EV Eco-System Not Ready for Mass Adoption

Philip Oakley

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2nd December 2019

Mass market take-up of EVs is being stymied by a lack of a cohesive ecosystem, according to a major powertrain manufacturer.

Julie Furber, vice–president of electrified power at Cummins, said: “The immediate challenge from our perspective is to establish a secure and robust supply chain for the industry, which is vital for significant, long–term EV adoption. As with many things in the EV space, solutions will be found by pursuing a number of tactics in a mature, joined-up way, not by going all-in on one element of the puzzle.” The solutions Furber mentioned are in relation to sustainable batteries, one of the largest issues facing the electric vehicle market currently.

Producing lithium-ion batteries produces a lot of carbon dioxide and other pollutants meaning that in nations dependent on high use of fossil fuels to produce electricity, EVs are worse for the environment than regular piston-powered cars.

Furber also told TU-Automotive that collaboration between different suppliers, automakers and other companies was key in the race to increase EV adoption globally. “The key is to make this work more consistent and less fragmented – a shared path for electrification will benefit all players. Collaboration of this kind starts with open, frank, and realistic conversations about what is working, what isn’t, and where the focus should be.

“Everyone has a part to play in this, and there’s a lot of important work being done at every level. From international policy initiatives being led by the UN, to industry-led research and development on powertrain technology, to local government projects to install charging points, to end users actively exploring how they can diversify their fleets to include low-emissions vehicles.”

Furber also believes widespread commercial adoption of EVs is key to influencing consumer car ownership choices. “While consumer adoption of EVs is a complicated issue which relies on many variables, we believe that commercial adoption will help to bring the technology to that critical mass moment more quickly. Persuading a consumer to switch to electric, after all, generates one additional EV sale but persuading an organisation to electrify its fleet brings about significant step changes in the power mix on our roads.”