Between hype and reality: What's really going on with the electric vehicle revolution?

The discourse on electric cars is inversely related to their sales at the moment, but the change is imminent and it poses a series of not-so-simple questions.

Drives CEO Doron Frenkel is trying to make an order

Keenan Cohen

02/05/2022

Monday, 02 May 2022, 10:53 Updated: 11:25

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Electric cars will go on to increase their sales volume in the coming years, about which you probably will not find too much controversy.

It gets complicated when trying to predict the relationship between hybrid / plug-in cars and electric cars in the time span of 8, 10 or 15 years ahead, or even establish determinations regarding the type of electric propulsion, battery technology and even the car ownership model.

Their complete dominance and disappearance of gasoline use for transportation?

Chances are very small and if there is one thing that meteoric progress in the field of electric vehicles has taught us it is that no forecast is better than at the point in time at which it is written.

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And yet, amidst a tangle of rumors, hypotheses and myths.

There are some points that can already be established in order to better understand the world we are traveling towards.

We do this in an interview with Doron Frenkel, founder and CEO of Drives, which provides software and systems management services in the soft electric field - from energy optimization to charges such as the application of the Afcon public charging network.

"As far as private and commercial electric vehicles Becoming mainstream, both charging infrastructures and their management tools must keep pace, ”he explains,“ Using electric vehicles supported by appropriate charging infrastructures will result not only in more satisfied drivers on the road, but also a significant reduction in our carbon footprint.

That way we can leave the earth greener for the sake of future generations after us. "

Does the pollution pass from the exhaust to the chimney of the power plant? (Photo: Reuven Castro)

The vision of "batteries on wheels"

Q: The claim against electric vehicles is that they are not really green, because they increase the demand for electricity generated from traditional power stations and

Frenkel pollutants: Electric vehicles have a smaller carbon footprint than vehicles with internal combustion engine, also by weighting the energy required to charge them.

If the charging stations use electricity generated from solar energy or wind, then driving the electric vehicle is completely free of polluting emissions.

The most influential factor in the level of pollution reduction in an electric vehicle, is the type of energy used to generate electricity, and it very much depends on where the electric vehicle is located and what energy provider is being used.

In Europe, 93% of the population has the option to use only renewable energy to charge their cars.

In Israel, electric car charging station operators are increasingly using smart energy management systems to reduce the demand for electricity generation, by maximally shifting car charging to hours when power consumption is low.

In peak times, vehicles can be charged from large batteries located at the charging site, and even from other vehicles using V2G technology that allows "reverse" charging, i.e. from the vehicle back to the network.

Frenkel: As for the batteries themselves, technologies are now being developed that make it possible to use second-hand electric vehicle batteries in a smart way as local stationary batteries for storing energy for a variety of uses.

But more than that, it is very important to understand that electric cars are green not only because they do not emit C02 but because with their help it is possible to produce less polluting electricity at the national level.

This is because a large part of the pollution comes from energy production, simply because an amount of energy is constantly being produced that can support the peak of consumption (Peak), and therefore more is actually produced than the amount of energy actually consumed at any given point in time.

This causes an unnecessary addition that manifests itself in air pollution and damage to the efficiency of the power grid.

Even in the case of green energy production, the main problem is adjusting the amount of electricity produced to the consumption curve (the times when there is more sun and wind to generate electricity do not necessarily match the demand times for electricity consumption).

The long-awaited solution that will balance this problematic situation is "batteries on wheels" - and this will be done when we use electric vehicles as "batteries on wheels".

When there are enough electric vehicles, it will be possible to use their batteries as a means of storing electricity during peak production times (when there is excess energy availability and also when electricity prices are lower), and then discharge the energy from vehicle batteries to balance power grid peak consumption times.

Implementing this vision requires smart energy management and charging, using the storage capacity of electric vehicle batteries to balance the power grid and thus avoid, as mentioned, increased energy production during peak consumption times.

Also, a combination of green energy sources (like solar panels) in the charging networks of electric vehicles, actually makes the process of charging the vehicles really green - especially when using the batteries of the vehicles as a means of storing the green energy.

Battery production and production is still an expensive, non-ecological and wasteful process.

Will the solution be better used? (Photo: Manufacturer's website, Volvo)

We went from range anxiety to battery anxiety

Q: If we are in a situation where flexibility in the power grid is currently required to charge, if a lot of people move to an electric vehicle, the electrical infrastructure will not be able to provide the electricity needed for charging?

Frenkel: Smart load balancing energy management, along with the use of renewable energy sources and energy storage batteries near the charging station, can enable continuous power supply by shifting charging between peak and off-peak times, thus ensuring electric vehicles are charged and ready to drive exactly when drivers need them.

Take for example an office building with a lot of electric vehicles.

All drivers want to recharge their cars during working hours and get them fully charged by 5pm.

Without smart energy management, drivers who connect their vehicle to electricity at the same time can create an overload on the power supply of the entire building.

But with smart energy management, the power provided for charging vehicles can be smartly and responsibly shared between all vehicles in the building.

Another advantage is that cars that arrived charged from home can be used as "batteries on wheels" and with the help of V2X technology (charging energy from the vehicle for everything, or from the vehicle to the building in our case) you can use the energy in the vehicle battery to meet peak electricity demand. Low again.

Frenkel: The electric cars currently sold in Israel are capable of traveling 350 and sometimes over 400 kilometers in one charge.

With the continuous improvement in battery technology, we can expect that this distance will continue to increase over time.

Recently, it seems that range anxiety has been replaced by charging anxiety, which means worrying about finding available luggage at the right place and time.

This is because electric vehicle drivers have encountered many issues around the reliability, availability and stability of public chargers - especially issues related to the ability of charging stations to provide the energy needed for a full battery in a reasonable time.

These issues usually range from failure to reset the station before the next customer, hardware malfunctions, and also payment issues.

Frenkel: Batteries are affected by a number of factors including temperature, number of charge cycles and usage time.

Generally hot weather adversely affects battery life as well as the number of charge cycles.

Today most batteries support 1,000-1,500 charge cycles and car manufacturers offer a 8-10 year or 160,000 km warranty on the battery, technological innovation helps maintain maximum charging potential for a much longer time.

Will you come or not?

The issue of range in electric cars has not been completely resolved yet (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

Q: She may not drink fuel that is rampant, but the initial cost of an electric vehicle is higher than the cost of owning gasoline / diesel vehicles.

How long does it take to "balance" this gap?

Frenkel: The roots of this concept date back to the early days of the electric vehicle, when the models were still much more expensive than the "regular" ones with an internal combustion engine.

But today electric car prices are going down and many manufacturers offer a wide range of electric models at different prices.

In addition, the cost of ownership of the vehicle includes much more than its purchase price alone.

Electricity is obviously cheaper than gasoline, and electric vehicles have fewer parts that are exposed to wear and tear and can break down and result in expensive garage maintenance.

According to estimates, the maintenance cost of an electric vehicle is half an average lower than the maintenance of a regular vehicle.

Frenkel: Vehicle tax benefits are intended for the first stages of adopting electric cars before comparing their prices to the price of regular cars.

It is estimated that in 2025-2026 prices will be equal and then there will be less need for such benefits.

I believe that "the train has already left the station" - all the major car manufacturers in the world have committed to closing the production lines of gasoline cars in the coming years and beyond to the full production of electric vehicles.

From what we have seen in different parts of the world, benefits and tax breaks have made it possible to increase both the amount of electric vehicles and the charging arrays.

Without these benefits and incentives for building charging networks, the State of Israel can find itself in an unflattering place among the third world countries to which the polluting vehicles will be directed.

Against the background of tax benefits, the electric car is worthwhile, what will happen when these disappear? (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

Do not have a charging solution?

Give up the electric vehicle

Doron Frenkel, CEO of Drives (Photo: David Garb)

Q: Given the layout of charging stations today, can people without the option of home charging the car really convert the gasoline car into a tram without compromising their daily routine?

Most of the charging will be done at home or at work.

The rest of the charging will take place in the public space.

That is, if the driver does not have the ability to install a stand in the house, the alternative is charging in the office.

Without a charging solution at home or at work, at the present stage in the country it is not recommended to switch to a full electric vehicle.

Over time we will see more and more charging stations in places where car owners work and have fun.

Operators of charging networks in Israel install and manage charging stations in office buildings, places of entertainment and shopping centers.

This will make it very easy for drivers who will actually be able to incorporate charging into their life routine smoothly such as while they are in the office or shopping at the mall.

Frenkel: with automatic tools and easy to use, management software platform Electric vehicle fleets can address the special complexity caused by combining all the needs involved in charging, energy management and fleet operation.

The software can ensure a combination of loading times efficiently, in accordance with drivers' schedules, business priorities and the tension required to load fleet vehicles on time.

The operational continuity of the navy's charging stations is maintained thanks to sophisticated algorithms, which automatically detect and remotely fix up to 80% of cargo problems.

As described earlier, smart energy management optimizes energy use and lowers costs, based on the driver's priority and maximum utilization of changes in electricity tariffs.

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