HAShen the battery electric car (BEV) has long been considered an “emerging” technology, the vote of the European Parliament on June 8, confirmed by the Council of European Ministers on June 28, sealed the end of car sales in Europe in 2035. This key milestone in the history of this technology is the result neither of customer demand nor of a new offer from manufacturers: it is the public authorities, in Europe as elsewhere in China, who steer this trajectory that can therefore be described as “managed societal innovation”. How will manufacturers redefine their strategies in this new context, both from the point of view of product definition and industrial strategies?
Manufacturers offer two contrasting approaches. In France, Renault, with its 100% electric range strategy initiated in 2009, is a leader in the field of BEVs, while Stellantis (ex-PSA) has long promoted its diesel expertise before gradually committing to the electrification of its range since 2017. A difference that can be seen in the products offered: the Zoe, released in 2013, or the new Mégane e-tech, released in 2022, were designed and marketed only in 100% electric versions , while Stellantis cars are electrified versions of existing models (Peugeot 208 and 2008, Citroën C4 and Berlingo…).
This difference can be seen at the global level: pure players electric vehicles (Tesla in the United States, Nio and Xpeng in China, etc.) work alongside manufacturers who are gradually ensuring the electrification of their range, while preserving the identity of existing thermal models (Ford is the typical example).
The strategies for introducing electrical innovations are also contrasting. Tesla and Nio innovate “from above”, a traditional policy in the automotive industry: new products first appear on the most expensive vehicles and then come down the range. Renault and especially Dacia, on the contrary, are part of a strategy of manufacturers “for the greatest number”: they have from the outset developed their electric innovation on small cars, even adapting in 2013 the sales model of the Zoe in order to to offer, by renting the batteries, purchase prices similar to the thermal Clio.
Accelerated conversion
Today, the high price of BEVs remains a no-buy factor. Manufacturers and equipment manufacturers are implementing drastic cost reduction plans. In the meantime, distributors are multiplying rental offers to minimize the amount of the initial purchase, the costs of using BEVs being very competitive compared to thermal vehicles due to the increase in the price of oil.
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