Andy Palmer is known as the "godfather of electric cars" and the "grey cardinal" of the car industry. He was nicknamed so for his work on the launch of the Nissan Leaf in 2010, when he was the Japanese company's chief operating officer. The Nissan Leaf has sold more than 500,000 units since its launch in 2010, and it is the world's first mass-produced electric car.
The former Aston Martin CEO and Nissan COO told Business Insider that delaying the transition to electric cars and focusing on hybrids is a "stupid trick" and warned that such companies risk being "eaten up" by Chinese electric car makers.
“Hybrids are a dead end“, he said. - “This is a transition strategy, and the longer you stay in this transition stage, the slower you move towards a new era that is all about electric cars. If you delay the transition to electric vehicles by using hybrids, you will be at a disadvantage for a longer period of time.“
Palmer believes that the success of China's EV industry depends on China's long-term industrial policy. Since 2009, the Chinese government has invested at least $230 billion in subsidies for electric car manufacturers. He stressed that China's success lies in a clear industrial strategy that the West lacks.
He also said that European and American tariffs on Chinese cars will only weaken the competitiveness of Western companies. Western automakers should prepare for a "battle for survival" with Chinese automakers, especially in Europe, where brands like BYD and Xpeng are expanding rapidly. "If Chinese manufacturers succeed in the European market, they will become unbeatable in the world," Palmer added.
According to Palmer, low sales of electric cars are mainly due to their high prices. However, he believes that very soon the prices of electric cars will catch up with those of cars with internal combustion engines, and to do this, models with smaller batteries will have to be made, which will lead to lower prices.