EV charging 4

Charging electric vehicles is important to our current U.S. government. Money is being directed to a national system of charging stations - a way to put a finger on the scales, as it were, because this administration likes EV's and wants to favor them over conventional gas-powered vehicles.  

But there are different technologies among builders of the stations as well as among car manufacturers. Which will the government choose as the standard for the country?

Tesla has the largest private network (over 40,000) and the best charging technology. But a feud exists between the President's administration and Elon Musk on various issues. So . . the government picked an inferior system to be the national standard.

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Never one to stand down from a fight, it looks like Elon won this battle: 

A deal was just announced that both General Motors and Ford are going to make electric vehicles using Tesla's charging technology, as opposed to all others. Together, these three manufacture 70% of American EV's. Rivian followed with the same choice. Hyundai and Toyota are considering it.

Musk said Tesla “is not going to do anything to prefer Tesla [cars charging]” as more rival brands access [Tesla's] Supercharger network. “It will be an even playing field … The most important thing is we advance the electric vehicle revolution.”

EV charging

When you get in your gasoline-driven car, you have no worries about finding a gas station. There are something like 145,000 of them in the U.S. and they're near enough to you. 

Likewise, all owners of an electric vehicle must have easy access to re-charging the battery or there will be no EV industry. That's why Tesla, for example, aggressively built charging stations from the start. They now have over "40,000+ global superchargers." And, of course, a Tesla owner also re-charges at home.

Not sure where you can re-charge? Go here to plan for those stops during your trip. Businesses like hotels and restaurants are encouraged to put in a re-charging wall for their EV customers.

With all car manufacturers pursuing the EV market, the number of gas stations is expected to slowly decline. Charging locations will increase. But don't expect to find one conveniently located at an interstate rest stop, because that would be illegal . . per a law passed in the 1950's.

from FEE

EV charging 5

Follow-up to this post

Most EV (electric vehicle) car manufacturers have decided to build Tesla's charging technology (NACS) right into their new cars, starting in 2025. Here's the list so far: Ford, GM, Rivian, Toyota, Volvo, Polestar, Mercedes, Nissan, Fisker, Honda, Acura, Jaguar, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Lexus.

Starting later this year, 2024, owners of these EV's may use some of Tesla's supercharger stations, but they will have to use an adapter that will be available.

Stellantis (Jeep) and Lucid haven't decided yet. You have to wonder what's holding them back. Tesla's charging stations are both more plentiful and more reliable than any other. Researchers at University of California/Berkley found that rival CCS stations were often not functional.

The EV market relies on a charging network that is easy to find and works well. The US government wants EV's to dominate. All car manufacturers are working on it. To Elon Musk and others, it's a moral imperative. But, is it really? For me, the jury is still out.

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from Business Insider

EV charging 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Up til now, Tesla's network (the nation’s most reliable) of 40,000 charging stations has only been available to Tesla drivers, but that's going to change. Last month Elon Musk met with White House aids and struck a deal to open up at least 7500 of them to all makes of EV's by the end of 2024.

Other companies, like General Motors and Hertz, have also made agreements to expand their charging networks using a combination of private funds and federal spending.

In another move by the federal government, more EV's will be qualified for tax credits. Within hours of that decision, Tesla raised the price of its Model Y SUV.

"It's clear this administration is making incredible progress in ensuring EVs' future." Yes, they're all in.

from Fortune

Charging hwy

The number of miles an electric vehicle (EV) can go before it must be re-charged is its "range." You may be limited in how far you can drive by the availability of a charging station, and this limits the number of people who choose to buy an EV.

So "dynamic wireless charging" is being researched, i.e. the charging highway. It charges your EV as you drive, in a way similar to wireless internet access. One possibility is to use coils embedded in the highway, and they might be powered by solar cells.

With a cost of just (gulp) $2 million per mile, the nation's interstate roads could be equipped with this technology for only $80 billion!

EV charging 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

U.S. government policy at this time is all-in with electric vehicles. Last year the president, the Dept. of Transportation, and the Dept. of Energy announced that $5B - five billion dollars - is going toward a national electric vehicle charging network.

States will use the money to build the charging network, subject to their federally-approved plan, primarily along the Interstate Highway System. It seems drivers will pay a fee to use it, so that 1956 law against selling products at the rest stops will have to be changed.

The new Joint Office of Energy and Transportation was formed to facilitate the joint function of the two departments. Their website, Drive Electric, describes what they're creating:

"A modernized and interagency approach to support the deployment of zero-emission, convenient, accessible, equitable transportation infrastructure"

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from Dept. of Energy

Battery range+

Number of miles you can drive an electric vehicle on a single charge has always been a concern for EV enthusiasts. New EV models have a range of 100-500 miles, while Tesla's Model S currently stands at 350-400 miles.

Battery technology innovation, critical to the future of EV's, is intensely pursued by a number of companies.

Our Next Energy (ONE) just tried its system in a Model S and had great results, what they think is a world record for EV range on one charging. 

EV Competitor 3

(cont'd from last Friday's post)

Cars made in China are not banned in the U.S. But the last administration placed a 100% tariff on them in 2024, meaning the price of the car for an American buyer would in effect double. They also created software and technology restrictions. The two factors keep China-manufactured cars out of the U.S. market.

But Mexico seems to welcome them. BYD had plans to build an EV factory there, plans which are now on hold until they know what the current U.S. administration will do about trade policies. 

If BYD goes ahead with the plant, Mexico will gain 10,000 new jobs. But BYD will do more than that. The country has only ~3,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles. BYD's car sales will increase by a factor of 6, and Mexico has some serious catching up to do if those EV's are going to be charged.

Chinese firms know how to do it. They are already working with in-country firms to build renewable energy infrastructure, and have already invested a total of about a billion dollars.

China has gotten its foot in the door. We'll follow the story of the BYD plant in Mexico.

from USNews and Atlantic Council

EV's in Norway 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

A wireless charging road in Oslo, Norway, is their first for electric vehicles. Built by a tech firm in Israel, Electreon Wireless, the pilot program is being tested on the city's bus routes.

Copper coils draw power from the electric grid and are positioned right beneath the asphalt. Electric busses charge automatically while being driven on the road. Durability will be an issue, considering Norway's severe winters.

In an interesting twist, government officials now question their strategy of promoting EV's. What they want more is to get people out of their cars and onto public transportation.

EV Tesla

Elon Musk's strategy for his electric vehicle Tesla is now moving into phase two.  First phase was to make and sell a small number of high priced vehicles, which he did, the Roadster (2500).  

The new Model S is the second phase, a less pricey car in bigger numbers.  It does seem to set itself apart from other EV's in performance and in range (how far it can go before re-charging).

The next phase - if things go well - will be for the masss market.  Fastcompany.com has an intriguing analysis of the Tesla and the business strategy behind it  here.

Tesla cross-country

Of course not everyone wants to drive across the country.  But if you own a Tesla Model S, and you like road trips, you can do it for free according to the announcement made by Elon Musk last Sunday.

One of the challenges for electric vehicles has been to make charging stations common enough that EV's can compete with gasoline-powered cars which can be re-fueled at over 121,000 American locations. Gradually more charging stations are showing up but there are only 71 now in North America ("All Supercharger locations are GPS-located on Google Maps")