The Assessor Mag Autumn 2024 Web - Flipbook - Page 20
JOURNAL
FISITA
FISITA WORLD MOBILITY
SUMMIT 2024 SPEAKER
INTERVIEW WITH
BEN TOWNSEND
Here, FISITA World Mobility Summit speaker Ben Townsend, Head of Automotive at
Thatcham Research shares his thoughts on the theme of the event, “To EV, or not to EV?”
The Summit took place at the General Motors Technical Center, in Michigan, in the USA.
en, who took on a
position to head up the
new Thatcham Research
automotive vertical
in April, has been at
Thatcham Research since January
2017, and as Head of Automotive
is responsible for the organisation’s
automotive products and services.
B
With over 20 years’ experience in the
engineering industry, ranging from
aerospace, defence and automotive,
Ben is also a fellow of the Institute of
Mechanical Engineers and a Chartered
Engineer. Looking after the delivery
of the Thatcham Research automotive
product portfolio, Ben is focused on
addressing industry pain points, and
building an understanding of how
insurance can be seen as a core design
attribute.
In his Summit session, Ben discussed
the engineering, regulatory, and
insurance challenges in the clean
mobility transition, highlighting the role
of collaborative risk management in
sustainable innovation.
20
In the build-up to the Summit, FISITA
spoke to Ben:
What are the key challenges for
the automotive industry in the
transition to clean mobility, and
how could these be overcome?
The automotive industry faces
two fundamental challenges in its
transition to clean mobility. The 昀椀rst
challenge stems from over-regulation
that has become prescriptive rather
than enabling. While we universally
acknowledge clean mobility as
essential for a sustainable future,
the current regulatory environment
attempts to de昀椀ne speci昀椀c technical
solutions rather than desired outcomes.
This approach severely constrains
innovation and ultimately works
against the market forces that could
drive meaningful progress toward
sustainability.
The second critical challenge lies
in achieving widespread adoption
of new technologies. The dramatic
improvements in living standards
over the past 150 years have been
signi昀椀cantly driven by access
to affordable, ef昀椀cient mobility.
We cannot sacri昀椀ce this societal
achievement in our pursuit of cleaner
transportation. Success in this transition
requires the coordinated effort of three
essential stakeholder groups, namely
technology developers, legislators, and
insurers. The insurance sector holds
particular signi昀椀cance as it possesses
the power to effectively halt the
implementation of any new technology.
Only through collaborative rather than
adversarial relationships among these
groups can we ensure a successful
transition to clean mobility.
Sales of battery electric
vehicles are slower than initially
hoped and expected, but the
products themselves are highly
compelling. What has impressed
you most about the evolution of
BEVs?
As an electric vehicle owner, I 昀椀nd
the overall package impressive,
but the primary resistance from
consumers stems from cost barriers
THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL | AUTUMN 2024 | www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor
