The Drive to Make BEVs More Affordable.

• Position: AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Battery electric vehicles are the most promising zero-emission vehicle technology, as they continue to show strong growth within the automotive sector. However, BEVs remain more expensive to build compared to incumbent internal combustion engine vehicles, points out Lux Research, Boston, Mass.

"Electrification of the automotive industry is no longer a question of 'if but rather 'how fast,'" explains Chris Robinson, research director at Lux. The push for electrification is due primarily to two factors--technology improvements and regulations. Because of this, automakers have cumulatively committed to investing hundreds of billions of dollars to design, build, and sell BEVs."

A Lux report proposes ways companies can reduce costs. Batteries remain the most-expensive component of an electric vehicle, but they are not the only tech that can make BEVs more profitable. Cell-to-pack construction reduces costs the most today, which enables the use of lower-cost cells and simplified pack constructions. Furthermore, a combination of improved motor and inverter...