-Hello, Robert. -Hello, Émeric. -You are the Electric Vehicles product manager. Electric cars are more expensive than thermal cars. Are electric cars only for rich people? -First, electric vehicles offer a different experience. The customers who buy them today are pioneers in a way. We see two different trends. For some, the environment is their main motivation, for others, it is the technology. However, for these, they want their car to reflect their state of mind. They want to show their social role, that they are ahead of society, through this purchase. We see this a lot with Zoé buyers. A lot of them had premium cars. These customers are usually from higher socioprofessional categories. They spend more money on a car. So the supply of electric cars is consequently high-end and more technological. However, if we want to increase the penetration of electric cars, we will have to appeal to other, more traditional customers. We can notice that in China, there are now a lot of very basic electric cars, easy-to-use and small cars which answer basic mobility needs and can often be driven without a license. To appeal to these customers, we will need to answer their needs. I will get back to it. But mostly, we will have to offer new services. These customers will want a more pleasant drive. And electric vehicles do have some upsides. They are less noisy. The acceleration is significantly more agreeable and instantaneous. These vehicles also come with a lot of upsides in its usage. -As you mention usage, do you think electric vehicles today suit the customers' usage and needs? -First, electric vehicles have a lot of advantages. More and more town will restrict access during urban pollution spikes or in the city centers. So these situations will favor electric vehicles. Then, electric vehicles have mechanical organs of smaller size than regular vehicles. So the body of the car will be able to be more habitable than a thermal car of the same size. The real issue with electric vehicles which you are probably pondering is autonomy. I think we should distinguish two situations. There are customers who want a multipurpose car. They want to be able to go on holiday, and drive a long distance. They will need an electric vehicle capable of driving over 400 kilometers on a freeway before they can switch to an electric car. This implies large batteries over 100 kilowatt-hour. We will need more progress on batteries to develop these cars. Then, there are people who need a vehicle for their daily commute. They usually need 250 kilometers of autonomy for urban and suburban journeys. For them, there is already some high-end supply with an increasing offer of more affordable vehicles. For instance, we introduced Zoé Z.E 40 last year. It exceeds this kind of usage for a relatively low price. -If I follow you, you think it is more interesting for now to invest the lower price of batteries into increasing autonomy until reaching 250 or 300 kilometers of autonomy. Then, some would prefer using the decrease of battery price to lower the car price and others, to have higher battery stacks and longer autonomy with two different kinds of users? -Absolutely. What is important is that we reach enough autonomy to guarantee a less constrained and stressful usage of electric cars. To do so, we keep in mind the 250-kilometer threshold for urban and suburban usage. Once we have crossed this threshold, which we have already done, we think it best to lower the price so we can offer this vehicle to a larger group of people and promote widely electric vehicles. And our simulations lead us to think that over the next decade, we will have electric vehicles with a more interesting user cost over 3 years than thermal vehicles for customers who agree to have limited autonomy. We are working on another issue regarding the battery. It is the cost of electric vehicles without the battery. There are several dimensions to this. First, the electric engine and its power electronics. We believe it will be cheaper in the long run than a traditional engine subjected to tighter and tighter anti-pollution regulations. Then, on an electric vehicle, we must add some equipment to make it more efficient, such as a heat pump. The frame of an electric car is reinforced to carry the batteries compared to a thermal car. Producing an electric car is also slightly more complicated. Most of all, the last dimension is the scale effect. The automotive industry, as everybody knows, is a mass industry. Even though we are selling twice as many Zoés as last year, and it is the most sold vehicle in Europe, we produce eight times as many Clios. As long as this ratio remains the same, electric cars will be more expensive to produce. I think the authorities understood this and many countries grant aids to offset these factors. These aids are essential to help the development of such technologies. -So electric cars will become cheaper than thermal cars but not including the battery price. In the end, will electric cars really be interesting? -The user cost of thermal vehicles will be higher than electric vehicles' because fuel will be more expensive than the electricity used in the cars. To drive over 10 000 kilometers with a petrol car, it will cost about 1 000 euros but only 300 euros in electricity with an electric car, or even less so if you get preferential rates for electricity. The money saved will offset the battery cost. For customers who do not want to invest, there are battery rental offers. Renault does this, for instance, as well as other manufacturers. This will allow the customer to pay back their battery and to have unlimited guarantee on their battery for a reasonable price. For a Zoé Z.E 40 which travels on average 12 500 kilometers a year, the battery rental will be 89 euros a month. We believe that electric vehicles are ideal for people who need a vehicle for their daily urban and suburban commute. There are several reasons. First, what they offer. The living space is more pleasant, they are more agreeable to drive and less noisy. They also give more freedom since they make the city more accessible than a thermal car. And in the end, in the long run, thanks to the progress of manufacturers and batteries, the user cost of this kind of vehicles for daily commutes will be lower. -Thank you. -Thank you.
