The automotive sector is going through a moment of transcendental change. Abandoning fossil fuels for sustainable mobility, the use of public transport and private cars in big cities, and how young people understand and value cars. Various experts spoke about these and many other issues at a forum organized by Freedom of Mobility.
Among those observing the event was Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellar, the group behind brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel or Jeep. Tavares spoke on various topics and shared with the attendees his vision of the future of mobility.
Carlos Tavares: the executive who created the fourth largest automobile group
This is the vision of Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellar, about the future of mobility
For the head of the automotive group, the sector faces a profound transformation: “This change is truly Darwinian, there is no doubt. What is also clear is that the solutions we seek to provide the industry, especially with electrification, as previously stated, do not solve all the problems.
Tavares argues that the automotive sector must solve the problems of the industry in order to achieve clean mobility: “Then, in that respect, we must achieve machines that are affordable for as many citizens as possible.”
“Over time, urban and rural areas may need different solutions, and countries in the north and regions in the south, may not see this problem in the same way, because the resources to solve these methods are not the same,” he adds. Stella’s head
For Tavares, it is the automobile industry that should assume the difference in costs between electric and combustion cars, and not consumers: “The affordability is not there, because the raw materials are scarce and very expensive, and I would add very volatile. We know that we need lithium. We know that we cannot produce enough as much as is needed.”
“We already have 1.3 billion cars that run internal combustion engines on the planet. We need to restore pure mobility. It needs lithium material. “Lithium may not be enough, but the combination of lithium extraction may create other geopolitical problems,” explains Tavares.
Carlos Tavares used the market to explain that manufacturers are still looking for lighter materials and exploring different components in the battery, at the same time as the demand for infrastructure for electric cars is greater and accessible to all.
Stellantis’ CEO also laments the lack of flexibility to introduce other technologies besides electrification: “Our companies are losing great potential by not having technologically neutral regulations.” This is a great, great loss of creation from the scientific power that we are.”
Despite all this, Tavares expects Stellantis to achieve its 2030 goals, in which 100% of cars sold in Europe correspond to electric vehicles, while they hope to reach the United States by the end of this decade.
Source: Business Insider
