Powertrain 2020 - The Future Drives Electric (PDF ... - Roland Berger

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"Powertrain 2020 – The Future Drives Electric"
The traditional approach to selling vehicles can and will be used for electric
mobility as well. OEMs will offer the EVs and PHEVs including the battery,
and one or several partners will offer access to infrastructure, electricity and
services. Customers will create their own package, and benefit from competition
at every step along the value chain.
There is definitely also a possibility that the OEMs will reduce their added
value by offering the electric vehicle without the battery, and partners will
provide the battery, electricity and services to the customer. New players,
such as Better Place, target this new business model and position themselves
as partners for the OEMs. This approach has the following
advantages:
> The purchase price of the vehicle can be reduced significantly – the
battery is the major additional cost element in comparison to ICE
vehicles
> The cost of the battery is covered in monthly payments together with
electricity, infrastructure access and services
> Partners could be better positioned to utilize the battery throughout its
whole lifetime, including possible reusage in stationary applications
> OEMs do not carry the battery risk, associated with its (so far) unexplored
real-world lifetime and performance
As a third option, OEMs could also act as "virtual operators" by selling
mobility to their customers and offering targeted products and services
around the EV/PHEV. This is the option incumbent OEMs need to carefully
consider, as it increases the added value for OEMs and could contribute to
higher customer loyalty. However, the investments and associated risks of
this business model will be higher.
Taking a look at the production value chain, the vertical integration of each
system should be defined dynamically, meaning it should evolve over time
in response to changes in the competitive environment.