COMMENT
The future – but just how green are electric vehicles ? or quantify .
There are around 30m cars in the UK doing around 10,000 miles a year , which equates to 300bn miles , increasing by around three per cent a year .
According to myenergi . com , an EV provides around 4miles / kW in the perfect driving conditions , meaning we would need around 75bn kW of electric available around the country .
Assuming that it is equally distributed over 365 days a year , that equates to 205m kW of energy per day , based on “ perfect driving conditions ” and no distribution network energy losses . Equally distributed over a 24-hour period from a charging perspective , that ’ s around 8m kW per hour to be generated and used .
Since Drax has a supply capability of 2.6gW of green electric , that would equate to around three power stations the size of Drax to provide that power ( for cars and taxis alone ), 24 hours a day , 365 days a year .
There are trucks , buses and trains that have ICE ( internal combustion engines ) to further compound that .
In total , 380bn miles are travelled on the UK roads annually . HGVs certainly do not achieve the mileage per kW , so we would need a greater amount of new power stations to cover our needs of an all-electric transportation system .
The challenges are even greater in shipping . Consideration is needed on energy density – the space taken up by batteries is higher than fossil fuels – so that reduces their payload , needing more ships . Can you charge a ship for an Atlantic crossing in 24 hours ?
Clearly , something more revolutionary is needed .
The aviation industry has similar issues to those faced by shipping . A plane becomes more efficient as it burns fuel from its tanks because of the weight reduction – a battery-powered plane would not .
Challenges in recycling batteries further complicates the situation . The longevity of useful life is estimated to be somewhere between six and 10 years – so , until we have an effective recycling system , we are creating a near-term environmental headache .
Going fully electric has its challenges , so where does that leave us ?
There are alternatives – hybrid , allowing IC engines to run at their highest efficiency and keep a battery on the vehicle charged . They ’ re certainly not as clean at the point of use as a fully electric vehicle , but provide the best of both worlds .
What about fuel synthesis or hydrogen powered ICE ? Reworking our refineries to separate hydrogen or create synthesised fuels distributing to existing fuel stations seems obvious , and would not rely on generating larger volumes of electricity , as we have most of that delivery infrastructure already .
Back to the battery situation . There are challenges with current battery technology that our fossil-fuelled engines don ’ t have , such as energy density – the amount of power that can be contained in the same physical space .
In order for full battery-powered vehicles to be effective , we need something with a much higher energy density and quicker charging rate .
The volume of minerals that need to be mined to support a fully electric and environmentally-friendly vehicle network is staggering and in this more empathetic world , we will quickly realise the impact on our planet in mining and processing the volume of minerals needed , often from developing countries .
Clearly , a joined-up process is needed to satisfy everyone . Innovation is required to improve the range and charge speed for full EV vehicles , and more investment on zero carbon fuels for ICE vehicles , such as fuel synthesis or hydrogen-based fuel .
A joined-up , lifecycle approach is required for the next generation of vehicles .
Formula One has plans for synthesised fuels , which I will be watching with interest , since many a good technology has come to road transport from developments on the track . Why is all this important ? At ITS , we look at the wider picture and the lifecycle of the work we complete . In general , companies don ’ t upgrade simply because something is getting old . A clearer understanding of the “ why ”, the “ future ” and the “ what else is ongoing ” is really important for ITS to determine how we are best able to assist our clients , and to maximise their profit – not just for now , but in the future .
It is not about the transactional sale , but the long-term benefit we can bring to our clients as their trusted advisor , giving them the joined-up approach by delivering sustained solutions to their problems .
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