The Rise of a New Industry: Business Model Innovation at the Intersection of Energy and Mobility

Abstract

Cofely, a large international technical services provider, is observing important changes at the fringes of its industry. Two industries that have experienced pressure towards being more environmentally responsive in the past, the automotive industry and the energy industry, are converging due to the emergence of electric cars. The Dutch subsidiary of Cofely is therefore searching for new business models at the intersection of energy and e-mobility. In the Netherlands, a front runner of sustainable mobility, firms and other stakeholders are increasingly identifying the essential role electric vehicles can have for a balanced and sustainable energy system in the future. This new industry at the intersection of energy and e-mobility is developing at a fast rate, with innovative start-ups as well as existing firms establishing themselves across a new, not yet clearly defined, value chain. This value chain is highly integrated via ICT and stretches from energy production on the one end of the spectrum to mobility services on the other. Cofely wants to become pioneer in this new industry and particularly see how it can position itself with a new business model building on its core competences.

AuthorsRené Bohnsack and Pico van Heemstra
InstitutionCatólica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, Portugal, and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Competition Year2016
PlaceSecond Prize
TrackCorporate Sustainability
Key WordsSustainable business models, e-mobility, utilities, smart grid
CoursesStrategic management, innovation management
Target AudienceMBAs, MSc students
Permission rightsThis case will be published at the Case Centre shortly. You can download an inspection copy below.
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oikos International

posted June 27, 2016

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