Despite the involvement that the vast majority of car manufacturers demonstrate in relation to electric vehicles, even announcing and in some cases, the almost complete conversion of their range, within a few years, the truth is that it has yet to be ascertained, in a concrete and precise manner. , if electric mobility manages to be, even today, a viable and sustainable business.
In a sector that, like many others, lives a lot from the economy of scale, the current figures for sales of electric vehicles, especially with regard to some manufacturers, suggest that a lot still needs to be done for the 100% electric car, not only pay for itself, as it makes enough profit for a builder to abandon any other alternative.
However, as he now reveals, in statements to the North American CNBC, the CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Carlos Ghosn, the French-Japanese car group is already registering sales that allow it to make money with electric vehicles at this time. .
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan-MitsubishiWe are, most likely, the car manufacturer that is further ahead, as far as costs related to electric cars are concerned, and we have already announced, in 2017, that we are most likely the only manufacturer that begins to make profits from the sale of eletric cars
Electrics are a small fraction of total sales
According to figures put forward by the company itself, the Alliance's profits reached 3854 billion euros in 2017. Although Ghosn has never specified the contribution made by sales of electric vehicles to this amount, knowing in advance that this type of car continues being only a small fraction of the total number of units traded.
However, and in what is intended to be a demonstration of confidence, the CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance guarantees that he is not even worried about the foreseeable increase in the price of the raw materials used in the manufacture of batteries.
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi AllianceThe rising cost of raw materials for batteries will be offset by increasing knowledge about how to make batteries more efficiently and how to replace some of those raw materials that are in batteries.
Raw material prices to rise, but no impact
It should be remembered that the prices of raw materials such as cobalt or lithium have been rising considerably in recent years, due to the growth in demand. Although the quantities used in the cells are small, their impact on the final cost of the batteries is still minimal.