only wants to communicate through email or text and refuses to speak by phone. You’ll want to pitch your vehicle’s best attributes while being honest about its condition — shoppers don’t expect a used car to be in perfect shape, but they do expect its condition to match the description.

3. Get the Paperwork Ready

Selling privately takes more forethought when it comes to paperwork than trading in to a dealer who will usually handle this step. You’ll need to have all the key documents including the vehicle’s title and bill of sale, which serves as a receipt for the transaction; the bill of sale is recommended for a private car sale though requirements may differ from different countries. If you still owe money on the vehicle and the title is in the lienholder’s possession, you’ll need to contact your lender to get the payoff amount and instructions for completing the transaction.

While not mandatory, collecting extra documents like a vehicle history report, maintenance records and extended warranty details may make the vehicle more desirable, helping you get the most money for it or sell it faster.

4. Sell It Safely: Test Drives and Payment

Selling a car privately also involves more uncertainty than trading in or selling to a dealer. From meeting strangers for test drives to transferring ownership and taking payment for the vehicle, you’ll want to prioritize your own safety and security as well as the vehicle’s.

When setting up a test drive, speak with the potential buyer over the phone, arrange a meeting spot in a public place and bring a friend along, if possible. If the shopper insists on taking the test drive alone, be sure to get a photo of their driver’s license information before handing over the keys.

Once you have an acceptable offer on the table, you’ll need to transfer ownership and take payment securely. Communicate your preferred method of payment to the buyer — a cashier’s check or cash is best since personal checks carry more risk. Never accept a check that is more than the asking price for the vehicle. A common scam involves the buyer sending a check for more than the purchase price and asking the seller to return the difference back to them (these checks are typically counterfeit). Do not transfer the vehicle’s title until you’ve received the full cash payment or the buyer’s check has cleared.

photo by Christian Lantry

5. Tie Up Loose Ends

Some private selling scenarios require a few additional steps to complete the transaction. In the case of an out-oftown buyer, you’ll need to arrange the vehicle pickup or consider using a vehicle delivery service to transport it. Prices vary based on the length of transport and the vehicle’s weight, but you can expect it to cost between $1,000-$2,000, on average.

In most states, the vehicle’s license plates are required to stay with the seller, so you’ll want to remove them before handing over the vehicle to its new owner.

Some countries also require that the seller notifies the Department of Motor Vehicles within a specified number of days after the vehicle is sold privately. Check with your country’s DMV for any paperwork requirements for a private vehicle sale. Lastly, notify your insurance company and ask for the sold vehicle to be removed from your policy.

How to Change Your Air Filter and Check Your Hoses and Belts

Image courtesy

By MICHAEL CHARBONEAU

What’s one thing you and your car have in common? You both need to breathe. While engines don’t have lungs, they do require a steady supply of air to power the combustion that keeps them running. Modern cars “breathe” through an intake system that features an air filter, which catches dirt and dust before it enters the motor, where it can cause damage. As you might imagine, over time, the filter gets dirty. Changing the filter will promote better airflow into your engine and keep it clean–and it’s one of the simplest automotive maintenance jobs you can do. When you change yours, it’s a prime opportunity to check your vehicle’s hoses and belts for wear.

Locate Your Air Filter and Remove the Cover change air filter

First, grab your car’s owner’s manual and pop the hood of your vehicle. Consult the manual to find the air filter assembly in the engine bay. The location will vary between vehicles, but it’s likely a large plastic box with a largediameter hose extending from it and into the engine. Undo the plastic clips or loosen the screws that secure the cover. You might also need to unlatch the hose or unplug some wiring to remove the cover and access the filter. (Pro tip: before removing any components or hardware, take a picture of the air filter area so you can later put it back together to match the pic.) Assess Its Condition and Replace

Once you’ve removed the cover, you should be able to see the air filter itself. Remove it and hold it up to a bright light to assess its condition. If it’s covered in a heavy layer of dirt and light doesn’t pass through easily, it’s time to replace it with a new one.

You can opt for a paper filter (the cheaper option) or a reusable one that you clean at set intervals (pricier but creates less waste). Whichever you choose, make sure you purchase one that will fit your specific car–auto part shops, and most online marketplaces will provide a way to search for the exact part you need. Put the new filter into the air filter housing, making sure you place the correct side facing down. Then replace the cover, use the screws or clips to secure it, and reattach any hoses or wiring you unplugged. Your new air filter is now installed, and your engine can breathe easier once more.

Check Hoses and Belts

Don’t close the hood yet— you should check your main hoses and belts, too. In addition to connecting your air filter to the engine, hoses also run to and from your vehicle’s radiator and heater. Visually inspect these hoses for cracks, bulges, or fraying, and give them a squeeze. They should be firm with some give; if they feel brittle, spongy, or mushy, that’s a sign of wear. Mark damaged hoses with a marker or colored tape.

Also, with the engine off, inspect any belts, which are usually located on the front or side of your engine and connect a series of pulleys. Look for cracks, exposed threads, or separation between belt layers. Another sign of a bad belt: squealing or chirping noises when this e engine is running. (Also, see whether these belts have noticeable slack; if so, they may need a simple tightening. This is a relatively simple job, too, but will require other tools and specifics noted in a repair manual or a mechanic.)

Make a note of anything that looks amiss with your belts–don’t put tape on them to mark wear. When you bring your car in for service, you can show your mechanic any worn hoses or belts to see if they need to be replaced.

collapsed radiator-hose|Image courtesy