The EV market is booming — almost 20% of all cars sold last year were electric. But rapid growth comes with its own pathology. One of the biggest bottlenecks is the delay in bringing complex engineering programmes to market, and start-ups face even greater delays than established manufacturers. Accurate data and effective release-and-change management are what separate the programmes that land from the ones that slip.
The challenges of rapid growth
EV companies are known for their growth rate, but long-term, scalable processes are where many struggle. The temporary solutions put in place early tend to become entrenched — hindering efficiency and integration later, exactly when scale demands the opposite. One of the biggest obstacles is integrating multiple systems into a cohesive product data backbone. Without that backbone, there's a familiar failure mode: teams falling back on offline Excel spreadsheets to manage data that should live in a system of record. It's inefficient, and it's error-prone. A dedicated team is needed to implement new processes and prevent that drift.
The cost of delayed market entry
Change-management inefficiencies carry consequences well beyond admin overhead. They directly affect the bottom line and market position. Delays in product releases don't just increase cost — they risk the company falling behind in a sector where technological advancement is constant and visible.
A dual approach: consulting and doing
Our team was tasked with maintaining control over an EV start-up's EBOM and MBOM through a period of rapidly changing processes. BOM inaccuracy, poor visibility of part maturity, and a loss of confidence in the data were driving up costs and slowing timelines. To overcome that, we took a hands-on approach. We didn't just design improved systems and processes — we actively participated in the implementation. Playing the dual role of consultants and doers let us expedite training for engineers on the new streamlined processes while simultaneously catching up on builds. Effective change management requires more than theoretical solutions: it demands active problem-solving and execution, in parallel.
The solution: expertise in complexity
Managing complex configurations and data is a critical capability in the EV industry specifically. As data experts, we've devised and refined processes that tackle both the immediate release-and-change-management challenges and the positioning needed for sustainable growth. The interventions have delivered significant improvements in data management — materially reducing errors and refining the visibility and precision of BOMs.
Measurable success over a five-year programme
The results of this approach are well demonstrated by our work with an EV start-up over five years. During that period, we oversaw the release of approximately 100,000 parts and executed 20,000 change actions. Data-quality average attribute completeness climbed from roughly 60% to 98% across six vehicle lines.
These aren't just operational numbers. They represent a meaningful shift in how an EV start-up can manage its growth and innovation pipeline. Consider the economics: a single BOM error costs somewhere around $15 if caught when authoring, but well over $500 once the part is fitted into a prototype build. Those error costs compound fast.
Lessons learned and best practices
The extensive experience we've built in the EV sector has surfaced several lessons that help start-ups succeed. First: there's no one-size-fits-all solution, so we don't sell one. Instead, we focus on finding the right-sized solution for the client's specific business context. A reliable product data management system is the foundation — without it, scalable, streamlined processes aren't possible. Second: hands-on support during implementation is what closes the gap between plan and reality. That requires expertise in execution, not just planning. Third: flexibility and foresight in process design are essential — the pace of change in the EV industry demands both.
In conclusion
Effective release and change management aren't just operational disciplines for EV start-ups — they're strategic imperatives. The challenges around innovation, market entry, and scaling are real. The lessons and strategies here offer a practical roadmap to avoid the common pitfalls and accelerate the journey from concept to market leadership.
If you're an EV start-up on the edge of growth — or struggling to scale — the time to evaluate and invest in your release and change-management processes is now. Doing so means adopting the knowledge and systems that will not only get your product to market but also position the company at the forefront of the EV transition.
