Electricians conquer the West

If you only looked at the rise in electric vehicle sales in wealthy Western countries, you would have a hard time resisting the rising tide of electro-enthusiasm. On the other hand, this "revolution" is largely due to state subsidies, and precisely because we are talking about rich countries.

The electric vehicle drive – older than the internal combustion engine because its first applications appeared in the XNUMXs – has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years. True, skeptics say that just because of the rise in liquid fuel prices, it is impossible not to notice the huge technological progress made recently by electric mobility. The environmental values ​​of electric vehicles (EVs) are also important.

A powerful impetus for the development of electric mobility was the recent decision of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, to offer an electric car at an affordable price. For a week, the preliminary sale of Model 3 is as much as 325 thousand. people credited the initial amount of 1 holes to the company's account. Musk admitted that the calculation is prepared on the basis of an analysis that sets the average purchase price of the fourth car of this manufacturer at 42 3. hole. The cheapest version of the Model 35 will cost 30 rubles. hole. (this is the average purchase of a new car in the US), which after deducting the highest surcharge offered for the purchase of an electric car, gives a price definitely below PLN XNUMX XNUMX. hole.

In ecstasy, Tesla announced that the first week of April 2016 will be remembered as the time when electric cars became a mass product. The Model 3 is expected to go into production at the end of 2017, but it is already known that with the implementation of the company's current development plans, a large part of customers will have to wait another year, or even two years, until their car goes on sale. be lifted. So Elon Musk officially confirmed that Tesla began to look for ways to increase production capacity.

Breakthrough with the help of the state

Virtually every major automotive manufacturer is currently developing this type of technology. The number of electric vehicles sold around the world is growing quite rapidly. To date, Nissan continues to have the best-selling vehicles with the Leaf model.

According to forecasts published in March this year by the British research company Frost & Sullivan, after 2020, 10 million electric vehicles are expected to be on the world's roads. At that time, green cars will account for about 1/3 of cars sold in developed markets and about 1/5 in developing world cities. International research agency Navigant Research predicts that by 2023, electric vehicle sales will account for 2,4% of next-generation vehicle sales worldwide. In turn, the global electric vehicle market could record sales growth from 2,7 million in 2014 to 6,4 million in 2023.

Censuswide has commissioned Go Ultra Low, a campaign to encourage the purchase of low carbon vehicles, research showing Western teens aged 14 to 17 are planning to purchase an electric car as their first car. At least eight out of ten 81-year-olds - 50% to be exact - want an electric car. Although this percentage decreases somewhat with the increase in the age of the respondents, it still remains above XNUMX%.

In the UK, an average of 2016 electric vehicles were registered daily in the first quarter of 115. This is the best result since January 2011, when the local government decided to support the sale of this type of car by applying a subsidy system. The number of electric vehicles purchased through subsidies on the islands exceeds 60. The UK has become a huge market for this segment, although it lags behind the smaller Netherlands in terms of registrations.

This is due to the introduction of a law that will allow only electric vehicles to be offered on the Dutch market from 2025. Information about this was provided by the website csmonitor.com. The idea was proposed by the local Labor Party, the draft of which provides for a ban on the introduction of cars with gasoline and diesel engines to the domestic market from 2025. Cars with this type of drive, which would have been registered when the ban was introduced, could remain in service and “die” peacefully.

When buying electric vehicles, the Dutch can count, in particular, on exemption from road and registration taxes (up to 5,3 thousand euros in total for individuals and up to 19 thousand euros for companies for the first four years of use). A tempting offer awaits the owners of delivery companies and taxi drivers who decide to convert a car with a classic engine into an electric car. When buying such a car, they will receive a surcharge of up to 5 euros. In addition, residents of Rotterdam can use the parking lots in the city center free of charge all year round after registering the vehicle. Access to fast charging terminals throughout the country is also free.

Germany estimates that by the end of 2020 there will be about a million electric vehicles on the roads. To achieve this goal, a special government program was launched in 2010 to promote low-emission vehicles on German roads. The project provides, inter alia: exemption from the annual road tax for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids for a period of five years from the date of first registration (in Poland such a tax is included in the price of fuel), taking advantage of a preferential tax rate for those who use the auto business for personal purposes, and dynamic expansion of the network of fast charging stations throughout the country.

Norway is a country where electric vehicles are uniquely oriented – last year, out of 5 million inhabitants, there were already 50 of them. registered electric vehicles. Norwegians who drive electric vehicles are exempt from car purchase tax (including VAT), annual road tax, and parking and community charges. In addition, they can use bus lanes.

Similarly, the government rewards Swedes for using electric vehicles. When buying an electric car, they are automatically exempt from the annual transport tax for the first five years after registration. In addition, Swedish businesses and institutions can count on a subsidy of PLN 40 18,5. kroons (approx. 40 thousand zlotys) for the purchase of "electricians". The third benefit is a XNUMX% tax reduction when using a company car for personal purposes.

Other European countries are also beginning to focus on the electrification of the automotive industry. Irish and Romanians get up to 5 when buying a low emission car. co-financing in euros, the British up to 5 pounds, the Spaniards up to 6 thousand euros, the French up to 7 thousand euros, and the inhabitants of Monaco up to 9 thousand euros.

As you can see, the increase in the number of electric vehicles is largely due to subsidies. In Poland, where subsidies are worse, several hundred cars of this type are sold annually. This is nine times less than in Germany. First of all, we need to expand the charging network. Currently, we have about 150 such points in the country.

Pantographs of the future

The electrical revolution is based on research and the search for new solutions. The Swedes, for example, have recently started testing the first electric truck. Models with pantographs will be tested over the next two years on a two-kilometer section of the E16 motorway north of Stockholm. The hybrid vehicles were made by Scania and are now working with Siemens to match them with traction.

Scania truck with pantograph

A two-year study period is to confirm whether the system, called E-Highway, will be scalable and prove to be a functional solution in the future. It is assumed that the system in terms of energy should be twice as efficient as currently used. Its main element is an intelligent pantograph combined with a hybrid drive, which allows it to move at speeds up to 90 km/h. This is a solution based on both the battery and gas of the truck's hybrid drive system, so the vehicle can move even when disconnected from the overhead line.

Siemens is working on a similar system in California in partnership with Volvo. In 2017, trucks with the traction infrastructure of the emerging electric highway will be tested near the seaports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Ground Rapid Transport vehicles intended for residents of Singapore.

On the other side of the world, Singapore-based SMRT Services (the second largest public carrier in the local market), along with its Dutch partner 2 Getthere Holding, is bringing fully autonomous electric taxis to the streets of Singapore, thus taking the first place. a move to completely change the way people move. They will complement the existing public transport infrastructure, allowing you to get to your destination without transfers. GRT (Ground Rapid Transport) wagons resemble minibuses. Wide automatic doors on both sides of the vehicle allow quick passenger changes. The customizable interior can accommodate up to 24 seating and standing positions. It is assumed that thanks to the GRT system it will be possible to transport up to 8 passengers per hour, at a maximum speed of 40 km / h.

Charging not refueling

The next generations of electric vehicles resemble conventional combustion vehicles in terms of functionality. Their assortment is improving, which has been and is still mentioned as one of the problems from the point of view of potential buyers. Tesla Model S allows, for example, to drive almost 500 km without recharging. So, if coverage is no longer an issue, what is?

When the petrol or diesel gauge indicates low fuel, we stop at the station and after a few minutes we can drive again. In the case of electric vehicles, when there is a shortage of energy while driving, we must reserve time for a longer rest. This is because it takes many hours to fill the batteries to 100%.

There are, however, ideas that the batteries should not be recharged, but replaced, which will significantly reduce downtime, but so far these are prototype solutions. They also require manufacturers to reformulate design concepts so that the replacement process is not too time consuming and hassle. In the technology news columns, there are sometimes reports of "revolutionary" solutions that reduce battery charging times to a few minutes. However, as users of smartphones, which are far more popular than electric vehicles, are well aware, such methods of fast charging are not yet seen in the consumer market.

Traction Belt - Loading

Sometimes technologists' ideas go further, towards wireless charging and even solutions like electric traction roads that will inductively propel vehicles. Qualcomm has been working on the Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) project for some time now. It cooperates with the UK authorities, the office of the Mayor of London and the agency responsible for transport. However, the implementation of such solutions is a serious investment. The vehicle power supply system will be part of the public road infrastructure here.

In just a few years

Faraday Future, considered Tesla Motors' biggest competitor, has received permission to test its autonomous electric vehicle prototype on California roads. His bosses hope to start manufacturing and selling electric vehicles next year, but no plans for autonomous cars have been revealed yet.

2016 Faraday Future FFZERO1 – Concept Car

Faraday Future is one of many Chinese-funded startups looking to compete with Tesla in the field of modern electric vehicles. So far, however, the company has been unwilling to reveal any details about the autonomous driving program other than that the system will offer upgrades similar to those provided by Tesla. Faraday Future isn't the only company that can test its vehicles on California roads. The same approval has been granted to thirteen other competitors in the industry, including Tesla, Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Various manufacturers are announcing new generations of electric vehicle models, tempting buyers in different ways. In December, Porsche confirmed that it had invested more than $3,5 billion to open production lines that will produce the first all-electric vehicles in the brand's history. Mission E - Accelerate to "hundreds" in 80 seconds and be equipped with a function that allows you to charge the battery by 15% in just 6 minutes. Audi plans to begin production of its latest electric SUV, the 2018 Audi Q500, at the start of the year. The prototype, presented in Brussels, is equipped with three electric motors and batteries, sufficient for a range of more than 2018 km. Mercedes plans to release the first long-range SUV before 2020. By 500, the company plans to offer as many as four models of electric cars. Mercedes will unveil the first prototype at the Paris Motor Show in October with a range of around XNUMX miles, according to Reuters.

Porsche Mission E - preview

There's also Apple's almost "legendary" car, the iCar - though it's still unknown what it will look like and whether the company will bet on the electric car market. However, we do know that Apple has been hard at work looking for talented engineers and technicians related to autopilots. The German press also claims that the Apple car will appear on the roads of Germany at the turn of 2019 and 2020. At the moment, the mention of auto parts manufacturer Magna International as a vehicle design partner says a lot about the progress of the project.

As you can see, in the world of electric vehicles, we have many bold concepts, many announcements, more and more perfect government-subsidized sales, and a few technical limitations that have yet to be satisfactorily dealt with. So you can see the horizon, but also the haze surrounding it.

Testing electric trucks in Sweden:

Final preparations for the construction of the world's first electric road