The Electric Car Today

Although most people consider the electric car a great technological innovation and a harbinger of a new era in transport and energy, and it has only recently become a common sight, electric cars, like so many other things, are nothing new. In the early years of the automobile, electric versions were not uncommon, especially towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.

For example, land speed records were held by electric vehicles right up until the turn of the 20th century. As the 20th century progressed, electric cars became increasingly rare and internal combustion engines took over most vehicles. This was mainly due to the high cost, low top speed, and limited range of the electric car batteries of that time. Although manufacturers have come up with various experimental projects over the years, especially from the 1960s until the turn of the century, they never reached mass production. It wasn't really until around and after 2010 that electric cars became a serious proposition, for example, with the arrival of the NISSAN Leaf and Tesla, which can largely be attributed to significant developments in battery technology. Since then, development has been rapid and public interest in electric cars has increased significantly, especially in the last 5 years, as can be seen in the graph below showing the number of newly registered electric cars from 2010-2020.

What is an electric car?

The broadest definition is that an electric car is a vehicle that has the option of running on electricity, either partially or exclusively. What all electric cars have in common is that they have an electric motor connected to the vehicle's tires and thus have the ability to propel it forward using electricity from rechargeable batteries. The design of the powertrain and exactly how the batteries are charged further define the electric car, such as a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and a battery electric vehicle, which in Iceland is usually just called an electric car. In addition to these definitions, there is also the hydrogen electric car.

Hybrid electric vehicle

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is the version that has been in general production the longest. Toyota has extensive experience in this area, having introduced the first cars for general sale over 20 years ago (Prius 1997). The main purpose of hybrid technology is to reduce fuel consumption and pollution through the interplay of a conventional internal combustion engine, usually petrol, and a high-voltage system. An electric motor is positioned in the car's powertrain in such a way that it can recover energy during braking, assist the engine under heavy load, or propel the car. Although it is often possible to drive on electricity alone, this is only at low speeds and for a very short time, as the battery is very small. The energy that propels the car comes entirely from the internal combustion engine, except for the energy that can be recovered through braking, and therefore hybrid electric cars are still dependent on fossil fuels. The designs of hybrid systems can vary between manufacturers and models, although the basic functionality is similar. Most car manufacturers now offer hybrid electric cars, with stricter emissions regulations playing a major role.

Plug-in hybrid electric car

A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is equipped with almost the same powertrain as a hybrid electric vehicle, but the main difference is that the car's high-voltage battery can be charged externally. This opens up the possibility of driving the car solely on electricity, and therefore, a charging control system is almost the only addition to the high-voltage system. However, simply enabling external charging is not enough to drive on electricity alone; the electric motor needs to be more powerful, and the high-voltage battery needs to be larger. The electric-only range of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles is usually around 40-60 km, which is sufficient for most people's daily use. On the other hand, it is important for owners of such cars to have the option to charge at home, because if the intention is to drive as much as possible on electricity, daily charging is necessary in most cases. The advantage of the plug-in hybrid system is that on most days of the year, you can drive almost exclusively on electricity, especially if your daily routine is within the car's range. However, you can go on longer trips at any time without fearing that the electricity will run out, because then the combustion engine takes over, and the car functions like a hybrid electric vehicle. This version can suit those who drive short distances daily, have good access to charging, but still want the option to drive long distances regardless of the battery's charge and also to occasionally tow heavier items. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are often talked about as a kind of intermediate step towards a 100% battery-powered electric car. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have been very popular here in Iceland, especially in 2017 and 2018, but new registrations have decreased in the last 2 years, likely due to the greater variety and range of 100% electric cars.

Battery-powered - electric car

When it comes to a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), they are actually much simpler than cars with a hybrid system, as the combustion engine and everything that comes with it has been removed. What remains is the high-voltage system, which is essentially the same as in a plug-in hybrid electric car, except the electric motor is even more powerful, being the only propulsion system, and the high-voltage battery is considerably larger, being the only energy source. This also means the car is entirely dependent on external charging. Since there is no longer a combustion engine, there are no polluting or dangerous emissions from battery-powered electric cars. The size of the battery (kWh) and the efficiency of the system determine how far the car can potentially go. However, that is not the only thing that affects the range, as various external conditions can have a significant impact, such as wind and temperature, road conditions and incline, the car's speed, and even wheel size. The first cars had rather small batteries and consequently not much range, so they were usually small and best suited for urban environments where a long range was not needed. Range anxiety is a term that has been associated with electric cars in recent years, describing people's fear of not reaching their destination or the next charging station before the electricity runs out. The cars coming onto the market today have much better high-voltage batteries, and a stated range of over 400 kilometers according to the WLTP standard is not uncommon. For the longest-range models, it can be over 600 km, which is well comparable to many cars with combustion engines. Therefore, people should not have to fear the range as such nowadays, but when it comes to long-distance driving, the charging time is actually more of a limiting factor than the range. Although most cars coming to market today have a fairly good charging capacity, it is not always enough because charging stations need to be able to provide the power that the cars can accept, and there also need to be enough stations to serve all the cars. With good planning, however, there is little or nothing to prevent you from going wherever you want in a modern electric car. The advantages of electric cars are many; in addition to being environmentally friendly, they are cheap to run, require less maintenance, are fun to drive, and are quiet. Of course, they also have disadvantages such as limited range, charging time, and charging facilities, and they are often expensive, but these are all things that will improve over time.

Charging

Charging is important for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and even more important for battery electric vehicles. Charging methods can be divided into two categories: AC and DC charging. DC charging is fast charging where the charging station connects directly to the battery and therefore charges with a DC current. DC stations are primarily used on long journeys where you need to charge as quickly as possible, but they are also used by those who do not have charging facilities at home. It is common for stations in Iceland to be 50kW, but stations with higher capacity can also be found. Abroad, there are stations with up to 350kW capacity, but few cars can fully utilize them. When charging at fast-charging stations, especially with newer cars, the station itself can be the limiting factor, meaning the car could accept much more power than the station can provide. When it comes to AC charging, also called home charging, the AC must be converted to DC using a special onboard charger in the car. A car can be charged with an AC solution in two ways: one is with the device that comes with most cars, which can be plugged into a standard household socket, but the Icelandic Construction Authority and most manufacturers do not recommend this method for daily use, and the capacity of this equipment is also very limited. Extension cords should not be used when using the charging cable that comes with the car. The Icelandic Construction Authority and manufacturers recommend that a dedicated charging station be installed to maximize safety and performance when charging. The stations can be single-phase or three-phase, and the power of the station needed depends entirely on the car's capability, but it is often a good idea to look to the future and install a slightly more powerful station than is currently needed. It is common for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to have a maximum AC charging capacity of about 3.7 kW, while 100% electric cars have about 7.4 kW. If the car accepts three-phase charging, which is becoming more common, you can expect a maximum charging capacity of about 11kW in most cases, but for some models, it is higher.