Yesterday, the UK Government established a leading regulatory framework* for the switch to electric vehicles (EV). The zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate sets out the percentage of new zero emission cars and vans manufacturers will be required to produce each year up to 2030. 80 percent of new cars and 70 percent of new vans sold in Great Britain will now be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100 percent by 2035. However, a recent study by RAC, the automotive service company, revealed that the Government’s motorway electric car charge point target was missed**.
Daniel Auger IEEE senior member and Reader in Electrification, Automation and Control at Cranfield University welcomes this announcement, but argues that the challenges faced by EV rollout are multi-faceted:
“People are now more optimistic about the possibilities of electric vehicles (EV). A few years ago, there was a lot of enthusiasm and ambition at the start, now people have a better understanding of what is actually possible and how quickly the technology can indeed mature – there’s still a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Whilst the industry welcomes the government’s new plans, there are many things to take into consideration. As it stands, we do have the right technology for energy storage, in fact the range of technologies we can use is broader than that.
“However, one of the biggest challenges facing the EV market is distribution and scaling up production. Charging stations need to be spread evenly throughout our cities; consumers should be able to charge conveniently, and more importantly, they need access to a fast charge. We also need to understand how to re-use, recycle and dispose of used batteries safely and efficiently. Lithium-ion batteries may prove helpful given their high technology readiness level. However, this will take time and will naturally require further investment if this new approach is to work.
“Research teams are now developing new battery materials and components of cells, and understanding the fundamentals of how they work and what makes them degrade. Others are focusing on modelling and managing batteries’ behaviour in use, predicting their future performance, and ensuring that we are using them in the best possible way. It’s also important to understand how cells behave together in a pack and ensure that they stay in a temperature range that promotes good longevity. Recycling and working with part-aged batteries will become increasingly important.”
*https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pathway-for-zero-emission-vehicle-transition-by-2035-becomes-law
