E-Cars at the International Automotive Show

Overview
This ARC Advisory Group report provides a summary of the e-car related developments observed at the recent International Automotive Show (IAA) in Frankfort, Germany. The e-car market is still in its infancy, so developments at this point in time can either have no impact at all on the market, or impact it for decades.

This Insight includes specific discussions on car manufacturers and their offering, drivetrain suppliers, and a new manufacturing concept.

Car Manufacturers at the IAA
Looking at e-cars today, it's safe to assume that Frank Sinatra was right: "The best is yet to come." This is especially true when looking at the e-car-related activities of the big car manufacturers. At the show, it was obvious which cars are currently the cash cows in the portfolio and which attract the most attention. In these respects, even though an entire hall was dedicated to electro mobility, e-cars only played a minor role overall. Some highlights of what car manufacturers presented follow.

Audi presented the A8 hybrid, a parallel hybrid that uses a 2.0 TFSI (turbo fuel stratified injection) internal combustion engine. The electric motor has 180kW with 480Nm torque. Audi claims an average fuel consumption of 6.4l/100km (39.3 miles per gallon).

BMW showed the i8, the company's concept for a more efficient sports car.

Daimler showed its own concept car, the B-class E-cell plus. Smart presented the Smart for Vision, a concept car developed in cooperation with BASF, a German chemical company; plus a pure electric vehicle (PEV) Smart, which will go into mass production in 2012. The PEV Smart has a range of 140km and the customer will have the option of purchasing both the car and battery for €24,000, or purchase the car for €19,000 and lease the battery.

Ford showed a number of hybrids, predominantly parallel hybrids, which will be available in 2012. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the CMax Ennergi, will follow later in 2012. In addition to the hybrids, Ford presented the PEV Focus, which has a 160kg battery with a capacity of 23kWh.

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