Not there yet: Auto industry grapples with electric vehicle hurdles

The road map is a bit ambiguous. But then again, so is the road ahead.

Automakers and suppliers are doing their best to drive the industry toward electrification, but that's not always easy to do, especially as goals change and consumers hesitate to embrace technology.

So the auto industry pushes forward with technological innovations, accelerating toward a future where electric vehicles are as much a part of the landscape as their internal combustion engine counterparts.

And, as with any journey, some are getting restless to reach the destination.

"Are we there yet? The answer is no," said Joerg Trampler, who is responsible for all of ZF Friedrichshafen A.G.'s powertrain engineering operations in North America. "The road to electrification is an endurance race."

Trampler joined Dustin Krause, Volkswagen Group of America Inc.'s North American director of e-mobility, for a discussion about the future of electric vehicle technology and what it will take to go from niche product to mass market. The discussion was part of a webinar series hosted Aug. 4-5 by the Center for Automotive Research as part of the annual Management Briefing Seminars. The event, typically hosted in Traverse City, Mich., transitioned to an online format because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every major automaker is focused on and investing in EV technology, and Volkswagen is no exception. Following its Audi and Porsche brands, which already introduced EV models of their own, VW is gearing up to roll out its ID.4, a compact crossover that is due to hit dealer showrooms later this year.

Volkswagen, Krause said, had covered the "luxury market and the sports car market. Now, we are going to hit the mass market, taking inspiration from what our customers wanted and what others are doing."

While the ID.4 may be among the first EVs that auto makers hope will break through to the mass market, it won't be the last.

"The world will go toward electrification," Trampler said. "We just don't know how fast."

To that end, ZF has some predictions of its own.

While it feels like the industry has a long way to go before consumers fully embrace EV technology as a viable option, progress has been made. Because it's not the technology itself that is keeping the industry from moving forward, especially in North America. It's a mindset.

Krause said he is certain that most consumers haven't had the opportunity to experience exactly what EVs have to offer, and that will be key as auto makers look to help them make the switch.

The good news, he said, is that changing that perception is as simple as a test drive.

"Getting behind the wheel of (an electric) car," Krause said, "it changes something."

Trampler agreed.

"A lot of people who say 'I am not ready' or 'electric vehicles are bad' probably have never driven one," Trampler said. "I got hooked the first time I sat in an electric vehicle. The drivetrain was different, and it handled well. I would encourage everyone to try an electric vehicle and see what you think."

Securing a seat behind the wheel of a test-driven vehicle may be harder than it sounds because the automotive buying experience is changing. The days of visiting a dealer, scoping out the inventory and taking a couple of cars for a spin before making a purchase are gone. Most consumers begin the buying process online and may only test one or two cars.

With the rise of online vehicle sales platforms, some may never test drive the car they buy.

This certainly presents a challenge, Krause said. Which is why it's up to the automotive industry not only to prove what EVs can do, but push for the infrastructure to support them.

"The first thing is getting someone behind the wheel," Krause said. "The second thing is showing them that solutions exist for them to own this thing."

Range anxiety remains one of the most common concerns consumers have regarding EVs. For generations, the vehicle has been synonymous with freedom — the ability to go anywhere you want, whenever you want.

Krause said he remembers someone saying they were concerned the range of the electric vehicle would not suit their lifestyle: "What if I want to go Florida at a moment's notice?" They asked him.

"I was like, when have you ever done that before?"

Still, he said, it's exactly that kind of question that holds consumers back, realistic or not.

Krause made the leap to EVs a little more than a decade ago. At that time, there were few options for charging, and he remembered making calculated pit stops at camp grounds to ensure that he had a place to recharge the car.

Today, he said, that has changed. Municipalities, states and companies — including Volkswagen — have invested in a charging infrastructure that stretches across the continental U.S., giving EV owners the opportunity to embrace the freedom they expect from their vehicles.

If changes that big can be made in just one decade, the next could be even better for the industry as it pushes toward its goals.

"Just think where we are going to be in another 10 years," Krause said.

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