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In last few years, all the major, world-leading automotive
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have set grand goals to increase mass
production and adoption of EVs.
Last year’s Paris Motor Show marked the
beginning of the second wave of EVs’ revolution. Until then, EVs seemed to be
plagued with limited autonomy and high unit cost. Now some OEMs are proposing
their first models with increased autonomy and retail price of about US$20K
that are much more appealing against conventional cars.
Nevertheless, the first image that comes to mind when we
talk about EVs is a vehicle with advanced technology, but distant from the
persistent reality of internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. Nothing could
be further from the truth!
We tend to forget that trains, trams, forklifts and even
boats and submarines have used electric energy as the primary energy source for
traction or propulsion, for decades. Many engineers and inventors have
dedicated themselves to creating vehicles powered by electricity. After decades
of research reserved only in academic settings, the involvement of governments,
non-governmental organizations—including “big oil” and recently-created
companies, new mass-produced EV models are coming.
From the environmental and energy consumption points of
view, electric vehicles (EVs) are certainly the most efficient vehicles. The
first vehicle to break the 100 km/h (65.7 mph) and mark the world land speed
record in 1899 was an electric-propelled vehicle, called La Jamais Contente,
meaning “The Never Satisfied”. Although EVs have developed and matured
considerably since then, “never satisfied” has been the watchword in the motor
vehicles research community!
 
Photos courtesy of University of Sherbrooke Electric Motorcycle team (EMUS)
Another issue is linked to some technological developments
in storage systems. Recently, battery performances have evolved greatly and new
ways of storing energy have emerged, such as fuel cells and SuperCapacitors.
However, the energy storage systems presently available for EVs either have
high specific energy or high specific power, but not both.
A reliable EV solution should therefore harness the
advantages of these distinct energy storage systems through their effective
management. Proper coordination should take advantage of the most suitable
hybrid topologies, introduce spaces to new improved power converters, and
explore new configurations for electric motors. Several ongoing projects
stimulate the next stages of future developments, ideas or discoveries in the
area of motor vehicle transportation systems.
For instance, late market adoption in the personal
recreational and power sports segments could be explained by the persisting
paradigm that “loud means powerful” and that “electric means slow and boring”.
High-performance electric vehicles are starting to step into that hard-to-reach
segment.
University of Sherbrooke’s own electric motorcycle team (EMUS) has
proven that designing appealing, high performance battery powered recreational
vehicles is possible. Currently, they hold the North American eMotorRacing
Varsity challenge champion title, with their 160 kW motorcycle built from
scratch.
Collegiate competitions are a great environment for students to learn
and develop their creativity and ideas. They also help students to gain strong
academic and professional experience in research and development.
The widespread adoption of EVs, comprising particular
segments of vehicles, represents a source of opportunities for energy utilities
and the automotive industry. To succeed, the industry needs to adapt to the
different and very challenging demands of all segments: light to heavy-duty,
and commercial to recreational applications.
In spite of its long history and recent advances, the
commercialization of EVs still faces a series of technical and economic
challenges. The main hurdle is energy supply. Even in countries where this
technology is more widespread—such as Norway, the UK, France, Canada and the
United States—charging stations still are very scattered and their impact on
the supply network is not completely resolved.
Fundamentally, changing
the paradigm of a technology does not mean switching from one to the other
without looking at the global picture in transport systems. That is the reason
why recent heavy investments in cleaner automotive technologies are happening
all around the world. In an age where global warming is already shifting social
and economic dynamics on a global scale, we can say: Now, EVs are definitely
here to stay!
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