Thomas Bräunl from the University of Western Australia’s Renewable Energy Vehicle Project says battery-operated cars are in prime position to fill a market need.
According to Bräunl, many car makers now see the electric car as the way forward, as opposed to the hydrogen fuel-cell-powered vehicles which have been touted as the future for the last decade.
The University of Western Australia’s Renewable Energy Vehicle Project has been developing various technologies which Bräunl claims will help increase the capabilities and potential of electric vehicles.
Electric cars are already a reality on our roads, with hybrids like the Toyota Prius; almost all major car manufacturers in Europe, North America and Asia have announced battery-electric cars for the year 2013.
By factoring in an extra year for those cars to arrive in the Australian market, locals should have a fairly good selection of electric cars by 2014.
While electric cars have been around in one form or another since the advent of the modern automobile, improved Lithium-Ion battery technology in recent years has elevated the battery-powered vehicle as a viable alternative to petrol and diesel cars.
Advantages of electric cars:
- Emission-free if charged from renewable energy sources.
- Low driving noise at low speeds.
- Less service required compared to petrol/diesel cars.
- Cheaper to run.
- Not dependent on imported oil and the attendant fluctuations in price and availability
- No initial infrastructure required other than having access to mains power
However, battery technology still limits the driving range of EVs to around 120 to 150km, and there is a fairly long recharging time of around two to three hours.
Various approaches can overcome those problems. It is possible to add small petrol or diesel generators to electric cars, which provide extra power after the initial pure battery-electric range has been used up.
Of course, the car loses its environmental friendliness when it transitions to using the power extender system.
Testing the waters
The Renewable Energy Vehicle Project is conducting trials of electric vehicles. The project has thus far converted a Hyundai Getz and a Lotus Elise to road-licensed battery-electric cars.
In consultation with Perth-based company EV Works, the project is also converting eleven Ford Focuses, five of which are already on the road.
Road tests have established the range of these electric Ford Focus’s at more than 130km, suited for average Australian daily commute of 30km.
Charging issues
The most recent trial looked at charging station issues, monitoring charging activities and using day-time dependent tariff structures as an incentive to shift charging times away from peak energy usage times.
The trial used Level-2 fast-charging stations as the baseline for charging infrastructure, which is either three-phase (415V) or single-phase (240V, 32A) power.
So far, one charging station has been installed at the RAC in West Perth, with ten more only weeks away from deployment.
In the meantime, other Australian states have announced forthcoming EV trials, with significant funding.
