Simply Electrifying: The Technology That Transf... [TOP]
Heavy-duty vehicles face even more obstacles to electrification relative to light-duty vehicles. Heavy-duty trucks require large batteries that take up a lot of space, limiting the space available for carrying goods. Also, trucks often travel very long distances and may require frequent charging, which adds to travel time and makes limited charging infrastructure a significant barrier. These features could limit the ability for electric trucks to substitute for fossil fuel-burning trucks unless other measures are taken to reduce charging times, such as advances in fast charging technology or battery exchange (see ICCT for more).
Simply Electrifying: The Technology that Transf...
Wireless power uses the same fields and waves as wireless communication devices like radio,[18][19] another familiar technology that involves electrical energy transmitted without wires by electromagnetic fields, used in cellphones, radio and television broadcasting, and WiFi. In radio communication the goal is the transmission of information, so the amount of power reaching the receiver is not so important, as long as it is sufficient that the information can be received intelligibly.[15][18][19] In wireless communication technologies only tiny amounts of power reach the receiver. In contrast, with wireless power transfer the amount of energy received is the important thing, so the efficiency (fraction of transmitted energy that is received) is the more significant parameter.[15] For this reason, wireless power technologies are likely to be more limited by distance than wireless communication technologies.
Resonant technology is currently being widely incorporated in modern inductive wireless power systems.[45] One of the possibilities envisioned for this technology is area wireless power coverage. A coil in the wall or ceiling of a room might be able to wirelessly power lights and mobile devices anywhere in the room, with reasonable efficiency.[46] An environmental and economic benefit of wirelessly powering small devices such as clocks, radios, music players and remote controls is that it could drastically reduce the 6 billion batteries disposed of each year, a large source of toxic waste and groundwater contamination.[40]
There is common understanding that government support for electric vehicle purchases can only be transitional, as sale volumes increase. In the near term, a point will be reached when technology learning and economies of scale will have driven down the purchase cost of electric vehicles and mass-market adoption is triggered. For the first time a decrease in government spending for electric car purchase incentives was observed in 2019, while both consumer spending and total expenditure on electric cars continued to increase. At the national level, both China and the United States witnessed substantial purchase subsidies reductions or partial phase out in 2019, but there are cases where these reductions were met by increases in local government support. In China the central government was planning in 2019 to culminate a phase-out that dates to 2016, though, in the face of bleak electric car sales in the second half of 2019, the subsidy scheme was extended through 2022. Yet some other countries extended or implemented new purchase incentives schemes in 2019 or early 2020, for example, Germany and Italy.
The most common cathode chemistry used in electric vehicle Li-ion batteries is NMC. The energy density of cells with NMC cathodes increases with increasing nickel content. On these grounds, there are reasons to believe that density is also continuing on an upward trend. While Li-ion technology has made tremendous progress over the past decade in terms of energy density, costs and cycle life, room for improvement remains. Research is being conducted to improve all three key components of Li-ion battery cells: cathodes, anodes and electrolytes. In addition, recent developments in battery design and thermal management aim primarily to cut the costs of the pack and module components.
The answer could be inductive power transfer. Better known simply as wireless charging, it is the transfer of energy through the air by creating a magnetic field between a transmitter and a receiver. Not a new concept, of course, as it was discovered and applied by the brilliant minds, Michael Faraday and later Nikola Tesla, well over a century ago. And yet, here we are in 2022, using this amazing technology at home just to charge our toothbrushes, cell phones, and earbuds.
Among the topics that Ryan and Jason discuss are: The economics of electrifying bus fleets and impacts of volatile oil prices; The outlook for battery technology; Electric bus performance today and in the future; The link between energy policy and electrification of the transport sector; and the outlook for electric vehicles outside the United States.
Ryan Popple: Yeah. So, in a lot of ways that ties back to I think what our strategy and our focus is at Proterra. We develop purpose built equipment and technology to electrify heavy duty vehicles. And, the market that we are focused on is the North American mass transit market. Most people in cities are exposed to their transit system on a daily basis, so they are well aware of how many buses are out there, what kind of impact they have and how many people depend on them.
Some maglev trains are capable of even greater speeds. In October 2016, a Japan Railway maglev bullet train blazed all the way to 374 mph (601 kph) during a short run. Those kinds of speeds give engineers hope that the technology will prove useful for routes that are hundreds of miles long.
Germany and Japan both have developed maglev train technology, and tested prototypes of their trains. Although based on similar concepts, the German and Japanese trains have distinct differences. In Germany, engineers developed an electromagnetic suspension (EMS) system, called Transrapid. In this system, the bottom of the train wraps around a steel guideway. Electromagnets attached to the train's undercarriage are directed up toward the guideway, which levitates the train about 1/3 of an inch (1 centimeter) above the guideway and keeps the train levitated even when it's not moving. Other guidance magnets embedded in the train's body keep it stable during travel. Germany demonstrated that the Transrapid maglev train can reach 300 mph with people onboard. However, after an accident in 2006 (see sidebar) and huge cost overruns on a proposed Munich Central Station-to-airport route, plans to build a maglev train in Germany were scrapped in 2008 [source: DW]. Since then, Asia has become the hub for maglev activity.
Japanese engineers have developed a competing version of maglev trains that use an electrodynamic suspension (EDS) system, which is based on the repelling force of magnets. The key difference between Japanese and German maglev train technology is that the Japanese trains use super-cooled, superconducting electromagnets. This kind of electromagnet can conduct electricity even after the power supply has been shut off. In the EMS system, which uses standard electromagnets, the coils only conduct electricity when a power supply is present. By chilling the coils at frigid temperatures, Japan's system saves energy. However, the cryogenic system used to cool the coils can be expensive and add significantly to construction and maintenance costs.
Perhaps in just a decade or two, nations around the world will have come to a verdict on maglev trains. Maybe they'll become a linchpin of high-speed travel, or simply pet projects that serve just fragments of certain populations in crowded urban area. Or perhaps they'll simply fade into history, a nearly magical form of levitation technology that just never really took off.
Consumers need better tools to make their homes more efficient and to foster electrification. Sense technology is built on a simple, proven premise: Customers need real-time information to engage. With the first-of-its-kind Sense app, consumers can see exactly where and how to save energy in their homes. Sense works for utilities, for consumers and for the grid. Leading meter manufacturers are partnering with Sense to create consumer-ready smart meters that take home-energy management to the next level. Learn more.
Fuel cell technology advancements have improved the viability of hydrogen-powered vehicles, with the weight of the fuel cells reducing and the efficiencies improving. Fuel cells convert chemical energy within hydrogen into electricity, also creating water and heat. This is the inverse of the electrolysis process that can be used to create hydrogen fuel, although there are energy losses involved in these processes, with reports saying the efficiency of converting electricity to hydrogen and back again being just below 30%, which is roughly equivalent to diesel engines but less than with electric traction using overhead wires. The electricity produced by the fuel cells is fed into a motor to power the train.
Hydrogen could certainly replace the use of diesel trains on non-electrified tracks as hydrogen storage solutions and fuel cell capabilities improve. However, the loss of energy that comes from turning electricity into green hydrogen and then back into electricity seems to be a waste compared to simply electrifying more tracks, particularly for busier routes. The use of electric traction removes the need to store or transport fuel and is currently more energy efficient on routes with more than four trains per hour than either batteries or hydrogen. However, the installation of electrified tracks is expensive, which means that hydrogen could be the answer for quieter lines that are either difficult or simply not cost-effective to electrify.
As technology continues to improve, hydrogen trains (often hybrids with battery assistance) look set to be part of a wider rail network that will still use electrified lines on busier routes, at least in the short term.
Walk through the halls of the convention center and you'd catch whiffs of high-octane gasoline and plenty of talk about crate motors, turbo and superchargers and the other, traditional accoutrements of performance. Until recently, there was little discussion of electric drive technology, Kersting told CNBC, simply because there haven't been many electric vehicles on the market. 041b061a72