The electric vehicle (EV) revolution has been gathering momentum in the United Kingdom (UK) and it has set a transition deadline for this. The country had set itself a target for banning all non-electric cars, including petrol, diesel and even hybrids, from 2035.
This is part of the UK’s efforts to minimise the damage from climate change, which is slowly and surely becoming devastating.
The UK has set itself an ambitious target. This means, it has a lot to do in a not-so-long period of time. First of all, it must put in place the necessary technology and infrastructure in order to lay the foundation for a seamless EV ecosystem.
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| Tesla Model 3 |
And, the electrification sector in the country will be worth $8 billion for the next 10 years.
EVs provide convenience compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. But for e-cars to be adopted on a larger scale, the affordability factor must come into play.
So, if the price of an EV (which could be double the price of an ICE car) is reduced drastically, then prospective car buyers could flock for these green vehicles.
With technology and infrastructure evolving, this could surely happen in the next five years.
According to a report in Automotive World, Professor David Greenwood is leading the charge of the EV project at University of Warwick and taking forward the £2 million UK-funded Multi optimal Solutions for Energy Storage Systems (MoSESS) project.
He is doing so in a tie-up led by McLaren Automotive. It also includes project partner A123 Systems. Their mission is cutting the size, weight as well as emissions of EVs compared to what they are today.
According to Professor Greenwood, the people don’t buy electric cars now because they are prohibitively costly. There is also a big doubt about the battery range as well as the reliability of the charging infrastructure.
He adds that the current infrastructure can meet the needs of a select few and a reliable and efficient battery charging ecosystem is important.
In EVs, mass public uptake of the technology is yet to take place. There have been concerns about charging between journeys and the range of charging.
But some work is going on in the charging tech front. BP and National Grid are looking to bring in fast-charging units. And, start-up char.gy has come up with a new technology that permits drivers to just plug their car into a lamppost.
If there are some tech breakthroughs on the charging front, we could see a greater adoption of EVs in the UK. EV sales are now low, mainly because of price prohibitions and because people are still not sure about the ecosystem.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders of the UK, over 190,000 battery electric cars were registered in the country last year. And, Tesla’s Model 3 was the best-selling battery electric car. Before, the Tesla car was second in the pecking order, just behind the Vauxhall Corsa.
Once technology evolves, the e-car ecosystem should be used efficiently. For this, there is the need for a distribution network that can cater to the high levels of EV charging, across a variety of locations.
Also, it must be ensured that surplus energy storage capacity can be repurposed.
Some amazing engineering is needed to address the problems in the medium term. One of the pioneers of EV tech, WMG, is working in the fast lane to give the UK a tech revolution, in years, rather than in decades.
So, UK plan to adhere to the EV transition deadline could make it one of the fastest countries to adopt e-cars fully, opening the floodgates of a robust market for all auto companies.
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