“The electric car is a revolution for the rich: costs are high and 2035 is just around the corner”: said Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault group, during a meeting with the press in Locorotondo, in Puglia, where the manager is spending a holiday period.At the same time, the number one of the French company has also addressed other issues, starting from Formula One, where Alpine aims to establish itself like the French Ferrari.
Electricity costs, e-fuel errors, the disparity with China. A hot topic, especially these days, is the price of electric cars. And if, on the one hand, de Meo admits that, at the moment, few can afford the transition to electric power, on the other he recalled how “building a battery-powered car costs more than building a traditional car due to the investments , of the technology on board, of the components. However – continued the CEO of Renault – we must not forget that, when fully operational, management costs are reduced by about a third”. That said, de Meo does not see electric as the only way for future mobility And he admits that, in Brussels, a partial view on this topic dominates: “We must not limit ourselves to the ‘photo’ of what is to come – said the former Seat – but watch the ‘video’, aiming for technological neutrality”. In this sense, even the automotive world, according to de Meo, who has also held the role of president of Acea since the beginning of 2023, could have done more: “European manufacturers have sometimes lacked the courage to communicate the alternatives to electricity, and in explaining how efuels, for example, could be immediately available”. On this point he then added: “The car has always been a driving force for the diffusion of mobility technologies, but relegating efuels to air transport only, as Europe wants, in fact prevents their use on a large scale and the ‘cost reduction’. In short, the transition is a complex process, which also involves the methods of energy production: an area which, as the Italian manager points out, together with other factors creates a competitive imbalance between Europe and China: “In Europe the energy has a higher cost because the standards must be environmentally friendly and must have a zero carbon footprint Prices are lower in China because coal is still used, there are no pollution limits and labor costs are lower In these conditions, it’s like playing 11 against 15 football. But this is the game, and we’re on the pitch.”
“Alpine? We have to do like Ferrari and the Fiat 500”. Finally, during the meeting there was also much discussion of motorsport, and in particular of Alpine’s commitment in F.1. The change at the top that saw Philippe Krief, ex Ferrari, take the place of Laurent Rossi at the helm of the sports brand dates back to a few days ago. And de Meo seems to be looking to Maranello with the intention of igniting the enthusiasm around this brand and its team: “The Renault group has been in F1 for over 40 years – explained the CEO – but in France this sport is not passionate . And the reason is that the French don’t have a symbol to support, like Ferrari does in Italy”. “Our goal with Alpine” added de Meo “is to tie colors to passion”. “A bit like when we re-proposed the Fiat 500” said the manager recalling his past at Fiat: “It was a hook to tie people to their own history. Because – underlines the number one of the Régie – people must be involved”.
2023-08-04 17:12:44
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