Seven major problems with electric vehicles
Due to seven major problems with electric vehicles, EIA economists predict that CO2 emissions from transportation will not decrease.
Electric vehicles cost more over their lifespan than gasoline vehicles.
Fast charging stations face the risk of incurring losses.
Rare earth materials risk becoming rarer and more expensive.
Waiting for a charger can be inconvenient at times.
Drivers sometimes experience anxiety about driving range and charging.
• Burning natural gas or coal to generate electricity will emit CO2.
• The mining of rare earth materials and the manufacture of batteries will emit CO2.
The remainder of this article discusses why standardized, replaceable batteries can help solve all these problems.
Replaceable batteries for emergency repairs?
Currently, there are mechanical and electrical standards defining batteries around the world, which enable people to power many products at low cost.
Standardized battery example
Currently, proprietary batteries are built into electric vehicles and charged periodically. Alternatively, there could be a standard plug-in battery, with all cars using the same form and a new battery swapped in less than a minute. Owners would pay for the electricity consumed and the wear and tear on the electric vehicle's battery. When using lower-cost batteries, they would charge less. Holes would be carved out in key locations to house mechanisms for charging, storing, and exchanging energy. The car would position itself above these mechanisms and the energy exchange.
Those who drive less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) per day can switch to low-cost, low-range batteries and charge them overnight. Lower-end batteries will be cheaper because they use fewer rare-earth materials (e.g., 20-kWh lithium iron phosphate [LFP] costs less than 60-kWh nickel manganese cobalt [NMC]). For longer trips, people can switch to more expensive high-end batteries or replace them more frequently. This trade-in also reduces costs through commoditization, as multiple battery manufacturers will compete and drive down prices.
Families can install swapping stations containing replaceable batteries in their driveways. These can be charged by solar power during the day, power the house at night, and be swapped with cars as needed, as shown in the image below.
Electric vehicle batteries in residential exchange rooms power homes at night.
Replaceable batteries are not a new idea. For a video discussion by David Borlace, please click here. For more details, see "Replaceable Batteries" within "How to Decarbonize Transportation".
Disadvantages of interchangeability
Exchanges may sound great. However, they also have a dark side:
Replacing batteries requires a huge effort from automakers, who design vehicles around swappable batteries and build new factories to produce them.
The world will need to install many underground exchange rooms at enormous costs.
• Battery swapping must contend with a chicken-and-egg problem. Automakers may be reluctant to participate without a sufficient number of swap rooms, and swapping companies may be reluctant to participate without a large number of swapped vehicles. To move forward, swap rooms may initially be placed at car dealerships, where drivers will go before long trips to obtain expensive, long-range, fast-charging batteries. Otherwise, they may rely on low-cost, short-range, slow-charging batteries at home.
What's next for Xiaoqian?
The next step would likely involve governments or foundations spending tens of millions of dollars to design, prototype, and standardize a replaceable battery system to better understand its technological and economic feasibility.
Reduce battery costs by four times with a shorter driving range and slower fast charging.
Electric vehicles can typically provide 300 miles of range and fast charging in 30 minutes. However, if the range requirement were reduced by half and the fast charging speed by four times (for example, the shortest charging time is two hours), then the battery-related costs could potentially be reduced by more than four times.
Traditional 300-mile range batteries use NMC chemistry. Alternatively, LFP costs approximately three times less due to a 30% reduction in cost per kilowatt-hour and twice the lifespan (3 = 2 ÷ [1 – 30%]). The downside of LFP is that it offers less range for the same volume and weight (e.g., a 150-mile LFP versus a 300-mile NMC).
Slower fast charging generates less heat, which reduces the cost of the battery's internal thermal management system.
Slower fast charging can extend battery life, thereby reducing costs.
Slower fast charging requires lower-cost charging equipment. For example, an AC-DC converter that takes 8 hours to charge costs about 6 times more than a converter that takes 1 hour to charge.
Slower fast charging requires less service from the power company (e.g., the service cost for 40 kW is less than that for 160 kW).
We will now explore why standardized, replaceable batteries might help solve the seven electric vehicle problems described earlier.
