The electric car charging sector is turning into a business with profits destined to become more and more exorbitant. To facilitate business we think the imminent shutdown of the thermal engines and the escape from fossil fuels.
With 2035 upon us and a war between Russia and Ukraine with far from certain results, there is a crucial aspect for theautomotive of which you are already practically certain: who will manage the business of power generation and charging for electric cars, it won. Won in terms of turnover and profits, everyone’s judgment; won in an ethical key, the idea of some. Regardless of how you think about what is the transition that is leading us to the electric, about its opportunity, about what are the timing – reduced, with which we will have to deal or about the step – apparently imposed from above – there are those who will literally “wallow” in this business; with dizzying earnings. To give it a shape, to earnings, just take a look at the latest research written by the Americans of Bain & Company, a company leader in strategic consulting founded in the early 1970s in Boston; with over 13,000 employees and an annual turnover of nearly $ 6 billion.
IN 2030 REVENUES OF 13.5 BILLION
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After all, cars, or more generally electric vehicles, are destined to completely reshape the industry automotive and mobility. A transition that is progressing faster than expected. If many countries had already said they were favorable and compliant to switch from heat engine to electric, timing has become even tighter after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, multiplying efforts to reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas. It goes without saying that everything concerning the charging infrastructures, as well as the fundamental services aimed at 100% electric mobility – has turned into an opportunity to business potentially immense and strategic. To the point that, projections in hand, profits in the electricity sector of Europe, the US and China will grow heavily well before the fateful 2035. There is talk of profits in the order of 13.5 billion euros, “already” in 2030.
GROWTH, WITH MANY VARIABLES
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It must be said, and it is not a negligible aspect, how these growth forecasts should be interpreted, but above all “scaled” taking into consideration various aspects. We have tangible differences between one nation and another; just as in every country the positioning of the recharging points, the value of the energy supplier itself, as well as the model of business adopted. In fact, it should be reiterated that there are many areas of the world still in an embryonic phase, for those that are services dedicated to electric mobility and which will take several years to fully develop. It therefore becomes legitimate to think that the decisions and capital invested today play a fundamental role for what will be the companies to remain competitive in the future. Furthermore, taking into account that nothing that is certain today will be certain tomorrow and that all the players on the move in this sector will have to react flexibly based on the behavior of customers.
THE STRENGTH IS IN THE FORECASTS
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All the companies that offer services in the sector of electric recharges for mobility are approaching the market in a strategic way. Clearly everyone exploits what are their own strengths, commensurate each individual investment with what are the earnings forecasts. But it is equally clear that an important strategic value is given by the stability of the product offered and it is no coincidence that many companies supplying charging services have entered into agreements with other commercial partners. Stability that for example travels with the concept of “never interruptions” so as to ensure that app of the smartphone or systems that manage electronic payments work everywhere. Instead, where the market is still in the development phase, companies work trying to reconstruct future scenarios, creating models and looking at the current situation in the area – catching, or at least trying, every slightest variation. All calculations and strategic moves that prevent the risk of finding oneself with a less developed area than others – a situation that, in fact, could slow down the business even the most advanced neighboring areas.
CHARGING OPPORTUNITIES AND “INTELLIGENT” MANAGEMENT
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In order to maximize earnings, it will then be important to intercept all possible customer top-up opportunities in the best possible way. Not only home and workplace, but also the columns placed on the itineraries – both urban and transit. Profitability will obviously be the result of the massive use of these columns. And these, in order to be attractive to motorists, will have to manage recharges of at least 150 kW in direct current, work without disruptions and guarantee reliability; all guarantees that translate into considerable costs for companies that want to position them in the area. Other profits will then come from intelligent energy management. The services of smart energy they will provide for more and more trading systems car to home or car to grid. And this will probably be the key to stabilizing the networks, which are increasingly assaulted by the vehicles in charge. In this case, leaving the cars connected to the grid, the electronics will manage and exploit the car’s storage capacity to put a percentage of electricity back into the grid, so as to make the relationship homogeneous in the moment – usually during the night, in which will be tens of thousands of cars connected at the same time.
THE AUTO BRAND STRATEGY
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Collaboration between companies certainly represents an added value. The best example is Ionity, in fact a vast one joint venture in which the car manufacturers have directly invested. There are a bit of all of them, from BMW to Mercedes, passing from Ford to Hyundai up to the Volkswagen group. The idea was to bet on fast charging points to be placed on the most important European motorways. A great alliance between brand which has many benefits. First of all, that of sharing the capital expenditure for the construction of infrastructures, but at the same time of collecting the profits generated faster. And then there are the giants of fuel distribution, such as Shell – who are preparing for the transition. The British company is strengthening its network with a series of acquisitions – such as Sonnen Group, a manufacturer of residential energy storage systems – or Ubitricity, a supplier of street charging systems for electric cars.
AND THEN THERE IS TESLA
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The Elon Musk brand is a story unto itself, deciding in fact to take care of the charging system in a completely autonomous way. A choice that for Bain & Co is a winning one, placing the customer at the center of the attention of the brand. Tesla has in fact created a proprietary charging system that thinks of many aspects like the wallbox domestic, but also to the installation of solar panels on the roof – up to the charging islands, both on the motorway and in the city. It is the navigator inside the car that automatically identifies the recharging systems along the set route, also entering the recharging times during the set itinerary.
September 16, 2022 – 3:00 pm
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