Gorazd Lampič, Elaphe: Electromobility Is a Fact
Date: February 28th 2020
Author: Alenka Lena Klopčič
Category: En.vision
Topic:
Electricity
, Transport
, CO2 emissions
, New technologies
Elaphe, a company set up by Gorazd Lampič back in 2006, develops direct-drive in-wheel motors for electric vehicles, the young team reaching milestones that have resonated internationally, even more so than in Slovenia, where the business is based. It is no secret that Elaphe has landed on the radar of some of the large financial funds and corporations on the lookout for promising R&D companies that are trying to shape a future that is as advanced as possible but also as sustainable as possible. Lampič, who is Elaphe founder and CEO, spoke to Energetika.NET just over a week before the En.odmev 020 conference, where he will participate in a panel titled ‘Demand-Side Energy Future’.
The focus is on the energy consumption of the vehicle, not just its drive system efficiency



Similarly to 2018, Elaphe ended the business year 2019 with a revenue of approximately EUR 3 million, of which some 25% was EU funds raised for participating as partners in development projects. As the company is currently finishing product development before mass production, its target revenue for 2020 is EUR 5.5 million, according to Gorazd Lampič.
E-mobility subsidies could replace a few oil tankers

After years of slow progress, electric vehicles are finally coming to Europe. Driven by the CO2 standards for 2020/21, which require carmakers to reach on average a 5% EV sales share in 2020 and up to 10% in 2021 or face fines, the offer of better performing and more affordable electric vehicles in Europe will at least double. The number of electric models available on the European market will surpass 200 in 2021, while European EV production will grow significantly to reach four million vehicles annually by 2025, reads a report from the green campaign and research group Transport & Environment (T&E). The report also showed that some 3 million public charging points will be needed for 44 million electric vehicles in 2030 if the EU is to become climate neutral by 2050. That is over 15 times the 185,000 public chargers currently available in the EU, which are enough for the current electric fleet but not to keep pace with the growing market beyond 2020 (MORE).
East to West



Since its beginnings three years ago, the partnership with the China-based business has had positive implications for the growth and technological progress of Elaphe, noted Lampič. The two companies have, among other things, built a demonstration line for mass production, to start the production process as soon as the market is mature enough.
Is it a challenge to build a business relation with a partner from a country with such a different culture, but basically on a start-up basis (for a brilliant illustration of the differences between Chinese and western business thinking, see Kai-Fu Lee’s 'AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order')? Lampič responded with a smile, saying that even if perhaps each step takes a little more time, this partnership has been a very positive one in every respect, allowing them to grow immensely – both literally, as a team, and culturally. “At the end of the day, we are all humans, and we can work things out rationally, to mutual advantage,” concluded Lampič, who will be one of the panellists at the upcoming En.odmev 020 conference. Given that EV batteries could provide grid support to power systems, he is joining a panel titled ‘Demand-Side Energy Future’.

En.odmev 020: Flexibility in the New Energy Landscape; Thursday 5 March 2020, Hotel Intercontinental, Ljubljana, Slovenia; High-profile energy sector speakers! Check out the programme and discounts (events@energetika.net)! MORE
This article is available also in Slovene.
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