The prices of electric cars make no sense, says Nico Rosberg, and begins to draw a road map for the electrification of Finland

Electric cars the price must be pushed down. Then you have to achieve price parity, i.e. the same price level as combustion engine cars. There is also a need for subsidies for the purchase of a car.

This is not a politician or an economist talking.

The sound is Nico Rosberga man who burned fuel in the formulas until 2016. Rosberg claims it’s a life left behind and starts talking about electricity:

“Mass switching to electricity is not realistic if we imagine that everyone will pay extra just to be able to drive on electricity. It is very important to further push the price down,” he tells HS via a stuttering video connection from Singapore.

The former F1 world champion says at the time of the interview that he is on a “little trip” with his family. Today, Rosberg’s journey along the ball is linked to investment, the green transition and “innovation”. He seems to like repeating the latter word.

In addition, Rosberg is the horn of electric cars. Why?

“If we can make movement more sustainable, then common sense says that is the right direction.”

Rosberg lives in Monaco. There, he usually drives around in a Mercedes-Benz electric minivan.

“It’s just a family car, but the most convenient when you have to transport two children, a dog and grandparents around.”

The children’s grandfather is the Finns’ F1 hero Fairy ”Keke” Rosberg.

“I try to be a good role model in everything we do [lasten kanssa]so I tell them about the black smoke that comes from the internal combustion engine and then the pure electric cars,” the younger Rosberg explains.

“Personally, I find it a great benefit not to have to go to gas stations. It saves money and time when you can charge at home. It also gives a good conscience.”

On the other hand, he is in a position different from the average motorist in terms of his wealth, and in the mild weather of the Riviera, he can access the promised travel forecasts of electric cars.

Tell us how to get cars and chargers to the freezing cold in Pihtiputa?

in Finland there are currently more than a hundred thousand fully electric cars.

The average price of a new electric car was around 56,300 euros at the end of last year. There is more recent information on the average price of a used electric car; it was around 39,900 euros in stores at the end of November.

“In used cars, things could become super interesting after under 30,000 euros,” Rosberg says after thinking about the numbers for a while.

You can get individual electric cars used for ten tons, but they don’t go far. It is difficult to estimate the price level where the car’s features would satisfy everyone.

In any case, the electrification of the country is, in Rosberg’s words, a “process” that is not done in one fell swoop.

“And in that process the prices have to come down, and as I said before; to achieve price parity with the internal combustion engine.”

If the same car model has both an electric and a combustion engine version, almost without exception the electric version is even more expensive.

Rosberg says that states could increase their support “as they did before”. For example, an electric passenger car in Finland and Germany purchase subsidies ended.

“The infrastructure also needs to grow in order to really eliminate the concern about the operational radius. Especially for people who make longer trips, which seems to be common in Finland.”

The number of high-power chargers used along the way is at least increasing. There are, for example, around 3,700 of them in the yard of shops and gas stations, an increase of 61 percent compared to a year ago. The matter will be resolved by the Electronic Transport Association from the situation review.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Rosberg starts to praise the route planning of electric cars. “Softa” can be told where to get to, and then the car recommends charger and coffee breaks.

“That’s something that some people who haven’t owned an electric car yet don’t really know.”

Rosberg did not open a video connection From Singapore to Sanomatalo to pass the time. He is drumming up a jungle drum about his investment activities.

The man invests both with his own money and through Rosberg Ventures. The latter of them has collected a sum of one hundred million dollars. Dollars are channeled to certain American private equity funds.

“The best of them is in the USA. It’s almost impossible to get to them, but we’ve created an opportunity through my Formula 1 background.”

These “venture capital” funds continue to invest in interesting growth companies. There is also Finnish money, which Rosberg is happy about.

“First of all, you grow all the assets you control. Another hundred million should be collected every two years, because it mirrors the operating model of US funds. Then in the future, you yourself will start investing strategically directly in start-ups.”

Let’s go back down to earth to things that can be seen in traffic. Rosberg also finances used cars directly the Cardino company that brokers electric cars.

It brings cars from Germany to Finland for trade-in car chains such as Kamux and Saka. So the German driver puts his electric car up for sale, and the chains leave offers across borders. In the end, someone buys it for sale at a car shop in Pihtiputaa.

The company interests Rosberg because the condition of the cars can be checked online.

“It is possible to make a price estimate for a car remotely while sitting on your sofa.”

Cardino country manager Antti Aalto says that the company has delivered around 1,300 fully electric cars to Finland this year. According to him, every tenth imported used electric car has come through the company.

Electricelectricity and electricity. What if Rosberg and his rankings bet on the wrong horse.

Hydrogen is an option. Technically, a hydrogen car is an electric car, because hydrogen is converted into electricity in a fuel cell.

“That power line is a very uneconomical energy option. It clearly seems that all-electric is the winner.”

The entire refueling infrastructure would have to be rebuilt because of hydrogen, which, in Rosberg’s words, is “difficult to scale globally for traffic.”

He admits that the problem with electric cars is the production of batteries, which is not sustainable, and he knows of the huge logistical burden between distant countries and Europe.

“Of course we face setbacks, like Northvolt,” he says, referring to the struggling company to a Swedish battery factory. It was a glimmer of hope to move battery production to the Nordic countries.

“Major setbacks are slowing down the creation of sustainable traffic from a European point of view, but yes, we will get there in the future.”

Year then Rosberg told HS Visio, that he has been insured for his father’s, “the last gasoline sneaker”, electric cars.

Well, does Keke have his own “electricity”?

“No, that would be too big a step. He’s definitely a petrolhead, and it’s still going to take time to convert him to electricity.”