Specialist
C-level executive at Center for Automotive Research
Agenda
- Competitive landscape update – Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Ford (NYSE: F), General Motors (NYSE: GM), Rivian, BMW (ETR: BMW) and Audi (ETR: NSU)
- Potential consumer tax credits and removal of the per-manufacturer cap
- Investment in national charging networks and government fleet purchases
- Carbon emission targets impacting manufacturers' COGS
- State and federal legislative scenarios for 2021-24
- Outlook for long-term investments and incentives
Questions
1.
Could you begin with an overview of the US EV [electric vehicle] industry and any key trends or themes you think the investment community should pay attention to right now?
2.
What is your take on the incoming Biden administration’s tax credit plans, and what could be the implications for major OEMs, especially those such as General Motors and Tesla who have already run out of their allocated tax credits?
3.
Could you elaborate on the potential impacts for OEMs of the US re-entry into the Paris Agreement climate accord?
4.
How would you gauge the potential for investments in charging infrastructure around the US and the potential ROI for OEMs due to higher EV sales once that infrastructure is in place? I have heard there is a law of diminishing returns on new charging stations.
5.
What share of the industry do you think might be electric in 2024, and to what extent is that outlook adjusted by the positive impact of the Biden administration’s policies might have on new car unit sales?
6.
What is your take on the Biden administration’s strong support for unions, including UAW [United Auto Workers], and its commentary around creating union jobs? How might that intersect with EV plans and the dynamics in particular with more anti-unionist companies such as Tesla?
7.
Is there a silver bullet solution that the administration can find to achieve a lower cost of batteries and ultimately lower sale price of vehicles? Or does this not come down to federal policies in your opinion?
8.
How important do you think leadership at the DoE [Department of Energy] and DoT [Department of Transportation] might be for the automotive community and the future of autonomous vehicles in particular?
9.
What are your expectations for collaboration between the state and federal DoTs for EVs?
10.
How might the CEOs at General Motors, Ford and Tesla – Mary Barra, Jim Farley and Elon Musk – view the incoming Biden administration and why?
11.
How are you assessing the state of California’s plans to ban new ICE [internal combustion engine] vehicle sales by 2035? Do you think California might encourage similar plans in other states, or might the Biden administration push for similar actions?
12.
General Motors has dropped its lawsuit against the state of California on its emission standards. Do you have any comments around this?
13.
What is your take on General Motors’ announcement of the high spend on EVs last week? Do you believe the company can make vehicles that are affordable and attractive for a wide swathe of the population, and how might this be changed by the new administration, if at all?
14.
The global auto industry has undergone an increase in collaboration in the past couple of years, with the VW-Ford and PSA-FCA alliances as key examples. Do you think more collaboration is inevitable, and might the Biden administration encourage it?
15.
How do you expect the landscape to develop for newer entrants such as Rivian, Nikola and Lordstown over the next couple of years?
16.
Ford has been quieter than General Motors on its EV plans, but it does have a relationship with Rivian. Do you have a thesis on its strategy, given the upcoming E-transit and the F-150 pickup truck apparently targeting the commercial market?
17.
Could you elaborate on the shared mobility and delivery van aspect of EV adoption, especially with the indication of a sizeable market from Amazon placing electric delivery van orders with Rivian?
18.
Do you have any closing comments or is there anything else you would like to highlight?
