Charging on the move suits most, but not all
Many car buyers are no doubt considering the purchase of either a full electric or hybrid vehicle, but the debate on the merits of either is never-ending.
The University of Chalmers, in recent research, debated the value of what it refers to as an electric road system and how this technology can reduce the size of the batteries that are fitted to electric cars.
Petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2030 by the Swedish government, so alternative transport and charging solutions must be found soon.
Different ways of charging vehicles on the move
Electric road systems (ERSs) are already being tested in several countries. These charge a moving vehicle with either loops in or next to the road, or with wires suspended above vehicles, which means vehicles need not be stationary when charging.
Chalmers studied vehicle data from 400 passenger cars to determine real driving patterns and calculate, among others, battery size needs to complete all journeys given possible charging options (stationary versus ERS), charging patterns, and total costs including infrastructure and batteries.
The results show that electric roads on 25% of the busiest European roads will be combined with a battery reduction in size to about one-third of the current size, will be optimal.
“We see that it is possible to reduce the required range of batteries by more than two-thirds if you combine charging in this way. This would reduce the need for raw materials for batteries, and an electric car could also become cheaper for the consumer,” says Sten Karlsson, who, together with research colleagues Wasim Shoman and Sonia Yeh, is behind the study “Benefits of an Electric Road System for Battery Electric Vehicles”.
“Many people charge their cars after work and during the night, which puts a lot of strain on the power grid. By instead charging more evenly throughout the day, peak load would be significantly reduced.
Limited benefit in sparsely populated areas
“There are big differences between groups of owners and drivers depending on driving patterns and proximity to electric roads. Even in the optimal case, some would manage with only electric road charging, while others would not be able to use the opportunity at all. For example, we see that those who live in the countryside would need almost 20% greater range on their batteries compared to those who live in a city centre,” says Shoman.
The study also shows that small batteries do not automatically lead to charging through ERS.
“Just because you can charge does not mean the consumer actually wants to do it at every given opportunity. The business model, therefore, becomes extremely important because benefits and costs may become unevenly distributed. And there are no decisions yet on what the business model should look like,” says Karlsson.
The first pilot with a permanent electric road is now underway in Sweden.
Should you wish to read the full study, find it here.
Source: Chalmers University
