The electrictrification of vehicles is the most significant, and increasingly pressing, near-term development in the sector.
Despite the financial challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, exponential growth in EVs must remain a priority focus for OEMs and other industry participants as decarbonisation legislation and emission regimes globally become increasingly more stringent, particularly in fully-industrialised economies .
Whilst, understandably public attention mostly focuses on the electrification of passenger cars, the electrification of commercial vehicles – both passenger vehicles and trucks and vans – is a major focus for the industry too. Whilst rechargeable battery power has taken the lead throughout most of the world in powering EVs, the debate as to whether hydrogen fuel cells are a more viable fuel stock for EVs, particularly for non-urban and heavy-duty vehicles, continues, and where this debate lands could have further far-reaching consequences for the industry.
The scale-arrival of EVs has thrown up a whole new range of challenges, such as increasing battery performance whilst reducing cost and weight, new ESG concerns and the technical and cost implications of providing a comprehensive EV charging point infrastructure.
The transition to EVs is also having a fundamental impact on the traditional ICE component supply chain, and further changes are being influenced by the expansion of new technologies, including additive manufacturing.
We support our clients, particularly OEMs, in relation to aspects of their electrification strategy as they transition from ICEs to MHEVs and PHEVs to BEVs. We are also assisting clients globally in areas such as EV infrastructure and EV batteries.
