Study on the future of electric-drive systems
Author: Matthias Bentenrieder
Publication Date: 09/09/2009
Over the next 15 years, battery electric vehicles will barely reach a market share of three percent in the worldwide automotive sector. Substantial extra costs, which presently reach as much as Euro 20,000 for a car in the same category as the Volkswagen Golf, and limited driving ranges stand in the way of broad distribution of these vehicles. According to the Oliver Wyman study “E-Mobility 2025,” the current hype about battery electric vehicles should die down, but there’s no way of getting around electric-drive systems in the long run – after all, battery electric vehicles are vital to the automotive industry’s long-term chances of survival. Until then, the industry will be faced with unprecedented investment requirements combined with an extremely limited earnings potential. Particularly during the automotive crisis, the government needs to make massive investments in the German automotive industry in order to safeguard its future viability. Otherwise, emerging markets such as China will be cutting past the Germans.
