Los vehículos eléctricos no se generalizarán hasta que se solucionen los problemas, dice Reuss de GM

Los vehículos eléctricos no serán populares hasta que se solucionen los problemas, dice Ruess de GM

La industria automotriz se dirige a toda velocidad hacia un futuro que cambiará el transporte de la misma manera que la electricidad cambió la forma en que iluminamos el mundo. Los vehículos eléctricos y autónomos alterarán el panorama automotriz para siempre, la única pregunta es cuándo.

Like any revolution, this one will be created by market demand.

Beyond the environmental benefit, electric vehicle owners enjoy the performance, quiet operation, robust acceleration, style and interior space. And EV owners like not having to buy gasoline. We believe the majority of these customers will stay loyal to electric cars.

But what about non-EV owners? Will they want to buy electric? About 25 years ago, when we first considered getting into the electric vehicle business with a small car that had about 70 miles of range, the answer was no. But today, the results are far more encouraging.

We recently held consumer clinics in Los Angeles and Chicago and presented people with six SUV choices: three gasoline and three electric. When we asked for their first choice to purchase, 40% of the Chicago respondents chose an electric SUV, and 45% in LA did the same. This is despite a several thousand-dollar premium on the price of the electric models (but also before crucial government tax credits that we believe will continue to drive people toward electric vehicles and help fuel market demand).

They had concerns, to be sure. Most people said they want vehicles that can match gasoline-powered vehicles in range, ease of ownership and cost. The sooner we can break down these three critical barriers, the sooner electric cars will become mainstream.

La autonomía es la mayor barrera para la aceptación de los vehículos eléctricos. Así como la demanda de ahorro de gasolina no disminuye cuando hay más gasolineras, la demanda de mayor autonomía no disminuirá, incluso a medida que mejore la infraestructura de carga. La gente seguirá queriendo conducir el mayor tiempo posible entre cargas.

Range

Most consumers surveyed during our clinics said they want at least 300 miles of range. And if you look at the market today, which is driven by early adapters, the numbers bear that out. The vast majority of electric vehicles sold — almost 90% — are six models with the highest range of 238 miles or more — three Tesla models, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the Hyundai Kona and the Kia Niro, according to IHS Markit data.

Lithium-ion batteries, which power virtually all electric cars on the road today, are rapidly improving, increasing range with each generation. At GM, we recently announced that our 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV will have a range of 259 miles, a 21-mile improvement over the previous model. Range will continue to improve across the industry, and range anxiety will dissipate.

Charging infrastructure

Nuestra investigación también muestra que, entre quienes han considerado comprar un vehículo eléctrico, pero no lo han hecho, la falta de estaciones de carga es la razón principal.

For EVs to gain widespread acceptance, manufacturers, charging companies, industry groups and governments at all levels must work together to make public charging available in as many locations as possible. For example, we are seeing increased partnership activity between manufacturers and charging station companies, as well as construction companies that build large infrastructure projects, with the goal of adding thousands of additional public charging stations in the United States.

Las estaciones de recarga privadas son igual de importantes. Según nuestro estudio, casi el 80 % de los propietarios de vehículos eléctricos recargan sus vehículos en casa, y casi el 15 % en el trabajo, mientras que el resto lo hace en estaciones públicas. Por lo tanto, es fundamental seguir facilitando una recarga sencilla y fluida. Con ese fin, establecer más colaboraciones con empresas que instalen los cargadores en los hogares de los consumidores de forma cómoda y asequible supondrá una gran ventaja tanto para los compradores como para los vendedores.

Cost

Otro beneficio de ser propietario de un vehículo eléctrico es un menor costo de operación. La mayoría de los propietarios de vehículos eléctricos informan que su costo promedio de operación es aproximadamente un tercio de lo que paga un propietario de automóvil a gasolina. Pero el precio de compra suele ser significativamente más alto, y ahí es donde deberíamos ver un cambio a medida que cada generación de tecnología de baterías mejore la eficiencia y reduzca los costos.

Looking forward, we think electric vehicle propulsion systems will achieve cost parity with internal combustion engines within a decade, probably sooner, and will only get better after that, driving sticker prices down and widening the appeal to the average consumer. That will be driven by a number of factors, including improvements with each generation of batteries and vehicles, as well as expected increased regulatory costs on gasoline and diesel engines.

Eliminar estas barreras conducirá a lo que considero la clave definitiva para la adopción generalizada de vehículos eléctricos: la aparición del vehículo eléctrico como vehículo principal del consumidor, no como un vehículo de un solo propósito o secundario. Eso sucederá cuando la industria sea capaz de ofrecer la utilidad, la paridad de costos y la conveniencia de los automóviles y camiones actuales basados en combustión interna.

To get the electric vehicle to first-string status, manufacturers simply must make it as good or better than the cars, trucks and crossovers most people are used to driving today. And we must deliver on our promise of making affordable, appealing EVs in the widest range of sizes and body styles possible. When we do that, electric vehicle adoption and acceptance will be widespread, and it can happen sooner than most people think.

Opiniones expresadas por el presidente de General Motors, Mark Reuss, según lo expresado y publicado en CNN Business Perspectives.

… notes from the EDJE