Session Name: The Shift to Electric Vehicles and When Will We Reach the Tipping Point: Range, Cost, and Infrastructure
In a panel at STEP 2020, moderated by Ray Dargham, CEO and co-founder of STEP Conference, speakers Karl W. Feilder, CEO of Neutral Fuels LLC, a Dubai based company that converts vegetable oil waste into European EN14214 standard compliant biofuel, Irfan Tansel, CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles, the sole distributor for Nissan, Infiniti and Renault in the UAE’s automotive market, Daniel Gamber, Director of Business Development and Strategy at BYTON, a Chinese all-electric vehicle automotive brand, and Dr. Demet Karaali, CIO of Mercedes-Benz cars and vans in Turkey, spoke about electric vehicles and their role in helping society reach zero-emission transportation. And discussed one of the biggest challenges for automakers: achieving a higher driving range at a lower battery cost.
The automotive industry is undergoing rapid change, from autonomous driving, to connectivity, electric cars, and intelligent solutions. According to the panelists, electric cars are ready for the market, and people are investing, but the only downside in regards to technology is battery life. However, substantial investment has taken place to accelerate this matter, and once batteries change, the adoption level will rise significantly.
“The world has changed, and the car manufacturer’s are starting to wake up…the consumer is driving this now.”
Karl W. Feilder, CEO, Neutral Fuels LLC
According to Feilder, the CEO of Neutral Fuels, “Consumers are growing increasingly aware of global warming and are driving change in the automobile industry through greener choices.” Feilder added, “The world has changed, and the car manufacturer’s are starting to wake up…the consumer is driving this now, and the consumer is driving it from a climate change perspective.” Feilder and the rest of the panelists were optimistic about the outlook for greener transportation solutions.
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