Rise of connectivity and autonomy enabling platooning: Platooning and autonomy will increase truck efficiency, safety and fleet utilisation by enabling fleet network optimisation effects and reducing the impact of driver time limits.
Shift from hybrids to battery electric vehicles (EVs): In the past, UK EV sales have been primarily plug-in hybrids, combining an internal combustion engine and electric vehicle powertrain. Changes in government tax incentives as well as improving range on battery electric vehicles is expected to shift the majority of vehicle sales to fully battery-powered electric vehicles.
Security of raw materials suppliers: An explosion in the pace of battery manufacturing has greatly increased demand for battery raw materials. Some materials (such as lithium) are in plentiful supply, whereas rarer elements such as cobalt may be exposed to geopolitical risk.
Second-life applications of batteries: Once electric vehicle batteries reach their end of life, there are potential applications to use these cells with reduced capacity. Second-hand batteries could greatly reduce the cost of home energy storage and could also be used in grid-level storage, refurbished or second-hand vehicles, or recycled.
