The Electric Car

In this paper we will talk about the electric car. We will go briefly through its
history and current situation. Then we will explain its benefits. After that, we
will discuss the main challenges and possible solutions. Finally we will try to
determine the future of electric vehicles.

Introduction
Conventional cars have an internal combustion engine that burns diesel or
gasoline. The combustion engine has been dominating road transport since the
beginning of the 20th century. However nowadays there are other technologies
fighting to change this paradigm, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars.
Hybrid cars have a traditional combustion engine and an electric one. The
battery is charged via the combustion engine. Plug-in hybrids have the
possibility to charge the battery externally, plugging it to the net. All-electric
cars don’t have a combustion engine and rely only on their battery and electric
motor. In this report hybrid and plug-in hybrids will not be discussed, and we
will focus on all-electric cars.

Electric cars promise a clear atmosphere, a reduction in CO2 emissions and a

lower dependency on oil. However they face great technological, social and
political challenges. There are many individuals, engineers, companies and
governments working to make the electric car a reality. Will they make it? Will
we make it?

The benefits of the electric car

Despite the presence of nuclear power and the increasing investment in
renewable energies, still 82% of the world primary energy supply comes from
fossil fuels. In the Spanish case, 74%. Transport is part of the problem. It
represents 20% of the world final energy consumption and 40% of Spanish final
energy consumption.

Unlike electricity generation, where there are alternatives to fossil fuels such as
nuclear or renewables, transport, living aside trains, is still based on burning
fuels. Those fuels are produced with oil and a small percentage, the so-called
biofuels come from crops. Despite burning biofuels reduces CO2 emissions, it
still pollutes cities’ air and the volume of biofuel that can be produced is limited.

As we have seen, we have a huge dependence on fossil fuels and transport

represents an important part of the problem. But, what is the matter with fossil
fuels? And, how can the electric car help?

First, gasoline and diesel engines emit pollutants that are harmful for humans.
These chemical compounds are mainly NOx (nitrogen oxides), VOC(volatile
organic compounds), particulates and CO (carbon monoxide). NOx and VOC in
the presence of sunlight react to produce ozone. Ozone is beneficial in the upper
layers of the atmosphere but it is harmful in the lowest layer, the Troposphere,

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where we live. When these pollutants exceed a certain concentration in the
atmosphere they aggravate diseases like allergies or asthma. These high
concentrations usually happen in cities and are especially dangerous in warm
and hot climates like Southern Europe where sunlight can trigger the
production of tropospheric ozone. Pollution in cities could be almost completely
eradicated if the electric car replaces the conventional car.

Second, burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change through the emission
of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and other compounds like CH4 (methane). The electric
car can help reduce the emissions. It uses electricity, which is in part generated
by burning fossil fuels. However the efficiency of burning them in power plants
is much higher and the pollutants can be separated easier. Apart from that, if we
examine the demand curve for electricity of a country like Spain we see that the
demand falls at night (see Figure 1). In those hours, a lot of wind power is
wasted. Electric cars are mainly charged at night and if their number increases it
can flatten the demand curve. This leads to a more efficient use of renewable
energies.

Third, reducing the consumption of fossil fuels means for countries with no
resources like Spain reducing its dependence to foreign countries that sell it. We
must not forget that oil resources are often the cause of wars that kill hundreds
of people every year. And as we have seen in the previous paragraph, the electric
car can reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

Figure 1

The history of the electric car

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The first electric cars appeared in the late 1800. It cannot be considered a single
invention but a series of innovations. Among them, we can count the invention
and development of batteries and the electric motor. One of the first engineers
who made a real practical electric car was the British Thomas Parker and the
German Andreas Flocken.

In the early 1900 the electric car became very popular in European and
American cities. In the US it accounted for one third of all vehicles on the road.
The advantages over its competitors, steam vehicles and the first gasoline
vehicles, were its absence of noise and how easy it was to drive them. We have to
take into account that in those days it took almost 45 minutes to start a steam
engine. Gasoline engines weren’t much better as they had to be started with a
hand crank, which required a certain physical strength and changing gears
wasn’t easy at all.

From 1920 on, gasoline engines took the lead. The improvement of roads
outside cities allowed the use of cars to make long journeys. The little capacity of
early batteries and the long charging times could not compete. Besides, the
increasing production of gasoline and its falling price allowed the creation of a
network of gas stations throughout the countries. However, electricity was only
available in cities. Henry Ford, and its mass-produced Model T dropped the
price of gas cars. By 1912, you could buy a gasoline car for $675, while an
electric one cost $1750. The invention of the electric starter sent definitely the
electric car into oblivion.

A new interest for electric cars appeared in the 70s due to the oil crisis. Some
cars were produced for specific purposes. However they had limited speed and
low battery capacity.

The growing concern about climate change and pollution pushed the
development of the electric car forward. Some people, still a minority, changed
their gasoline cars for electric cars. The release of the Toyota Prius (see Figure
2), the first mass-produced hybrid car meant a turning point. After it, many
hybrid, plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars came into the market. This growing
interest of the car industry and the governments support increased the number
of electric cars in the roads.

There was still the question whether an all-electric car could be affordable and
long-range and when this was going to happen. It was a new company who took
the lead and showed that these issues would be solved sooner rather than later.
Tesla motors, a company based in Silicon Valley, California, released in 2006
the Tesla Roadster, a sportive car with a range of 400 km and a price of
$109,000 that revolutionised the industry. However, it was still too expensive
for most people. Tesla had a three step strategy. After 6 years Tesla releases
Model s (see Figure 3), with a range of 500 km and a price of $71,500. Finally,
in 2016, Tesla presented Model 3, with a range of 350 km and a price of
$35,000. This is an all-electric car with a considerable range and an affordable
price, which can even be reduced by governments incentives.

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Figure 2

Figure 3

Challenges
As we have seen, electric vehicles have many advantages but, why is it that the
internal combustion engine still reigns in the whole world? What are the
problems that we have to solve in order for the electric car to become the
preferred vehicle?

First of all, the benefits of the electric car are mainly for the whole community.
When most people buy a car they want the cheaper one with the best
performance without bothering about what choice is better for the environment
or the country. Although electricity is cheaper than fuel, electric vehicles are
generally more expensive than conventional ones.

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Second, in most countries like Spain there is not a charging network that covers
the entire territory. Apart from that, charging time is considered to be too long if
compared with the short time it takes to refuel a gasoline car.

Third, people are concerned about the safety of electric vehicles. In the pursuit
of a longer range, manufacturers have reduced vehicles’ mass. In the event of
crashing with other vehicle, the one with lower mass is more damaged. Other
issue that concerns people is the absence of noise. This could be dangerous for
pedestrians.

Finally and most importantly, batteries. Electric cars need batteries with
enormous capacities that fit in a small space. But not only that, they have to
have an affordable price. Nowadays the price of the battery represents about
30% of an electric car’s cost. Other issue related to batteries is its life. All
batteries eventually wear out. We cannot state for sure the life of modern
batteries because none of them has been used for a period of time long enough.
Apart from that, batteries are made with elements like lithium and rare earth
elements. They are not very abundant and if electric cars become popular they
are bound to get more and more expensive. They could even lead to
international conflicts like oil does nowadays.

Solutions
To begin with, we all would benefit from an increase in the number of electric
cars. Therefore countries could give incentives to the purchase of electric
vehicles. But not only that, they could also raise conventional car’s taxes or
declare areas free of gasoline or diesel cars. Many countries like Spain already
give incentives to the buyers of electric cars.

A huge investment has to be made in order to create a dense charging network.

This should not be seen as an effort but as an opportunity for electric companies
to increase their income. Estonia is the first country to have a nationwide
coverage charging network. This is one of the reasons why it is one of the
countries of the world with more electric cars per capita. Apart from that, the
problem of long charging times could be solved by the so-called superchargers.
They can charge 80% of the battery in only 30 minutes. This is a reasonable
time and it may even be positive for safety, as it forces drivers to rest for a while
during a long journey. Other options that are being considered is battery
changing. This could be as fast as refuelling a gasoline car.

Although in the event of a car crashing with other vehicle the car with higher
mass is less damaged, a single car accident is worse if the mass of the car is high
due to the higher acceleration. Besides, if the batteries of the car are situated
under the passenger cell, the lower the centre of gravity, which increases the
stability of the car. Concerning the absence of noise, electric cars could have
what is called an engineered sound.

The range of electric vehicles is a problem that is about to be solved. Tesla’s

Model 3 with a range of 350 km and Model s with a range of 500 km are proof
for it. Regarding battery life the truth is most batteries have the same life

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expectancy as the car itself. Companies’ strategy is to offer long warranties in
order to calm clients. Apart from that the evolution in the price of batteries
remains a mystery. Some say that mass-production and better technologies will
lead to a reduction in the price. On the other hand, the elements that make up
the batteries are not very abundant on earth and that will eventually raise the
cost.

Conclusion
Electric cars are part of the solution for some of the biggest problems humans
face. They have already proofed that the technology is mature enough to become
mainstream. Governments and companies should go for the electric car not only
because it is convenient but also because it is going to happen.

My personal bet is that in less than 20 years it will be forbidden to go inside

Madrid with a gasoline or diesel car.

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