How ready are we for an electric vehicle revolution?

Despite seeing significant increases in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) and research suggesting there will be 500 million worldwide by 2030, Jérôme Faissat, the co-founder of an electric vehicle charging point firm, believes this figure may well turn out to be an under-estimate, with infrastructure hurdles to overcome, particularly the number of charge points.

But what improvements can we expect that will increase charge points and EV take-up?

Increasing Charge Points

EVs are still maxing out at around 240 miles on a single charge, so we need to see an increase in commercial charge points for those driving long distances. 

There is positive activity.  For example, the European Union is pushing for charge point facilities in new commercial and residential buildings. Also governments, including the UK’s are providing consumer subsidies for charge points. At the recent and first Zero Emissions Vehicle Summit, the UK government unveiled plans to become a world leader in low-emission tech.

According to Nissan the number of charge points will overtake petrol stations by August 2020 (due both to a decline in petrol stations and the increase in charging points). 

Variety in charge points is improving. EV customers and businesses now have a choice, between a range of functional, utilitarian charge points and more aesthetically-pleasing options. For example, Andersen EV’s charge point was nominated for a Design Week Award, demonstrating the mainstream attention charge points are receiving and which should help increase adoption.

Batteries and charging speed

It used to take hours to fully charge an EV. Today, with Three-Phase chargers, most modern EVs can charge to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes. It’s a significant improvement although way off the five minutes to refuel petrol vehicles. 

However, with improvements to both battery and charge point design, this will drop rapidly to be on a par with petrol cars. Manufacturers are looking at solid-state batteries which use graphene as a potential solution and, meantime, we expect a graphene/lithium-ion hybrid to increase the range and charging speed of EV batteries.

Improved Battery efficiency plus improvements to charging points will allow far more voltage to be run from the charge point. This is likely to double every few years, leading to rapid charging of much higher capacity batteries, which in turn will minimise range anxiety.

Power Sources

Along with these design improvements, there will be a significant shift towards diversifying the sources of power for EVs. I’m not expecting any of these alternatives to provide all of the power needed to charge an EV, but if each one contributes something to the charge of the vehicle, it will keep them going longer between stops at charge points.

Solar panels, otherwise known as photovoltaics (PV), have already become much more efficient. They can already be seen on commercial and residential buildings, but increasingly they will be seen on the roofs of EVs, helping boost the car’s energy as you drive. 

Another source of energy will likely lie under our roads, charging EVs as we drive. As early as 2015, the UK government was testing charge-and-drive solutions for buses, providing a small amount of charge at each stop to keep EV buses operating their entire route without having to plug in. The same approach could be installed at traffic lights or even on stretches of motorway to give EVs a welcome energy boost.

Contactless Charging

Some suggest that the rise of autonomous vehicles will signal the end of car ownership. Instead, they suggest that cars will be booked and drive passengers autonomously to the destination. 

While this seems inevitable with the amount of money Uber and Google are ploughing into the technology, I still think there will be a place for personal vehicles and family cars. Longer trips, for example, will require the vehicle for long periods and anyone who’s tried to organise their kids for a holiday will know how long it takes to pack the car!

I think personal autonomous vehicles will use wireless charge points, which will become the new standard for EV charging. Wireless charge points use induction to charge the vehicle from underneath, eliminating the need for a human operator to plug them in.

As the technology is under pressure to evolve we’ll continue to see more charge points and more EVs on the road.

Jérôme Faissat is co-founder of Andersen, makers of premium electric vehicle (EV) charging points.