Gaining a competitive advantage with sustainable business – implementing inductive charging using systems thinking, A Benchmarking of EVs and PHEVs.

One of the most discussed topics in Industrial Ecology is incorporating sustainability into business. One of the key barriers in this process is companies’ fears associated with hindering company activity and increased costs. This master thesis examines the implementation of inductive charging technology for cars, and discovers the competitive advantage gained by using a sustainable system approach in companies. Market research has shown that PHEV consumers don’t plug-in their cars as often as thought, indicating a problem of convenience. A convenience problem believed to be solved by inductive charging. The interest of OEMs and CEVT lays in the convenience of consumers. The thesis has evolved around a benchmarking of current EVs and PHEVs, in order to understand the dynamics of the current market as well as an in-depth analysis of inductive charging. Covering the basics of the technology, suppliers and their different variations, and consumer perspective on inductive charging. With the aim of developing a sustainable1 business plan for CEVT regarding inductive charging in C-segment cars. A sustainable business model for inductive charging is presented as a result, with specific targets depending on market, indicating that inductive charging should be presented as a luxury feature. The overall conclusion is for OEMs to “make room” for the technology solution in order to be compatible with inductive charging, as well as being involved in the standardization work