Volvo CEO outlines friction points of EV shift

ELECTRIC vehicle acceptance is slowly beginning to catch up to that of conventional wet-fueled cars in many of the world’s more developed markets but Volvo Cars CEO and president Jim Rowan says there are four “friction factors” that currently limit the wholesale shift toward electric propulsion.

Speaking to Australian journalists in Melbourne recently, Mr Rowan outlined how battery range, charging speed, cost and infrastructure are among the roadblocks that stand in the way of battery electric vehicles (BEV) matching the sales figures of their petrol and diesel counterparts, let alone overtaking them.

While Mr Rowan believes car companies like Volvo can offer solutions to several of these issues, he believes the turning point will not come until vehicles and roadways are “supported by decent infrastructure”.

“There are four friction factors that will slow the adoption to full electricity, and those will be different in different parts of the world. Three of these we can control, and one I don’t think we can,” explained Mr Rowan.

“Range anxiety is one of these points, and it’s a little bit weird in that you can have a car that can travel 500km but still not feel that you are going to get the same 500km that you would from a petrol tank; that is really a mindset issue.

“What that really comes down to is infrastructure. A car may offer 500km of range, but where am I going to charge it the next time? I know where all the petrol stations are, so I feel comfortable. But I don’t know where I can get that next charge. So, range is one of them (friction factors).

“Charging speed is another one. The move towards an 800-volt system has helped massively with that, I mean we’re now seeing customers able to put 180km of range into their cars in about six or seven minutes.”

Mr Rowan’s sentiments echo those of many new-car buyers who feel electric vehicle range – and that time spent charging electric vehicles – is outpaced by internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.

Most electric vehicles available today can take up to 40 minutes to receive an 80 per cent charge, assuming an appropriate high-speed charger can be found. In many state capitals charging infrastructure is sorely lacking, an issue which is exaggerated ten-fold in regional centres.

But the issues of range anxiety and charging speed are just two of the three points Mr Rowan said manufacturers – including Volvo – can address, saying cost is an important factor that is not always within a manufacturer’s control.

“Cost is the third point. Of course, right now the Ukrainian war has pushed up prices, especially lithium which has stayed stubbornly higher … Nickel and cobalt have normalised, but lithium is still high. There are new mines coming online, so we should soon see lithium prices start to normalise,” he said.

“And some countries have leaned-in on subsidies, for example, to help the adoption of EVs, and that has been quite good. But frankly, no company should have to rely on any government’s subsidies to be successful – the minute you start leaning on that as a way towards selling your products you have missed the point.

“We think we (Volvo) can be at ICE parity by 2025. We will be able to build and sell an ICE car or a BEV car with the same range. In fact, ICE cars will probably go down in price because it will become older technology.”

While price parity across ICE and BEV models will help attract buyers to adopt new technologies, Mr Rowan said he believes many buyers will wait until charging infrastructure is as readily available before making the switch – a change that could take a decade or more to realise.

Charging infrastructure in Australia particularly is struggling to keep pace with the adoption of electric vehicles, with many sites seeing vehicles queuing for lengthy periods, and others ‘offline’ or damaged when a customer arrives on site.

“The last friction point – and the one we can’t control – is obviously infrastructure. We don’t think we should be investing in infrastructure, because it is not the core of our business,” said Mr Rowan.

Mr Rowan’s sentiment on infrastructure is at odds with some competitors, especially Tesla for which the Supercharger network remains a compelling point of difference, while BMW, Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Group are among the car-makers variously committing large sums toward charging stations.

“What we’re starting to see now is that some governments, take America for example, are starting to lean in and help, which is fantastic, because that’s going to pump in a lot of infrastructure. We’re also seeing a lot of the big, private equity guys contributing as well, particularly to the energy grid, which to them provides good long-term returns.”

Mr Rowan said he believes that faster charging infrastructure and the wider availability of charging stations is the key to the broader uptake of BEVs, and one that will go hand-in-hand with manufacturers becoming more able to offer cheaper BEV models.

“What’s needed, and this is something energy companies understand, is an 800-volt system on 150kW supply – that works,” he emphasised.

“One country where they have done that right is Norway. They’ve leaned in on the subsidy, which helped with cost, they have the right infrastructure, and of course as soon as you put the right infrastructure in place, then range is no longer a problem.

“That allows other savings to be made, of course. When you have all those friction points sorted, there’s no longer a requirement to put 100kWh batteries in all your cars. You can offer cheaper cars with 50- or even 30kWh battery packs because you can be comfortable as an owner that your drive will be supported by decent infrastructure.

“So, as infrastructure starts to build out more efficiently, you’ll start to see us and other companies offer a 35kWh or 60kWh option, or for somebody that needs that range, a 100kWh option.

That will be something that will really help people to make a decision about their range, and to help pull down some of that cost.”