Olivier Paturet is the General Manager of the Zero Emission Strategy at Nissan and is responsible for organising the upstream activities necessary for the arrival and deployment of the Nissan Electric Vehicle line-up.
Automotive World caught up with Paturet at this year’s Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition (EVS27) in Barcelona to discuss his thoughts on the current EV market performance and the OEM’s predictions for the future of electrified vehicles.
What is your view of the market performance to date of EVs worldwide?
The main markets are proven to now be Japan, US and Europe. Within Europe, the interesting development in the EV market in general is the leadership that Norway has developed. We at Nissan find it very interesting. So, on a global basis, the start of the EV seems to be going well, with Japan leading and the US also very strong.
What role do you think that EVs are going to play in the automotive industry over the next five to ten years? Do you think volumes will grow?
Yes, our view is that the trends somehow are irreversible, and this is because there are a number of factors all aiming at supporting the sales of the electric vehicle. The first one is air quality improvement. This, of course, is impacting many cities throughout Europe, but also China and other countries. The second is oil dependency. Obviously burning one billion barrels per day of oil for transport doesn’t really make sense; there must be a better way. The third is interesting because it is the interaction with another world; it is the deployment of renewable energy within the utility sector. When more renewable energy becomes available, it needs to rest on the energy storage and in that sense the most interesting energy storage today is the electric vehicle because you get both usage of a car and storage of energy. So these are the three main trends which we think are so strong that they will support the deployment of the battery EV for the longer term.
Do you ever see battery electric vehicles becoming mainstream?
In some instances they could, in some cities that, for example, develop their own zero emission zones, but certainly not in all instances. There will be a large portion of thermal engines still in the market. Our view is that if we reach 10% of the total industry, this is probably the right level.
In the development of ICE and other powertrain technologies, do you ever envisage a diminishing role for battery EVs?
No, battery EVs will play a major role.
What do you think are the biggest barriers to EVs becoming more mainstream?
It’s a long term adoption process, in the sense that it takes some time to understand what the EV can do for you, and whether you are ready for an EV when it is time to change your car, and whether you have confidence that the charging infrastructure will be available for you at a convenient location. And above all, price. So, all in all, it’s a series of doors that need to be opened, and a very long process, concentrated on charging infrastructure. But the good thing is that the people who would probably convince you are the people already driving an EV. They are the people that are the most vocal about their vehicle.
Do you think standardisation of chargers is an important factor?
I think it is. It has been a discussion but now we’ve reached a point where it is actually stabilising. When you look around today, you see that most chargers are multi-standard, accommodating most of the standards that will be published within the coming months. So I don’t think this is a discussion point any longer. The discussion point is making these chargers available through commercial deployment.
Do you think wireless charging is a viable option for the future?
Sure, when it comes at the right price, because it’s a question of energy transfer with cost. It would be very convenient, for example, in a cold climate, and it would probably be better to have a wireless charging rather than having to take your cable, frozen or wet, back into the trunk. I think that is also an interesting option for fleets.
Rachel Boagey
