Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion Net Present Value (NPV) / MBA Resources

Introduction to Net Present Value (NPV) - What is Net Present Value (NPV) ? How it impacts financial decisions regarding project management?

NPV solution for Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Magesh Nagarajan, Kanaka Balasubramanian, Jagannadha Tamvada. The Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion (referred as “Ecotricity Chargers” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Leadership & Managing People. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, .

The net present value (NPV) of an investment proposal is the present value of the proposal’s net cash flows less the proposal’s initial cash outflow. If a project’s NPV is greater than or equal to zero, the project should be accepted.

NPV = Present Value of Future Cash Flows LESS Project’s Initial Investment

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Case Description of Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion Case Study

Ecotricity Group Ltd., founded in 1995, had grown to be a major renewable energy utility service provider in the United Kingdom. In 2016, the company wanted to expand its "electric highway"-a network of charging stations for electric vehicles along major U.K. motorways. The expansion plans involved two chargers: Type A chargers, installed in public locations along the motorway, and Type B chargers, installed in suitable home garages owned by Ecotricity customers. To meet the projected traffic flow of electric vehicles in the future, the company needed to optimally expand the number of both types of charging points in each highway zone.This case uses integer programming to determine the optimal number of Type A and Type B chargers that Ecotricity should install to expand its electric highway. The solution is obtained by using Microsoft Excel Solver and interpreting the results. The case also provides a platform for discussing optimal investment strategies, and for considering another topic not emphasized extensively in the case-how an operational strategy affects image building. Magesh Nagarajan is affiliated with Coventry University. Kanaka Balasubramanian is affiliated with Chetana's Institute of Management & Research. Jagannadha Tamvada is affiliated with University of Southampton.

Case Authors : Magesh Nagarajan, Kanaka Balasubramanian, Jagannadha Tamvada

Topic : Leadership & Managing People

Related Areas :

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10008363)	-10008363	-	-
Year 1	3452400	-6555963	3452400	0.9434	3256981
Year 2	3970419	-2585544	7422819	0.89	3533659
Year 3	3953718	1368174	11376537	0.8396	3319618
Year 4	3238545	4606719	14615082	0.7921	2565231
TOTAL			14615082		12675489

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2667126

In isolation the NPV number doesn't mean much but put in right context then it is one of the best method to evaluate project returns. In this article we will cover -

Different methods of capital budgeting

What is NPV & Formula of NPV,
How it is calculated,
How to use NPV number for project evaluation, and
Scenario Planning given risks and management priorities.

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Capital Budgeting Approaches

Methods of Capital Budgeting

There are four types of capital budgeting techniques that are widely used in the corporate world –

1. Internal Rate of Return
2. Profitability Index
3. Payback Period
4. Net Present Value

Apart from the Payback period method which is an additive method, rest of the methods are based on Discounted Cash Flow technique. Even though cash flow can be calculated based on the nature of the project, for the simplicity of the article we are assuming that all the expected cash flows are realized at the end of the year.

Discounted Cash Flow approaches provide a more objective basis for evaluating and selecting investment projects. They take into consideration both –

1. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Ecotricity Chargers shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.
2. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Ecotricity Chargers have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion

NPV = Net Cash In Flowt1 / (1+r)t1 + Net Cash In Flowt2 / (1+r)t2 + … Net Cash In Flowtn / (1+r)tn
Less Net Cash Out Flowt0 / (1+r)t0

Where t = time period, in this case year 1, year 2 and so on.
r = discount rate or return that could be earned using other safe proposition such as fixed deposit or treasury bond rate. Net Cash In Flow – What the firm will get each year.
Net Cash Out Flow – What the firm needs to invest initially in the project.

Step 1 – Understand the nature of the project and calculate cash flow for each year.
Step 2 – Discount those cash flow based on the discount rate.
Step 3 – Add all the discounted cash flow.
Step 4 – Selection of the project

Why Leadership & Managing People Managers need to know Financial Tools such as Net Present Value (NPV)?

In our daily workplace we often come across people and colleagues who are just focused on their core competency and targets they have to deliver. For example marketing managers at Ecotricity Chargers often design programs whose objective is to drive brand awareness and customer reach. But how that 30 point increase in brand awareness or 10 point increase in customer touch points will result into shareholders’ value is not specified.

To overcome such scenarios managers at Ecotricity Chargers needs to not only know the financial aspect of project management but also needs to have tools to integrate them into part of the project development and monitoring plan.

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 15%

After working through various assumptions we reached a conclusion that risk is far higher than 6%. In a reasonably stable industry with weak competition - 15% discount rate can be a good benchmark.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 15 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10008363)	-10008363	-	-
Year 1	3452400	-6555963	3452400	0.8696	3002087
Year 2	3970419	-2585544	7422819	0.7561	3002207
Year 3	3953718	1368174	11376537	0.6575	2599634
Year 4	3238545	4606719	14615082	0.5718	1851649
TOTAL					10455577

The Net NPV after 4 years is 447214

(10455577 - 10008363 )

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 20%

If the risk component is high in the industry then we should go for a higher hurdle rate / discount rate of 20%.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 20 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10008363)	-10008363	-	-
Year 1	3452400	-6555963	3452400	0.8333	2877000
Year 2	3970419	-2585544	7422819	0.6944	2757235
Year 3	3953718	1368174	11376537	0.5787	2288031
Year 4	3238545	4606719	14615082	0.4823	1561798
TOTAL					9484065

The Net NPV after 4 years is -524298

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9484065 - 10008363 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Ecotricity Chargers to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%.

Acceptance Criteria of a Project based on NPV

Simplest Approach – If the investment project of Ecotricity Chargers has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Ecotricity Chargers can ACCEPT the project, otherwise they can reject the project. This means that project will deliver higher returns over the period of time than any alternate investment strategy.

In theory if the required rate of return or discount rate is chosen correctly by finance managers at Ecotricity Chargers, then the stock price of the Ecotricity Chargers should change by same amount of the NPV. In real world we know that share price also reflects various other factors that can be related to both macro and micro environment.

In the same vein – accepting the project with zero NPV should result in stagnant share price. Finance managers use discount rates as a measure of risk components in the project execution process.

Sensitivity Analysis

Project selection is often a far more complex decision than just choosing it based on the NPV number. Finance managers at Ecotricity Chargers should conduct a sensitivity analysis to better understand not only the inherent risk of the projects but also how those risks can be either factored in or mitigated during the project execution. Sensitivity analysis helps in –

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

What are the uncertainties surrounding the project Initial Cash Outlay (ICO’s). ICO’s often have several different components such as land, machinery, building, and other equipment.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

Some of the assumptions while using the Discounted Cash Flow Methods –

Projects are assumed to be Mutually Exclusive – This is seldom the came in modern day giant organizations where projects are often inter-related and rejecting a project solely based on NPV can result in sunk cost from a related project.

Independent projects have independent cash flows – As explained in the marketing project – though the project may look independent but in reality it is not as the brand awareness project can be closely associated with the spending on sales promotions and product specific advertising.

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Negotiation Strategy of Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion

References & Further Readings

Magesh Nagarajan, Kanaka Balasubramanian, Jagannadha Tamvada (2018), "Ecotricity: An Optimal Investment Decision for Electric Highway Expansion Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.