Almost everyone likes the idea of an electrical vehicle (EV). They’re silent, non-polluting, and have good performance. And there’s no such thing as “gas mileage” to worry about. What’s not to like?
But with sales of just over 1% of the total automotive market, something must be wrong—seriously wrong. And it is. Besides their much higher prices, today’s EVs suffer from limited range and a dearth of charging stations. While our future is probably more EVs and fewer internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles, that future won’t happen until these issues are resolved. Here’s how electronics is making that happen.
Clearing the Path to Ubiquitous EVs
It’s clearly evident that EVs are growing in acceptance throughout the world, but massive adoption has yet to occur. As a percentage of overall vehicle sales, as mentioned, EVs represent slightly more than 1% of sales in the U.S. Thanks to recent efforts by Nissan with its new Leaf, GM’s excellent Bolt, Tesla’s Model 3, plus BMW’s and VW’s models, sales are growing. EVs have significant acceptance problems, but massive efforts are underway to correct that. It just takes time.
These critical factors are being addressed to spur EV growth:
- High prices: This is a major obstacle. But prices will come down over time as sales volume increases and critical components—especially the battery—become less costly.
- Battery costs: The lithium-ion battery has won the EV battery technology battle. But its high price is one of the main reasons why EVs are so expensive. However, considerable battery development continues, and new manufacturing methods are being adopted to solve this problem. Tesla’s forthcoming battery factory in Nevada should soon push Li-Ion prices down to a more affordable level. Developments in China will further improve this solution.
- Vehicle range limitations: Early EVs could not even reach a distance of 100 miles before the battery needed a recharge. While some urban owners can live with minimum range, those who live in the lesser populated rural areas, can’t accommodate such a limitation. The typical ICE vehicle today gets at least 300 to 400 miles per tank. Owners expect that. Newer EV models now boast a range of over 200 miles, finally making these vehicles more attractive. Yet the dearth of charging stations continues to be off-putting to most potential buyers.
- Lack of charging stations: EV owners have their own home chargers, but more public charging stations are needed. The handful that are available are usually busy, but who can wait? Few care to venture out without some knowledge of a nearby charging station. Consumers don’t want that anxiety or the potential inconvenience of “running out of gas.” Today, vehicle owners can readily rely on the tens of thousands of gas stations available. There’s always one nearby. When that number of public chargers comes into being, consumers can venture out on short or long trips and have the confidence that a charging station isn’t far off. Therefore, building out the charging infrastructure becomes a top priority.
- Charging times: It probably takes less than 10 minutes to fill the gas tank of an ICE vehicle. Maybe even less in some cases. Consumers are accustomed to that. On the other hand, charge times for EVs are significant. Home chargers take from 4 to 17 hours for a full recharge, which is acceptable to most. But at a public charging station, consumers don’t want to wait. At best, the time for a full charge is probably a half hour or more, which is unacceptable. In today’s world of instant gratification, impatience, and shortened attention span, long charging times may be the hardest obstacle to overcome.
- Implications for the electric grid: A highly expanded EV charging system will add a significant burden on the existing electrical grid. The good news is that the expansion of new charging stations will be gradual and be spread across the country, giving utilities time to accommodate the extra load. In addition, the increasing adoption of alternative-energy sources like wind and solar will provide additional capacity as needed.