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LOW-CO2 LCVs: Manufacturers air emissions and future fuel concerns
Date: 22 April 2013
The cost issue is also the key for Mornhinweg. "The customer needs a willingness to pay for it as we have to spend to achieve it," he says. "Everyone has to do the same so maybe there will be a price increase over time, but at the end we should never forget that in our van business the end customer is his customer, the van is a working tool for his business - and we got this across in our discussions with the EU."
The challenge of introducing electric vehicles is another that both Ford and Mercedes are examining, and with the same conclusion that demand is not currently growing.
"It's about what the customer wants. You can't push it - it has to be viable for them," says Samardzich. "The business owner is going to have a difficult time making a business equation for electric vehicles. It is important to understand the technology but it has to be proved that customers value and want it, and at the moment customers are struggling with the business case."
PSA Peugeot-Citroen is introducing electric versions of its Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner models in 2013, although the firm's EV project manager Tanguy Deren isn't expecting big volumes immediately. "It is as important as the market will require. The market is evolving quite fast and we will react to the market evolution," he tells BusinessCar. "Small van is the right segment because we know more than 70% of customers from this segment drive less than 100km per day."
