EV
- Untapped Energy Storage
Introduction
After more than a decade of development, technology improvements, research and promotion, electrical vehicles are still far too expensive to reach the plebs due to high EV battery cost, and number of sales pose just a fraction of conventional combusting engine vehicles running on petrol and diesel inter alia due to their much lower price on top of better refueling infrastructure and further driving range. Moreover, as the combustion engine’s efficiency seem keeping on increasing, it is likely that conventional vehicles will persist dominating the market for some time to come. This trend needs a turnover since Electric vehicles pose an important element of a future smart-grid.
After more than a decade of development, technology improvements, research and promotion, electrical vehicles are still far too expensive to reach the plebs due to high EV battery cost, and number of sales pose just a fraction of conventional combusting engine vehicles running on petrol and diesel inter alia due to their much lower price on top of better refueling infrastructure and further driving range. Moreover, as the combustion engine’s efficiency seem keeping on increasing, it is likely that conventional vehicles will persist dominating the market for some time to come. This trend needs a turnover since Electric vehicles pose an important element of a future smart-grid.
Background
A key-issue in regards of why the electric cars are pricy and conventional combustion engine cars dominant is battery. The cost however for EV batteries has declined in the past three years from around $1000 to $350 per kWh and an estimate is that the price would drop even more by 2020 parallel to rapid sales-growth of electric cars pushing technology and production of EV batteries. (Nykvist & Nilsson, 2015) The battery capacity ranges from 20-50 kWh with a driving range of 80-350 km and time of charging is around six hours (Technology review, 2015). EV-charging load can be shifted to off-peak periods and thereby flatten daily load curve significantly reducing generation and network investment using smart grid technology (Morgan, 2012) In Sweden, however, the sale of electric cars has grown with around 90 % since 2009 and the number of electric cars was by the end of 2014 approximately 38 000 to be compared to conventional engine cars at a number of 3 million, a decrease with 12 %, and the number of conventional engine trucks at a number of roughly 600 000 units. Ethanol fueled cars is ten times larger in numbers than electric cars and the over all average increase of all cars in Sweden are 50 000 per year for the last five years. The average driving distance in Sweden is 12 000 km per year. (SCB, 2015)
Discussion and conclusion
The cost for alternative technologies such as electric vehicles needs decrease to a point where they can fully compete with conventional combustion engine vehicles and acceptance of new fuels needs to be gained. In time, manufacturers wrung out fuel efficiency gains from internal combustion engines and further progress depend on new propulsion technologies and energy systems. But in order to make this happen large scale significant incentives per vehicle need to be seen and a better refueling infrastructure developed. Governments need realize that grants and subsidies for investments in EV is a future investment that regardless needs to be done in order to structure a functional smart-grid. There is an egregious energy storage alternative in electric vehicle batteries. Say half of the Swedish vehicle fleet would be electric cars, then the battery storage capacity would be 1 500 000 times 35 kWh. That is 52 500 MWh. Since the mean driving distance is 12 000 km per year the effective driving time is only 150 hours (assuming average speed 80 km / h). That leaves roughly 8500 hours of “passive parking”, e.g. energy storage time. This shows the importance of reinforcing and investing in the electric vehicle fleet and its important part in the future smart-grid.
A key-issue in regards of why the electric cars are pricy and conventional combustion engine cars dominant is battery. The cost however for EV batteries has declined in the past three years from around $1000 to $350 per kWh and an estimate is that the price would drop even more by 2020 parallel to rapid sales-growth of electric cars pushing technology and production of EV batteries. (Nykvist & Nilsson, 2015) The battery capacity ranges from 20-50 kWh with a driving range of 80-350 km and time of charging is around six hours (Technology review, 2015). EV-charging load can be shifted to off-peak periods and thereby flatten daily load curve significantly reducing generation and network investment using smart grid technology (Morgan, 2012) In Sweden, however, the sale of electric cars has grown with around 90 % since 2009 and the number of electric cars was by the end of 2014 approximately 38 000 to be compared to conventional engine cars at a number of 3 million, a decrease with 12 %, and the number of conventional engine trucks at a number of roughly 600 000 units. Ethanol fueled cars is ten times larger in numbers than electric cars and the over all average increase of all cars in Sweden are 50 000 per year for the last five years. The average driving distance in Sweden is 12 000 km per year. (SCB, 2015)
Discussion and conclusion
The cost for alternative technologies such as electric vehicles needs decrease to a point where they can fully compete with conventional combustion engine vehicles and acceptance of new fuels needs to be gained. In time, manufacturers wrung out fuel efficiency gains from internal combustion engines and further progress depend on new propulsion technologies and energy systems. But in order to make this happen large scale significant incentives per vehicle need to be seen and a better refueling infrastructure developed. Governments need realize that grants and subsidies for investments in EV is a future investment that regardless needs to be done in order to structure a functional smart-grid. There is an egregious energy storage alternative in electric vehicle batteries. Say half of the Swedish vehicle fleet would be electric cars, then the battery storage capacity would be 1 500 000 times 35 kWh. That is 52 500 MWh. Since the mean driving distance is 12 000 km per year the effective driving time is only 150 hours (assuming average speed 80 km / h). That leaves roughly 8500 hours of “passive parking”, e.g. energy storage time. This shows the importance of reinforcing and investing in the electric vehicle fleet and its important part in the future smart-grid.
References
Morgan,
T., 2012. Smart Grid and electric
vehicles. International Transport Forum. Acquired 2015-10-06 from
http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/jtrc/discussionpapers/dp201202.pdf
http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/jtrc/discussionpapers/dp201202.pdf
Nykvist,
B. & Nilsson, M., 2015. Climate home.
Acquired 2015-10-06 from
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2015/03/23/falling-battery-prices-boost-outlook-for-electric-vehicles/
SCB, Statistiska Centralbyrån, 2015. Fordonsstatistik. Acquired 2015-10-06 from
http://www.scb.se/sv_/Hitta-statistik/Statistik-efter-amne/Transporter-och-kommunikationer/Vagtrafik/Fordonsstatistik/#c_undefined
Technology review, 2015. The Price of batteries. Acquired 2015-10-07 from
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2015/03/23/falling-battery-prices-boost-outlook-for-electric-vehicles/
SCB, Statistiska Centralbyrån, 2015. Fordonsstatistik. Acquired 2015-10-06 from
http://www.scb.se/sv_/Hitta-statistik/Statistik-efter-amne/Transporter-och-kommunikationer/Vagtrafik/Fordonsstatistik/#c_undefined
Technology review, 2015. The Price of batteries. Acquired 2015-10-07 from
http://www.technologyreview.com/sites/default/files/legacy/jan11_feature_electric_cars_p61.pdf
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