Marc Amblard, Managing Director, Orsay Consulting
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else.
Marc Amblard, founding partner of Orsay Consulting, is well known in transportation circles and Silicon Valley as a consultant in the intersection of the transportation and technology ecosystems. Before Orsay, Marc held various positions at Peugeot (now Stellantis), Tier I auto supplier Valeo, and rail equipment manufacturer Alstom. His clients include large and small companies in Europe and the U.S., especially in autonomy and establishing a tech-forward stances for his clients. He is the author of the Mobility Revolution newsletter.
“The reason for the newsletter was sharing my experience and a way of gaining visibility when moving to the Bay Area from Europe" – Marc Amblard
The newsletter's subject mix, published since 2017, tracks how the transportation industry’s focus has changed over time. In the beginning, autonomy, alternative powertrains such as EVs, and vehicle sharing were, respectively, 20%, 60%, and 20% of the subject matter. This mix shifted heavily toward autonomy (40% of subject matter) in subsequent years, declining to a paltry 10% today, with 60% of the publication dedicated to electric vehicles.
“The media, even industry stalwarts like Automotive News, have a narrative of EV market stall … there is definitely growth” – Marc Amblard
The US and Europe are making significant efforts to boost the EV charging network, standardize plugs, and soothe range anxiety. A sidestep is the plug-in hybrid, which is helpful to some purchasers. In urban areas, a small 30 KW-hour battery can suffice, much smaller than the 100+ KW-hour batteries consumers have been conditioned to seek.
The emergence of China as a major automotive player is the dominant discussion them in today’s auto circles. Cost advantages, rapid development cycles, aggressive introduction of technology features, and excess domestic capacity will create substantial challenges for established players worldwide.
“These [Chinese] vehicles are really, on paper there are really good vehicles and we start seeing them in Europe representing about 3% of the European markets across all powertrains … BYD is building a plant in Hungary, SAIC in Spain" – Marc Amblard
