EVision 2023: Six essentials for the e-mobility revolution

For the first time since Eurelectric began the EVision Business Hub, this year the annual event took place live. This week for two days in Brussels at the Autoworld Museum Brussels , #EVision 2023 hosted over 250 people to discuss the e-mobility revolution. In the befitting venue, attendees had the opportunity to network with experts, take in exhibits from innovators in the e-mobility space, and attend sessions with essential dialogue on how to accelerate e-mobility.

Kicking off the event, EY ’s Global Energy & Resource Market Leader, Serge Colle , presented the findings from our joint report on the six essentials to accelerate e-mobility in Europe, where he reiterated that:

“We are entering the mainstream momentum of EVs. The public is now gaining interest in adopting EVs.”

Following his presentation, the ensuing sessions touched on each of the essentials and how to address them to ensure rapid electrification of transportation.

The six essentials, access to critical raw materials, clean power generation, grid management, charging infrastructure, digitalisation for consumer acceptance and skilled labour, are vital to the turn to electric vehicles. With each session touching on one of them, we bring some key quotes from the speakers over the past two days.

Access to critical raw materials

“The green transition needs to happen even faster than we thought and critical raw materials are key. We need to act now to avoid economic disruptions.” ~ Madalina Ivanica , Head of Unit, DG GROW, European Commission

“The goal should not be 100% self-sufficiency, it should be diversification and strategic autonomy.” ~ Julia Poliscanova (she/her) , Senior Director, Electric Vehicles and Batteries, T&E

“China has a dominant position in processing critical raw materials - 80% of the market share. We will need to adopt mitigation strategies: recycling, localised supply chains and more.” Serge Colle , Global Energy & Resource Market Leader, EY

Clean power generation

“It is the era of clean electrification… This decade has been called ‘critical climate action’ decade, the decade to ‘really become independent’, the ‘digital decade’. I dare to say it is the decade of clean electrification, and the decade where we have to make it work for electric mobility… We need to come out of our comfort zones to enable this Electric Decade.” ~ Daniel Mes, Member of Cabinet of Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, European Commission

Grid management

"We must connect as many of these flexible items to the grid first, and then build it out... We can see it as a transitory measure. The Eurelectric Connecting the Dots Study accounts for these €400bn but not the trillions more needed in buildout." ~ Oliver Franz , Vice President of European Associations, E.ON

“It is a systemic question: for the grid, customers flexibility is key. If the system is challenged, it is not the consumer that has to change, but the system itself.” ~ Monique Goyens , Director General, BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation

“Grid integration represents an opportunity: to achieve the electrification goal in 2040, funds need to be provided. The sector is competing with many others that also require charging.” ~ Markus Mildner , CEO eMobility, Siemens Infrastructure

Charging infrastructure

“The truck industry is converging towards battery trucks, which wasn’t that clear one year ago. All those EVs will need millions of new connection points.” Pierre de Firmas , Electric Mobility Director, Enedis

“The whole value chain needs to commit in the long term to install future-proof infrastructure. And the responsibility is also on the States that need to deploy the necessary infrastructure.” ~ Carla Detrieux , Director of Business Development, Volta Trucks

Digitalisation for consumer acceptance

“One thing we can all do together is data and information sharing... interoperability... and privacy by design.” ~ Oliver Franz , Vice President of European Associations, E.ON

“We need to explain why we need the data of the car, at that point most customers are willing to give consent.” ~ Olivier Dubois , Electric Mobility Director, EDF

Skilled labour

“In terms of challenges, we need a broad range of skills that will bring an equally broad range of new jobs… The sector is answering these challenges in many ways: companies are starting part-time programmes where workers can experience research and development… More vocational programmes, students trained as technicians…” ~ Lucie Mattera , Secretary-General, ChargeUp Europe

“Within the Platform for Electromobility - we are 45 members from the e-mobility ecosystem - our study shows that by 2030 there will be more jobs offered. Some jobs are going to disappear but will be replaced by new ones. The challenge is to accompany workers in this transition.” ~ Céline Domecq , Director of Government Affairs, Head of Volvo Cars EU Office & Chairwoman of the Platform for Electromobility

 We would like to thank everyone who came to partake and for making this the best EVision yet. If you want access to the photos from the event, you can find them online here. We hope you are already looking forward to next year, same place, same month. We will see you at Autoworld Museum Brussels for #EVision 2024!