
via Open Access Government
Across the European Union transport accounts for more than 70 % of total oil consumption
Electric vehicles (e-vehicles, or EVs) are set to play a key role in the future of urban mobility, reducing pollution, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and saving drivers money. Although e-vehicles make up only a tiny fraction of the European car fleet at present, sales are expected to grow exponentially over the coming years, thanks, in no small measure, to advances in e-vehicle technology being made by EU-funded researchers. Fully electric vehicle technologies that optimise safety, energy consumption and kinetic energy recovery are also major contributors to on-going improvements in the performance of hybrid vehicles.
Across the European Union transport accounts for more than 70 % of total oil consumption, the vast majority of which is imported from abroad. With more than one million additional cars going onto Europe’s roads every 50 days, fuel consumption, congestion and pollution will only continue to increase if the internal combustion engine remains the main source of automotive power. Hence, the EU, national governments and private companies are spending billions on supporting the development of e-vehicles.
‘Rather than offering forms of mobility based on ever-increasing energy prices, the industry is now faced with satisfying a rational demand for mobility: clean, safe and low-energy-consumption vehicles, requiring less energy to be produced, and using recyclable and eventually self-disposable materials,’ says Dr Pietro Perlo, the CEO of Interactive Fully Electrical Vehicles (IFEVS), an Italian SME dedicated to e-vehicle development.
Dr Perlo helped oversee the development of ground-breaking e-vehicle technology in the ‘Integrated enabling technologies for efficient electrical personal mobility’ (P-MOB) project, supported by almost EUR 2.8 million in funding from the European Commission. Involving researchers from six companies (Siemens from Germany; Mazel from Spain; IFEVS, Polimodel and Fiat from Italy; and Magnomatics from the United Kingdom), as well as the University of Sheffield in the UK, the project resulted in the development of a novel prototype electric car with a range of up to 20 kilometres (km) powered by solar power alone.
Coordinated by Centro Ricerche Fiat in Turin, Italy, the team behind P-MOB sought to break the link between increasing transport capacity and rising road deaths, congestion and pollution by developing an e-vehicle prototype that is not only clean, but extremely safe and compact. To do so, the researchers took a novel approach to advanced systems integration focusing, among other things, on solar cells, e-motor and magnetic torque control, power-energy management, distributed accumulators and technologies to enable e-vehicles to put power back into the grid when not in use.
‘The design has met the highest safety ranking, a low footprint and extremely low energy consumption, making the vehicle ideal for most people’s needs in cities as well as suburban roads,’ Dr Perlo notes.
The prototype is a small compact vehicle – weighting less than 600 kilogrammes (kg) before the installation of the battery pack, and with a top speed of over 100 km/h – which meets new regulations on ‘micro’ electric vehicles. It is also able to meet the classical regulations for vehicle categories such as M1 (a car with eight passenger seats or fewer).
Aerodynamic, safe and solar-powered
A parallel project called ‘Building blocks concepts for efficient and safe multiuse urban electrical vehicles’ (WIDE-MOB), also involving the P-MOB partners, helped address the design and development of the basic building blocks of electric vehicles. The WIDE-MOB team worked on optimised aerodynamics to radically reduce the drag at any speed and lightweight and low-cost bodies designed for high safety in the event of a frontal or lateral crash, as well as a variety of technologies for distributed propulsion.
‘Our vehicle is the first with a two-motor powertrain with one motor per axle. We have two doors on one side only ensuring a high degree of safety, better ergonomics and reduced complexity with extremely low aerodynamic drag: around 30 % lower than other vehicles of the same dimensions,’ Dr Perlo explains. ‘All the technologies were developed during the course of the project by the partners. Only the battery cells were produced outside Europe, though the design came from within the project.’
The project’s integrated ICT-based control systems allow for the operation of two motors and two differentials – so the vehicle’s front and rear axles are independent, providing effective four-wheel drive – as well as variation of the torque ratio, depending on driving conditions, which provides a variety of important benefits. It increases vehicle control on small radius curves, improves adherence on wet and icy roads, provides the impression of faster acceleration without drawing more power and allows for fail-safe operation: if one motor fails the other will always allow you to return home. Most significantly, this in turn ensures that a single motor failure will not cause loss of control of the vehicle, particularly at high speeds.
The Latest Bing News on:
Electric vehicle industry
- How Much It Actually Costs To Charge An Electric Vehicleon January 31, 2023 at 7:07 am
To make matters worse, as the electric vehicle market is expanding, no major company is willing to be the first major nationwide provider of charging stations, like BP is for gas stations, for example ...
- Don't expect price cuts on GM's $100,000 electric Hummer, despite EV discounts from Tesla and Fordon January 31, 2023 at 6:41 am
GM doesn't expect to cut prices for its own electric cars like the GMC Hummer EV or Cadillac Lyriq, CFO Paul Jacobson said Tuesday.
- End of the EV premium? Deflation hits car industry as Ford ups stakes in price war with Teslaon January 31, 2023 at 4:29 am
The chief executive of Tesla lowered the entry point for his most popular vehicles at the start of the year in order to reduce rising inventories and reverse two straight quarters of sales volumes ...
- The end of the EV premium? Deflation hits auto industry as Ford ups stakes in electric car price war with Teslaon January 31, 2023 at 4:29 am
After Elon Musk threw down the gauntlet with his price cuts earlier this month, the pressure is on for rivals to follow suit.
- Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Market 2023 Industry Growth Status, CAGR Value, Emerging Trends, and Leading Players Forecast to 2029on January 31, 2023 at 3:48 am
This Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment market report presents industry driving factors analysis with growth revenue, CAGR status, mergers and acquisitions, upcoming demand status and boosting ...
- World’s largest electric cargo plane unveiled, here’s how far it can fly on its ownon January 30, 2023 at 1:18 pm
A new zero-emission autonomous electric cargo plane was unveiled Monday that could be a game changer in the shipping ...
- Georgia’s big bet on electric vehicle rollout rides heavily on state and federal backingon January 30, 2023 at 12:52 pm
Gov. Brian Kemp is on a mission to make Georgia the undisputed electric vehicle capital of the nation. The Republican governor’s ambitious plan doesn’t seem too far-fetched after the significant ...
- Heat Pump System of Electric Vehicle Market 2023 : Industry Scenario, Strategies, Growth Factors and Forecast to 2028on January 30, 2023 at 10:27 am
Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of Russia-Ukraine War and COVID-19 on this Heat Pump System of ...
- Toyota is the latest car company to jump on the electric bike bandwagonon January 30, 2023 at 1:56 am
Automakers have seen the writing on the wall for the car industry, as millions of new e-bike riders opt for lighter and more efficient vehicles. Now Toyota has become the latest in a long line of ...
- Electric Vehicle Industry Group Issues EV Road Mapon January 22, 2023 at 4:00 pm
4. Encourage Domestic Manufacturing The industry group points out that electric vehicles provide an opportunity to re-establish American pre-eminence as an auto manufacturer. ZETA’s policy proposals ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Electric vehicle industry
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Electric vehicle industry” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Electric vehicle
- CEO Mary Barra Confirms GM’s Electric Vehicle Ambition After Record 2022 Earningson January 31, 2023 at 7:40 am
General Motors reported better-than-expected earnings for the last quarter of 2022, paving ways for the automaker’s foray into electric vehicles, said CEO Mary Barra.
- How Much It Actually Costs To Charge An Electric Vehicleon January 31, 2023 at 7:07 am
To make matters worse, as the electric vehicle market is expanding, no major company is willing to be the first major nationwide provider of charging stations, like BP is for gas stations, for example ...
- Electric vehicles now cost more to fuel than gas-powered cars: Studyon January 31, 2023 at 6:23 am
Drivers of gas-powered cars have grabbed the cost advantage back from electric vehicle owners thanks to a drop in prices at the pump, according to a new study.
- Electric Cars From China Are Filling European Streetson January 31, 2023 at 5:55 am
Chinese EVs from Xpeng, BYD, and MG are common sights on the streets of Oslo, Norway. This article comes to us courtesy of EVANNEX, which makes and sells aftermarket Tesla accessories. The opinions ...
- Electric vehicles in winter: How much does the cold weather reduce battery range?on January 30, 2023 at 8:24 pm
Donnie Nguyen has owned a Tesla for the last two years, and he knows when it gets cold, he won't be able to drive his electric vehicle as far on a single charge.
- Driveline Systems for Electric Vehicle Market Production Growth, Demand and Supply Analysis 2023 to 2028 |87 Pages Reporton January 30, 2023 at 4:40 pm
The Driveline Systems for Electric Vehicle Market 2023 Size is reaching USD Million by 2028 To Expand At A CAGR During The Forecast Period, Was Valued At USD Million In 2021. 360 Market Updates ...
- Biden touts electric vehicle tax credits with picture of him in luxury Hummer that doesn't even qualifyon January 30, 2023 at 2:39 pm
President Biden touted his electric vehicle tax credit on Monday with him in an expensive GMC Hummer EV that doesn't even qualify for it as Americans continue to struggle with inflation.
- Ford Follows Tesla in Cutting Electric Vehicle Priceson January 30, 2023 at 8:50 am
The automaker reduced the price of the Mustang Mach-E by up to $5,900 after Tesla slashed prices of its cars by as much as 20 percent.
- Here are the things that drain an electric vehicle’s battery the moston January 30, 2023 at 2:02 am
For EV drivers with range anxiety, it's helpful to know what features use up your battery power, and much of it is surprisingly different from gas cars.
- Editorial: California electric car sales are zooming. Too bad they’re mostly Teslason January 29, 2023 at 5:00 am
Nearly 1 in 5 new car sales in California were zero-emission in 2022, but most of them are Teslas and other high-end models. That shows how far the state has to go in making the shift to electric ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Electric vehicle
[google_news title=”” keyword=”electric vehicle” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]