POWER/GRID

This year’s biggest EV influencers

AKIO TOYODA

President, Toyota

If there’s one photo from the past year that sums up our shifting age it might just be the one of Akio Toyoda standing arms outstretched in front of electric vehicle design models all destined for production A baby sports coupe a supercar vans multiple saloons hatches crossovers and offroaders for Toyota and Lexus Sixteen He called it his “showroom for the future” Japanese companies are usually secretive about their new car plans

In May „…„ he had announced a target of „ † million electric and fuel cell Toyotas and Lexuses sold per year by „…‡… Seven months later after the COP„ conference and various nations’ commitments that target became ‡ † million Toyoda doesn’t only make plans like any Japanese manager he alters them in the face of new circumstances

LUC DONCKERWOLKE

Chief creative officer, Hyundai Motor Co

He did significant work on the Audi A„ designed the Lambo Murciélago then went to Bentley So Donckerwolke was already a big design fish before he arrived in Korea soon to oversee the entirety of Hyundai’s Kia’s and Genesis’ efforts

Now we have three of the most designled EVs out there the swoopy Kia EV angular Hyundai Ioniq † and funky yet plush Genesis GV … They show how you can pull multiple distinctive and characterful shapes off the one EV platform

In the EV age design will be more critical than ever to the way we relate to cars Donckerwolke tells us he doesn’t think EVs will all be crossovers and to show his attachment for romantic proportions he’s fighting for a production version of the gorgeous Genesis X electric coupe

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY

President,

Ukraine

His inclusion in a story about cars is not to trivialise the tragedy of war It’s to point out that this century’s inexorable rush towards globalisation might just be stuttering

Russia produces much of Europe’s gas Ukraine produces … percent of the world’s wheat Ukraine has also shown the vulnerability of nuclear power In war and sanctions the supplies we need get interrupted or spike in price So we must find ways of producing our own Energy security and food security are now more visibly part of national security

If a nation is going to build up a new energy system postUkraine and postCOP„ it would be pretty daft to do it by any other means than renewables Which means shifting the balance away from burning stuff towards electricity

MARY BARRA

Chair & CEO,

General Motors

Barra has been running GM since „… œ which makes her a survivor At first she seemed pretty boring Maybe boring is good when so much crap has been going down She had to kick off by weathering a huge recall and change this theninert corporation to avoid a repeat Then came the selloff of Vauxhall/Opel then COVID Ÿ and the chip crisis GM got through thanks to her steady hand

Actually she’s not just been steady She’s transformed the company Well ahead of Ford and Chrysler GM is investing ¢‡†bn £¤„¥bn¦ in a trajectory for EVs of all sizes and prices Its semi autonomous driver aids are widely admired It’s about to launch a fully autonomous cab service Cruise It’ll be allelectric by „…‡† even for trucks Oh and it’s making big profits Not so boring

LI SHUFU

Founder and chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group

Like many Chinese megaentrepreneurs Li was born a farm boy He studied engineering and is a gearhead cognisant of the heritage of European brands So he owns Lotus ¨ not just for the heritage but the potential

His first highprofile European buy was Volvo from which he seeded Polestar He launched Lynk&Co The London taxi is one of his He’s bought into German helitaxi firm Volocopter Geely’s Chinese EV sales will likely be a quartermillion this year

Li’s influence goes beyond his huge commercial interests He’s a non affiliated delegate to the Chinese National People’s Congress In China many cars are built by coops between western firms and stateowned entities He says this has made the local industry complacent Imagine if that sleeping dragon awakes