Automotive Industry Visionaries? October 30, 2007
Posted by mukundmohan in Technology.Tags: automotive industry, business model, Chrysler, Robert R. Nardelli, Shai Agassi, Tesla
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These two automotive industry story leads caught my eye in the New York Times yesterday. The first article written by John Markoff for the Technology section was about Shai Agassi, and his plan to reinvent the auto industry with battery-powered all-electric (as opposed to hybrid) cars.
Electric cars have been around since, well, since The Dodgem at amusement parks I know for sure. As it turns out, BEVs (battery electric vehicles) actually predate internal combustion engines. The main issues regarding electric cars today focus on battery life cycle, performance, cost and recharging capabilities.
Shai Agassi is raising venture capital with a business model for electric cars that doesn’t involve the cars themselves. Like cell phones, he is proposing tapping into the existing electrical grid to offer subscription based recharging services for car owners. Sort of like the AT&T network on your iPhone.
He is leapfrogging the slow advance in battery technology with a proven service-based business model.
Meanwhile, over in the Business section, Micheline Maynard was giving us the low down on the former home improvement CEO of Home Depot, Robert R. Nardelli, who is now Chrysler’s Chief Executive.
This quote is attributed to Mr. Nardelli. I think a vehicle today has to be your most favorite room under your roof. I really believe that. I mean, it has to bring you gratification, it has to be tranquil. It’s incidental that it gets you from Point A to B, right?
Interior comfort is important, and having cup holders is very important. Getting from point A to point B will be “assumed”. I already spend most of my NPR solitude minutes under my car.
What do you think? Electric car, or gasoline-guzzling horsepower tricked out with chrome wheels and spoiler? Or how about an all-electric living room on wheels?
What is your car of the future?
(Disclaimer: Chrysler is owned by Cerberus Capital, and so is Inovis)
