EVs take centre stage at day 3 of the Future of the Car summit

The OEMs are focusing on switching models to electric vehicles, but is the infrastructure ready? Today’s talks discussed new opportunities, changing technology and global differences in EV uptake and public perception.

Keynote: Geely Holding Group

Daniel Li Donghui, CEO of Geely Holding Group, discussed the business’ partnerships and future. He said that the group ‘highly respects’ their partners and the OEMs they hold a stake in, praising them as strong brands with long histories.

Geely Holdings has invested in other companies to enable ‘open discussions about synergies’ and ‘opportunities for sharing technology’. He said that they believed that if Geely were to develop technologies alone it would cost a lot of money, and their customers would suffer, so they preferred to work with partners.

While hesitant to go into too much detail around geopolitics, Li Donghui was keen to impress that Geely Holdings are an international company. He shrugged off concerns that consumers may become less accepting of Chinese companies if tensions with the country rise, pointing to their investment in the UK and elsewhere.

The CEO also admitted that he has a less thorough understanding of European markets. In China, he said, customers expect a ‘smart car’, but products would need to be tailored to meet customer needs in Europe. The company hopes to ‘learn from partners’ to ‘get market opportunities’ and grow in different countries.

Panel: Incentivising investment in charging infrastructure

This panel discussed infrastructure for electric vehicles, how public perception of charging points was impacting uptake, and the advantages of wireless charging for cars.

There was agreement that there were enough charging points in the UK for current number of cars being used, but the country was not ready for 100% uptake. Furthermore, confidence in the market was cited as a key issue as range anxiety is still preventing people from buying EVs.

Erik Fairbairn, Founder & CEO at Pod Point, said that the conversation needed to shift away from rapid charging to all types of charging. Lauren Pamma, Programme Director at Green Finance Institute, agreed saying that it was important to have ‘the right chargers, in the right place, at the right time’.

Another issue was the bureaucracy surrounding adding new electric charging points and the cost and complexity related to connecting to the gird. Anja van Niersen, CEO at Milence, said that no one industry could solve this problem, and it was important to create the right partnerships across OEMs, energy companies and government to enable the system to be built.

Martin Beaumont, CEO at Electric Green, added that plug-ins had done an okay job so far, but that the consumer experience could be better with the addition of wireless charging. He noted that when drivers don’t need to attach a plug, charging takes less space and reduce vulnerability because there is no need to leave the vehicle.

Panel line-up:

Martin Beaumont, CEO: Electric Green

Erik Fairbairn, Founder and CEO: Pod Point

Anja van Niersen, CEO: Milence

Lauren Pamma, Programme Director: Green Finance Institute

Keynote: Ford

Martin Gjaja, Chief Customer Officer for Ford’s Model E, spoke about the company’s recent product splits. In March 2022, they split electric vehicles and legacy automotives into separate units.

Gjaja said the move had allowed the electric vehicle arm of the business to ‘accelerate progress’ and increase accountability. He said that Model E was in ‘build mode’ and experimenting at a rate not seen before.

An example of their agility, he said, is Ford’s ‘blue cruise’, an advanced driver assist technology that allows drivers to be handsfree while a dashboard camera ensures they stay engaged. Ford were the first OEM to get handsfree technology approved in Europe.

In addition, he said the split had allowed for Model E to focus on attracting a different pool of talent. The business has hired more people from the tech industry to lead with the digitisation of vehicles and work on software.

Ford will also be manufacturing LFP batteries in the US from 2026. As the first automotive battery plant in the country, they hope the move will create jobs, lead change and enable them to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act law. It will also help them to manage risk in the supply chain.

Looking ahead, Gjaja explained that Model E are focused on three things:

• Increasing digital options to enable a more hybrid buying experience for consumers
• Improving the post purchase experience, for example looking at pick-up and delivery, charging networks and reducing bugs in EVs
• Creating a fundamentally different, digitally-led experience onboard the vehicles