Like most other new products, electric vehicles sell in an S curve of a slow start with over supply.

The automotive industry has emerged as a significant market opportunity for suppliers of conductive pastes and similar materials. It has the potential to one day rival in significance the irreplaceable photovoltaic market. Almost every major paste supplier with a global profile is re-organising its team and its product portfolio to capture this rising trend.

How do you leapfrog Tesla? How do you avoid circling the drain with much of the car industry when peak car hits? A whole world of new technologies and new markets awaits. Who can reveal the implications, opportunities and vehicles arriving from nowhere such as vast numbers of robot solar weeders on farms? Enter the IDTechEx Business & Technology Insight Forums "Electric Vehicles and Energy Storage" in Novi Michigan 10-12 June.

With excellent bus designs, Tata Motors is now participating in tender bids for all state transport corporations in India. Things are moving fast in the electric bus market, as appraised by IDTechEx in their new report 'Electric Buses 2019 - 2029'.

IDTechEx will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 18 April 2019 titled Electric Vehicles: Huge Energy Storage Opportunities in Buses and Trucks.

There are over two million midi buses in the world. For example, most of the 1.6 million school buses are midi buses though North American ones are mainly larger. The new IDTechEx Research report, "Electric School Buses and Midi Buses 2019-2039" finds that almost none are electric. It is very different for larger buses, for now at least.

The IDTechEx Show! at the Estrel Convention Centre in Berlin, Germany on 10 - 11 April is the leading global event for product innovators and technology scouts. Opening the event will be two Cornerstone presentations that will cover exciting developments across these technologies.

In electric aircraft, motor power-to-weight ratio is paramount for endurance, the main constraint on sales. You cannot lug ever more battery weight to get range. Indeed, better motors mean less battery in a land, water or air vehicle. The new IDTechEx Research report, "Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles: Land, Water, Air 2019-2029" explains the new emphasis on power-to-weight ratio with good efficiency.

IDTechEx is hosting a free webinar on Thursday 28 March 2019 titled Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles Land, Water, Air: $100+bn Market Emerging.

IDTechEx Launchpad will showcase innovations from 20 start-up companies at the IDTechEx Show! held in Berlin, Germany on 10-11 April 2019. All winners will be showing a new working prototype or product, many for the first time.

Refocussing of smart cities from big brother sensing and people control to energy, food and water independence and magnificent free public transport facilitates cities becoming moveable. IDTechEx report, "Smart City Opportunities: Infrastructure, Systems, Materials 2019-2029" explains.

IDTechEx CEO Raghu Das identifies 3 of the most important technology trends that you need to know about this year.

Traction motor sales grow faster than electric vehicle sales because small vehicles such as mobility for the disabled have two motors. IFEVS has put two in microcars for four-wheel drive. In larger cars, two motors is now commonplace for economy, performance, four-wheel drive, vectored steering and attack survival.

IDTechEx will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 7 March titled Electric Vehicles in Construction, Agriculture and Mining: Over $100 bn Market Emerging.

Bad strategy rather than tactics, such as misjudged new models, will kill several major automotive companies. They face a perfect storm of peak car, totally new technology, totally new markets and recession.

We have been following the graphene industry as analysts for the past seven years. The results of our ongoing research can be seen in our report on Graphene, 2D Materials and Carbon Nanotubes: Markets, Technologies and Opportunities 2018-2028. In this time, we have seen the industry grow in maturity.

It is a rule-of-thumb that manufacturers should vertically integrate only when products and markets mature, so they can confidently shave off the last pennies of cost. One exception is when shortages loom: Tesla built its battery gigafactory fast using proven Panasonic technology. However, many suppliers now build battery gigafactories.

We move to cities and do internet shopping: that destroys the market for private cars and boosts demand for buses and delivery trucks. Monster Class 8 trucks are top polluters on US highways, all powering a boom in energy storage in buses and trucks. The new IDTechEx report, "Energy Storage for Electric Buses and Trucks 2019-2029" analyses the similar requirements.

The IDTechEx Show! on April 10-11 in Berlin brings together eight key disruptive technologies and their customers at one venue.

In this premium article below we cover some of the latest activities with printed, flexible batteries.