Why More People Are One Step Closer to Driving an Electric Car
The uncertainty of fuel prices, environmental concerns, and a shifting regulatory landscape are among many factors in recent years that have moved car manufacturers to consider a shift towards production of hybrid electric or green energy vehicles.
The biggest reason for this shift may be the easiest to understand – an increasing number of consumers simply like the idea of driving green. However, not only do consumers demand the standard features that they’re used to having in traditional cars, they also want a greener vehicle to look good while they’re driving it.
While there has been plenty of progress in bringing electric cars to market, the effort hasn’t been without its obstacles. Namely, ongoing production challenges of car manufacturers has meant that owning the electric car of their dreams still remains out of reach for many drivers.
Simply put, electric cars could be more affordable if the production process was more efficient. The dilemma for many automakers, however, has been that building a modern, state-of-the-art, integrated platform is expensive and complex. The effort is even more daunting if you have a large operation with big legacy system dependencies going at full speed. However, thanks to technology and the vision of an upstart Swedish electric car manufacturer, things are soon likely to change.
NEVS is based in the city of Trollhattan, Sweden and employs 900 people in Sweden and ramping up their team fast in China. The company acquired the assets of Saab Automobile AB in 2012 with a vision of shaping a more sustainable future by focusing solely on electric vehicles that have mobility solutions built around them.
NEVS is the trademark of the company’s products including the first electric vehicle based on the “9-3 platform” with production in China slated for later this year. As part of a global expansion, the company is building an end-to-end, automated manufacturing chain for the production of next-generational electrical vehicles in Trollhattan, Sweden and Tianjin, China.
Their vision is to provide a global portfolio of connected mobility solutions and fully electric premium cars. Realizing that having the right technology was critical to reaching this ambitious goal, NEVS chose SAP S/4HANA and SAP for Automotive Solutions. The solution was designed, built, and operated in partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Applications Services and infrastructure services teams. HPE have employed it’s IP in form of process templates for SAP Automotive Solutions specifically developed for car manufacturers, based on best practices derived from many years of working with OEM’s building vehicle plants and back office platforms.
The SAP based platform at the heart of NEVS integrated manufacturing platform connects every process, person, and entity involved from incoming order to delivery of a finished car. The company believes that SAP S/4HANA, with its modern database technology and in-memory computing capabilities, is the integral component for managing high volume, high complexity, car manufacturing.
“Understanding all aspects of the cost of development from end-to-end is crucial, and SAP S/4HANA offers many advantages we can capitalize on. After all, being in tune with the marketplace – and adjusting your cost base accordingly – is invaluable.”
Conny Janson Vice President IS/IT, National Electric Sweden AB
Transformation into a modern manufacturing business that has an IT platform that can support global expansion requires instant visibility and full legacy integration of every step – from initial order to final delivery.
Fortuitously, thanks to the implementation of a new robust and fully operational global vehicle manufacturing process chain, NEVS is well-positioned to allow many patient and environmentally conscious people around the world to at last drive home in the electric car of their dreams.
Hey Darren
Don't know if there's need for more "electric premium cars" - after all, there's Tesla already!?
What I'd like to see is more affordable, smaller cars, with clever ideas.
I'm really looking forward to the Sion!
Then again, every step away from fossil is a good one, so nice if SAP can support that!
best
Joachim
Hey
There are generally three prime motivators for buying an electric car. These reasons can overlap for many and they can be attributed to both battery-electric vehicles (BEV), hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEV), gasoline-electric hybrids, and so on.
The first reason is economic. For many people, an EV is actually cheaper to own and operate than is a gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle. If, for example, your commute is 20–40 miles per day (round trip) and the weather is not commonly going above 100F or below 0F, then it’s likely that a low-cost EV like the Nissan LEAF would mean far lower costs for you in terms of fuel, maintenance, etc.
The second reason is political or ideological. Many people want to “save the planet” or “environment” or whatever. An EV is, at least in its own bubble, less polluting than is a combustion engine-powered vehicle. There is debate about how much less polluting, but the general perception, at least, is that they are less polluting.
The third reason is social. People often own an EV because it’s perceived as “better” for various reasons. It’s the “latest” in technology, it’s superior in efficiency, it’s more environmentally friendly, it’s “riskier,” it’s more “edgy.” Lately it’s because it’s “faster.” Basically these all translate to “mine is bigger than yours.” Which has been a preening point for humans since time immemorial.
There could be other reasons, but in my experience they always fall into one of the above three.