One of the most significant issues preventing people from switching to an electric vehicle [EV] is the issue of battery range. Concern for drivers over whether an electric car will be able to reach its destination is a hindrance to en masse take-up of EVs. Yet, with new phenomena such as larger batteries, increased efficiency, intelligent software and a historic test drive, the signs are there that the issue may soon be confined to the past.
Indeed, the Daily Express recently reported that innovators at StoreDot had entered the “advanced stages” of developing a new technology to help deliver rapid charging, which has the potential to improve as electric car take-up increases.
StoreDot believes that its latest innovation could charge electric vehicles to be able to travel 100 miles within just five minutes by the year 2024. That, combined with a 40 per cent improvement in battery capacity and efficiency over the next four years could see electric cars be charged within just three minutes by 2028.
StoreDot CEO Dr Doron Myersdif told the newspaper that all these developments in tandem would create a “better charging experience” for electric car users which would help do away with the “major barrier” of range anxiety preventing wider take-up of greener cars.
Dr Myersdif’s concerns are vindicated by the findings of an RAC survey carried out in the summer of 2021, which uncovered that 47 per cent of drivers of combustion-engine cars believe their vehicle is at an advantage over EVs due to greater range.
Furthermore, out of 30 percent of internal combustion-engine vehicle owners who said that they were unlikely to consider owning an EV, a majority 58 percent said that shorter driving ranges was the biggest concern preventing them from looking toward electric.
Dr Myersdif said: “It is absolutely crucial that we give global automotive manufacturers a clear, realistic and hype-free roadmap for the introduction of our fast-charging battery technologies.
“After intense development of our silicon-dominant chemistries we will be mass-production ready by 2024, delivering a transformative product that will overcome the major barrier to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles – charging times and range anxiety.
“However, we are committed to a rapid transition to a cleaner, zero-emissions world and our strategic technology roadmap extends long after 2024, where each milestone represents an impressive performance improvement - a major impact on the driver’s experience.
“We are also progressing with our semi-solid-state battery aiming for its production at scale by 2028, which will demonstrate a better charging experience for EV drivers in terms of miles per minute of charging.
“Our ultimate goal though, and one that is now absolutely in our grasp, is to produce cells that will revolutionise charging times, achieving 100 miles of range in only two minutes.”
While charging is becoming more efficient, improvements in the standard of the batteries is also playing its part in doing away with the problem. Recent research from Nissan showed that EVs on average were travelling 630 kilometres further than their petrol and diesel counterparts, prompting regional vice president Arnaud Charpentier to declare his confidence that range anxiety would soon be dispelled.
Over in the US, battery efficiency took a major leap forward recently after a Gemini 001 fitted Tesla Model S completed a 752-mile test drive in the state of Michigan in winter temperatures on a single charge, before a follow-up test indoors recorded an even higher single-charge range of 882 miles. The battery within the model was produced by Our Next Energy [ONE.ai], a battery start-up company in Detroit headed by Mujeeb Ijaz. If this battery efficiency can be replicated across the entire EV market, it has the potential to be a gamechanger.
Ijaz spoke on Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast with hosts Jonny Combe, UK CEO of PayByPhone UK, and Martin Kahl, owner of Kovetic, to talk about the historic achievement. He said that his company had decided to improve battery density to make increased range possible rather than simply adding a bigger battery and adding more weight to the vehicle.
Ijaz said: “We think range should be a major topic as we go into electrification. For EVs to excel and sell, we have to eliminate the range barrier. The range has to be longer for high speed, trailer towing, and weather conditions.
“During the run, I was following in the chase vehicle. I had to stop and fuel up at a gas station while the Tesla Model S with the Gemini 001 battery pack never stopped for recharging.”
The Tesla Model S that ONE modified originally had a 103 kilowatts per hour battery pack. Retrofitted with the Gemini 001, a 203.7 kilowatts per hour battery pack, a higher energy density and higher range was achieved at a lower cost.
The Gemini system is a dual battery system with a high-capacity lithium iron phosphate battery pack augmented with range extension chemistry batteries. The added range is achieved because range-extender batteries are not needed during the entire drive. Therefore, it is possible to have a high-energy-density battery for the range extension which has zero emissions to maintain eco-friendliness, and doubles the amount of energy powering the car.
Ijaz explained: “We decided that we could take advantage of a simple fact, which is the daily distance driven in an electric car is 99 per cent of the time less than 150 miles and one per cent of the time above that. But 90 per cent of purchase decision is based on the top line range number that the vehicle can claim.
“So, we built a battery pack that’s good for those 150 miles, is very durable and meets all automotive requirements and even normal EV requirement today. Then we created a second battery which is there for that range extension once in a while, that doesn’t need the same durability or charge rate and can be narrow in operation but expect the chemistry to deliver a lot more in energy density.
“We then redesigned that second battery to be able to deliver twice the energy density of lithium iron batteries today, and even reduce material cost as a part of the process. We selected manganese as opposed to nickel and cobalt and graphite in the cell. As we did this, we were able to double the range using that range extender as a battery technology.”
Ijaz revealed that following the successful tests, the Gemini batteries will go into production in 2025, with a prototype expected as early as next year.
Yet, while there is much talk of doing away with range anxiety in the future, it begs the question as to what can be done to alleviate the issue in the here and now.
While innovators continue to work on longer lasting batteries and faster charging, intelligent software is playing its role in the immediate term to help drivers of EVs reach their destinations more quickly, as well as being able to easily locate and use EV charger points when they are needed during a journey.
In this respect, navigation software such as Google Maps and infotainment systems in cars are playing a major role and the significance of this is being noticed by consumers.
In a recent study conducted by HERE, navigation experts found that drivers consider such software a must-have tool in their electric vehicles. Google has already added charging points to Google Maps and Waze so that EV drivers know where they can power up their cars, and real-time station data informs users of which charger ports are vacant and available.
Taking the experience one step further, vehicles that are kitted out with Android Automotive run Google Maps as the native navigation app. With deeper integration with the car's battery systems, it can monitor the current range and provide route options to reach the final destination more conveniently. Should Google Maps determine that a recharge will be required en route to reaching the destination, it will find a compatible charging station on the way and integrate that into the route as part of the overall journey.
A similar system is also deployed in the Mercedes EQS model of car, which goes further through its use of data on how fast and efficient charging points are as well as where they can be found. When planning a journey, the navigation software technology prioritises faster EV charging points and directs drivers to them in order to guarantee a faster charge and therefore reduce the overall journey time by limiting the stopover.
While there undoubtedly remains much development to be done to guarantee the smooth running of electric vehicles on British roads over the coming years, it is clear innovations are already happening now. With the advancements available now, and what is likely to come in future, there is reason to believe that one of the greatest issues preventing a wider take-up of electric vehicles will soon become an issue of the past.
Photo by myenergi on Unsplash
