Increasingly stringent CO2 emission deadlines for cars mean that in 2020 almost one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are expected to be on the roads. Despite this, in 2015, sales of electric vehicles continue to lag.
The expected surge in electric vehicle (EV) popularity is reliant on consumers finding viable reasons to purchase the technology, yet ‘range anxiety’ – the concern about running out of charge – is one of the key barriers to their uptake. Whether through range improvements, faster charging or improved charging convenience, consumers need to be reassured that EVs will meet their mobility needs for sales to gain momentum.
If we are really expected to replace the internal combustion engine with an electric motor, many argue that a convenient charging infrastructure is vital, accompanied by the freedom to drive for longer periods and faster charging methods. These aspects combined could ensure that potential users have more confidence to buy EVs in the first place.
Jean-Pierre Diernaz, director of electric vehicles at Nissan, believes that looking at refuelling stations for EVs is a good place to start, believing that the technologies used there will need to adapt to make charging a more efficient and convenient operation. “Our current refuelling infrastructure model is outdated and faces an uncertain future unless it rapidly adapts to support the changing needs of consumers,” he says. “By 2020, there will be almost one million EVs on the roads, so it is imperative that there is an infrastructure in place to support this growth.”
To address these concerns, Nissan has begun working with UK architecture and design company Foster and Partners to draw up plans for a Fuel Station of the Future. The concept aims to investigate how stations will need to create a sustainable and innovative refuelling network and demonstrate the benefits brought by a smart electric vehicle ecosystem – not just in terms of mobility, but in harnessing the potential of battery storage and vehicle-to-grid systems.
Evolving cities
David Nelson, head of design at Foster and Partners, says: “It seems to be clear that EVs will be a major feature of the urban landscape and, as a result, this presents an exciting opportunity to rethink the fuel station for future generations. The aim of our collaboration with Nissan is to highlight the magnitude of the challenge that we face in evolving our cities to meet change. New technologies, alternative forms of fuel and changing trends are all having a huge impact on the way we get around.”
Effective recharging infrastructure, improvements in vehicle range and increased charging speed are fundamental to the mass adoption of EVs. Today, most plug-in hybrid electric vehicles use a three-pin plug and recharge at 10A, sufficient to allow a full overnight charge. But a typical EV only has a range of 90 miles, so consumers are likely to value the ability to charge faster, particularly at public infrastructure where it may not be possible to park for long periods.
Therefore it may be the case that range anxiety could be alleviated by a pervasive network of fast systems capable of recharging vehicles in 15 to 20 minutes, much faster than the eight or so hours required by standard residential systems. Such networks are being deployed countrywide in Belgium and Estonia, where 200 fast charging systems are installed no more than 30 miles apart on main roads.
Prajyot Sathe, automotive research associate at consultancy Frost and Sullivan, believes that improving access through the building of charging infrastructure in strategic public and private locations will overcome the challenge of range anxiety. “Emerging trends are focusing on AC fast charging which will charge vehicles in 2-3 hours, representing the best use case in locations such as cinema halls and shopping malls,” he says. “Technology advancement that reduces charging time while improving reliability, safety and robustness of the electric charging system will encourage EV adoption.”
Through research and development, companies working on fast charging technologies are expected to introduce innovative solutions to address these issues. Tesla’s Supercharger needs around 30 minutes to recharge the Model S to 270km of range. Porsche’s Mission E concept recently challenged Tesla with a range of more than 500km and the ability to recharge the battery to 80% capacity in around 15 minutes.
In many countries, policy initiatives are supporting the development of charging infrastructure today. The EU’s clean fuel directive sets a target of 800,000 publicly accessible EV charging stations to be installed throughout Europe by 2020 – with individual targets being set for each member state.
Communal facilities
This requirement for publicly available charging infrastructure recognises that many EV owners, especially in cities, will need to rely on access to charging stations in collective parking areas, at apartment blocks, offices, or business locations, and suggests that member states focus on charging station density in urban areas.
Sathe explains that increasing the driving range of EVs through public charging infrastructure typically yields more socially desirable adoption outcomes than increasing the battery capacity.
EVs allow a different approach from refuelling a petrol or diesel car, as it is no longer just a case of vehicles having to go to a refuelling station – charging infrastructure can be located where vehicles are parked for long periods, which consumers may find more convenient.
While convenient charging is vital to increase adoption, it may not be necessary to significantly increase the amount of charging infrastructure in the UK. The government has recently set out its vision for EV infrastructure, noting that its approach is not to mandate “a charge point on every corner”, saying: “This is not necessary to help the market grow and would be uneconomic.”
Rather, for plug-in vehicles to appeal to, and be a viable solution for, consumers, the government wants recharging infrastructure to be not only convenient, but targeted. “We want to see the majority of recharging taking place at home, at night, after the peak in electricity demand. Home recharging should be supported by workplace recharging for commuters and fleets, with a targeted amount of public infrastructure where it will be most used, allowing people to make the journeys they want.”
Karthikeyan Natarajan, senior vice-president and global head of integrated engineering solutions at software company Tech Mahindra, believes that recharging at home, at night and off-peak, is not only the most convenient for drivers, but also maximises the environmental and economic benefits of plug-in vehicles by using cheaper, lower-carbon night-time electricity generation. It also makes the best use of available electricity network capacity.
He says: “As demand for plug-in vehicles grows, so recharging infrastructure will start to be included as standard in an increasing number of domestic, workplace and retail developments. Recharging solutions to enable longer-distance journeys such as rapid charger at key locations, or potentially other technologies like battery swap, will appear in greater numbers.”
Battery swapping, where a customer exchanges the depleted battery for one that is fully charged, has the potential to allow EVs to be recharged with comparable speed to refuelling an internal combustion engine vehicle. Battery swapping has been piloted on a small scale, but has lost much of its appeal since the bankruptcy in 2013 of Better Place, the company that installed 55 battery swapping stations in Denmark and Israel.
Fast swap
In practice, almost none of the new EV models being introduced supports battery swapping. One exception is Tesla’s Model S which was designed to allow fast battery swapping. In 2013 the company announced its goal to deploy a battery swapping station in each of its supercharging stations. At a demonstration, Tesla showed that a battery swap with the Model S takes just over 90 seconds, about half the time it took to refill a gasoline-powered car used for comparison during the event.
Natarajan believes that battery swap is the ultimate model of EV ‘recharging’ but notes that there are challenges that remain before it will see mass-market application. “Standardisation of battery size and location, as well as the number of compatible vehicles and cost, are all factors that need to be looked at before battery swap becomes commonplace,” he says.
Another way of making EVs more attractive to customers has been thought up by Qualcomm Technologies, which has been developing a way to cut the cord by using wireless recharging. Anthony Thomson, vice-president of Qualcomm, believes that the future of urban mobility is electric and wireless – and that this method of charging holds the key to mass adoption. Although the technology is in its infancy, Qualcomm believes that it could lead to a complete shift in charging behaviour.
The next few years will be a period of further maturation of the EV industry, nurtured by government support. In the longer run, powertrains are likely to further diversify, with electrified alternatives to the traditional combustion engine. In the period to 2020 the rate of adoption of alternative powertrains will depend on multiple factors including infrastructure development and convenience, charging time and vehicle range. It is inevitable that all of these models will require additional testing in real-world situations to see how they fare in increasing EV adoption.
Did you know? - Faster battery recharging
Tesla’s Supercharger network allows free charging for its Model S vehicles to more than 270km of range in around 20 minutes. Each station has multiple Superchargers.
The stations are strategically placed to minimise stops during long-distance travel. The company is also focusing on increasing the electric driving range, planning to roll out cars with a range of 1,000km in 2017.