“The electric car is here to stay, it’s not a passing fad”

For the head of Audi’s electric model division, the semiconductor crisis will not be resolved until 2023

That
Fermin Soneira (Gijón, 1972) being head of Audi’s electric vehicles division is no coincidence. He grew up around motorcycles, helping his father repair cars in the family workshop in his native Gijón. He studied industrial engineering to be in the creative part, the one who decided how cars should be. Today marks the path of the future of the brand with the four rings, which will launch only 100% electric models from 2026.

—Is it realistic to assume that in twelve years’ time there will only be electric cars?

—The entire park is impossible. What I can imagine is that in twelve years’ time the cars registered on license plates will be 100% electric or almost 100% electric, also in Spain. Although it is very hard to see now, we believe it will be.

—What is needed to position electric in response to mobility needs in Spain?

“Two things are needed. One of them is the charging infrastructure with points in the right places. And second, education is needed. You have to explain to customers what an electric vehicle is and they have to try it. Those who have had it will not return to the combustion engine. Handicaps such as autonomy and charging speed must be removed. For example, with the Audi Q8 e-tron we have an autonomy of up to almost 600 kilometers (more than 450 real kilometers) and in a 170 kW charger you can recover from 10 to 80% in half an hour, so that you can drive from my birthplace Gijón to Seville, about 800 kilometers, with a stopover of half an hour.

—How long will it be before sales of electrified models in Spain surpass those of internal combustion engines?

—I think it will be visible before 2030. It comes naturally because the disabilities we mentioned no longer exist. Earlier we talked about autonomy and charging speed, but there is a third handicap, namely the price, which is currently equal to that of combustion. If we also include the cost of energy/fuel plus the cost of maintenance in the equation, we will see that in many cases the electric models are cheaper than the petrol models. So I think the change is happening faster than we think.

—Apart from temporary crises such as the semiconductor crisis, the war in Ukraine or energy prices, are electrified models deprived of access to mobility for the middle and working class?

The situation we are in is not normal. Let’s hope it’s an indirect and not a structural problem and we get back to normal in a short time. Brands have the task of democratizing these new technologies, which are expensive to develop, their prices so that they become more accessible to everyone. This democratization will reach all segments. But you have to consider the whole equation, not just the purchase cost, but also the maintenance cost. To achieve this, it is necessary to make it clear to the public that the electric car is a sensible option. You should also avoid distracting customers with all the variants, which leads them to the worst option, which is not to switch cars. As a result, the park, which in the case of Spain is one of the oldest in Europe, is aging with an average age of 13 years. This is a bad solution for the environment, for the industry and for the customer, who drives a vehicle that pollutes a lot and is less safe. The electric car is here to stay, it’s not a fad, it’s viable and it has many benefits.

—Will the semiconductor crisis stand in the way of the transition to the electric car?

It’s a complicated crisis. What is clear to me is that it will not be resolved in 2023. Now the brands are in high demand and not enough supply, resulting in long waiting lists, especially for electric models, which shows the interest in this type of car.

—What role can other technologies play, such as green hydrogen?

—From an objective analysis, there are two weighty arguments for electricity over green hydrogen. The first argument is energy efficiency. To do this, we must assume that the generation of electricity and hydrogen is done with non-polluting renewable energy sources. If in both cases all losses from generation to the charging point are discounted, in the case of electricity it amounts to 73% and in the case of hydrogen only 22%. This is with respect to generation, but when we talk about infrastructure it’s clear as well. We’re talking about the fact that we’re struggling with charging points, if a fast charging point costs 100,000 euros and a slow charging point costs 10,000 euros, I don’t want to imagine how fast we would go if we had to build a network of hydrogen generators at a cost of a million euros each. The advantage of the green hydrogen car over the electric one is ultimately the charging speed, three minutes instead of thirty. That’s the only difference in favor of hydrogen.

—And the possibility of biofuel as an alternative?

“I would very much like it to come.” Especially because we’ve achieved two things: on the one hand, we can continue to have certain combustion vehicles that are niche. Moreover, its application could reduce the CO2 emissions of the existing fleet. I think this solution makes more sense than green hydrogen, what happens is that the price is very expensive today, but it is possible that this type of fuel will be more affordable in five years. If so, it will coexist with the electric one.

—Some European governments are considering stopping incentives to buy electric cars, how do you see that?

—The automotive sector is essential for Europe and especially for Spain, Europe’s second largest producing country, accounting for 9% of GDP, providing two million direct and indirect jobs. We are in a phase of transformation where brands need to bring competitive products to market that convince people. But in this phase of transformation, the states must help.

—The delay in the implementation of the charging infrastructure is not encouraging.

—We must not fall into the pessimism that this is not making progress. I always give the example of Norway, where electric vehicle sales will be over 75% of the total this year, I am talking about 100% electric vehicles. Ten years ago there was no electricity in that country. It is true that Spain has a different situation, but I believe that this transformation is possible and also necessary. It is also necessary that there is more local demand for this type of vehicle in Spain to ensure the viability of its factories, as a brand may consider supporting factories due to the lack of domestic demand, which usually accounts for a third of the total production from another country.

—At what range is a battery considered too heavy?

—Anyone who hasn’t driven an electric car may think they need a range of 1,000 kilometers, but that’s not the case. In fact, I am convinced that in a short time we will be talking more about consumption and efficiency than about autonomy. The most important thing is efficiency, as you can see in the Q8 e-tron, where we have paid a lot of attention to aerodynamics, which leads us to reduce consumption. I think 600 kilometers is enough. Putting more autonomy is giving more weight and that leads to rising consumption. In the next generations of batteries, such as solid-state batteries, we can achieve more kilometers of autonomy with the same weight.

—Electrifying the entire range means giving up markets such as Asia, Africa or South America?

-No. We don’t give up anything. It is necessary to look at the demand for an internal combustion engine in each country. Excluding Europe, we see electrification proceeding at very similar rates in the US and China. It is true that there are other regions of the world where demand is lagging. When we talk about Audi, a premium brand, we have to look at the sales we have. What we are not going to do is specific combustion cars for countries or regions that are not electrified.

—When will Audi stop producing cars with internal combustion engines?

—In 2026 it will certainly be the last presentation of an Audi combustion model, but that car will be in production for seven years. This means that we will stop producing it in 2033. By then, we are confident that the market for premium electric vehicles will be established in Europe, China and the US.

—What does the Spanish market mean for Audi?

—It is one of the five major markets in Europe and Europe is the most important region for us worldwide.

“Fully electrifying the Audi range will mean that models will be buried and others will be created. Which models will disappear and in which segment will the novelties come?

—Neither the A1 nor the Q2, the smaller models, will have continuity. There will be a phase where electric and combustion models will coexist in the same segment or in similar segments, with which there will be a certain duplicity until the new electric ones are consolidated. On the PPE platform, we are launching a Q6 e-tron derived from the A6 e-tron, a very important segment for Audi, which will be launched soon.

—What do you expect from the Q8 e-tron?

—It brings together the essence of what we want an electric Audi to be. It was born with the DNA of four-wheel drive Audi, but above all I want to emphasize the quality of its exterior and interior finish. I would also like to highlight the soundproofing which, while it seems like a contradiction as it has no internal combustion engine, requires work on other aerodynamic and rolling noises that remain exposed. I would also like to highlight the agility in driving that is typical of Audi’s DNA. And we have also worked a lot on improving the autonomy and the charging speed. It brings together what we want an electric Audi to be.

– What audience is it intended for?

—In Europe, we expect 70% to be private customers and the remaining 30% to be fleets.

—The landing of Chinese brands in Europe is activating the premium segment, are they a danger? How are you going to counter them?

—We take them into account, but they do not pose a threat. We take every competitor that arrives seriously, but we are not afraid. More than anything, because besides the fascinating machine that the car is, it is much more, it is also all the supporting infrastructure around it and it is the heritage and prestige of a brand that gives values ​​that cannot be transferred from one to the next day are created. . It may be that a competitor is better than us in some respect and that will motivate us to keep improving.

Source: La Verdad

Ida

I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.