Hydrogen combustion and EV efficiency: 5 most-read automotive stories 2022

2022 might be remembered as the year that electric cars went truly mainstream. In the UK, more than a quarter of all new cars joining the roads are either battery electric or plug-in hybrids, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). But that success does not mean engineers are resting on their laurels – far from it, as this year’s top stories reveal.

Here are the five most-read Professional Engineering automotive stories of 2022. Click on the links throughout to read the full stories. 

Hydrogen offers internal combustion a new lease of life

The path is set towards an electrified future and it might seem that there is little time left for the combustion engine – but don’t start writing its eulogy just yet, wrote James Scoltock in this year’s most-read story. Industry heavyweights including JCB and Toyota are trialling hydrogen combustion engines, in the hope that they could provide zero-carbon power with readily-available components and without fuel cells. 

EV magnet wins QEPrize 2022

The world’s most powerful permanent magnet, an essential part of millions of electric and hybrid cars worldwide, won its developer the world’s most prestigious engineering accolade this year. Dr Masato Sagawa was awarded the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) for his work on the discovery, development and global commercialisation of the sintered neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) permanent magnet.

Searching for electric efficiency

Electric cars have been steadily improving in the last few years – but they could get even better. In the drive for longer range, engineers are searching for efficiencies in batteries, the whole powertrain, and software, as James Scoltock found at Sprint Power, Tula Technology and elsewhere. 

The 10-minute EV charge 

A breakthrough battery technology relying on internal thermal modulation can enable a 10-minute charge time for typical EV batteries, according to its developers at Pennsylvania State University. The technology could help meet increasing EV demand by providing smaller, fast-charging batteries without “range anxiety”, said Professor Chao-Yang Wang, lead author on the study.

EVs to get even greener

Improvements in battery technology and end-of-life treatment will make EVs even greener in future, according to a report prepared for the Department for Transport. A typical new battery electric vehicle (BEV) is already estimated to emit about 65% less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over its entire lifecycle compared to petrol-fuelled equivalents, but the report by consultancy Ricardo found that could increase to about 76% by 2030. 

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