The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World 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 The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Robert A. Burgelman, Debra Schifrin. The The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World (referred as “Electric Car” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Sustainability.

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 The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World Case Study

The case covers and analyzes the major players in the Electric Car Industry, with a focus on the United States and China. The case looks at start-ups and incumbent automakers, battery makers, retrofitters, utility companies and the government. In 2009, the electric car industry was poised to take a giant leap forward, with start-up companies a step ahead of large automakers. Venture capital firms were pouring hundreds of millions of dollars in promising electric car and Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) start-ups, while existing companies were pouring billions of dollars into electric car and PHEV research. There were also companies that retrofitted existing cars, turning them into Plug-in Hybrids. The case also examines the role of the U.S. and China's government in promoting the electric car industry by providing grants and loans to electric car and battery makers, as well as giving subsidies for consumers to buy electric cars. At the same time, battery makers were racing to build enough lithium-ion batteries for automobiles to meet the expected demand. Most batteries were developed and manufactured in Asia. The electric car industry also required a vast infrastructure of charging stations in each country to enable electric car and PHEV owners to charge their cars outside their homes. Electricity companies were taking an interest in the industry, and began partnering with automakers to test how extensively electric cars used the grid. The case also explores how internal combustion engine makers were striking back with new engines that were smaller, more fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly.

Case Authors : Robert A. Burgelman, Debra Schifrin

Topic : Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Related Areas : Sustainability

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10003616)	-10003616	-	-
Year 1	3452083	-6551533	3452083	0.9434	3256682
Year 2	3966085	-2585448	7418168	0.89	3529802
Year 3	3946352	1360904	11364520	0.8396	3313433
Year 4	3242102	4603006	14606622	0.7921	2568048
TOTAL			14606622		12667965

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2664349

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

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. Electric Car 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 Electric Car 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 The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World

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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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 Electric Car 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 Electric Car 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	(10003616)	-10003616	-	-
Year 1	3452083	-6551533	3452083	0.8696	3001811
Year 2	3966085	-2585448	7418168	0.7561	2998930
Year 3	3946352	1360904	11364520	0.6575	2594790
Year 4	3242102	4603006	14606622	0.5718	1853682
TOTAL					10449214

The Net NPV after 4 years is 445598

(10449214 - 10003616 )

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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	(10003616)	-10003616	-	-
Year 1	3452083	-6551533	3452083	0.8333	2876736
Year 2	3966085	-2585448	7418168	0.6944	2754226
Year 3	3946352	1360904	11364520	0.5787	2283769
Year 4	3242102	4603006	14606622	0.4823	1563514
TOTAL					9478244

The Net NPV after 4 years is -525372

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9478244 - 10003616 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Electric Car 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 Electric Car has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Electric Car 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 Electric Car, then the stock price of the Electric Car 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 Electric Car 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 –

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

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

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

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.

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 The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World

References & Further Readings

Robert A. Burgelman, Debra Schifrin (2018), "The Global Electric Car Industry in 2009: Developments in the U.S., China, and the Rest of the World Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.