RIDE INTO THE FUTUREe
Å KODA MOBIL SUPPLEMENT
2
EDITORIAL
Dear readers, we are entering the age of electromobility. Crowded cities and the critical state of the environment require major interventions to transform existing transport systems and the automotive industry in general. This year’s Ride into the Future won’t take you to a future where people use drones to commute to work or go to outer space for holiday... This time, we wanted to get at the reasons behind the dawn of electromobility, the directions it will take in the coming years and how it may influence the way of meeting our natural need to move from place to place. To help us answer these questions, we have approached David, who is part of the upcoming generation and represents a new type of environmentally oriented customer. In 2030, he will celebrate his 28th birthday, will be thoroughly monitoring his carbon footprint and will no doubt be used to checking the origin and ingredients of the food and products he buys.
Hi, my name is David. I work as a software developer now, in 2030.
There are still many obstacles on the way to massively expanding electric cars, and only those car manufacturers capable of approaching such temporary problems as a challenge and solving them for their customers’ benefit will succeed. ŠKODA AUTO is perfectly positioned to remain successful. All that we, the employees, have to do is use our fabulous inventiveness in line with the Simply Clever motto to continue coming up with ideas that – also in the age of electromobility – are devised to make customers’ everyday travels (whether on business or for leisure) more pleasant. Have a good read and a lovely summer! ŠKODA Mobil editorial team
RIDE INTO THE FUTUREe ŠKODA Mobil supplement EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Tomáš Novotný EDITORIAL TEAM: Veronika Halešová, Kateřina Šulcová, Jindřich Novák, Miloš Kozumplík ILLUSTRATIONS: Karolína Tomšejová PHOTOS: Profimedia, Shutterstock, archive GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Boomerang Communication DATE OF RELEASE: 19 July 2019
2030
4
14
New customers The young generation wants both quality and production sustainability.
8 It’s one minute to twelve
Electric way The transport industry, one of the world’s key polluters, has decided to go electric.
Our planet is on the verge of environmental catastrophe, and greenhouse gases are the key reason.
22
32
Behind the wheel What are electric cars’ strengths and weaknesses from the driver’s perspective?
26 Won’t I run out of juice?
Smart future Want to know how people will move through cities in 2030?
Low battery capacities are the biggest challenge for innovators.
Hi, this is me again. I’ve completed my grammar school studies (now in 2019) and have just persuaded my parents to go to the seaside by train.
2019
4
NEW CUSTOMERS
The green generation is coming Millennials will account for as much as half of the world’s working population in 2020. In 2030, their huge buying power will be made even stronger by the younger Generation Z, who will soon reach working age. Both groups are perfectly familiar with advanced technologies and environmentally oriented, and their market behaviour is expected to substantially change the automotive industry and the existing approach to transport.
WHO IS WHO Generation Y
Generation Z
▶ Also known as millennials because they completed their secondary education after the year 2000
▶ People born after or shortly before 2000
▶ Will represent the majority of the working-age population (75%) by 2030 ▶ Seek entertainment and personal and hands-on experience and want to be trendy ▶ Are environmentally oriented: 75 percent of millennials are prepared to work for an employer who strives to make their organisation environmentally friendly ▶ Have an ambition to live economically and effectively ▶ Do not hoard things ▶ Like to share basically anything – experiences on social networks, accommodation abroad through Airbnb, cars, gardens etc., and (the younger) Generation Z tends to adopt this approach
▶ Are in a unique position compared with other generations because they have never lived in a world without the Internet, social media or apps ▶ Facebook started becoming popular when they were in elementary school. Many of them had their first smartphone/tablet before starting elementary school ▶ They are “interconnected” all the time and never without Internet access ▶ Because they have all kinds of information at their fingertips, they do not look at the world from a local perspective. Instead, they see it as a single unit ▶ Considering their age, they may be most affected by the environmental threats of the future; therefore, their attitude to climate change is the most sensitive across all generations
▶ Are the first generation of people unable to repair their car engines themselves
I started to feel ashamed that we fly more than travel by train, with no thought of our environment.
2019
We have trained over 12,000 people in eMobility since 2016. This figure includes company employees, as well as ŠKODA Apprenticeship Centre students.
PAVEL ODVÁRKA ŠKODA ACADEMY This training prepares employees for the upcoming changes while explaining what the electrification of passenger transport entails. Our training catalogue currently includes eight “qualification measures” relating to eMobility. We flexibly respond to the production requirements: When the VW Group decided to manufacture traction batteries in Mladá Boleslav, we teamed up with the VW Academy to organise a training course whose practical part took place at VW Braunschweig. We will organise the next stage in cooperation with the new component training centre. We also monitor the latest legislative developments and relevant standards. We are involved in drafting a new government resolution that should replace the existing electrical engineering qualifications decree.
6
NEW CUSTOMERS
How millenials shop Their customer jargon includes buzzwords like eco-friendly, fair trade, sustainable and local. They use these words to let the world know that, besides the product’s look and quality, they also care about the sustainability, ethical background and environmental impacts of the production process.
They prefer quality. Want to know the product’s environmental footprint, which is an index showing what sort of impact its production had on the environment. Feel at home in the world of the sharing economy – they prefer sharing, borrowing, exchanging or renting products to owning them. Want to be sure that manufacturers comply with occupational safety rules, and do not employ children. Support human and animal rights all over the world, are involved in charities.
Young people are starting to take care about their environment and sustainable future. They often discussed various ways of transport.
Support local sellers. One of the criteria that shape their attitude to manufacturers and sellers is whether such organisations demonstrably reduce the quantity of plastic packaging. Are neither loyal to brands nor sentimental about products.
2019
Customer is king The preferences of environmentally sensitive customers have made big players in most industries adapt their strategies. Burger King recently started selling a vegan version of its famous Whopper, and the US company says customers cannot tell the difference between the taste of the “vegetable meat” and that of the traditional one. The chain outsources the new product from Beyond Meat, a Silicon Valley based firm.
Some DM outlets offer environmentally friendly washing liquids and detergents that customers can use to fill their own containers. Adidas has produced a collection of 100-percent recyclable running shoes made of just one type of plastic.
GENERATION Z IN FIGURES
19 % of people aged 18–24 would buy shares in oil and gas companies, the lowest percentage across all age groups. The figure reflects this generation’s attitude towards global warming and climate change.
80 %
Source: Barclays and YouGov research, Dell Technologies research
Swedish fashion giant H&M is using tropical fruit waste in its collection for this year. The company’s alternative to silk is made of orange peel, and genuine leather has been replaced with Piňatex, a material produced from pineapple leaves. By the way, both the ŠKODA VISION RS concept car presented last year and the series-production ŠKODA SCALA have Piňatex floor mats.
We are the only brand in the VW Group to have started a “mix” – using two platforms in a single production flow.
of them want to work with the latest technologies. The same percentage of young people believe that technologies and automation will help prevent discrimination while creating fairer working environments.
89 %
of the respondents see the upcoming period as an era of partnership between humans and machines, which can be taken as a clear signal for manufacturers of driverless cars and the whole area of autonomous transport.
ALEŠ BUREŠ PRODUCTION PLANNING Electromobility-related changes in Production are extensive, and those made in Mladá Boleslav are already visible – for example, we have two new logistics halls. The use of two platforms in a single production flow is a big challenge, primarily for the planning departments. We want to launch series production of purely electric vehicles in 2020. The biggest changes will be made in Assembly, where we will have to cope with new components of electric cars.
8
IT’S ONE MINUTE TO TWELVE
CONTROVERSIAL CO2
On the verge of an environmental crisis
The large quantities of CO2 that accumulate in the atmosphere prevent the Earth’s heat from reaching space, which warms the planet. Therefore, CO2 is a greenhouse gas. However, adequate quantities of CO2 are a natural part of nature because it plays an important role in photosynthesis – a life-giving process in which green plants react with water to convert CO2 into oxygen.
The Earth is warming, and natural processes are getting out of balance. One of the key factors behind this trend that may dramatically change the future of mankind is the rise in carbon dioxide emissions. They are generated by both mankind and environment, transport and industry. CO2 concentrations in the air are reach record-high levels – substantially more than at any other time over the past 800,000 years. In 2015, the quantity of this gas exceeded 400 ppm (parts per million, carbon dioxide molecules per one million of air molecules). The quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 150 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. The Earth is warming 100 times faster than at any other point over the past 50 million years, and some scenarios expect the average temperature to increase by two degrees Celsius by 2050. We are facing the risk of
reaching a tipping point, i.e. the irreversible melting of glaciers, sea ice and permafrost. As a consequence, the sea level would rise by several metres, and extensive areas along the coast would get flooded. The warming of the Earth’s surface and water changes physical processes, primarily air circulation. More frequent extreme weather fluctuations and natural disasters are expected: hurricanes, periods of drought and extremely high temperatures, widespread forest fires, heavy rains and floods, acidification of oceans causing massive extinction of species, as well as disruptions in the biological balance and the food chain.
Adverse climate conditions and rising water levels will increase the number of uninhabitable areas while reducing the size of farming land and, therefore, shrinking mankind’s food resources, which may lead to massive migration to territories with better conditions. Realising the seriousness of this situation, the governments of almost all the countries in the world signed the Paris Agreement in 2015 to combat climate change. The VW Group One is one of the organisations that have undertaken to adopt the agreement’s arrangements and objectives: The Group’s “electric offensive” is aimed at reaching sustainable mobility.
BY 2030, CO2 EMISSIONS WILL BE REDUCED BY
TRANSPORT-GENERATED CO2 EMISSIONS Nearly 30 percent of all emissions in the EU are transport-generated Emission shares – by type of vehicle (%)
60 50 40 30 20 10
Motorcycles
Lightweight freight vehicles
Volkswagen set itself an ambitious goal. By 2025 it wants to put into operation 36,000 charging stations.
Heavyweight freight vehicles
Passenger cars
0
Emission shares – by mode of transport (%)
0.5% 0.5% 13.6%
72%
13.4%
2019
Road
Railway
Air
Other
Sea
Source for both graphs: European environment agency
37.5 % 31.0 % 30.0 %
IT’S ONE MINUTE TO TWELVE
3 × 100
CO2 EMISSIONS OVER 10 KM
PEDESTRIAN 122 g
MICROWAVE OVEN VS. CAR
A 70-kg human produces about 240 kg of CO2 a year; the total figure for CR is then 2.4 million tonnes.
Even commonplace home appliances produce CO2. Carbon dioxide is also produced when consuming the electricity needed to produce and operate them. For example, the annual amount of carbon dioxide produced by 100 microwave ovens is similar to that produced by five cars. GOULASH VS. CAR Agricultural production is another major source of carbon dioxide. Breeding the livestock needed for 100 200-gram portions of beef produces the same quantity of CO2 as driving a car some 20,000 kilometres. HUMAN VS. VOLCANO Humans produce 100 times more CO2 than volcanoes. While all of the world’s volcanoes release 0.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, human activity produces approximately 29 billion tonnes over the same period.
2019
CYCLIST 53 g
ŠKODA SCALA1,0 TSI engine, 6°M 1,130 g
PASSENGER AIRPLANE 32,000 g
Source: Next Green Car, ŠKODA AUTO
10
How serious is all of this?
?
1. Besides carbon dioxide, which of these is also a major greenhouse gas? a) Carbon monoxide b) Nitrous oxide and methane c) Radon and natural gas 2. The world’s biggest producers of CO2 are: a) China, USA, India, Russia, Japan b) Russia, USA, China, Canada, Saudi Arabia c) USA, Germany, India, Russia, Iran 3. Europe’s share of global greenhouse emissions is: a) 10% b) 25% c) 40% 4. Where does the Czech Republic rank in terms of greenhouse gas emissions? a) 9th-biggest polluter in the EU (together with Poland) and 48th in the world
5. How many Czech cities are among the EU’s Top 100 most polluted cities? a) 31 b) 11 c) 5 6. Besides CO2, transport emissions include airborne dust particles known as particulate matter. Among other sources, airborne dust particles are produced by the: a) Crystallisation of leaking fuels, brake fluids and anti-freeze washer fluids b) Imperfect combustion of diesel and the abrasion of tyres and road surface material c) Heating of the body of an electric car as its battery is slow-charged 7. Over the past 100 years, the number of cars in what is today the Czech Republic has grown: a) Nearly 800 times. Their number has grown from fewer than 6,000 in the 1920s to 4.6 million today
b) About 1,000 times. While in the 1920s the number of registered cars was over 4,800, today it is close to 4.9 million c) More than 1,000 times. In the early 1920s, the number of registered cars in Czechoslovakia was around 5,000; today it is nearly 5.7 million
8. The Earth’s population is nearly 8 billion. The number of cars registered worldwide exceeded 1 billion in: a) 1990 – today’s official figure is 1.8 billion cars b) 2001 – the number of cars on the road today is 1.5 billion c) 2009 – their number has grown to 1.3 billion since then Solution: 1B, 2A, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7C, 8C
b) 5th-biggest polluter in the EU and 20th in the world c) 3rd-biggest polluter in the EU behind Germany and the UK and 14th in the world
DO YOU KNOW THAT… … the main cause of high emissions from passenger transport in the Czech Republic is the age of the fleet, which averages around of 16 years? Cars are powered by motors meeting the obsolete Euro4 and Euro5 standards. Replacement by newer models with modern combustion engines would contribute towards cleaner air.
Source: Eurostat, wardsauto.com, statista.com, cistoustopou.cz
Do you know which country is the biggest producer of CO2 and where the Czech Republic ranks in this respect? Take your best guess below.
12
IT’S ONE MINUTE TO TWELVE
New ways to get electricity Using electric cars will substantially improve the air quality in cities. To make this happen at the global level, coal power plants should not be heavily involved in producing electricity for electric car batteries. Experts are continuing to develop new sustainable sources supplementing water, solar and wind power plants.
sources when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. At present, these conditions are met primarily by nuclear power plants. Perhaps that is why the European Commission, in its latest documents, assumes that in 2050 the European energy mix will consist of 80% energy from renewable sources and the remaining 20% from nuclear power plants.
I remember my mum in 2019 complaining about having to dust the furniture every day. At that time, they said that the amount of pollutants a nonsmoker in Prague inhaled during the day was equivalent to smoking one cigarette.
2030
Energy mix in EU in 2016
9.8 %
1.9 % 28.7 %
14.2 %
17.5 %
27.9 % Oil
Renewable sources
Natural gas
Nuclear power
Fossil fuel
Other
DID YOU KNOW THAT...? ...ŠKODA AUTO is successfully working to reduce production-generated CO2 emissions through consumption reduction measures and by buying and producing energy from renewable resources? More than 58 percent of the electricity that ŠKODA used in its operations was from renewable resources. The average energy consumption per car has decreased by 36 percent since 2010.
Source: Eurostat
Most current forecasts and studies agree that, especially in countries with a higher share of renewables, electricity supply could fluctuate due to the development of electromobility. That is why it is important to solve fast the problem of large-scale storage of electricity from renewable sources and the way of backing them up with other low-emission
NORTH BLAZES THE TRAIL
UNDERWATER GREAT WALL OF CHINA
The most successful country in terms of producing energy from renewable resources is Sweden: The country covers more than half (54.5%) of its overall consumption through renewable resources (in the Czech Republic, it is about 15%) and by increasingly relying on wind parks. In this respect, Sweden gets inspiration from Denmark, where wind parks account for the biggest share of Europe’s total energy production: Germany is in fourth place, behind Ireland and Portugal, and the Czech Republic is 14th, ahead of Hungary.
As a new initiative but making symbolic reference to its history, China is undertaking extensive efforts to make use of tidal energy. To this end, the country is considering building a huge hydroelectric power plant: a 30-km ocean-front underwater wall fitted with turbines. According to preliminary calculations, the flowing seawater is expected to produce an amount of energy almost comparable to that produced by three nuclear reactors.
HORNSEA ONE – THE WORLD’S BIGGEST WIND PARK Location: North Sea, about 120 km from the Yorkshire seaside (UK) Size: nearly 410 km2 Turbines: 174; output in megawatts: 1,200 Windmill height: 65 metres Denmark has announced a plan to install windmills as much as four or five times taller in the North Sea, i.e. around 100 m taller than the Žižkov Television Tower in Prague. Owner: DONG Energy (Denmark-based company)
We have a draft strategy to build a uniform charging infrastructure across the ŠKODA AUTO dealer network in the Czech Republic.
URINE ENERGY The ability of bacteria to convert organic substances such as human or animal urine into electrical energy is being explored by researchers at the University of Bath in the UK. The key benefits of the new cells that they have developed using this principle include low-cost production and spatial efficiency. Experts call them microbial fuel cells (MFC) and say that MFCs could be used as “mini power plants” connected to home toilets to produce energy for homes, including for electric car charging.
DAVID HOŠEK ŠKO-ENERGO Basically, we divide our outlook for the overall charging infrastructure into two stages: During Stage 1, 2020–2021, we expect car manufacturers to make comprehensive efforts to develop eMobility; during Stage 2, starting in 2022, we expect the number of electric cars in the Czech Republic to grow steadily. We are heavily involved in the Mladá Boleslav SMART City project. ŠKO-ENERGO currently operates (and maintains) five public charging stations in town and is also responsible for the charging network at the ŠKODA AUTO plants: currently, over 300 charging points, with 7,000 points planned to be made available by 2025.
14
ELECTRIC WAY
Green light for electric cars Reducing total CO2 transport emissions by as much as 60 percent is the EU’s goal for the transport sector for 2050. In practice, the new emission limits cannot be reached without quickly implementing purely electric cars. The European plan has expedited migration to electromobility while boosting efforts across all major car manufacturers, including the VW Group brands.
Audi is an ambitious challenger to Elon Musk and is preparing to win over Tesla customers (mainly those interested in the Model X) with its first series production electric car. The e-tron is to be a luxury SUV with a range of over 400 kilometres. In addition, Audi has launched series production of electric motors in Győr, Hungary, and is looking to produce at least 400 motors/day.
Shortly before the end of the year, Porsche will start production on its first purely electric car, a luxury coupé named Taycan. Launched last year, an app called Porsche Charging Service offers drivers in 12 European countries information about the nearest available charging stations (49,000 at present), as well as the possibility to pay for electricity through this app.
This year in September, SEAT will launch its first purely electric model, the Mii electric. The car will be manufactured in Bratislava. The SEAT el-born,
the second car to be built on the Group’s MEB platform, will have its premiere next year. ŠKODA has announced plans to invest CZK 52 billion in the development of alternativedrive cars by 2022 and will launch more than 10 new electrified vehicles within the same period. The brand presented the SUPERB iV with a plug-in hybrid drive and its first purely electric series production car, the CITIGOe iV, at this year’s IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Next year will be ground-breaking for ŠKODA: The brand will present the series production version of the VISION iV with a range of over 500 kilometres. The Volkswagen ID.3, the first purely electric car built on the Group’s MEB platform, was ordered by 10,000 customers across Europe within the first 24 hours after its market launch. The first cars will appear on the road in mid-2020. More ID models will follow soon and be ready to fulfil the brand’s vision: electric cars for millions – not only for millionaires.
Simply Clever eMobility does not necessarily have to be limited to the use and operation of a car; it also involves its whole lifespan, from production to recycling.
DALIBOR PANTŮČEK ŠKODA DESIGN Aerodynamics, environmental protection and the sustainability of resources are all part of designing new electric cars. Moreover, the design alone is also influenced by the new MEB platform with the chassis-fitted battery that dramatically changes the vehicle’s proportions. Passengers sit higher than normal, which lends the car a sort of SUV character. The absence of an engine under the front bonnet and the presence of modern technologies make it possible for us to work on the windscreen slope and the bonnet length, taking us to new, attractive proportions. In interior we do not have to address the centre console and conventional gear changing. Actually, the VISION iV (concept) has already shown that the new interiors would be a lot airier and roomier.
16
ELECTRIC WAY
Mighty ruler of electromobility China, a car market with huge potential for growth, has big problems with smog in its cities but also has a strong ambition to become the technology leader. Thus, it is no wonder that the country is the world’s strongest supporter of electromobility. China’s plans and development investments are changing the entire automotive industry. About 500 companies currently produce electric cars in China, and the number keeps growing thanks to generous support from the government. More than 90 percent of all electric cars sold in the protected Chinese market are made by local car manufacturers. The Chinese government supports electric mobility comprehensively, for instance by investing into broadening of charging infrastructure, and by subsidies decreasing energy prices. Renewable energies are also gaining a larger share in the energy mix.
COMPETITIVE EDGE CALLED LITHIUM The worldwide growth of electromobility increases the demand for lithium, a material essential in the production of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries used in electric cars. Most of the plants that together account for as much as two-thirds of global lithium production are based in China. Now China seems to be preparing to make this edge even sharper: Chinese experts announced that they have developed a technology to reduce the lithium processing costs, reportedly by as much as 10 times.
MARKET LEADER Volkswagen Group strives to become the leader in changing the automotive industry in China. VW brands are going to offer 14 electric car models to Chinese customers. By 2028, more than a half of the planned 22 million electric cars will have been made in this Asian country.
SALES OF ELECTRIC CARS
China 227,000
Sales results – Q1/2019
Source: Automotive Industry Data
Europe 81,000
USA 41,000
The amount of airborne dust particles in Beijing amounts to 90 micrograms/m3. By 2030 the government wants to decrease it to 30 micrograms/m3.
2019
Support and bans The way governments support the electrification of passenger car transport differs from country to country. Some governments offer direct subsidies for electric car purchases, some exempt electric cars from sales taxes and some take fairly unpopular measures. NO ENTRY FOR FUMING CARS
IT WONT’T WORK WITHOUT STATIONS The key to the development of electromobility is, in addition to favouring their users, the creation of sufficient recharging infrastructure. The Czech Republic lags behind the rest of Europe in this respect. According to experts, one charging station should serve ideally about ten electric vehicles. Automotive Industry Association says that we lack up to twenty thousand stations. Currently, there are about four hundred of them in the Czech Republic. Therefore, Škoda Auto decided to invest CZK 819 million into the construction of seven thousand charging stations for its employees around the plants in Mladá Boleslav, Kvasiny and Vrchlabí.
Germany is one of the pioneers implementing “low-emission zones”. Germans set up their first zones with various limitations on cars (depending on the amount of exhaust gases produced) in 2008. In some locations, such zones have gradually become closed off to older cars non-compliant with emission standards. The rules are getting stricter, and the number of zones is growing. One such no-entry zone is now even on a motorway: a busy, several-miles-long stretch of the A40 near Essen. Most of these no-entries apply to cars produced before September 2009, but the plan is to gradually expand the ban to affect cars produced before September 2015.
LIMITATIONS? OPPORTUNITY! Scania, the Swedish based freight vehicle manufacturer, has come up with a useful service called Scania Zone: Drivers are provided with detailed information about limitations and restrictions they may face on their trips to make it easier for them to avoid or adapt their driving plans to zones with limitations on noise, speed and emissions. DID YOU KNOW THAT… … so far, the only South American country intent on banning petrol and diesel vehicles is Costa Rica? It set itself an unusually short deadline - combustion engine cars would be sold in Costa Rica only till 2021. Experts do not consider this realistic.
18
ELECTRIC WAY
Pros & cons Purely electric cars are currently the most environmentally friendly type of motorised transport. We compare them with vehicles that have other environmentally friendly drive systems. LPG Liquefied petroleum gas
ELECTRICITY Powered exclusively by battery-provided energy
Substantially cheaper than petrol and diesel Nearly zero operating emissions Technically simple charging at charging stations or from home sockets Current low costs usually won’t exceed CZK 1/km; however, after massive adoption of electric cars the electricity price might increase
Indirect emissions where the car is recharged with energy produced by coal power plants Environmental impact of the mining, production and disposal of precious materials required for battery production
HYBRID Conventional fuels combined with electricity
The electric motor reduces CO2 emissions compared with conventional cars Fuel consumption 15 to 35Â percent lower than with combustion engine cars, primarily in city traffic
More complex technology (combination of two drive systems) High purchase cost of some versions Higher weight
Sufficient number of refuelling stations, both in the Czech Republic and abroad Fitting a conventional engine with LPG functionality is fairly cheap: a few tens of thousands of crowns Lower engine noise than with combustion engines Longer life of engine oils
Compulsory annual inspection of the fuel system and limited access to parking garages Not really any significant environmental benefits Limited offering of manufacturer-provided cars Raw material dependence on politically unstable countries
CNG Compressed natural gas
Significantly lower quantities of dust particles, CO2 and other pollutants than diesel engines Lower noise levels More efficient mixing with air, which may improve the car’s power output Low driving costs, as much as 50 percent lower than with Natural 95 (petrol) Lower excise tax than other fuels, road tax exemption Extensive offering of various models – for example, ŠKODA offers the CNG OCTAVIA
HYDROGEN
BIO-FUELS
The engine is driven by electricity produced by a reaction of gas and fuel cells made of graphite and other metals
Diesel/petrol enriched with vegetable oils, primarily rapeseed oil
Renewable energy resource Low or zero emissions Infinite sources of hydrogen Simple hydrogen/air mixing
Limited refuelling infrastructure in the Czech Republic (around 400 stations for 23,000 cars) Limited access to underground parking garages Compulsory regular checks of system tightness and a pressure tank test The purchase cost is several tens of thousands of crowns higher than that of the petrol version Raw material dependence on politically unstable countries
Technology isn’t advanced enough to be deployed in series production No refuelling network Complicated transport – hydrogen is transported in a liquid state at a temperature of −253 °C Danger of premature fuel mix ignition The low density of hydrogen leads to a need for big fuel tanks
If subsidised: cheaper than conventional fuels In some cases: lower CO2 emissions
Growing these plants has environmental impacts 2,500 litres of water required to produce 1 litre of bio-fuel Their use increases the prices of staple foods Low efficiency – the energy generated by burning biomass from a certain piece of land is as much as 50 times lower than the amount of energy generated by solar panels installed on a piece of land of the same size
20
ELECTRIC WAY
Across All Elements Electricity is a force that humanity has been using in transport for about 200 years. It used to spin the axles of car wheels before the combustion engines even tried to do so, and it powers trains and trams on rails. Current developments suggest that the sparkiest era is yet to come. Experts from all transportation sectors regard it as the propulsion of the The Israeli start-up Eviation future.
WITH ELECTRICITY UP TO THE SKIES
Norway is getting rid of combustion engines – also in the air. It wants to become the first country in the world capable of deploying electric aircraft for all short-haul flights (domestically and to neighbouring capitals) by 2040. Carriers have already planned the first test route for an electric plane with 19 seats.
Aircraft is developing an electric propeller plane called Alice with a flight range of up to 1,200 km and a flight speed of up to 450 km/h. The aeroplane can accommodate nine passengers and two pilots. If the 12-metre-long, 16-metre-wide aircraft passes its test flights successfully, it will join air traffic in 2021. With a price tag of around CZK 50 million, it will be able to compete with petrol models. Not only the environment but also the cost of fuel are the reason why the giants of the aviation industry, Airbus and Boeing, are not falling behind in development. The latter provides support to the start-up Zunum Aero, which is launching a 12-seater electric hybrid aircraft in 2022. Airbus, by contrast, is working on an “urban” four-seater electric plane able to perform vertical take-offs and landings. A similar project is being prepared by Uber and the Czech start-up Zuri.
TROLLEY WIRE OVER THE HIGHWAY Germany has opened the first motorway section where special trucks can recharge while driving. The 5-kilometre route near Frankfurt tests the possibilities of so-called electric motorways. Trucks are connected to the power source with pantographs coming from above the driver’s cab. The connection and disconnection process takes only a few seconds. Drivers can easily do it, even at 90 km/h. Germans are also testing a similar technology for trucks with hybrid drives called eHighway between Weiterstadt and Mörfelden-Walldorf. They were inspired by Sweden, which opened a trolley-wire motorway section near Gävle in June 2016. Trucks equipped with electric motors consume half the energy of conventional ones, and there is an 80 to 90 percent decrease in emissions.
In 2030, a third of the transport ships on the Baltic and the North Sea are powered by electricity and leave the port unmanned. The container loading and unloading operates autonomously, too.
RIDE LIKE THE WIND New challenges are put in front of railway transportation – an industry for which electricity is nothing new. For example, the question of where to obtain energy in a sustainable and considerate way is being tackled. In that respect, the Netherlands has launched a new “green” railway era. Since 2017, the electric trains of the local company NS have been powered exclusively by wind farms in the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland. The Dutch electric trains carry more than half a million passengers a day, and their yearly consumption equals that of all households in Amsterdam.
CHAMPIONS ON WATER The waters of the Öresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden are being crossed by two new eco-friendly ferries. The Swedish company ForSea has converted the originally diesel vessels Aurora and Tycho Brahe to electric ones. To date, these are the largest ships of their kind in the world to have undergone such a transformation. Both ferries can transport over 7 million passengers and 2 million vehicles a year. One route takes 20 minutes. Batteries are recharged at each anchoring for 6 to 9 minutes.
2030
22
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Electric Driver “It is fantastic how the world of mobility is developing and where it is going,” says Petr Mára, an expert on new technologies and an experienced user of electric cars. He used to drive the Jaguar I-Pace and the Audi e-tron. Now he owns a Tesla Model 3, which he tests at full throttle. Based on personal experience, he can give advice and information to fans and those interested in buying an electric car. THINK ABOUT THE RANGE Before buying an electric car, calculate how many kilometres you drive a day. If you drive mainly in the city (e.g. 20 km one way and another 20 back), a smaller car will suffice, and you can recharge the battery from your wall socket at home every night. You will reduce the harmful exhaust fumes in the area where you live, and thanks to the low price of electricity, you’ll be driving almost for free. If you drive more kilometres a day than one charge provides, however, you won’t feel comfortable in an electric car.
CONSIDER YOUR LIFESTYLE My job allows me to stop at a charging station pretty much any time of day, get a coffee and reply to my e-mails and phone calls while the battery is charging. People who can’t leave their workplace after they arrive have to think of a different solution. How do they get the necessary power for the drive back home? Do they have access to a charger during working hours? Can
they recharge their electric car from a company socket?
ENJOY THE SPEED Electric cars have awesome acceleration. My Tesla will go from zero to 100 kilo metres in just 3.3 seconds. What used to be a feature of luxury cars with combustion engines is basically an innate feature of all electric vehicles, including the family ones. What’s more, while the price of batteries is decreasing, their durability and performance is on the rise.
PLAN YOUR TRIPS WELL The Model 3 has a designed range of 500 kilometres; in reality it is around 360. Superchargers can be found near Prague, Humpolec and Olomouc, so when travelling across the country, I am not stressed about not making it or having to charge using slower chargers. I can even turn the A/C on. But since I can’t just randomly stop at any station, I have to allow for a recharge break in my driving schedule. And I understand that such thinking
is an unnecessary complication for many people.
CHARGE, CHARGE You can also consider the issue of charging batteries from the opposite perspective. While there are plenty of stations providing petrol and diesel, there aren’t nearly as many as power sockets, which can be found virtually everywhere. So when I arrive, say, at my friend’s summer house, I just need the appropriate adapter to recharge the battery immediately on the spot. Every 20 kilometres counts. Don’t worry that it’s like plugging in two irons at the same time – you won’t blow a fuse.
ORDER A SERVICE It won’t take long for cars to be equipped with a variety of applications like today’s phones. For a fee, you’ll install them permanently or temporarily. Do you want to drive on a racing circuit over the weekend? Click to increase your engine’s performance. Going to the mountains during the winter? Activate the four-wheel drive. How about the autopilot?
DO YOU KNOW THAT THE ELECTRIC MOTOR… ...works only on the basis of rotational motion, thereby eliminating the need for a complex and mechanically loss-making device. … has a wide range of rotational speed, making the need for shifting redundant? … can recuperate? When decelerating, it generates electricity and uses the energy that is lost with combustion engines. … allows a faster start-up because its greatest power is at the lowest revolution? It has an advantage over the internal combustion engine even when pulling a heavy object.
2030
The silent running of electric motors increases the risk of colliding with pedestrians by 37 percent. Therefore, the EU has ordered that hybrids and cars with batteries be equipped with an Automated Voice Annunciation (AVA) system. Starting on 1 July 2021, AVA systems are mandatory in all new electric cars, without exception.
24
BEHIND THE WHEEL
An adventure to the beach I accepted the challenge. “All right, Grandpa, we’re going to the sea!” The generational dispute on the topic of electric vs. petrol engine that I’ve been having with Grandpa Luboš for at least a year will be settled on our journey. We are going to the beach in Rijeka, Croatia, in an electric car.
1 A week later, as we’re making our way out of Prague through the heavy urban traffic, I’m pleased to see that Grandpa is left wondering. The battery-operated car, as he ironically calls all EVs, is overtaking luxury cars without difficulty and quickly changes lanes.
2019
2 My initial optimism wanes on the highway a few dozen kilometres out of Prague. At a speed of over 100 km/h, the battery is rapidly losing power. So I am playing it safe. “Grandpa, let’s have coffee”, I say and exit the motorway after 90 km near Humpolec to use the nearby charger.
3 The D1 motorway is happily behind us, and we’re stopping for juice again in Mikulov. Alas, we were not the only ones to have this idea! Both chargers on the parking place at the Billa supermarket are in use by other holiday-goers. “Well, I’d rather put on sunscreen, so I won’t get to the Adriatic burned,” Grandpa quips ironically and heads for a bench with the cream in hand. We lose an hour and a half of precious time.
4 Driving through Vienna is child’s play, and soon we are enjoying the Alpine summits. Unfortunately, a violent summer storm is rolling over the mountains. After switching off the engine, we wait for the downpour to pass at the nearest rest area. I don’t want to risk a short circuit.
5 “Damn it,” Grandpa hisses when checking the navigation. Something must have happened on the way to Maribor; the highway is at a standstill almost to Graz. “David, we’ll either drive on the country roads, though everyone will be using them, or take the motorway to Klagenfurt and over the mountains to Ljubljana. But it’s quite uphill,” he warns.
6 I confidently choose the second option. Two hours later, we’re huffing and puffing along the winding roads leading to the top of Loibl Pass. I turn off the air conditioning to make the occasional 10 percent elevation at all. The battery is taking a beating. When we cross the mountains and stop to recharge, the overheating means it takes a lot longer to do so.
7 It’s clear we can’t make it to our destination today. I look for a hotel with breakfast and a fast charger on Booking.com. We’re lucky: There’s one free downtown. The juice costs CZK 8 per kWh.
RIDDLE Can you tell which three pieces of information in David’s narrative are misleading? You can find the correct answers in the Supplement’s e-version at www.skodamobil.cz.
8 The morning drive through Slovenia’s capital goes without difficulties, and the journey proceeds well. Our nerves get wracked only in Croatia. The dashboard reports we have to recharge. Two fast chargers on the motorway cannot be activated. The recharging application doesn’t work, and the stand isn’t equipped with an alternative solution or a contact for the provider. I gamble my honour on my last card and turn into a town with a supposed charger at the shopping centre. It’s there but sadly pretty old and slow, too. Grandpa grumbles and pulls out his sunscreen again.
9 We arrive in Rijeka late in the afternoon. We’ve done 890 kilometres and charged seven times. How did the journey settle our argument? It was a mixed bag: The possibilities of electricity have surprised, maybe even excited, my previously sceptical grandfather, but I’d expected more from the battery and the infrastructure. When Grandpa found out I had spent less than CZK 1,000 on the juice, he agreed that our matchup was a draw.
26
WON’T I RUN OUT OF JUICE?
Awaiting a Revolution If the number of EVs driven around the world will triple within the next five years, as some agencies expect, and reach over 10 million by 2025, it is essential that experts significantly improve the key component of eMobility: the battery. The batteries currently in use are relatively expensive and heavy, have a long charging time and do not offer a comfortable range.
LITHIUM – A FUNDAMENTAL RESOURCE The metal that is so light that it floats on water and kerosene and so soft that it can easily be sliced with a knife is indispensable for the current development of eMobility. The excellent electrical and thermal conductor is the core component of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and used in today’s smart phones, laptops and EVs. However, Li-ion batteries are far from perfect: It is difficult to dispose of them, they discharge on their own, and their capacity is no longer sufficient to meet increasing demands. Therefore, carmakers are investing in R&D to come up with new battery types, whether based on the currently irreplaceable lithium or on other elements and principles.
20 MILLION TONNES
A 10-YEAR STOCK
This is the estimate of global lithium reserves, which should suffice for several decades, according to experts. About 69 percent is located in China. Apart from lithium, the batteries contain other metals that form the positive electrodes – especially cobalt, manganese, nickel and vanadium. Most of the world’s cobalt deposits can be found in Africa’s unstable Democratic Republic of Congo.
The VW Group is leaving nothing to chance and is preparing itself for the era of eMobility in all respects, providing itself with long-term access to lithium, cobalt and other necessary raw materials. Additionally, it will build its own battery-cell factory in Salzgitter. The Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium will be supplying lithium for the Group’s EV batteries.
Battery for Tomorrow? Scientists and engineers are working on new technologies to boost battery performance and reduce its dependence on precious lithium.
SUPERB iV with a battery from Mladá Boleslav will reach a clean electric range of up to 55 km.
LITHIUM-OXYGEN BATTERIES Their energy density is five times higher than that of Li-ion batteries. The lithium-oxygen battery does not suffer from overcharging, and it seems its capacity does not decrease with the number of charges. The promoters of this technology claim that it will expand in 10 years.
HE3DA
Based on lithium nanomaterials, the battery with 3D electrodes by Czech scientist Jan Procházka offers twice as much energy density as current Li-ion batteries; it is also three times lighter and much safer. For now, it is only being produced in laboratory conditions. Will they find their way into mass production?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT ENERGY DENSITY IS? It indicates how much energy we can get from 1 kg of fuel. It amounts to 12,000 Wh/kg for petrol and only 170 Wh/ kg for the current Li-ion batteries; in other words, 1 litre of petrol provides the same energy as a 70-kg battery.
LI-METAL BATTERIES
Scientists from the University of Maryland have cooperated with the military on an innovation published in the prestigious journal Nature. The new technology uses a very thin lithium-metal film that contains more ions than the widely used graphite. Their batteries can retain 90 percent of their capacity even after hundreds of charging cycles, and – perhaps more importantly – they extend the range to a comfortable 1,000 km per charge. Scientists are working with partner companies to introduce the battery on the market as soon as possible.
BATTERY WITH SOLID ELECTROLYTE Solid-state batteries are considered the next development stage of Li-ion batteries. Laboratory results suggest that they could meet the demands of the rapidly developing eMobility within three years. Charging won’t take more than a few minutes, and they will match the conventional drives in terms of range.
PETR LEICHTER BATTERY ASSEMBLY, EA 111 SMALL-SERIES PRODUCTION For the new production area, we had to qualify employees who did not have any previous experience in the serial manufacturing of electrical components. Employees pass specialised training courses, learn to check battery systems, are trained in diagnostic software and get better in the control of testing and charging stations, since the installation of electrical components is very specific.
28
WON’T I RUN OUT OF JUICE?
How to Recharge an Electric Car AC OR DC CHARGING? The EV’s charging speed depends on the type of charging station and the car model. If the station delivers alternating current, like regular wall sockets at home, the EV’s converter (or, more precisely, the inverter) must convert the received energy into direct current, which is what the battery works with. Only low-power converters can fit in the car, so AC charging is significantly slower than its DC counterpart.
REGULAR PUBLIC CHARGING STATION
A regular charging station has a capacity of up to 22 kW/32 A of alternating current. In practice, several cable types are used for charging. The Mennekes Type 2 cable is considered the European standard for AC charging. 1 hour = 70 kilometres
2030
FAST-CHARGING PUBLIC STATION
REGULAR 230V SOCKET AT HOME
The most common type is fast-charging stations with an output of around 50 kW of direct current. They are also called rapid chargers, fast chargers or quick chargers. 1 hour = 170 kilometres
It is the basic and the simplest solution that can be used even with the latest models, including Tesla’s high-ends. Electric vehicles change AC from the socket to DC via its own built-in charger. The car’s range increases by about 14 km per one hour of charging. 1 hour = 15 kilometres
FAST-CHARGING PUBLIC IONITY STATION At present, the fastest station, which has an output of up to 350 kW, outperforms the previous leader (Tesla Supercharger), which boasts up to 250 kW. Only the upcoming Porsche Taycan can fully utilise it. 30 minutes = 400 kilometres
The fast-growing number of EVs has been upping energy demands but not dramatically. No power outage – let alone a blackout. The share of electricity consumed in European transport has increased to around 5 percent of the total consumption by 2030. (Note: The stated ranges are indicative and vary by station and vehicle)
MULTI-PHASE 16A SOCKET AT HOME
Most family houses have such a socket. It is used, for example, to connect large circular saws. A special adapter and a charging cable for three-phase current are required for the connection, which ŠKODA plans to have on offer. 1 hour = 70 kilometres
WALLBOX AT HOME
The wall-mounted charging stations are AC devices with power of up to 22 kW/32 A. Their price ranges roughly from CZK 10,000 to CZK 60,000. Starting in 2020, ŠKODA will be offering its customers the wallboxes capable of a maximum charging power of 11 kW. 1 hour = 70 kilometres
We will equip our sales and service network with charging stations. Some of them will be freely available to the public 24/7.
ELECTRIC MOBILE CHARGER This unique service in Central and Eastern Europe helps Prague drivers whose EV batteries have unexpectedly discharged. The E-MONA mobile charger is hitched to an electric bike, so the operator can bring it any where in Prague’s wider centre within 30 minutes of the request. Twelve battery cells will recharge any type of electric car to about 17 kWh in four hours. A similar service can be found in Berlin, among others, which Chargery has been providing for the past two years.
DO YOU KNOW THAT… … you can easily charge your electric car, even from the solar panels on your roof? Home EV charging systems from private solar sources have long been in existence and are widely available. The proper and efficient charging is provided by a special control unit that responds to the requirements of the car’s computing systems and to the current power generation in the power station. You will unburden the environment and drive for free, too.
ANNA PÁNKOVÁ VAD – eMobility The service network will start reflecting the new standards that define the charging structure in dealerships, as well as workshop equipment, personnel qualification and the presentation of electric vehicles and related products.
30
WON’T I RUN OUT OF JUICE?
More Than a Car eMobility is fundamentally changing the existing perception of the car as the sole means of transport. REPAIR IT YOURSELF
FRIEND ON THE PHONE
The Sion car by German start-up Sono Motors draws energy from solar panels. It has 330 built-in collectors to extend its range. But another fact makes the car exceptional: All maintenance and repairs can be handled by the owner without any assistance from a professional mechanic. The manufacturer will publish the instructions in 2021 when it delivers the first cars to its customers. It will appear on the website, where drivers can also buy the necessary components and spare parts.
One of the possible solutions to improve the current problematic range of EVs has resulted from the cooperation between Tesla and Asus. ACT technology (AsusChargeTesla) works on a very simple principle. Experts from Asus equipped the EV’s charger cable with a special coupler, whose other end was connected through a micro-USB port to a mobile phone (ZenFone Max with 5,000 mAh battery in this case). After an hour of recharging, the test car was allegedly ready for a range of 331 km.
2015 marked a historic turning point when an EV won one the most challenging car races in the world: the climb to Pikes Peak in Colorado. Last year, it happened again. Romain Dumas in his Volkswagen ID.R was the first to break the 8-minute barrier (7:57,148), becoming the absolute winner.
WHEN THERE IS A POWER FAILURE Carmakers also design their cars as backup power sources. One Nissan project anticipates that the car can supply its household with power in the event of an unexpected power outage. When fully charged, its battery connected to the V2H system (Vehicle to Home) should provide enough energy for all household appliances, including A/C, for two days.
SMART SPEEDY
The Byton, an EV by a Chinese start-up, is a pimped machine with four-wheel drive. It promises a range of up to 520 km and a relatively short charging time (80% in half an hour). But above all, it’s smart. The dashboard has been replaced with a large screen (125 × 25 cm) controllable by touch and voice and on which you can browse the Internet or view the current route or images from the rear cameras, which serve instead of rear-view mirrors, also while driving, of course. The Byton offers Autonomous Driving Level 3 and an update to Level 4 within three years.
CARGO GIANT
Nikola Motor has introduced the Nikola One hybrid tractor unit with 2,000 hp and a 320-kWh battery. A gas turbine is used as the power generator. The operating costs for each kilometre travelled are up to 50 percent cheaper than for diesel trucks.
An important target in eMobility is ensuring technology with the longest possible range, fast charging and an affordable price for customers.
THREE IN ONE Sweden’s Scania has come up with an interesting idea to make urban traffic more efficient. It has developed a flexible NXT platform that allows a self-driving EV to easily rotate different superstructures and carry out different tasks during the day. It will take passengers to work in the morning and in the afternoon – turning into a van during the day and a garbage truck in the evening.
RADEK CIMRMAN POWER UNIT AND CHASSIS ELECTRONICS DEVELOPMENT The electric motor is capable of producing high torque over a wide range of speeds, thereby positively influencing the overall vehicle dynamics. As a result, it does not need shifting with a multi-gear transmission – just the reducer with one fixed gear is sufficient. It contributes to the overall driving comfort with its simple manipulation, as well as its smooth and quiet running. Its mechanical design also reduces maintenance difficulties by eliminating, for example, the need to change oil, filters and other components as we know them from internal combustion engines.
32
SMART FUTURE
My Prague in 2030 In its concept Smart Prague 2030, the Czech capital introduced a clear vision of changing the city through state of the art technology into a more pleasant place to live. One of the six key areas is the Future Mobility. How does Prague transport look like in this strategy?
Electricity in the smart city system is also supplied by solar benches and covered public transport stops. They offer Internet access and wireless phone charging. Stops provide information about the exact arrival time of the next connection.
Electric buses have replaced their diesel predecessors. They are recharged on the go in sections covered by trolley wires.
Public transport is largely autonomous. The metro is driven not by an engine driver but by a computer. The intervals between smart trains are minimal.
Passengers in trams and buses are protected by an autonomous anti-collision system that prevents collisions with pedestrians and other means of transport.
Parking couldn’t be easier. Sensors located in the streets record the current free spaces and inform drivers of them via the apps, which lead them to the selected place with the help of the navigation system.
There is one passenger car per citizen in the capital. (In 2019, it was 1.5 cars per citizen.) Prague inhabitants regularly use car-sharing services and HoppyGo is among the most popular ones.
Mobile apps inform drivers of the city’s traffic in real time.
Passengers also receive information through the apps from smart scooter and bike racks, which provide information about the number of free bikes and accept bookings.
Source: Smart Prague 2030
No used tickets are thrown away in the street. Passengers are only checked electronically via mobile applications.
In 2030, the city is managed by artificial and interconnected intelligence to ensure the most effective transport, energy distribution and municipal waste management.
2030
34
SMART FUTURE
Pay Extra, Go Faster Streets crowded with moving and parked cars, clanking trams, zigzagging cyclists and pedestrians. This image will disappear from smart cities. The vision of future transport and its management through AI is presented by Professor Miroslav Svítek, an expert on mobility issues and member of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Transportation Sciences at the Czech Technical University in Prague. What is the goal of smart cities regarding transport? To reduce the number of cars in cities. It is an exaggeration to say that the best traffic is no traffic at all. Today’s cities are overwhelmed by cars, and yet – on average – people use a car for just five minutes a day. This is hugely disproportional. Vehicles in smart cities should move in such a way that they are as busy as possible. The tendency is to understand mobility as a service. In order for vehicles to be as busy as possible, people have to share them. But will they be willing to do so? Figures suggest that younger generations don’t see cars in this way anymore. Having a modern mobile phone plays a more important social role in this respect. Many consider it a big advantage that they don’t have to take care of a car. What makes the concept of smart transport different from shared rides offered by taxi services like Uber?
A taxi service just takes customers from point A to point B. The smart mobility system is much more sophisticated. Passengers are offered different combinations of transport options. Alternatives are prepared for them, and they are given precise instructions tailored to their needs: First, you ride a few kilometres in a shared passenger car, then the backbone route will be done by train, and for the final part you will use the bus. The options will be processed by AI algorithms according to the customer’s specific requirements for the arrival time. Based on the huge number of individual demands, the calculation will take into account how to manage the traffic in a particular area effectively. Won’t effectiveness come at the expense of service variety? We will use the transport system like we do smart phones today. They offer us a lot of applications, but we only choose and pay for those that suit us.
If you pay a higher tariff, the future system will provide you with a better arrival time because your autonomous car will have a higher priority. By contrast, a retiree who isn’t dashing anywhere will choose a cheaper option and will be content with a longer travel time. Smart cities don’t rely so much on your typical driver because developments are headed towards autonomous mobility and automated self-driving vehicles. When can we expect them in the streets of Prague? Technically, autonomous driving is managed very well, but the technological development is ahead of its time. We are awaiting the legislation according to which the autonomous vehicles will be put into practice. New business models also need to be established – the way autonomous cars will be operated, how their maintenance will take place etc.
eMobility Glossary A
ASSISTED HYBRID
An advanced version of the mild hybrid. The electric motor works as an “assistant” to the internal combustion engine – giving it the needed torque, for example, when accelerating. It can also be engaged when starting the engine at the traffic lights. B
BLACKOUT
An extensive power outage, a disruption of electricity supply. It may be caused by extremely high energy consumption, forces of nature, failures in the transmission network and so on. B
BRAKE ENERGY RECUPERATION
The transformation of kinetic energy into electricity when braking an electric car. The generated energy is re-used to drive the engine. Conventional combustion engines convert the kinetic energy into heat without any further utilisation. C
CHADEMO
A type of fast-charging DC stands. The abbreviation comes from ‘charge de move’, or charge to move. Most CHAdeMO stations can be found in Japan. E
ELECTROLYTES
Solutions or smelts that conduct electric current. They transfer ions and not currents of electrons like metals do. Since the conductivity of
electrolytes is lower than that of metals, they are referred to as second-class conductors. I
INVERTER
Also called a power inverter. It is a device in the electric car that converts direct current from the battery to alternating current for the engine to run. L
LITHIUM
A silvery lustrous alkali metal with very low density. It is highly reactive and conducts electricity well. It is a promising element for long-term storage of electricity. m
MENNEKES
A connector type using alternating current for the medium-speed charging of electric vehicles. The five-pin connector is also nicknamed the Mennekes design plug. The Mennekes Type 2 connector has been the EU standard for charging since 2014. m
MILD HYBRID
A hybrid vehicle that uses its combustion engine to drive the wheels the entire time. The electric motor helps only in certain situations – especially when starting and accelerating. N
NEDC
The new European driving cycle (NEDC) is a methodology for assessing the characteristics of cars
sold on the European market: emissions, range, energy consumption etc. The results of the NEDC methodology are often more complimentary than the reality. Therefore, a new system called WLTP (worldwide-harmonized light vehicles test procedure) is gradually being implemented in the EU. EPA standards, which experts consider more stringent and more realistic, are used to assess electric cars in the US. P
PEDELEC
P
PHEV, PLUG-IN HYBRID
It is a seldom used term for a bicycle with an electric motor: an e-bike.
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is an electric hybrid car that provides the option of charging from a socket or a public charging station. Its battery has a higher capacity than conventional hybrid batteries. The advantage is that driving a few dozen kilometres using electricity significantly reduces consumption and emissions. S
SMART CITY
A concept that uses digital, information and communication technologies to improve the quality of life in cities.