Second Tesla Syndrome.

Flip the switch and we have electricity! - follows from some media reports about plans for the production of electric vehicles in Poland, announced in recent months. However, a closer examination of the facts and a historical retrospective warn us against caution, since both the technological capabilities and the capital necessary to start the electrical revolution are somewhat lacking in our country.

Much is happening in the sphere of announcements and declarations. Energy Minister Krzysztof Czorzewski announced in May 2017 that in the coming weeks Law on the support system for initiatives related to the development of electromobility in Poland. The plan for the development of electric vehicles, presented by the Ministry of Energy, suggests that by 2025 there will be a million electric vehicles on the roads of the Vistula.

At the first stage (until 2018), the government must convince the Poles of its idea - then they will be implemented pilot programs. Then, in 2019-2020, infrastructure for charging electric vehicles will be built in selected agglomerations and along the TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) on the Vistula River. The government believes that there will be 50 people in 2020 selected cities in 2025. electric vehicles. Finally, the government predicts that in the third phase (XNUMX-XNUMX years), electric vehicles will become more popular. stimulate demand for these vehicles. According to the ministry, the Polish energy network will already be ready to provide electricity to approximately one million electric vehicles.

Far from average European

So many plans and announcements. The real numbers here and now are much more modest. According to the Polish Association of the Automotive Industry, in April 2017, 47 electric vehicles were registered in the entire passenger car group, including If we take this as the current average and multiply by twelve, we get half a thousand electric vehicles registered annually in Poland. More than 400 2016 all cars registered for the first time (XNUMX).

There are no signs of a surge and we still don't fare well compared to Europe. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), a total of 2016 thousand cars were registered in the European Union in 155,2. electric vehicles (ECV-) – 4,8% better than the result achieved in 2015 (this category also includes hybrids of this type).

Most (ECV) last year was registered in Norway (44,9 thousand - in 2015 there were 33,7 thousand), Great Britain (36,9 thousand - compared to 28,7 thousand in 2015 .), France (29,1 thousand - 22,8 thousand), Germany (25,2 thousand - 23,5 thousand), as well as in the Netherlands, where, however, a significant decrease was recorded compared to 2015 - 22,8 thousand people are registered. electricians against 44,4 thousand people. in the previous year.

According to ACEA, 556 electric vehicles belonging to the ECV group were registered in Poland last year, including the so-called (BEV), (EREV), (FCEV) and (PHEV). For comparison, in 2015, the number of registrations of vehicles of the ECV group in Poland amounted to a total of 337.

International research agency Navigant Research predicts that by 2023, electric vehicles will account for 2,4% of next-generation car sales worldwide. As you can see, in Poland this percentage is still much lower and it should grow by leaps and bounds so that we can not only catch up with the average forecast, but also reach a much higher level, because these are our plans and ambitions.

Four state companies and competition

The Electro-Mobility Poland company is engaged in the promotion of electromobility and the development of the Polish electric car project. (1) is a company established in October 2016 by four companies: PGE, Tauron, Enea and Energa. Each of them occupied 25% of the authorized capital, which is PLN 10 million. The company plans - with the support of the Polish government - to create basis for a new domestic market and become part of the global electric vehicle industry.

1. ElectroMobility Poland - screenshot of the site

“A small urban electric car made in Poland and based on Polish technical ideas is a challenge for the Polish automotive market,” said Minister Czorzewski, informing about the company's establishment. “As the Ministry of Energy, we support the development of electromobility in Poland, we create conditions for Polish entrepreneurs working in this sector so that they can successfully compete with European ones. Of course, whether such a vehicle will be produced in Poland will ultimately be tested by the market.”

The plan also includes electrification of public transport. Complemented by structural solutions charging infrastructure electric vehicles as defined by the national development policy.

ElectroMobility Poland announced competition for the first Polish electric car. The deadline for submitting projects expired in mid-May 2017. We met the winners on September 12, and the prototype of the car should be built next year. At the turn of May and June, the organizers reported almost a hundred applications, both from small companies and from large international organizations and individuals.

“We are pleased with the great interest in the competition,” Alexandra Baldis, spokeswoman for ElectroMobility Poland, said in a press release. “Now the first stage of the work of the jury will take place, in which we have invited the authorities of the automotive world and outstanding designers. The first stage is a formal evaluation, followed by the selection of projects and the selection of the fifteen most interesting final works.

In the announcement, the organizers also announce that each of the projects admitted to the final will be subject to evaluation in terms of design and mechanics, safety, comfort, style and environmental friendliness, as well as driving performance.

The jury included:

• people of science, that is, prof. hub English Marcin Schlenzak – Director of the Automotive Institute, prof. doctor eng. architect Stefan Westrich - from the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology, Dr. Eng. Andrzej Muszynski - Director of the Institute of Automotive Industry (PIMOT), Dr. Wojciech Wiesolek - Lecturer at the Transport Design Studio of the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw, designer of yachts, cars, motorcycles and video games;
• designers, i.e. Oskar Zenta - head of Zieta Prozessdesign studio, Wojciech Sokolowski - vehicle designer, head of SOKKA, a company specializing in industrial design and vehicle design;
• driver, i.e. Joanna Madej - pilot and racer, Polish car rally champion, Natalia Kowalska - race car driver, among other things, performances in Formula Master and Formula 2, Tomasz Czopik - titled racer, Polish car rally champion;
• automotive journaliststhose. Jaroslav Maznas - with TVN Turbo, co-host of the program "Automaniak", Rafał Cemielita - with TVN Turbo, Katarzyna Frendl - automotive journalist and blogger, author of the website motocaina.pl;
• as well as Anna Dereszowska - theater and film actress, motoring lover, Iza Rogulska - communications and public relations expert, Phillips Polska, Marcin Kobylecki - creative director and board member of Platige Image, Joanna Kloskowska - marketing director Ringier Axel Springer Polska, specializing in the brand - marketing and communication.

The first competition covers the visualization stage. Another one, which will be announced this September, concerns prototyping. Once the decision is made, ElectroMobility Poland plans an approval process, small series production, and then support for the launch of mass production.

The role of ElectroMobility Poland is to create conditions for enterprises that demonstrate the potential in the market of electric vehicle manufacturers. The company should be the only starter here. (Let's dwell on this nomenclature, although in an "electric" context it seems outdated) for further driving and possible mass production - that is, money for serious investments - must come from somewhere else. So where?

This is a question on which more than one Polish electric car has stopped, or rather its design.

For comparison, here is a short list of investments that the electric projects of the world can count on.

Chinese billions

According to various estimates, global investment and funding for startups developing new electric vehicles has increased from about $200 million in 2013 to $2 billion in 2016. These amounts are growing rapidly. Chinese only (despite the name) world champion (2) Since its founding in 2015, it has received a billion dollars from venture capital investors. The brand's first vehicle is due to be built in 2018, with a target of 2021 vehicles by 100. car parts

2. Weltmeister visualizations

Another Chinese company founded in 2014. NextEVhalf a billion dollars has been credited so far. He intends to build a completely new type of car, adapted to the needs of customers. At the moment she has created race car EP9, recognized as the fastest in the world electric car.

Fledgling and obscure Chinese companies with ambitions to conquer the emerging electric vehicle market can count on hundreds of millions and billions from Chinese tech giants. For example, “Chinese Google” is a company Baidu - together with Tencent Holdings They support Future Mobility, a company that wants to make premium electrical products. No wonder she managed to get engineers from BMW and Tesla.

The company, founded in 2014, is associated with Chinese capital. The Future of Faraday from California who wants to race against Tesla. During the largest exhibition of electronics and new technologies - Consumer Electronics Show, held annually in Las Vegas - she presented electric autonomous carwhich reaches a speed of 2,39 km / h in 97 seconds.

The company boasts that the car FF91 faster than Model S Tesla and all other electric vehicles currently produced (Tesla is capable of reaching speeds of up to 97 km / h in 2,5 seconds). During the fair, the capabilities of the car were shown, which moved around the parking lot without a driver on board. Faraday's representatives explained that their car, at a constant speed of about 88 km / h, is capable of covering a distance of 775 km. It can also be charged with current of various standards. The manufacturer plans to launch the car on the market in 2018. Readers wishing to pre-order a car must prepare 5 rubles. dollar advance...

Created a few months ago Lucid Motors so far he has received "only" $131 million from investors. He prepares the building Lucid Air (3), must have impressive parameters, incl. 600 hp engine and a power reserve of 52,5 km. Estimated price XNUMX thousand. dollars, which is not an outrageous option in the luxury car segment. The amount is no longer surprising when you take into account the tax benefits that buyers of electricians in the United States can expect.

Thanks to Chinese and US funding for electric startups, Swedish Combined, with $1,42 million in the account looks modest. However, given the strength of Swedish engineering and partnership with Siemens, we can expect that in 2019 - after all, the premiere of their first car is scheduled for this year - we will see an interesting product.

also in another country with a high technical culture - Switzerland. Worked there since 2009 classic factorywho recently offered a car Electra (4) designed to match Tesla products. So is the trolley Concept one – developed by a Croatian company Rimac Car, with a capacity of 1224 hp and a top speed of 350 km/h.

4. Elextra model - visualization 49

Most of the examples given from around the world show that you usually think about designing high-end or at least above-average cars. Polish ideas for electric vehicles tend to be small, urban, but unfortunately, as we shall see, relatively expensive, urban vehicles.

German offers Polish electricity under an Italian mask

Recently, the media is full of information about domestic designs of electric vehicles. However, they are not always purely Polish, as evidenced by the example of building ESF 01 (5). of domestic production is hidden here under the body of a Tychy-made car... Fiat 500. Behind the project is German businessman Thomas Hayek, president of Bemotion and founder of the Bielsko-Biala electric car factory.

5. FSE 01 (copyright: Bielsko-Biała Electric Vehicle Plant)

Specialists from the BOSMAL automotive research institute helped create the FSE 01. The version currently shown is an improved model, which in 2014, as a car called BOSMAL 500 E, was presented at the eCarTech motor show in Munich (already then Bemotion announced about his sale with BOSMAL).

The length of the car is just over 3,5 meters. It is equipped with a three-phase synchronous PMSM manufactured by Sosnowiec with a capacity of 45 hp. (maximum torque 120 Nm). The batteries are hidden under the floor. With a mass of 1055 kg, the car must accelerate to a maximum of 135 km / h. On a single charge, it will travel about 100 km and, according to Hayek, will cost less than $100. zloty". In comparison, for the new petrol 50, the manufacturer wants clearly less than XNUMX XNUMX. zloty.

Charging the FSE 01 from a standard garage socket takes about six hours, while using a 400 V electrical installation it takes only three hours. According to FSE representatives, they are capable of producing up to a thousand electric vehicles a year.

Bemotion and the BOSMAL Automotive Research Institute have applied to the National Research and Development Center for co-financing of almost PLN 4,5 million for their joint project titled "Development of an electric delivery vehicle with smart energy". control system". This means that in Bielsko-Biala, work is underway to develop two different vehicles powered by electricity - a delivery van for companies and a car for Kowalski.

To date, Fabryka Samochodow Elektrycznych has invested up to 1 million euros in the project. Participation in the ElectroMobility Poland competition was considered, but the requirements of the competition, announced by EMP, state that the vehicle must travel at least 150 km - in this case, almost 50 km.

The company would like to reach primarily institutional customers - banks, insurance companies, possibly government agencies, whose employees could use electricians like classic city cars.

A truly Polish design, of course, is ELVI. This was the name of the concept of the first domestic electric delivery vehicle. The renowned manufacturer of agricultural tractors and machines Ursus was presented at the Hannover Fair in April (6), which received wide media coverage and was partnered with Poland this year. The company Hipolit Cegielski-Poznań is responsible for the drive. ELVI will be produced in Lublin.

6. Ursus ELVI at the recent Hannover Messe

The car must weigh up to 3,5 tons. The minimum load capacity is 1100 kg, the range on a single battery charge will be about 150 km, and the maximum speed is 100 km/h. As the manufacturer's representatives assure, all parameters can be adjusted to the individual needs of future users. The height of the car will be about 2 m, so that it can easily enter, for example, an underground parking in a shopping center.

ELVI will be available with two engines. In the first, an engine with a power of 60-70 kW or about 100 hp. will be placed in the center. In the second, it will be possible to divide the power into two motors of 35 kW each. The Lithium-Ion batteries used in the vehicle will provide fast charging up to 90% capacity within 15 minutes, which should be considered a very good result compared to solutions commonly found on the market.

A specific and already mass-produced vehicle is an electric microcar made in Poland. Romet 4E (7), assembled and offered by Arkus & Romet Group since 2012. Although the name is well associated with Polish, the production version is just a variation of the 5-door Chinese electric car that we installed. Yogomo MA4E. The car is driven by a brushless electric motor with a maximum power of 5 kW (6,8 hp) and a voltage of 72 V.

The transmission configuration allows for a top speed of 62 km/h. The energy needed to power the engine is stored in nine lead-acid batteries, each with a capacity of 150 Ah (total 1350 Ah) and a voltage of 8 V. The maximum range is 90 km, but this can be increased to 180 km. km by activating the economical driving mode, which reduces the maximum speed to 42 km/h.

7. Romet 4E (source: Wikipedia)

8 Siren Nicky (copyright: AK Motor)

Beautiful, fast and technically perfect ... computer graphics

Both FSE and ELVI are at least existing cars, even as prototypes. It turns out that the creation of a prototype in Polish conditions is already a significant achievement. We have no shortage of projects of an extremely ephemeral nature. These include, for example, Siren Nicky (eight). According to manufacturer AK Motors, it will be a small city car equipped with electric motorwhich can carry two people and small luggage. Batteries supplied with the engine allowed for about 150 km in urban conditions and could be charged up to 90% in just 15 minutes.

The only problem is that this machine... does not physically exist. At least no one in the real world has seen it. However, you can see a lot of beautiful CGI. Unfortunately, this also applies to other renderings of AK Motors − Melusines Oraz Ligay.

At one time, the case of ELV001 (9) was high-profile - a car that was supposed to travel up to 150 km on a single charge. It had to be completely Polish, i.e. designed and built by our engineers. They even received funds from the European Union and created a prototype ELV8 for 001 million. Modern exterior design Michal Kraczyk, PhD student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Domestic companies such as Car Technology Production, KOMEL or Mielec Leopard were responsible for the construction. The prototype took about 20 months to complete, and according to Jerzy Czerkes, project coordinator for the Regional Development Agency MARR in Mielec, 90% of the components were designed and built locally.

9.ELV001 (copyright: exeon.co)

Among the widely described advantages of the ELV001, in addition to an attractive three-door body, were room for four passengers, a considerable 310-liter trunk and a 550-kilogram load capacity. The drive was also a strong point. On the one hand, this allows significant savings (the fare for 100 km is about PLN 4), and on the other hand, it provides impressive performance. 41 HP allows you to accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h. in less than 6 seconds. The maximum speed was 110 km / h, and the battery charge time was from 6 to 8 hours. Summing up, we can say that this is a car with parameters that are not inferior to competing models of recognized world manufacturers.

All these revelations meant that in 2014 the media wrote about the ELV001 as the hope of the domestic auto industry. It was assumed that since the concept of a machine with good performance and an economical drive was created, maybe something would eventually move on this aircraft. However, it became quiet after that. An investor could not be found, and the case was dismissed. In addition, the authors of the project themselves do not state that their goal was to produce a car.

The main idea was to create opportunities for domestic small and medium-sized companies from the automotive industry to gain experience in the design and manufacture of components for electric vehicles. It was also about testing national ideas and structures. Indeed, thanks to this, several companies are already cooperating or have been able to cooperate with the largest automakers in Europe.

But will Polish electric car projects forever remain only in the field of concepts and early prototypes?

Charger in the supermarket and in the street lamp

The development of electric motorization requires not only good car designs, but also infrastructure. And with the fact that in Poland it is probably even weaker than with money for investments in this sector. It is currently believed that we have approx. 130 stations electric vehicle charging (10). And in Germany, for example, already 125 thousand.

10. Google Map of Electric Vehicle Charging Points in Poland (from mytesla.com)

According to the government project "Package of clean transport", in Poland by 2020. 6 thousand regular and 400 fast charging points electric vehicles. According to EU rules, at least every tenth point must be accessible to the public.

The media (for example, “Dziennik – Gazeta Prawna”) have recently published even bigger numbers – in the coming years we will create another 10 2 jobs. electric vehicle charging points. Almost half of them will be at the inspection station, XNUMX more. they will build points, for example, at biogas plants, as well as wind and hydroelectric power plants. It is unclear what technologies will appear in these chargers. It is worth adding that we have already created several stations using the solution Tesla Supercharger - incl. in Wroclaw, Katowice and Poznań.

10 is a very ambitious prospect. Some will say it's unrealistic. However, it is hard to deny that the number of such installations in Poland has been on the rise lately. For example, in Łódź alone, PGE is working on six charging stations with a capacity of 50 kW each. They will be launched in the second half of 2017. Mobile operators are also reportedly interested in building a network of electric vehicle chargers. These projects will be funded by the Low Emission Transportation Fund or the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, subject to the use of renewable energy sources. Car companies such as BMW, Ford, Daimler and Volkswagen are also setting up their charging networks in Europe, i.e. in Poland.

There are more people who want to start this business. At the end of 2016, together with the 80 Lidl store in Poland, the first charging station for electric vehicles of this discount chain was opened in Poznań. The station is free and available during facility opening hours. You can use it - thanks to the fast charging function, a level of about 30% can be reached even in about XNUMX minutes. The building itself is heated by geothermal energy supported by recuperation.

Free charging points also call others chain of stores. The idea of ​​attracting customers with free charging stations is already being implemented in Europe, including Aldi, E. Leclerc and Auchan. In Poland, IKEA is also setting up fast charging stations for such vehicles in its stores.

The two state-owned fuel companies Orlen and Lotos, which are still more likely to follow developments, are preparing for a serious entry into the market. Orlen has had two Tesla chargers at more than 1700 filling stations, and Lotos has been a pilot at selected Tri-City stations since 2015 to allow charging electric and hybrid vehicles.

An interesting infrastructure idea was born in a completely different corner of Poland. Lublin University of Technology and PGE Dystrybucja want to jointly prepare a new electric vehicle charging system that will use chargers placed in Street lights. The work should be completed in 2020. The goal of the project is to ensure the free movement of electric vehicles throughout Poland in the future. The Lublin University of Technology will prepare the technical solutions for the new chargers, while PGE Dystrybucja will take care of the IT programs that will allow the chargers to be integrated with the management systems of the energy supply operator. As a result, electricity charges used to charge cars can be included in the electricity bills paid by the driver at the place of residence.

Car Batteries must be charged with a maximum power of 25 kW. A full charge will take about 70 minutes. The chargers will be equipped with three types of plugs, allowing you to connect different types of electric vehicles. They must be bidirectional, i.e. provide also the return of energy from the batteries to the system, if necessary. Thanks to the difference in electricity prices at certain times of the day, this solution will help drivers achieve additional savings. The cost of one charger is estimated at about 40 thousand rubles. zloty. However, the creators of the project do not intend to engage in their production - charger plans will be available to interested manufacturers on the basis of an open license.

In Warsaw without city electricians - they will go to Wroclaw

In the capital, among other things, it will be possible to charge electric vehicles in front of the headquarters of the energy concern RWE in Wybrzez Szczecinsk, as well as in several shopping centers, for example, in Galeria Mokotów, Arkadia, CH Warszawa Wileńska and Blue City. Each of these items can be completed from 40 minutes to an hour.

At the end of June 2016, the Public Transport Authority announced a program for the design, implementation and commissioning of charging systems for electric and hybrid vehicles at P+R car parks in Warsaw.

However, until now, the insufficiently dense network of electric vehicle charging stations was one of the reasons why the local government of Warsaw tried to launch the so-called car sharing, eventually dropped the requirement that the project include electric vehicles. Perhaps the first in this competition will be Wroclaw, where electric city cars will take to the streets in the spring of 2018.

In February 2017, an agreement was signed between the city and the Enigma company, which is responsible for the implementation of the project. The capital of Lower Silesia is to start with 200 electric vehicles available to every citizen – 190 Nissan Leaf models and 10 Nissan VANs.

Vehicles will not be free – the approximate fare will be about PLN 1 per kilometer. Bookings can be made through the website or mobile application, which will allow you to check the availability of individual cars in the city. Opening and starting the car will also be carried out using this type of application. It's the same with payments. Prepayment or payment is made after the return of the car. In addition, twelve car charging stations will be built.

11. Loading a car in the center of Warsaw (photo: blog.kurasinski.com)

Ministries are twisting

There are different opinions about the slogan of a million electric vehicles on Polish roads in the middle of the next decade. There are many judgments that the implementation of the plan is simply impossible. Because the electric revolution requires revolutionary money, big investments, support programs for drivers, companies, institutions and local governments. Meanwhile, in the media, one can already find reports of disputes and friction on this issue between institutions that should promote the concepts of government.

Pulse of Business wrote that the Prime Minister's office and the Ministry of Finance do not want to have electric cars in their fleet. But it was the state administration, including the ministries, that had to popularize this type of transport and set an example.

Meanwhile, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, Beata Kempa, referring to the report of Krzysztof Czorzewski quoted at the beginning, proposes to exclude vehicles used in the office from the upcoming projects, since the document "does not take into account the conditions for the functioning of some administrative bodies, such as the head of the Prime Minister's Office ". The Foreign Ministry explains that they use cars seized from foreign missions, so they will not buy new cars, and it will be difficult for him to buy electric cars. The strangest thing is that the Ministry of Finance, that is, the ministry headed by Mateusz Morawiecki, one of the greatest promoters of electromobility, also wants to avoid electricians.

Officials are also questioning the idea of ​​giving electric vehicles a bus lane. Thus disappears one of the most essential lures for the transition to electrics. What about tax breaks, parking fees, and other amenities that will get people to use electric vehicles?

In early May, Krzysztof Kowalczyk resigned, who recently ran ElectroMobility Poland. Although Maciej Kos, President of EMP, said in a widespread statement that "all processes in the company are running smoothly and the termination of the contract with Krzysztof Kowalczyk does not threaten any of the projects carried out by EMP", such a quick resignation does not contribute to creating an optimistic climate around the native electric mobility project. .

It is hard not to notice that the implementation of the outlined visions will not be an easy task. Money for investments on the scale needed to develop and launch production, i.e. huge ones are not expected, and the Polish projects disclosed so far are not knocked down by breakthrough technical solutions.

Perhaps we should go the other way and instead of focusing on the design of the "second Tesla", i.e. on imitation and opening of already open doors, to think about finding solutions to detailed technological problems that are still quite relevant in electric vehicles. not enough, but no one in the world could cope with them? Maybe you should look for ways to increase the range, charge speed, energy storage, energy management in the daily use of the car, and who knows, maybe even innovative energy sources?

This path depends only to a certain extent on the level of investment. Much more will depend on innovations, which the Poles have enough.