Navigating EV pit falls

Issue # 236, January 28, 2024

The automotive industry has been navigating several pitfalls in the electric vehicle (EV) and autonomous driving journey. For EV owners without a garage for home charging, extension cords, local laws or public charging are options. One recent issue was the depletion of batteries in freezing weather in the US. Some steps to address it are internal parking and charging where possible, preheating, and not letting the charge level go below 20%. For autonomous driving, rules and algorithms that meet the same social norms and expectations will help address questions on ethics. The US is boosting domestic production and locking in supply chains through friendly trading partners for critical metals to avoid domination by a few countries. Commercial production of hydrogen fuel cell systems is a step toward offering alternative zero-emissions solutions beyond battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in the Honda-GM joint venture. 2024 seems to have seen a bumpy start for EV sales, from Tesla's projection. Lower cost EVs may be an option for Tesla. Below are some recent pit falls faced by the EV industry and how they are getting addressed.

Charging without a home charger

EVs are most convenient when charged overnight — either on a standard outlet or using faster, “Level 2” home charging. But there are options for those living in apartment buildings or without a garage. Experts say that there are a key few steps that renters or condo owners can take to access charging. The first is looking up local “right-to-charge” laws — regulations that require homeowners’ associations or landlords to allow residents to install Level 1 or Level 2 charging. Drivers who park on the street have found novel ways to charge their vehicles, using extension cords running over the sidewalk. - Washington Post

EVs in freezing weather

Freezing weather can deplete the EV battery and slow charging times. EVs lose about 30 percent of their range on average in freezing conditions, according to a study of 18 popular models by analytics firm Recurrent. EVs also lose range in the winter because cold drivers crank up the heat to stay warm. That's a drain. EVs use energy from the battery to produce cabin heat. Gasoline-powered vehicles use "waste heat" from the engine to warm the interior.

Ethics that meet social norms

Autonomous cars hold out the promise of being safer than manually driven cars. Yet they cannot be 100% safe as collisions are sometimes unavoidable. Road users follow the social norm that prioritizes care for humans and respect for the traffic laws of the land. We need to develop engineering requirements and algorithms that meet the same social norms and expectations. - ET Auto

Fuel cell alternative for BEVs

Many in the auto industry view fuel cells as a replacement for use cases for diesel fuel in generators, heavy-duty trucks, semitrucks and construction equipment, among others. GM and Honda have begun commercial production of hydrogen fuel cell systems in a step toward offering alternative zero-emissions solutions beyond BEVs.The fuel cell systems are produced through a 50-50 joint venture at an $85 million facility in suburban Detroit. - CNBC

Local production of critical metals in the US

For decades, the US offshored the messy business of mining and processing metals. But it is increasingly eager to revitalize these sectors as climate change and simmering trade tensions with China raise the economic, environmental, and geopolitical stakes. Critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper are the engine of the emerging clean-energy economy, essential for producing solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and EVs. The US is now in a high-stakes scramble to catch up and ensure its unfettered access to these materials, either by boosting domestic production or by locking in supply chains through friendly trading partners. - MIT Technology Review

The EV slow down

This year was supposed to be an important one for EVs, but there are signs the industry’s push has gotten ahead of buyers. The auto industry’s pivot to EVs has been rocked by setbacks in the first weeks of 2024, creating more uncertainty as a flood of new battery-powered models is hitting showrooms. The latest bad news came last week when Tesla warned of notably lower growth this year and left investors with few answers on how it will slow its profit-margin erosion. WSJ