I’m thinking about buying an electric car because it just might be better for the environment. I also like the idea of being able to recharge the battery in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee.
Energy storage is the biggest obstacle holding back the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (and solar and wind energy too). The lithium-ion battery is currently the gold standard for energy storage, but it has its limitations, energy density is low, and the cost is high.
My battery electric vehicle BEV (should I decide to buy it and I’m seriously considering it) has 60 kWh of energy storage. Is that a lot?” It’s important to realize that we don’t really know what energy is” (you can google” does energy come in blobs, R. Feynman” for more information) however we can store it in batteries and measure it in units of kilo-Watt-hours (kWh). As it turns out, 75 standard car batteries(17kg), that you can buy at Canadian Tire, are required to store 60 kWh of energy. Lithium-ion batteries are used in BEVs and have a higher energy density by weight and volume than standard lead-acid car batteries so my BEV will not be lugging around 75 car batteries. The energy density of lithium-ion batteries varies between 0.1 and 0.243 kWh/kg by weight and between 0.25 and 0.73 kWh/litre by volume. Therefore between 15 and 35 lithium-ion batteries (each weighing 17 kg) are required to store 60kWh of energy. The 17 kg lithium-ion battery is between 10 and 30 percent larger by volume than the standard car battery. On average let’s say 25 lithium-ion batteries are required for a total weight of 425 kg and this will take up as much space as 30 standard lead acid batteries. The weight of the battery (425 kg) is about 30 percent of the curb weight of the BEV. The cost of 75 standard car batteries if you bought them at Canadian Tire is approximately $175/battery for a total cost of $13,125. But that does not mean that you could by 60 kWh of lithium-ion batteries for what is costs to buy 60 kWh of standard car batteries, lithium-ion batteries cost more per kWh that standard car batteries. That’s a lot of money for what is essentially a fuel tank with the characteristics of a boat anchor.
Okay, I’m a little discouraged but still interested, so how far can I go and how long does it take to recharge 60 kWh?
My BEV can travel 360 km/225 mi on a fully charged battery, but it is a small car with front wheel drive, we are not talking about an SUV with all-wheel drive here. All in all, this is not too bad, and I can add 150 km of range in about 1/2 hour at a roadside charging station that has high voltage direct current (level 3) fast charging. So, assuming I arrive at the charging station with 30 percent charge remaining having travelled 260 km and add 150 km with the 1/2 hour fast recharge my total range is extended to 510 km.
There are 3 options available for recharging (Levels 1,2 and 3) and recharging time varies significantly depending on the method used for recharging. With high voltage direct current (Level 3) charging I can add approximately 150 km of range in 1/2 hour but that’s all I can add, and this type of charger is not available for home use.
Level 3 chargers come with numerous disclaimers. Apparently, you can’t just add charge into a battery like you can add gas into a gas tank. The charge rate depends on the state of charge in the battery, temperature, the condition of battery and other factors. For the level 3 charger to provide a fast charging rate the state of charge must be below 80 percent and optimally between 30 and 80 percent. High voltage charging can reduce battery life. Not exactly as advertised and you should expect some issues with fast or ultra fast charging. I think I’ll try to avoid this when I can.
Level 2 chargers used to charge my BEV, which has an on-board rectifier rated at 7.2 kW, can add approximately 25 km in 1/2 hour. So, I can expect to be at the charging station for 3 hours to add 150 km of range unless there is a BEV ahead of me. Level 2 chargers are available for home use, but this is an extra cost for the charger, and materials and labor to install a 240V electrical outlet (allow $5,000).
Level 1 charging is supplied from a standard 120 V electrical outlet and level 1 charging is standard with the BEV. Level 1 charging can supply 1.5 kW and the charging time for a full recharge is just under 2 days. Or I can top up with 150 km of range in about 16 hours. Level 1 charging is not very useful when you’re away from home, but it may be your only option on occasion. For example, if you leave your car at the airport and the vampire load drains your battery while you are away on vacation and you return to a dead car.
Okay, I’m still not totally discouraged but this is going to take some planning. I want to avoid the hassle of charging on the road if possible. So my maximum range for an overnight trip assuming I leave home with a full charge and allow 50 km for driving around at my destination and a 10 percent contingency of 35 km the maximum range is 275 km. And I will need access to a level 2 charger at my destination so I can recharge overnight and hope there are no power failures. For day trips I will allow a 10 percent contingency plus 50 km for driving around at the destination plus the return distance which works out a maximum range for a day trip of 135 km. Yes! I can go to the golf course or the lake and back.

Going Forward
Going forward is meant to convey the future tense but it is no more than a meaningless corporate buzz phrase and you’ve no doubt heard it used by corporate execs, media personalities and politicians – I’m using it for the buzz.
So, what I will do “going forward” is wait for government subsidies and manufacturer discounts to increase to the point where they equal the cost of battery and all taxes. Then I will buy my BEV because the performance is way better than an internal combustion engine (ICE) car. But I’m only going to use it close to home. I’ll rent an ICE car for road trips.

photo credit – Dreamstime.com