Overview of Electric Vehicle Models in 2019

This article was originally published in our "Décryptage Mobilité" newsletter. To receive future articles by email as soon as they are published, Subscribe now. By Éloïse Dulac - Consultant

The outlook forTrends in Electric Vehicle Sales predict a sharp increase in the number of vehicles sold. In 2018, approximately 2 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide, and that number could grow to nearly 10 million by 2025 in certain scenarios, such as the one described by Bloomberg, for example [1].

In Europe, Automakers are rapidly expanding their lineup of electric vehicles to meet exhaust CO2 emission targets which are imposed by the European Union (see this article (from a previous issue of Décryptage Mobilité). According to a recent study by the organization Transport & Environment [2], the number of models on the market is expected to rise from 20 in 2016 to 172 in 2025. In 2019, 19 new models are expected. A recent article by Numerama [3] highlights 14 of them for which the range (estimated using the WLTP cycle) and battery capacity are known.

What should we make of the battery life offered by these models? A first, purely technical point of analysis concerns the plausibility of the distances traveled by car, particularly long-distance trips, given that there are no concerns about making typical daily trips. In 2016, trips between 100 and 300 km accounted for nearly 56% of long-distance travel [4] (a trip being defined as a journey of more than 100 kilometers from home). Thus, the models offered (excluding subcompact city cars) have enough range to cover more than half of long-distance trips in a single trip, and this proportion rises to more than 80% of trips if there is at least one recharge during the trip.

What about the price of these cars? The starting price of these vehicles remains well above that of their internal-combustion counterparts, despite the significant drop in the average price of a lithium-ion battery pack, which fell from $1,160 USD in 2010 to $176 USD per kWh in constant currency [1]. The decline in the unit price is partially offset by the increase in battery capacity, a increase justified by the technical need to cover a wider range of trips, but also to meet consumer expectations regarding the perceived need for range.

So, when it comes to the supply of electric vehicles, The market has no shortage of models designed to cater to different vehicle segments and customer groups. While the purchase price may still be a barrier, it should be viewed in the context of government purchase incentives, on the one hand, and the savings realized during the vehicles’ operational phase, on the other. It is hoped that developments in the coming years will make these vehicles even more accessible in terms of a balance between price and range, but the main challenge now appears to be the efficient deployment of a network of charging stations.

Article written by Éloïse Dulac - Consultant
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Sources: [1] Bloomberg NEF [2] Automakers’ Electric Car Plans Across Europe, 2019–2025, Transport & Environment [3] Data sources: Numerama, Autoplus, Clean Car [4] Long-Distance Travel by the French in 2016, Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition