OEMs, investors and infrastructure players must collaborate globally to ensure the future of e-mobility, backed by consistent policies from regulatory and governmental bodies.

The webinar provided a holistic view of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the future of e-mobility

That’s the finding of an event hosted by leading global energy consultancy firm Charles River Associates in partnership with Hubject Consulting, and attended by industry leaders from BP, Arrival, Balderton Capital and Alliant Energy.

Held at the end of April, the webinar provided a holistic view of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the future of e-mobility.

This included a call for regulatory consistency from governments. Attendees outlined that in the UK, local figureheads often take a larger role versus centralised government policy. And Alliant Energy senior product manager Rob Wozny discussed how in the US, a lack of federal policy has led to state disparity in creating suitable environments for e-mobility.

The panel agreed that geographically-differing regulations and the resulting infrastructure challenges must be unified into an overwhelming consensus on standards and compliance.

This must go beyond just green targets, with e-mobility evolving the traditional role of the utility, calling into question the re-sale of electricity with OEM or energy company-operated charging points.

It added that taking the full ecosystem into account must be done to encourage buy-in from key players and to create effectively functioning e-mobility infrastructure.

Mike Nakrani, VP future mobility & electrification for Europe & South Africa at BP, spoke about the need to break down siloes between e-mobility stakeholders and providers to achieve progress.

And venture capital firm Balderton Capital outlined the sharp rise in investment in mobility tech, particularly in Europe. Within the e-mobility sector, customers will need support in managing fluctuations of electricity prices as grid capacity faces continued challenges. Investing in software that can support customers in understanding this will help to demystify EV consumer ownership unknowns and provide confidence in total cost of vehicle ownership.

The subject of OEM progress also came up, including how long lead times and high prices have been major barriers to entry for electrification. Arrival provided insight into how commercial vehicle OEMs can rethink production to accelerate EV manufacturing speed and achieve price-parity with diesel vehicles.

Commenting on the outcomes, Tilmann Hensel-Roth, vice president and energy expert at Charles River Associates, said: “The sentiment is clear. Collaboration is not an option, but a requirement for a global, mass e-mobility transition. Public and private institutions must lead by example in terms of their own vehicles, who they partner and engage with, and the policies and regulations they support. COP26 is an important platform to discuss the most pressing issues facing our climate, and the direction that governments and businesses need to take to overcome them.”

To watch the event in full, please click this link.