Giants likely to crash in the switch to e-vehicles

Making a great electric vehicle and timing the market perfectly may not be enough

Electric cars being charged shortly after they were inaugurated in Debrecen, 230km east of Budapest.
Electric cars being charged shortly after they were inaugurated in Debrecen, 230km east of Budapest. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SKILLMAN (New Jersey) • The future of the car industry is going to look like the history of the cell-phone. The two even share technology - the lithium-ion battery.

As the world's carmakers gradually switch from combustion to charging, some of today's dominant car companies will share the fate of a few former titans of the smartphone. Remember BlackBerry, Nokia and Palm?

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 22, 2018, with the headline Giants likely to crash in the switch to e-vehicles. Subscribe