In the past, Supply Chains focused on the availability, logistics and costs of physical assets. Today’s Supply Chains are pivotal in determining the quality of products and services, delivery, costs, customer experience, profitability and environmental sustainability.
In this context, companies manufacturing and distributing vehicles necessarily have to change their approach to sales. Today there are still notable obstacles to the sale of electric vehicles, however visually attractive, technologically advanced and accessorised they may be. In this interview, Sara Capetti, an expert in the sector and Sales Administrator at Subaru Italia S.p.A., explains the radical changes that are occurring in the Automotive sector as a result of the energy transition.
Sara, how does the Supply Chain change in the sales process?
“Potential purchasers of electric vehicles are understandably worried about the range of an electric car, the lack of recharging infrastructure in some areas of the country, and the high list prices. In addition, battery electric vehicles (BEV) call for a whole series of services (such as recharging stations) that internal combustion engine (ICE) cars don’t need.”
To what degree are sales affected by the recycling and disposal of batteries?
“The introduction of electric cars is considered as a fundamental step in the effort to decarbonise the transport sector and reduce CO2 emissions in the long term. However, it is impossible to ignore the question of batteries, an essential component in a BEV, and the most problematic factor from the point of view of the circular economy.
The most frequent query is about what happens to the battery at the end of its life, whether there is the possibility of recovering, at least in part, some of the raw materials of which it is made, and whether the cost of disposal, which at present is very high, will drop in the future.
Considering that the lithium contained in batteries is a hazardous material, when a battery reaches the end of its life, it has to be handled with special care and expertise.
The disposal of lithium automotive batteries is performed through a complex series of operations. This begins with the packaging of the used batteries, which, for safety reasons and to comply with ADR (regulations for road transport with regard to packaging, load securing, classification and labelling of dangerous goods), requires the use of specially-designed containers, representing a notable expense.
The latter step plays an important part in determining overall handling costs, because the cost of disposing of lithium batteries for electric vehicles is of the order of €4 – 4.50 per kg.
The exact cost depends on the conditions of the battery and its technical configuration designed by the manufacturer specifically for recycling purposes.
All these factors can have a great impact on corporate finance and sales.”
Sara Capetti has been working in the Automotive sector for several years, acquiring expert knowledge of both commercial vehicles and cars, and developing specific expertise in the technological innovations that are rapidly changing manufacturers’ approach to their products. Her passion for the natural environment gives her considerable interest in sustainable development goals for road transport vehicles.
Text edited and optimized by Write Now
