• • • ELECTRIC VEHICLES • • •
recharge batteries. For example, while Tesla supercharging stations have a 20-minute charging time this only delivers an 80% charge to protect the battery from high temperatures. After that the rate of charge decreases significantly. For home charging, the charging times are usually many hours, which is only easy for car owners who have their own driveway.
As FCEVS can travel further distances than BEVs and have shorter refuelling times, they are more suitable for the long haul and heavy loads required by HGVs. However, clearly BEVs still have a significant role to play in our quest for net zero as they are more suited to domestic situations that allow for a longer recharging downtime, such as overnight before morning commutes.
We need all the tools in the box To realistically meet 2030 vehicle targets and hit net zero ambitions, the answer should be to combine the use of both battery and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. Harnessing the benefits of both technologies will deliver the high-performance systems associated with the traditional combustion engine while reducing carbon emissions.
A vehicle will always need a battery system to support its many functions, but fuel cells can enhance their performance. For example, by solving the issues of distance and
charging/refuelling times currently associated with pure BEVs. This is because the fuel cell can be used to charge the battery, as petrol hybrid vehicles do today.
However, batteries are more capable of effectively managing the various simultaneous energy load demands of a vehicle. The battery management system monitors vehicle safety and performance, with state-of-health functions determining battery degradation and end of usable life. 5G will also be a driver of smart battery maintenance, using real-time data to optimise battery charging and discharging, and support predictive maintenance and failures, as well as remote troubleshooting.
It is therefore not a question of either/or, as both
battery and fuel cell technologies fill the operational and performance gaps of each other. The future of zero emission vehicles will be powered by both.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • MARCH 2023 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
