By Gunjan Malhotra
The transportation sector, second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, is aiming to reduce environmental impacts. The market for electric vehicles has grown significantly in the past five years, driven by customer preference for zero-emission vehicles, particularly electric scooters. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic impacting vehicle production, overall sales volumes remained positive. The market for all electric vehicles is expected to grow from $388.1 billion in 2023 to $951.9 billion by 2030 at a 13.7 per cent CAGR.
The electric vehicle (EV) battery is crucial for long-term performance and efficiency, and its durability is essential as the popularity of the clean mobility increases. The advancement in EV battery technology is largely driven by the continuous adjustments in battery chemistry to enhance the lifetime, energy density, and efficiency of lithium-ion batteries.
Let’s explore some of the guidelines aimed at optimizing the lifespan of electric vehicle batteries:
Avoiding full charge
Electric vehicles have a battery management system that prevents extreme charging levels, ensuring a charge between 0% and 100%. Maintaining a full charge provides maximum operating time, but it’s not recommended for long-term battery health.
Limiting fast charging
Fast charging, while convenient for quick battery replenishment, can significantly stress EV batteries due to increased heat generation. Instead, users should use standard or moderate-speed chargers for everyday needs and reserve fast charging for essential situations like long journeys.
Managing optimal state of charge during storage
EVs left parked or stored with empty or full batteries experience accelerated degradation. To mitigate these effects, one can use a timed charger for infrequent use or extended storage, maintaining the charge slightly above the low mark between 25 per cent and 75 per cent.
Monitoring temperature extremes
To ensure optimal battery performance, users should park their EV in shaded areas during hot weather and avoid extreme cold exposure and precondition the battery by heating or cooling it while the vehicle is plugged in before embarking on extreme journeys.
Software updates
Users need to maintain EV’s software by regularly updating it with manufacturer-released optimizations for battery management and overall vehicle efficiency.
Careful parking
To prolong the life of the EV, users should ensure it is charged to around 50 per cent and stored at a moderate temperature to prevent extreme cold or heat exposure.
Monitoring overall battery health
EVs often have built-in tools for monitoring battery health, so it’s crucial to regularly check these indicators and consult the manufacturer if any significant changes occur.
However, certain challenges still persist
Battery technologies in electric vehicles (EVs) face challenges such as limited driving range, high maintenance costs, battery-related concerns, and inadequate charging infrastructure, especially in Asian markets. The initial high purchase cost and physicochemical limits of lithium-ion batteries pose technical obstacles. LFP (Lithium Ferro Phosphate) batteries offer a potential solution to these challenges, offering longer lifespan, improved safety, and faster charging capabilities compared to NMC batteries. This can help address maintenance costs and extended charging times, making EV adoption more accessible and widely accepted. Despite these obstacles, electric vehicles remain the future of transportation, and as long as technical advancements and innovations continue, their advantages will only grow.
In a nutshell
The global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is a significant step towards a sustainable future. EVs, including battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicles, operate on electricity, providing a cleaner and environmentally friendly alternative to petrol-driven vehicles. The two-wheeler segment holds immense potential for promoting this shift.
EVs offer zero tailpipe emissions, lower operational costs, and remarkable energy efficiency, surpassing traditional internal combustion engines. However, initial costs and charging infrastructure challenges in the car segment hinder adoption. As technology advances and charging infrastructure expands, range constraints and affordability concerns will diminish, accelerating the positive trajectory of electric two-wheelers.
(The author is Gunjan Malhotra, Director of Komaki Electric Division, and the views expressed in this article are her own)
