Innovation and Development of Electric Vehicle Powertrain Technology: An Analysis | Jabil

The mass adoption of electric vehicles is happening at a greater speed than most anticipated. In the last 12 months alone, S&P have adjusted its 2025 EV Share of Global production from 20% to 30%. And, despite the economic climate in many countries, EY research states that 52% of global consumers are looking to buy an electric vehicle for their next car purchase.   

As the industry is faced with the important task of mainstreaming electric vehicles (EV) to meet regulatory and consumer demands, there remains a fluidity in the industry around who will drive powertrain innovation and how this technology will be brought to market at an economically acceptable cost to consumers.  

In Jabil and SIS International Research’s 2022 Electric Vehicle Powertrain survey, we asked more than 200 decision-makers from leading global automakers and commercial vehicle manufacturers about the factors driving innovation in EV powertrain technology and the remaining risks — and associated solutions — enabling mass adoption.   

Key findings include: 

Note: For the purpose of this research, “EV powertrain technology” included the inverter, converter, integrated power converter, on-board charging, battery management system and power distribution. 

1. The Average Product Development Lifecycle for EV Powertrain Technology Is 24–30 Months 

With predictions stating that 60% of new vehicles will be BEV or EV by 2030, the speed of powertrain technology development, and launch to scaled manufacturing, is key. Longer timelines may impact the industry’s ability to meet emissions reductions regulations, while shorter timelines will enable the automakers to launch vehicles and secure their place in the market.  

The majority (86%) of survey respondents said their average development and launch timeline for powertrain technology is between 24 and 40 months. More specifically, 51% typically take between 24 and 30 months, while 35% spend 31 to 40 months on the process.  

Only 4% have brought their EV powertrain development and launch cycles to 24 months or less, closer to the timeline of consumer electronics and IoT devices.  

This timeline is a dramatic shift from similar research that Jabil ran just four years ago. In our research into automotive product development cycles in 2017 and 2018, we saw shortening product development lifecycles of technology predominantly for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. In a 2018 Jabil survey, only 29% of automotive OEMs said their product development cycle took 24 months or longer. Nearly half (49%) said their time-to-market was 18 months or less. 

While these pieces of research aren’t strictly comparable, it’s clear to see that with the accelerated launch of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), we are seeing longer product development life cycles. Looking forward, as BEVs become mainstream and solutions are found to manufacturing challenges, we would expect to see development cycles shorten again.