EV ownership will require a change in behaviour for most people. The useful range of between 90 km (Smart fortwo Electric Drive) and 500 km (Tesla Model 3) requires trip planning that has not been needed since the early days of the automobile. Charging takes hours – even with the rapid charge capability. Can you imagine lining up at the charging station and waiting for hours to get to the front of the line?
Charging
Municipalities in the GTA have been installing free charging stations in many locations. It is safe to say that the charging stations will become increasingly popular. When the charging stations become point-of-sale and businesses can make money, they will be popping up everywhere. It will be easy to find charging stations in the future.
According to Cadex’s ‘Battery University’, there are 3 categories of charging capability for EVs:
Level 1
Cord-set connects to a regular household outlet of 115VAC, 15A. This produces about 1.5kW, and the charge time is 7 to 30 hours depending on battery size. Level 1 meets overnight charging requirements for e-bikes, scooters, electric wheelchairs and hybrid EVs not exceeding 12kWh. This will not be sufficient for a fully-electric EV as their batteries range from 16 to 75kWh.
Level 2
Wall-mount; 230VAC, 30A two pole, charges a mid-sized EV in 4 to 5 hours. This is the most common home and public charging station for EVs. It produces about 7kW to feed the 6.6kW on-board EV charger. Households with a 100A service should charge the EV after cooking and clothes-drying to prevent exceeding the allotted household power. Central air conditioning may cause a problem with a 100 amp service depending on the rating of the system.
Level 3
DC Fast Charger; 400–600VDC, up to 300A; serves as ultra-fast charging by bypassing the on-board charger and feeding the power directly to the battery. Level 3 chargers deliver up to 120kW to fill a Li-ion battery to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. The power demand is equal to five households. This level requires a specialized facility and has not yet been standardized across the industry.
Range
For those with flexibility and short travel distances this won’t be an issue, however it will be an insurmountable challenge for some.
With rated range capability between 90 and 500km EV owners will need to consider charging times of approximately 1 hour per 100km if there is access to a Level 2 charging facility.
Other thoughts…
Urban fleets would be well suited for short-haul operation where you can always ensure a freshly charged vehicle is available for customers.
As technology improves, range will increase, however we have reached the 500 km range with the Tesla Model 3 and it is unlikely to move much beyond that figure given the energy density limitations of present battery technology. It is more likely that faster charging will be a priority for improving marketability of EVs.
The industry also needs to move toward standardization. Battery sizes, connectors, ratings and aging indicators must be a long-term goal. At some point it may be simpler to pull your EV into a charging facility where they swap out your discharged battery for a fully charged one – in less time than it takes to ‘rapid charge’ – Indy 500 style!
Derek