Price still the largest EV deterrent, says Conti
Only last week Continental announced plans to run a joint venture operation with Korea’s SK Innovation to develop, manufacture and market lithium ion batteries systems for electric vehicles; now the German company has released a few figures outlining why it sees so much potential in the electric vehicle market. As long as the price is right.
According to the findings of the “Continental Mobility Study”, 90 per cent of people in Conti’s German home market drive less than 100 kilometres/62 miles each day, a distance well within the range of electric cars currently on the market or soon to be released. Continental calculates that today’s crop of electric vehicles, which boast ranges up to 150 kilometres, enable 52 per cent of all German drivers to manage their daily needs “without any problem”, while future vehicles with more powerful storage devices would have a range up to double the current maximum and would thus meet the mobility demands of up to 97 per cent of all German motorists.
Those sceptical about the motoring public’s desire to adopt vehicles that need to be plugged in and recharged for hours on end may be surprised by Continental’s disclosure that 30 per cent of all Germans would even now prefer to drive an electric vehicle than one with a conventional powertrain. Furthermore, 71 per cent would reportedly be prepared to sacrifice their current vehicle’s maximum speed should the option of an alternative powertrain vehicle arise. Likewise, the study showed just over half of all German motorists, 54 per cent to be exact, say the size of a car would no longer matter as much, while 52 per cent claim rapid acceleration would also cease to be a crucial consideration.
Admittedly, the switch to electric vehicles is not without its drawbacks. While nobody has trouble finding an available power point for recharging a mobile phone, only 51 per cent of German motorists have their own regular parking space with electric socket. Four fifths of those surveyed view the rollout of a public charging point network as a solution to this shortcoming; the logistics of such an endeavour or the costs involved were not covered by the survey.
For 43 percent of surveyed German motorists, price is the most important factor influencing the potential purchase of an electric vehicle. Even Continental CEO, Dr. Elmar Degenhart, observes that this is still a problem area: “Car buyers are very sensitive to price. There is currently a difference of around 10,000 euros between the cost of an electric car and the cost of a vehicle with a traditional combustion engine. We thus regard the short-term market opportunities as somewhat difficult: For that very reason it is important for both suppliers and manufacturers to grasp every opportunity to reduce costs for vehicles with electric drives in a way that does not depend on the volume of cars sold.” Admittedly, more than half of all survey respondents voiced a general willingness to pay more for eco-friendly products, however whether these good intentions would actually lead to increased electric vehicle sales remains to be seen.
Continental has been developing components such as power electronics, electric machines and energy-storage devices for hybrid and electric drives since the mid-1990s. In particular, the company has focused on the development of high-voltage lithium-ion battery systems for electric vehicles. “Continental is working tirelessly on the electrification of the powertrain, even though the conventional combustion engine will continue to dominate the market for many years to come,” Degenhart adds. “Be it industry, science or politics – everyone involved in this is going to have to collaborate even more closely in the future. Only by working together across the industry will we be able to tackle the challenges posed by electric mobility in the best interests of car drivers.”
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