It’s fascinating to learn that at the turn of the 20th century, there were actually more Electric Vehicles (EVs) on the road than gasoline-powered Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. This prevalence was challenged, however, when Ford’s moving assembly line made passenger cars more accessible. Ford, empowered by the knowledge that gasoline was more widely available than electricity, built a transport system based on gasoline that would last over a hundred years. Here’s a brief history of EVs:
- The world’s first EV predate gasoline-powered cars, with experimental prototypes emerging in Hungary, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdome (UK) around the 1830s; and
- The first practical EV is often considered to be American inventor William Morrison’s vehicle from around 1890.
Modern EVs emerged in the late 20th century in response to the 1973 Oil Crisis and growing climate concerns. Starting with the Toyota Prius in 1997, the 2000s marked the re-emergence and development of hybrid vehicles, building to the launch of the first mass-market EV in 2010 with the Nissan Leaf. Since then, the EV markets have been exponential growth.
There were 11 million registered EVs on the road at the end of 2023. 10 million of these were cars. The total number of electric cars, buses, vans and trucks is projected to rise to 145 million, or 7 percent of road transportation, by the end of the decade under governments’ existing energy and climate policies. Tesla is the global leader in electric vehicles, with 28 percent of the global market share.
According to Our World in Data, globally, around 1-in-7 new cars sold was EV in 2022 (the preliminary estimate for 2023 is around 1-in-5). In Norway, the share was well over 4-in-5, and in China, it was around 1-in-3.
Here’s an image which reflects the market share in 2022 for EVs including fully battery-electric and plug-in hybrids:
This article has been divided into three sections – 1. Electric Vehicles; 2. Electric Vehicle Chargers; and 3. Conclusion:
- ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
There’s a difference between an Electric Vehicle and Electrified Vehicle: According to Nick Kurczewski:
- Despite what it sounds like, an electrified vehicle is not always synonymous with an electric vehicle. Every electric vehicle is electrified, but not every electrified vehicle is fully electric, and some still have internal combustion engines.
Here’s another way to determine: If a car has an exhaust, it’s not electric.
While battery electric vehicles are zero-emission, unfortunately, hybrid electric vehicles are not since they still use an internal combustion engine. Because of this, Hybrid Electric Vehicles do have exhausts because they house both an internal combustion engine and therefore an electric motor. Hence they are qualified to be electrified vehicles.
The Department of Energy reveals that the average annual emissions of an electric vehicle (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) is 2,817 lbs (1,278 kg) of carbon dioxide (CO2), while for gasoline cars it’s over 4 times more – 12,593 lbs (5,712) kg of CO2.
Electric Vehicles can be classified into the following four categories:
Even if it was true that demand for EVs is growing phenomenally, a new research has identified a disconnect between the expectations of electric vehicle shoppers and the reality of what the market has to offer, underscoring the need for better consumer education both in and outside the dealership.
According to Edmunds‘ latest electric vehicle sentiment survey:
- Consumers tend to hold overly optimistic beliefs concerning multiple aspects of the battery-powered car segment;
- One of the most noticeable areas where expectations and realities clash is pricing:
- Nearly half (47 percent) of research participants said they were looking for a model below $40,000; and with 25 percent searching in the $30,000 range.
- However, Edmunds notes that there are no new electric vehicles on the market with an average MSRP of less than $30,000, while only four models retail the $30,000-$40,000 range; and
- 22 percent searching for a sub-$30,000 car.
Nonetheless, demand for EVs is increasing substantially and was pacing to reach record levels in 2023 according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), expanding to account for around one-fifth of the overall car market.
Between 2023 and 2025, it’s predicted that a long list of new EVs are expected to hit the market from car brands such as Alfa Romeo, Bentley and even Apple. Bankrate breaks down the facts about EVs, weighs the pros and cons of electric cars and discusses how they work:
- EVs’ share of the car market has increased from 4 percent in 2020 to 14 percent in 2022 (IEA);
- There are more than 130,000 public EV charging stations across the country (White House);
- In March 2023, San Francisco became the first-ever major metropolitan city where half of all new vehicle registrations were EVs (S&P Global Mobility);
- There are 26 million EVs on the road globally (IEA);
- There are more than 3 million EVs on the road in the U.S. (White House); and
- Nearly 300,000 new full battery-electric vehicles were sold in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2023 — an increase of 48.4 percent of the same quarter in 2022. (Cox Automotive).
Electric vehicles have come a long way in the last few years, but still have much more room for improvement. In addition to the electric car facts already covered, consider the following benefits and drawbacks.
- PROS:
- Energy-efficient: EVs directly convert more than 85 percent of electrical energy into motion, compared to internal combustion engines, which convert less than 40 percent;
- Lower maintenance costs: EVs do not have an engine that needs maintenance or oil replacement. And in the case of pure-electric vehicles, brake use is minimal due to the regenerative braking that automatically slows the car down when you let your foot off the accelerator; and
- Smaller environmental impact: EVs do not emit pollutants from tailpipes and do not require as much (or sometimes any) gasoline.
- CONS:
- Cost: While electric cars have become much cheaper, they are still more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles. At the end of 2022, the average new car cost $49,507, while an average EV was $61,448, according to Kelley Blue Book;
- Range: According to Energy.gov, electric vehicles can only travel 260 to 400 miles on one charge, depending on the model; and
- Charging: Charging an EV takes much longer than filling up a car with fuel. Charging a new electric vehicle can take up to 12 hours using a Level 2 charger, although Tesla Superchargers can charge Teslas in as little as 15 minutes.
In addition to knowing the key facts about EVS covered above, car insurance is another major consideration related to EVs. While you will often pay more to insure an electric vehicle compared to a gas vehicle, that’s not always the case. The average cost of insurance for an electric vehicle is about the same as a gas vehicle at $2,014 annually for full coverage. However, for some EVs, such as the Tesla Model X, the cost can be as steep as $4,364 annually for full coverage. The higher cost of insuring electric vehicles is due primarily to their higher retail sales price.
2. ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS:
The number of charging stations across the country continues to multiply. Since 2021, the number of charging stations in the United States has grown by about 40 percent. California leads the country with 14,979 stations, according to the U.D. Department of Energy. New York holds the next highest number of chargers, where there were 3,529 at last count.
EV chargers boast a history longer than one might anticipate. In the mid-19th century, the inception of electric vehicles marked their initial development, and by the 20th century, they experienced a notable surge in popularity. As electric vehicles evolve, so do the charging systems that underpin them.
As EVs gained traction and popularity throughout the late 20th century, the emergence of a dedicated charging infrastructure followed. EV charging dates back to the late 19th to early 20th century, with minimal charging infrastructure in place. Electric vehicles were commonly charged with basic stations and plugged into standard electrical outlets. However, due to their status as a radical innovation, the adoption of electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure started slowly and lacked standardisation.
There are 3 EV charging station types, each with its own set of pros and cons. Here they are:
- LEVEL 1 CHARGIN STATION: These chargers are regular single-phase 120-volt power, the same kind which everybody has got them in their houses. Just plug your EV’s power cord into the wall outlet, and you’re good to go. There’s no need to splash out on extra installations. Still, if you want to dedicate a 120V outlet just for charging, that’s cool too. As long as you don’t expect any power boost:
Pros
- Easy on your electric bill;
- No need for extra installations;
- Easy on your wallet; and
- Charge up anywhere with a standard outletbnnb.
Cons
- Sluggish charging time
- LEVEL 2 CHARGING STATION: Level 2 chargers work with 240-volt single-phase power, just like the clothes dryer.
These charge faster, but you you’ll need to buy and install a separate Level 2 charger, along with the required electrical infrastructure.
The average installation cost runs between $750 and $3,000, depending on how complex the job is.
Pros
- More energy-efficient than Level 1 chargers;
- More power actually goes into your battery, instead of turning into heat;
- Faster charging times, typically 5 to 7 times faster than a Level 1 charger; and
- Works with all electric vehicles.
Cons
- Initial installation cost;
- Bigger impact on electric utility peak demand charges compared to Level 1 chargers; and
- Less flexibility in charging location, since the charger stays put in your home.
- LEVEL 3 CHARGING ATATION: This is also known as DC fast chargers. They run on 480-volt three-phase power to give you that extra oomph. But hold up, not all EVs can handle DC fast chargers. Plus, they’re not meant for your home; they’re better suited for industrial use.
Your house likely has a 120/240-volt single-phase 100 Amp electrical service. It’s way easier to upgrade your service to 200A than to ask for a brand-new 480-volt three-phase power service. Most utilities won’t even hook you up with 480-volt power, even if you’re ready to write that check.
If you’re a Tesla owner, you’re probably familiar with their supercharger network. Superchargers are DC fast chargers with industrial-strength AC to DC converters. These converters bypass EV onboard charger limits, so you can charge up faster.
Pros
- Faster charging time than Level 2 chargers;
- Closest thing to the fuel-up time of a gas-powered vehicle; and
- Great for long-distance trips.
Cons
- Higher charging cost than Level 1 and Level 2 chargers; and
- Frequent use of Level 3 chargers can lead to increased battery degradation due to the extra heat generated.
3. CONCLUSION:
The bottom-line is that EVs are better for the environment than similar gasoline or diesel-powered models. They produce much less air and climate pollution than vehicles that run on gasoline. Even accounting for emissions from battery production, over their entire life cycle, EVs contribute fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline-powered cars.
However, manufacturing an EV is more carbon intensive and expensive than making a conventional car.
Be that as it may, it’s worth mentioning that EVs will have a significant negative impact on the following:
- The rise of EVs presents a threat to the oil industry as EVs do not require oil as their primary fuel source. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), transportation accounts for around 60 percent of global oil demand, and the rise of EVs could significantly reduce this demand;
- Gas stations will likely face a number of difficulties as EVs grow in popularity due to a variety of issues, such as governmental support for EVs, improvements in electric vehicle charging technology, and the comparative ease of creating an electric vehicle charging station relative to building a gas station; and
- The transition to EVs is a source of trepidation for the convenience store industry, which stands to lose revenue and customer traffic that it now gets from selling gasoline. But it’s also an opportunity for the businesses that can figure out how best to sell products to the people waiting for their vehicles to charge.
Greely, Ontario, Canada 05 April 2024
