TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER No. 5 May 2011, Source: autotouring 2/2011
E-MOBILITY – HAS IT REALLY GOT THE GREEN LIGHT? There is great interest in electrical cars, but very few people really understand them. The following represent all the open questions and answers regarding the status quo in the e-mobility field.
According to Renault manager, Christine Tussot: A suitable framework with state and local funding has been part of these activities from the outset.” In France, e-cars receive a subsidy of EUR 5,000.
Why use electric cars at all? The climate debate has resulted in the fact that many countries have undertaken an obligation to drastically reduce their carbon dioxide emissions (Austria by 16 per cent from 2005 to 2020). At least when in motion, e-cars do not produce any CO2 but the problem is outsourced to the electricity suppliers. Moreover, crude oil is becoming a scarcer commodity and its exploitation increasingly expensive, as fields are less accessible. In addition, the remaining stocks of fossil fuels, which should be sufficient for roughly another forty years, are largely located in regions of considerable political instability. Other reasons for the increasing interest in e-cars include the global trend towards urbanisation and the question of fine dust. Both issues have persuaded policy-makers to limit local emissions by means of traffic-free zones and city tolls for petrol and diesel vehicles. As already mentioned, while in motion electric cars produce no exhaust gases and are then (and only then) genuine zero-emission vehicles. Therefore, the more vehicles with combustion engines that can be replaced in the conurbations, the greater the improvement in the quality of the air (but only in the immediate vicinity).
Batteries – are the hearts of the ecars already fully mature? As compared to other forms of energy, electricity offers many advantages, but also one major disadvantage. Namely, that it is far from easy to conserve. Batteries capable of storing amounts of energy equal to those contained in petrol or diesel would require thirty times the volume and one hundred times the weight of a corresponding fuel tank. The replacement of a tank with a capacity for 600 km by batteries of the same size would allow a maximum range of only 40 km (even accounting for the two-fold improvement in engine efficiency provided by the e-motor). As VW developer Oliver Koslowski explains: “Hybrid cars employ highperformance batteries, which provide power very quickly and at present, are primarily of nickel-metal-hydride design. By contrast, e-cars need high-energy batteries, which offer power that be called up over a far longer period. Lithium-ion batteries are best suited to this purpose and surpass NiMH batteries by 70 per cent with regard to their energy and performance density.
Development work: how seriously are automotive manufacturers taking e-mobility? Seriously enough to invest several times the amount of relatively generous state funding in development work. For example, Renault/Nissan have already spent EUR 4 million in ecar design and over 2,000 people are working on concrete projects in Japan and France.
Service life: how long do the batteries in today’s e-cars last? The battery is not only the most important component in an e-car, but also by far the most expensive. Experts estimate that the price for one kW hour of storage capacity amounts to around EUR 500. However, in the coming (ten?) years, the price per KWh should fall to EUR 200. The batteries in a compact car like the Nissan Leaf will then cost some EUR 6,000 (as opposed to the probable current price of around EUR 12,000). Nonetheless, the question regarding their durability remains.
Banner GmbH, A-4021 Linz-Austria, Postfach 777, Banner Strasse 1, Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88-0, Telefax Sales +43/(0)732/38 88-21599, e-mail: office@bannerbatterien.com Author: Günther Lemmerer, Marketing and PR
Audi engineers predict battery life of around ten years, subject to the proper care. Ideally, quick charging with heavy current more than once a week and frequent deep discharging should be avoided. Another important point in this connection is that the consumer may not make any mistakes and that these are prevented by the in-board electronics. In this way, several thousand charging cycles should be possible before battery performance weakens to a notable extent. E-mobility – is it affordable? The topic of e-mobility would seem to be increasingly a matter of expense. Even comparatively low-priced compact evehicles like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV cost EUR 35,000, which is far too expensive for the broad majority. This has prompted Renault to offer future battery leasing for the most expensive and uncertain car component. The French manufacturer is looking to achieve a final technological breakthrough as early as next year with a monthly rental of EUR 45 (for annual distances driven of 7,500 km) for its new “Twizy” e-model. On the occasion of a vehicle demonstration, Renault announced that, depending on the type of charging used, the 250 kg battery should last for 2,000-3,000 charging cycles. Once the battery only provides 80 per cent of its capacity, it will be exchanged free of charge within the scope of the leasing contract. Renault also says that drivers should expect to change the battery every one to three years. Eco-balance: just how environmentfriendly are e-cars in reality? In the case of e-cars, apart from the production process, genuine ecofriendliness during driving is dependent upon power generation. Electricity from renewable sources (solar, wind and hydropower) demonstrates a model CO2 balance, but a real improvement in the energy balance of e-cars will require massive investments on the part of energy suppliers in clean power generation processes.
However, the domestic electricity industry in Austria believes that basically the country can handle emobility, as the power required by a million e-cars would represent only three per cent of national electricity requirements. Electricity from nuclear power: is it climate-neutral? Natural disasters like the earthquake and tsunami in Japan could have serious consequences with regard to e-mobility. For example, important Nissan plants including the two production centres where the Nissan Leaf is manufactured, have been damaged. Moreover, neither futurologists nor experts are willing to make predictions regarding the effects of climate change or the debate concerning nuclear power. Range: how far can e-cars travel? This is difficult to determine. However, what is certain is that both heating and air conditioning running at the full power could halve the vehicle’s range. But what is the range? In the brochures for most of the e-cars that are either already available or will soon be on the market, the talk is of roughly 150 km. These figures are works statistics, which in practice are barely achievable. The weather may not be too cold (this can halve maximum range performance) and the car may not be driven too fast, as this would also cost distance. Furthermore, although in individual terms, additional consumers such as seat heating, radios, window winders and lights cost little energy, in total they add up to a sizeable factor. Apart from the manner of driving, another important factor in relation to range maximisation is the nature of the route. Uphill gradients require more power than running on the flat, while travelling downhill allows the recovery of braking energy and hence the recharging of the battery (recuperation) and range extension.
all the power that runs through domestic meters will be converted into a charge in an e-car battery. The size of charging losses in the case of Mitsubishi is currently being studied in detail. A full charge can be said to cost EUR 4. Accordingly, with a range of 75-120 km, depending greatly on the outdoor temperature, 100 km with the i-MiEV would cost EUR 3.30 – 5.30. Future: have vehicles with combustion engines reached the end of the line? Cars with petrol or diesel engines will continue to dominate the transport scene during the next two decades. They will become even more economic with automatic start-stop systems and hybrid drives assuming an increasingly important role as a market factor. In 2010, some 3.5 million vehicles with start-stop systems were already produced and the trend is sharply upward. From Banner’s viewpoint, lead-acid technology with the further development of AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) batteries constitutes the most attractive solution for micro-hybrid concepts with automatic start-stop. The use of this new technology by BMW was necessitated by the “Efficient Dynamics” project series and under this banner, BMW has introduced a number of savings measures with regard to fuel consumption and resultant CO2 emissions. Consequently, BMW was able to reduce the fleet emissions of CO2 from all its manufactured vehicles by 10.5 per cent from 2007 to 2008. Important European manufacturers such as VW, Audi, Mercedes and Volvo have all followed BMW’s trendsetting example by launching onto the market their own fuel-saving, start-stop concepts under synonyms such as “blue motion”, “blue efficiency” or “drive-e”.
What does a kilometre cost in an ecar? At present, a kWh of electricity in Austria costs 17-20 cents. The battery in the Mitsubishi i-MiEV can store 16 kWh. However, charging losses must be included in any calculation, as not Banner GmbH, A-4021 Linz-Austria, Postfach 777, Banner Strasse 1, Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88-0, Telefax Sales +43/(0)732/38 88-21599, e-mail: office@bannerbatterien.com Author: Günther Lemmerer, Marketing and PR