A solution to the EV charging problem
25 February 2022
By Abby Sze and Oliver Lai
One of the biggest roadblocks to popularising electric vehicles (EVs) has always been the lack of electric charging stations. It might be because of the lack of space, as cities often struggle to carve out large areas for a mass charging network that can support millions of EVs; or it might be because of unfavourable terrains, since it is difficult to install the infrastructure needed for charging stations in mountainous regions. Either way, policymakers around the world have yet to discover a panacea for this major obstacle, which has hindered the proliferation of EVs in our lives. However, this may all change soon.
Induction charging is a method of charging EVs that could potentially solve the issue with charging stations. Essentially, it functions like a wireless phone charger, where your EV would be charged as you drive along the road. The way this works is through magnetizable concrete – a unique type of concrete with high magnetic permeability that would enable EVs to continuously gain energy while its battery moves along the road. This would reduce the need for charging stations as EV owners could simply charge their cars on the go. Given sufficient coverage of induction charging infrastructure, EVs would never run out of battery! Such technology is currently in the works to be mass-produced, with the partnership between Holcim and Renault being an example of what the future of induction charging may look like.
Wider adoption of EVs might help to alleviate climate change as they do not require fossil fuel to operate, unlike vehicles with combustion engines. According to a survey by AlixPartners, a consultancy, in the seven countries that make up 85% of global EV sales, the top three consumer concerns are battery driving range, insufficient chargers and long charging times, which are all issues related to charging. If these concerns could be addressed, EV charging would become significantly more accessible and convenient. This could drive consumer demand for EVs and steer them away from the traditional, carbon-emitting vehicles. Given that transportation constitutes the largest and fourth-largest source of carbon emissions for the US and China respectively, a move towards EVs could shave off a huge chunk of global emissions.
However, this technology is not perfect. Compared to traditional plug-in charging stations, induction charging compromises on efficiency and intensity, which means more power is required with longer charging times. Another potential obstacle would be the need to replace large areas of current road surfaces with magnetic tarmac, which not only is expensive, but would also unlikely gain much public support due to the disruption it would cause to road users.
Given the Chinese government’s ambition to make the country carbon neutral by 2060, induction charging might play a substantial role in further popularising EVs in China. Currently, the way the government addresses the charging issue is by infrastructure coordination – public charging infrastructure projects receive priority permission in urban planning and construction. Yet, given the 100% electrified public transit fleet in Greater Bay Area cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou, there may still be a need for drivers to wait for an available charger. While induction charging may not be adequate as a primary charging solution, it could be a good supplement to the existing charging infrastructure and can help relieve pressure off of it. For example, static induction charging could be installed at taxi ranks where drivers stop and wait for passengers, which would eliminate the need for taxi drivers to wait for their EV battery to be charged. This is in fact being trialled in the UK and Norway at the moment and could apply to electric buses as well. Alternatively, on the busy roads of Shanghai where traffic jams frequently result in heavy congestion, induction charging could help drivers refill their batteries while waiting. When utilised correctly as a supplementary charging solution, induction charging could greatly improve access to charging networks, hence incentivising the public to switch to cleaner modes of transport.
Ultimately, we view induction charging as potentially a good addition to China’s existing policies on promoting electric vehicles. While we believe there is a need to balance the benefits induction charging brings against its cost and efficiency, it would be a useful tool in China’s fight against climate change. The rise of EVs will indisputably be the next big trend in tomorrow’s world.
(Opinion article based on a Financial Times write up)