EV Design Challenges : When it comes to electric vehicles (EVs), people are aware of the top 10 design challenges, such as how to make them faster and more affordable, while maintaining battery life and safety features to protect the driver and passengers from harm. This has caused several problems for consumers. For example, charging time for electric vehicles can take up to 8 hours on most models. There are also many instances where power semiconductors fail due to high heat. There are many challenges in designing an EV, but they are not impossible to solve. Here are ten ways to resolve these EV design challenges.
1) Better Battery Technology:
Solution to EV Design Challenges: If you want a car that’s going to provide you with reliable, long-range transportation, there’s no way around it: EV and hybrid vehicles need better batteries. Better batteries offer improved performance in terms of range, charge time, and efficiency, which is why research into new battery technology is so important. Materials scientists are currently focusing on solid-state batteries and lithium–air batteries as two potential candidates for next-generation EV design challenges—but no breakthroughs have been achieved just yet. Nevertheless, there are several companies working on these concepts. Automakers need better battery technology today—let’s hope we get it soon.
2) Cheaper Components:
Electric vehicles may be gaining ground on traditional fuel vehicles, but we’re still years away from widespread adoption. Though EV technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, many EV owners are hesitant about making a complete switch over to electric because of all of their current limitations. Thankfully, new technology is coming along that could potentially address all of these concerns. Here are ten advancements in battery tech and charging devices that may help usher in a new era of electric vehicle design.
3) Better Charging Infrastructure:
This is obviously one of biggest problems facing electric vehicles right now. The limited number of charging stations limits how far and when you can drive, which in turn leads to range anxiety and many other issues. There is also a high cost associated with having these stations installed. Both of these challenges can be easily resolved if we simply start using inductive charging, instead of wired charging methods. Charging stations would become cheaper because they’d require less infrastructure, smaller and lighter than what we have today because there would be no cables running underneath them (beneath your vehicle) and there’d be a much higher adoption rate for EVs (because people could basically charge at work).
4) Better Power Semiconductor Technology:
It’s no secret that EV design challenges revolve around one main issue: Battery power. The future of EV depends on finding a better technology for power semiconductors as well as various devices, like chargers and inverters. A better way to harness electricity could bring about more efficient vehicles with longer driving ranges at lower costs. There are three types of semiconductor technology currently in use by Tesla Motors, Inc., which is known for its advanced automotive technology: CMOS, BiCMOS and Silicon Carbide (SiC). They may sound intimidating but they’re actually pretty straightforward…
5) Storage Capacity at Home (Solution To EV Design Challenges):
Whether you’re trying to charge your EV overnight or at work, it helps if you can use your home storage capacity. A 200-mile range is perfectly feasible; we’ve seen EVs with over 300 miles of driving range. But charging takes time, and most people can’t afford to wait for several hours to fully charge their car every night before going out on their daily commute. For example, it takes nearly 14 hours on a normal 110V outlet, but just 1 hour on a 240V charger that runs at 60A, assuming 100% SOC (State of Charge). One solution is battery swapping: removing an EV battery from its vehicle and replacing it with another pre-charged EV battery in less than 5 minutes.
6) Storage Capacity at Work:
Look at an electric vehicle and there are basically three battery types: Lithium-ion, Nickel Metal Hydride, and Nickel Cadmium. There is a big difference between these batteries — specifically how much power they store — but each of them has their own distinct advantages. Lithium-ion are lighter and more efficient, but cost more; in turn, less efficient Nickel Metal Hydride batteries offer higher storage capacity at lower costs. However, these batteries can be difficult to recycle so it’s worth looking at both factors when making a choice on what type of battery to use for your EV.
7) Fast Charging Stations (Solution To EV Design Challenges):
Fast charging stations may not completely alleviate range anxiety, but they can decrease charging time significantly. Most fast-charging stations currently on the market can recharge an EV battery up to 80 percent in 30 minutes or less. This means that even with limited driving range, you should be able to complete most daily trips without having to worry about charging stations along your route. You just need a route that includes a fast-charging station.
8) Longer Driving Range EVs:
Range anxiety is a major obstacle that prevents some drivers from switching to EVs. But when they realize they can get much longer driving ranges, they are much more likely to make that switch. The good news is that new battery technology will enable us to reduce weight and cost while improving performance and capacity. And we don’t need entirely new batteries — there are other technologies we can use now with our current batteries, such as battery cooling systems or designing batteries with low self-discharge rates. These solutions might not double or triple your driving range on a single charge, but they do have potential for increasing your driving range at a fraction of their cost — which means affordable EVs with better capacity and shorter charging times on our roads sooner than you think!
9) Simpler Cars (Solution To EV Design Challenges):
Fewer moving parts reduces the chance of failure during operation on road trips. To solve one of today’s biggest EV design challenges, automakers need to take a cue from someone who’s no stranger to complexity — Apple. Cars that have too many moving parts, and those that try doing too much all at once (like most hybrid and electric vehicles on sale today), ultimately lead to some significant customer frustration. Simplicity is key here — drivers will be frustrated if their cars are unreliable or unable to perform basic tasks like driving for long distances on a single charge. If you own an electric vehicle and want it to be used as your main mode of transportation, you want it reliable. That means simplicity when it comes to car design.
10) Reducing Range Anxiety:
If you are concerned about driving range, then you should consider buying a plug-in hybrid vehicle instead of an all-electric car. When I was in college, I had a Honda Civic that would be considered a gas hog today because it got 40 mpg on my hilly campus commute. A fully charged electric vehicle is only good for about 80 miles of range, but if your city offers electric vehicle charging stations (California’s Air Resources Board maintains a map) then you can top off your battery every 50 miles or so—that will give you between 150 and 300 miles of range depending on how big your battery is. The Tesla Roadster actually has an optional 100 kWh battery which provides over 200 miles of range per charge!
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