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Down on the range
Consumers across the globe expect
electric vehicles (EVs) to be able to
go further, on less charge time, for a
lower price than car manufacturers
are currently able to offer, according
to a report from the Deloitte Touche
Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) Global
Manufacturing Industry group.
The report, Unplugged: Electric vehicle
realities versus consumer expectations,
surveyed 13,000 consumers in 17
countries in the Americas, Asia and
Europe and found that the driving range
and charge times of pure EVs continue to
fall short of consumer expectations. As a
result, DTTL believes that fewer than 2%
of consumers will have adopted battery
electric vehicles by 2020.
Siegfried Frick, an automotive partner
with Deloitte Germany, said: “Consumers
expect EVs to be able to go an average of
320 kilometres, but current technology
permits most EVs to cover an average
of only 160 kilometres between charges.
There is a divide between consumers’
expectations of EVs and the actual
technologies that are available in the
market today.”
As Craig Giff, DTTL Global
Automotive sector leader explains, this
extends to charge times too. “Most of
the consumers surveyed expect an EV
to recharge its battery in two hours or
less. Only a small majority viewed up to
eight hours – the actual time it can take
to recharge the typical electric vehicle
battery in vehicles today using a level 2
charger – as acceptable,” he said.
The driving range of EVs is a common
complaint, but are car users right to put
so much emphasis on it?
Are concerns about the
driving range of electric
vehicles misplaced?
Early fndings from Europe’s largest
trial of ultra-low carbon emission
vehicles, launched in the UK by the
Technology Strategy Board in December
2009, aren’t defnitive. The trial involving
340 vehicles, 110,000 journeys, 680,000
miles and 20,000 battery recharges
has been largely positive, with 83% of
participants stating that the vehicles
met their daily needs. Yet, range remains
an issue.
Private drivers and feet drivers said
the range they required for daily trips
was 92.12 and 120.64 miles respectively,
which might explain why after three
months, two thirds of private drivers
were still more concerned about reaching
their destination with an EV than their
normal car (down from 100% at the start
of the trial).
One of the eight consortia involved,
CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low
Emission Demonstrators), has already
analysed 12 months’ worth of data from
25 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs and 20 smart
fortwo electric drives and found that over
time drivers travelled longer journeys,
indicating increased confdence in
vehicles’ range.
Even so, most journeys (77%) lasted
less than 20 minutes and the majority
used less than 2kWh of power (around
12% of the charge). Only 2% used more
than 50% of the battery, so in almost all
instances a return journey could be made
without the need for recharging.
Brian Price from Aston University,
which analysed data obtained from each
vehicle’s on-board telemetry, said: “The
battery range of electric vehicles (EVs)
more than covers most users’ needs, with
most drivers fnishing their daily journeys
with over 40% charge remaining. Typical
users only need to recharge every 2-3
days and choose the convenience of
a home charge overnight or at their
Swap and Go
SustainableTIMES recently
visited Paris to see Renault’s
new Z.E. Electric Live concept
in their fagship showroom on
the Champs Elysées.
The exhibition began
with a collection of everyday
objects modifed with tiny
2-stroke engines – a shaver
with an exhaust pipe, a
kitchen whisk with a tiny
cylinder head and a chip and
pin machine with a fller cap and minuscule petrol can for
reflling – magically brought to life in an accompanying video.
The message was clear: why use a dirty, noisy engine when
an electric alternative is so much cleaner and more convenient.
Few would argue the point over shavers and whisks, but it’s
an entirely different matter when it comes to electric vehicles
(see main story): many would argue that the petrol engine still
has a monopoly on convenience.
Even if you only ever drive your car a few miles to and from
work, you still want the freedom to make longer journeys,
without worrying about running out of power or having to make
lengthy stops to recharge.
One solution being considered by Renault is to give
drivers the option of swapping a run-down battery for a
fully charged one. In this scenario, a driver would pull into
a ‘Battery Switching’ station; park up in a designated bay;
release the suitcase-sized car battery; and insert a fully charged
replacement. According to Renault, the whole process takes 3-5
minutes, i.e. no longer than it takes to fll a car with petrol today.
This is an attractive solution, especially for feet operators,
but is currently only being planned in Israel, Australia and
Denmark. www.renault-ze.com
The all-electric Renault Fluence Z.E. four-door saloon is due to be
launched in the UK in mid-2012. It has a range between charges of 50-
125 miles depending on driving style, terrain and weather conditions,
and is best suited to stop-go urban driving as it consumes almost no
energy when stationery at traffc lights and will recover energy under
deceleration.
Renault claims the purchase price will be competitive with a diesel
car once the Government’s £5,000 Plug-In Car Grant (PiCG) is taken into
account (£22,850 - £5,000 = £17,850); and that users will beneft from
energy costs that are 5-10 times lower than a petrol/diesel car (approx.
£3 for 115 miles).
However, savings are much, much lower when you take into account
the cost of the compulsory battery hire (inc. breakdown cover), which for
an annual mileage of 9,000 adds an extra 11p per mile to running costs
(based on a monthly hire agreement of £81 over 3 years).
Users face an additional cost of £799 if they install the recommended
Chargemaster wall-mounted charging point, offering a 6-8 hour
recharge time. The Fluence Z.E. can be connected directly to a
240V home supply, with a charge time of 10-12 hours, but
Renault suggests this only be done occasionally.
Other PiCG eligible EVs are the Chevrolet Volt (early
2012); Citroen CZero; Mitsubishi i-MiEV; Nissan Leaf;
Peugeot iOn; Smart fortwo electric drive; Tata Vista (TBC);
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (early 2012); and the Vauxhall
Ampera (early 2012).
place of work over 85% of the time.
Public charging points provided as part
of the trial are proving popular, but are
less necessary than originally thought,
as users gain confdence in the range
capability of the vehicles.”