Another move from the electrical gurus? Well, it seems not! It is the Gartner firm, specializing in consulting and research in the field of advanced techniques, which has just published a fairly edifying report on this subject.
Published on March 7, this Gartner report made a prediction: within three years, electric cars could turn the tide by being less expensive to produce than their thermal counterparts. This could be good news for buyers, as the prices of these vehicles are still high for the majority of budgets. We spoke to you at the start of the school year about the drop in battery prices and its positive impact on production costs. Rather, the report in question highlights changes in production processes as a whole.
Optimization of production costs
This paradigm shift could be explained by a redesign “ in depth » production processes put in place by manufacturers. Many technological advances would therefore favor a fairly drastic reduction in manufacturing costs. These would fall even faster than those for battery production.
Pedro Pacheco, research vice president at Gartner explains: “ They [les constructeurs de VE] have introduced innovations that reduce production costs, such as centralized vehicle architecture or the introduction of gigacasting, which reduces manufacturing costs and assembly time. Traditional automakers have had to adopt these innovations to stay competitive “. Gigacasting refers to an innovative technique in the automotive industry that involves casting large parts of the vehicle in a single block, reducing the number of components and lowering costs.
He also points out that this development is occurring “ much faster than expectedu”, which could, in theory, lower the cost of purchasing an EV and democratize their use.
An imperfect transition
However, the report also warns of a very important element: the potential increase in repair costs. “ The costs of repairing EVs after a major accident could increase by 30%, risking more damaged vehicles becoming wrecks if repairing them costs more than their value. It could also increase insurance premiums or push insurers to avoid certain models. “. can we read in the report.
Another negative peripheral effect of this transition directly concerns the sector, and not the consumer. Competition within the industry will become increasingly fierce and Gartner predicts that “ by 2027, 15% of EV companies created in the last decade will be acquired or go bankrupt “. For Pacheco, it is a change and not a decline: “ This doesn’t mean the electric vehicle sector is collapsing. It is simply entering a new phase where companies offering the best products and services will take over the rest “. It will therefore be the law of the strongest who will reign, nothing new under the sun!
The Gartner firm is nevertheless quite renowned for having provided reports in the past expressing fairly realistic trends close to realities on the ground. The evolution of digital work environments even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the massive adoption of AI in businesses and the rise of cloud computing. It remains to be seen whether the data from this report will ever come to fruition. If this is the case, the automobile industry will begin a new cycle in its history.
Sources: Clean Automotive, Gartner
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