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There is no denying that the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market has grown significantly in the past three years but sales are not rising as fast as many people predicted. This is not ground-breaking news as the numerous stories focusing on the low uptake of charging points attest to.
However, what is interesting to look at more deeply are the oft cited barriers to entry into the PEV market such as cost, fear of obsolescence and range anxiety, the last of which is the biggest issue by far. From here, we can examine the potential solutions and required innovations that could create a step change in usage and make PEV’s a more popular mode of transport.
Firstly, cost. PEVs are expensive compared to an equivalent sized with laptop battery like Apple A1175 Battery , Apple A1185 Battery , Apple M9324 Battery , Apple M8403 Battery , Apple M7318 Battery , apple PowerBook G3 Battery , Apple PowerBook G4 Battery vehicle using a normal, internal combustion engine (ICE). Currently, the Government offers up to £5,000 towards the cost of a PEV. A recent study by the Electric Power Research Institute indicates that, if this and other incentives are considered within the total lifetime costs, then the difference is within 10 per cent of a conventional vehicle. Furthermore, given the current trajectory of fuel prices, this comparison is set to swing in favour of the PEV in the long term.
As with the cost barrier, fear of obsolescence due to outdated technology is a valid reason for concern, but hardly a unique issue. Obsolescence in this sense can be expected on all white goods, IT equipment etc. However, as regards obsolescence of the PEV as a mode of transport, it just won’t happen. The global level of investment and political will is too high. Not only are the car making giants fighting for leadership in this strategically-crucial area, but so are the technically-savvy and automotive-oriented nations of the US, Germany and Japan. For example, America aims to put one million electric vehicles on its roads by 2015 and the UK Government’s vision is that by 2050 almost every car and van in the UK will be an ultra-low emission vehicle.
Most people’s everyday driving needs could be met by plug-in hybrids such as the Nissan Leaf, but many are put off by the expected difficulty of occasional longer trips
The majority of people’s day to day driving requirements match what the current generation of PEV’s have to offer. Studies have shown that between 70 and 80 percent of drivers in urban areas can easily use the 100 mile capacity that PEV’s have for their daily commute and small additional trips each day. However, when thinking of the exceptional journeys sometimes taken which exceed 100 miles, in the context of a limited charging network, eliminates the PEV as a valid choice for some.
Clearly then, technological advancements are one of the biggest challenges facing innovators in this field, with the majority setting their sights on the silver bullet of a 500 mile range. Current contenders in this field include Carbon Nanotube Electrode Lithium and Lithium Air Carbon.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are using layers of carbon nanotubes, to develop the Carbon Nanotube Electrode Lithium battery that can store and release more energy than a conventional lithium battery. The nanotubes used by MIT are commercially available, but are at least five years away from being fully developed into large scale production.
IBM is developing a lithium-air battery with the potential for far more energy density than current batteries. IBM says its battery can last much longer during a charge because it uses carbon electrodes in which the ions react with oxygen (think of it as a breathing battery). The battery technology, however, is not expected to be commercially available to electric car makers until 2020.Finally, to complicate the market further, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) recognises that a portfolio of solutions will be required to decarbonise road transport and this is becoming a reality. For example, Toyota plans to launch a hydrogen fuel cell car next year.
At some point in time, there will be a solution that effectively eliminates range anxiety for 99 per cent of people. The million dollar question is when and whether it will be economically viable. In the meantime the focus needs to be squarely placed on the development of a universal charging network that’s as easy to use as our network of petrol stations. People need to know that they will be able to find a charging point quickly and easily when they need one, and that when they do it will be compatible with their car. This is simply not the case in the UK at the moment.