Competitiveness Of Electric Vehicles Research Articles

Post-COVID-19 Electric Vehicle Market in Poland: Economic-Based Determinants

Theoretical background: The theory of rational consumer choice significantly impacts the shape of the contemporary car market, which constitutes an essential part of the automotive industry and the national economy and has a considerable influence on the behavior of individuals. In the context of the car market, consumers’ decision-making process is subject to several factors, particularly in light of the EU’s initiative to transition the automotive industry towards zero emission solutions. Furthermore, this implies potential changes in the degree of impact on the course of transformation, adoption rate, and economic growth through network effects. Recent years have witnessed changes in various critical factors, alongside the emergence of new factors, which could significantly impact the competitiveness of electric vehicles in relation to internal combustion vehicles. Purpose of the article: The article aims to examine the current condition of the Polish car market in the post-COVID-19 period with particular emphasis on the electric vehicle market and indicate its present shape in comparison to the market of conventional vehicles from the supply perspective. Also, it attempts to identify and define the most critical factors that influenced the development of the market and their role in the coming years. Identifying and categorizing the most critical factors will allow us to indicate the current weaknesses of the zero-emission vehicle market. This may allow for more efficient identification and solving of problems standing in the way of its development. Research methods: In order to realize the goals of the research, several methods were used: a critical analysis of the literature on the subject; a quantitative analysis of statistical data was used along with qualitative research to examine the factors that impacted the car market in Poland. As a result, a network of categories describing the associations between factors and their effects on the researched topic was identified and studied. Main findings: Examination of Poland’s electric vehicle market reveals a complex interplay of variables across market. The identified combined factors impede mass adoption of battery electric vehicles, resulting in dynamic yet relatively insignificant annual percentage changes in market growth within the overall passenger vehicle market. The problems focus on governmental, economic and social factors, but also on very important technological and ecological factors, questioning in some cases the current form of electromobility on the Polish market.

Fast-charging graphite anode for lithium-ion batteries: Fundamentals, strategies, and outlooks

The basic requirements for lithium-ion batteries in the field of electric vehicles are fast charging and high energy density. This will enhance the competitiveness of electric vehicles in the market while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and effectively preventing environmental pollution. However, the current lithium-ion batteries using graphite anodes cannot achieve the goal of fast charging without compromising electrochemical performance and safety issue. This article analyzes the mechanism of graphite materials for fast-charging lithium-ion batteries from the aspects of battery structure, charge transfer, and mass transport, aiming to fundamentally understand the failure mechanisms of batteries during fast charging. In addition, we review and discuss recent advances in strategies for optimizing fast-charging performance and summarize current improvement methods in graphite electrodes, electrolytes, battery structures, and charging algorithms. Moreover, the challenges and promising concepts for developing future fast-charging graphite anode are emphasized. This review is of great significance for better designing and optimizing graphite materials for high-safety and fast-charging lithium-ion batteries.

Enhance the Market Competitiveness of Electric Vehicles by Improving the Design of Lithium-ion Batteries

Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly popular because they are energy efficient and capable of providing a good driving experience. However, the performance and market competitiveness of electric vehicles has been limited by a series of shortcomings, which are mainly caused by the limitations of the power source, lithium-ion batteries. To address these problems from the origin, this research analysed the causes of these problems and proposed some possible solutions based on the characteristics and working principles of lithium-ion batteries. The limitations of electric vehicles such as safety issues, low range, high cost, and limited life span are all proved to be related to the EV batteries. Lithium-ion batteries used by electric vehicles have the risk of fire and explosion when broken, overcharged, or exposed to high temperatures. The capacity and life span of them can easily be affected by different factors, which leads to the dissatisfaction of customers with the range and EV batteries’ life span. Furthermore, the production of lithium-ion batteries is very costly. Different ways to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries are collected and evaluated. Finally, it is concluded that Li-S batteries and lithium titanate batteries are likely to become the solutions to what limited the development of electric vehicles. Since Li-S batteries and lithium titanate batteries still have some disadvantages, researchers should manage to tackle them in the future before they can be widely applied. This paper provides directions for the future development of EV batteries to improve the market competitiveness of electric vehicles.

Trends and Problems on Ultra-Small Electric Vehicle Competition pico-EV Eco Challenge

Trends and Problems on Ultra-Small Electric Vehicle Competition pico-EV Eco Challenge

Factors affecting cost competitiveness of electric vehicles against alternative powertrains: A total cost of ownership-based assessment in the Italian market

Electric vehicles have faced a significant diffusion in the last years, however they still represent a minority share over passenger cars registrations worldwide. Economic factors play a crucial role in preventing a higher diffusion of electric vehicles, with particular reference to the higher purchase price compared to internal combustion engine vehicles . Indeed, potential electric vehicles buyers typically tend to underestimate long-term savings that can be achieved due to the lower operating costs characterizing electric vehicles compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (so-called “energy-efficiency paradox”). An emerging literature stream suggests that the availability of comprehensive economic comparisons between electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles, based on the total cost of ownership, would increase the potential customers’ willingness to buy an electric vehicle. However, there is an ongoing debate on the cost competitiveness of electric vehicles considering the whole ownership period, and in particular on the most influencing factors affecting it. The paper aims to fill this literature gap by assessing the cost competitiveness of electric vehicles against a broad set of alternative powertrains , with reference to the Italian market. To this aim, an ad hoc assessment tool based on the total cost of ownership has been developed, leveraging the extant knowledge on the topic and addressing current gaps. Results show that battery electric vehicles are characterized by the lowest total cost of ownership among analysed powertrains in two out of four vehicle segments evaluated, i.e., segments A (mini cars) and C (medium cars). This is mainly due to the presence of purchasing incentives and the lower fuel-related and non fuel-related operating costs characterizing battery electric vehicles compared to other powertrains, which more than offset the higher purchase price. In other cases, the relatively high purchase price characterizing battery electric vehicles (as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) negatively affects their cost competitiveness. The study provides suggestions for managers of companies within the e-mobility value chain and policymakers on the levers to promote the spread of electric vehicles to achieve the decarbonisation targets for the transportation sector.

Widespread range suitability and cost competitiveness of electric vehicles for ride-hailing drivers

Transportation network companies provide an increasingly significant share of mobility, which has prompted interest in curbing greenhouse gas emissions in the ride-hailing sector. Vehicle electrification offers the possibility of vast emissions reductions, but a number of factors are thought to constrain this transition. We investigate two such factors – battery electric vehicle (BEV) range and total cost of ownership – from 2019 driving data covering all U.S. drivers on the Lyft platform. We estimate that, for more than 86% of drivers, their daily travel needs can be met by a fully charged BEV with listed range of 250 miles (BEV250) on at least 95% of days. New and pre-owned BEVs both appear to be cost-saving for many drivers. We estimate that a $5,700 BEV purchase subsidy would make new BEVs cost-competitive to gas-powered vehicles for all drivers on the Lyft platform, holding annual mileage and vehicle prices constant. Our results suggest that range and lifetime cost should not be significant barriers to widespread EV take-up in the ride-hailing sector. More generally, they suggest that continued moderate subsidies for BEVs, information interventions, and targeting of such programs to ride-hailing drivers who stand to gain most from them will promote a faster transition in this sector. Driver-targeted outreach and information provision related to EV benefits, as well as expansion of charging availability and fast charging rates through local and federal policy, are additional valuable steps to encourage ride-hailing electrification.

Research on Consumer purchasing Preference and Marketing Strategy of Electric vehicle industry in China

Electric vehicles are the future. All countries around the world are promoting the construction of new energy vehicles. China is one of the big countries that even set a goal to achieve 100% electric car in 2050. Recently, China’s new energy vehicles appear spurt growth phenomenon, and countless manufacturers frantically expand their turf into the electric vehicle competition. Among many manufacturers, BYD and Tesla, as the two major brands in China, are in fierce competition. In this paper, consumers’ purchasing preferences are investigated through a questionnaire survey, and the current product characteristics of different new energy vehicle companies are also analyzed. Besides, the advantages and disadvantages of Tesla and BYD are mainly analyzed by comparing the marketing strategies. This paper aims to find the development direction and marketing strategies of future new energy vehicles.

Streaming agreement — cobalt deal analysis

Streaming agreements between the Vale Mining and Metallurgical Company (MMC) and the Wheaton Precious Metals Corporation and Cobalt 27 streaming companies (hereinafter — Conic Metals Corporation) to raise funds for the development of the Voisey’s Bay nickel-copper-cobalt deposit have been considered. A streaming agreement, a relatively new type of transaction in the mining and metallurgical industry, characterizes the desire of investors who prepaid the agreement not only to guarantee the obtaining products, but also to delve deeply and extensively into the economy of the MMC, which, in turn, should make it possible to more accurately predict the marginality and liquidity of the obtained goods in the long run. Compared to an off-take agreement or commercial contract, the streaming agreement emphasizes the higher level of trust between the MMC and the streaming company. Currently, streaming agreements are common in precious metals production with extensive structured distribution, transparent pricing and maximum liquidity. The choice of cobalt was explained by high liquidity (the metal is traded on the London Metal Exchange) and favorable long-term fundamentals of the global market. The agreements under consideration are a pilot step for streaming companies to involve the so-called minor metals in their investment portfolio. The paper considers: the parties of agreements, the main characteristics of the deposit, the basic terms of the transactions, the advantages of the agreements for the MMC and streaming companies, and the risks. The analysis of the fundamental factors of the world market and dynamics of the world price for cobalt allows to clearly illustrate the prospects for the development of streaming agreements for minor metals. The reassessment of the demand for lithiu mion batteries from revolutionary to evolutionary one has occurred in light of the redefinition of the competitiveness of electric vehicles versus cars with internal combustion engines. On the supply side, high metal prices have predetermined the emergence of new technological solutions that simplified and reduced the cost of obtaining and using cobalt in the production of batteries. A radical change in fundamental factors leads to a revision of the long-term forecast for the balance of the cobalt market, world prices, and the marginality of streaming agreements.

The Formula SAE Electric Vehicle Competition: A High-Torque Density Permanent Magnet Motor

The formula sae, or formula student, is an international vehicle design competition carried out by university students. This article deals with a fractional-slot synchronous permanent magnet (PM) machine designed to be mounted in the wheel hub of an electric vehicle (EV). By adopting an outer ironless rotor topology, a Halbach array magnet structure, and light materials, a low rotor inertia and a high-torque density are achieved. The results described in this article provide a quantitative assessment of the achievable torque density for small motors.

Evaluation of Cost Competitiveness of Electric Vehicles in Malaysia Using Life Cycle Cost Analysis Approach

The need to mitigate CO2 emissions from the transportation sector has necessitated the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and other forms of alternative vehicles. Despite the global rise of EVs demand as a complementary means of green transportations, the level of adoption in Malaysia is still not encouraging. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the cost competitiveness of EVs in comparison with Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and an Internal Combustion Vehicle (ICV) based on Malaysia scenarios. Using the existing data in Malaysia, life cost analysis (LCC) of two EVs was computed and compared with HEVs and ICVs. The study shows that Nissan leaf and BMW i3s EVs with LCC of $1.75 and $2.5 per km are not cost-competitive based on prevalent data available in Malaysia compared to the HEVs and ICV. Based on the sensitivity analysis, changes in the components of the operating costs significantly influence the accumulated cost of ownership of the EVs whereas the cost of ownership of the HEVs and ICVs did not experience any significant influence. The findings from this study could serve as bases for policymakers to formulate appropriate policies and strategies to improve the competitiveness of EVs in Malaysia.

Vehicle analysis on ultra-small electric vehicle competition pico-EV Eco Challenge

The pico-EV・Eco Challenge is a competition in which the vehicles which carried a person run during 20 minutes using a low powered battery (7.2 V, approximately 1000mAh). This competition has been held after 2012 every year. In this study, about the pico-EV Eco Challenge 2017-2019, the motor, the reduction ratio, the body specifications, the results of the competition, and so on about the vehicles were investigated and these vehicles were analyzed. These results confirmed that many vehicles transmit power at large reduction ratio in only one stage without using gears, vehicle mass has little effect on running distance, and so on. And, an index of an appropriate reduction ratio was obtained.

Progressive Die Cost Estimation Based on Lamination Design and Production Scenario in the Electric Traction Motor Application

In the booming market of electrified mobility, product cost plays a crucial role for the competitiveness of electric vehicles. Approximately 70% of the product costs are determined in the product development phase [1]. Therefore, an early cost evaluation is necessary to check the achievement of cost target and if needed to modify the design as early as possible. To get a holistic view, as one part of the manufacturing cost for lamination stacks, the stamping tooling cost should to be taken into consideration.This work investigates the cost of progressive die in the lamination stack production. By following design of the lamination and the production scenarios selected for stamping, the tooling cost can be estimated based on the dimension and complexity of the stamping part. Besides design parameters, the production scenario also influences the tooling design and its cost. The area of the stroke station is very different while applying segmenting technology for stator stamping process compared with stamping the stator ring. The proposed model also presented an approach to evaluate the complexity of the stamping part design, which is crucial for determining the number of progressive die stations.

Vehicle analysis on ultra-small electric vehicle competition pico-EV Eco Challenge 2019

Vehicle analysis on ultra-small electric vehicle competition pico-EV Eco Challenge 2019

Control strategy of regenerative braking system in electric vehicles

Regenerative braking technique, which can improve the efficiency of energy conversion and increase the driving range, is one of the key technologies of core competitiveness of electric vehicles (EVs). In this paper, a novel control strategy of regenerative braking is proposed based on a novel definition method of braking intensity, which is applied to all braking condition. Then, according to the slope information, the dynamic distribution algorithm of the front and rear axle is presented. Next, based on logic threshold control algorithm with the input of z and I, the distribution relationship between electric and mechanical braking is determined. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy has been validated in MATLAB/Simulink. Simulation results show that the modified control strategy is effective on road conditions with different slope.

Electric vehicles in car sharing networks – Challenges and simulation model analysis

In this paper, we examine the operation of electric vehicles in urban car sharing networks. After surveying strategic and operational differences and comparing them to gasoline-fueled cars, a simulation study was carried out. The proposed discrete event simulation tool covered important operational characteristics of electric vehicles, including realistic charging routines. Different vehicle types were compared under various conditions and on multiple markets to determine their performance. The data obtained indicated the competitiveness of electric vehicles in car sharing networks. Key success factors included advantageous relations between the market environment (e.g. electricity and fuel prices) and important characteristics of electric cars (e.g. price and range).

System Design of Small Fuel Cell Vehicle for Small Electric Vehicle Competition

System Design of Small Fuel Cell Vehicle for Small Electric Vehicle Competition

Exploring the suitability of electric vehicles in the United States

This study explores suitability of battery electric vehicles in the United States by considering their potential market share and operations costs as well as the state-specific variations in electricity generation profiles, given current government policies and the social acceptability of the technology. A performance assessment is developed to compare each state and identify major policy efforts that are needed to increase the environmental and economic competitiveness of electric vehicles. A novel multi-criteria decision-support framework, integrating Life Cycle Assessment, Data Envelopment Analysis, and Agent Based Modeling, is developed. To this end, the environmental and economic impacts of battery electric vehicles are calculated based on three scenarios: an average electricity generation mix, a marginal electricity generation mix, and a solely renewable energy mix with 100% solar. The states are classified, each requiring different policy strategies, in accordance with their performance scores. The results provide important insights for advancing transportation policies and a novel framework for multi-criteria decision-making in the future analyses.

Life-cycle private-cost-based competitiveness analysis of electric vehicles in China considering the intangible cost of traffic policies

Electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions during operation and have thus been considered a most promising method for providing mobility while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the transportation sector in the future. The life-cycle cost of electric vehicles has been widely studied to evaluate their competitiveness compared to conventional vehicles. However, the competitiveness of electric vehicles is highly dependent on government promotion policies, and the effects of non-economic incentive policies are currently difficult to include in life-cycle cost analysis. These non-economic effects are usually measured by the intangible cost. Traffic policies represent typical non-economic incentive policies. In China, electric vehicles are exempted from purchase restrictions (license plate control policy) and driving restrictions; thus, the intangible cost of traffic policies has significant effects on the comparison of electric vehicles and conventional vehicles. In this paper, from the consumers’ perspective, the intangible cost of purchase and driving restrictions is modeled and expressed in monetary terms; then, the impact of these non-economic incentive policies are compared with subsidies and other costs of vehicles. Thus, a more comprehensive comparison between electric and conventional vehicles can be provided. Using three selected typical battery electric vehicles and three correspondingly similarly sized conventional vehicles in China, the private life-cycle costs of battery electric vehicles and conventional vehicles are calculated and compared, a parametric variation analysis is performed, and the effects of economic and non-economic incentive policies in different cities are discussed. The comparison shows that, considering the tangible costs of vehicles, battery electric vehicles are not currently economically competitive compared with conventional vehicles, and both national and local subsidies are necessary for battery electric vehicles to compensate the cost gap between battery electric vehicles and conventional vehicles in the short term. However, considering the intangible costs, the advantages of traffic policies are very prominent in mega-cities but are significantly smaller in second-tier cities. With the increasingly worse traffic and environmental problems China facing, it is suggested that the promotion of electric vehicles in mega-cities be prioritized and that electric vehicle promotion policies based on taxes, subsidies and traffic control be balanced.

The Electric Fleet Size and Mix Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Recharging Stations

Due to new regulations and further technological progress in the field of electric vehicles, the research community faces the new challenge of incorporating the electric energy based restrictions into vehicle routing problems. One of these restrictions is the limited battery capacity which makes detours to recharging stations necessary, thus requiring efficient tour planning mechanisms in order to sustain the competitiveness of electric vehicles compared to conventional vehicles. We introduce the Electric Fleet Size and Mix Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Recharging Stations (E-FSMFTW) to model decisions to be made with regards to fleet composition and the actual vehicle routes including the choice of recharging times and locations. The available vehicle types differ in their transport capacity, battery size and acquisition cost. Furthermore, we consider time windows at customer locations, which is a common and important constraint in real-world routing and planning problems. We solve this problem by means of branch-and-price as well as proposing a hybrid heuristic, which combines an Adaptive Large Neighbourhood Search with an embedded local search and labeling procedure for intensification. By solving a newly created set of benchmark instances for the E-FSMFTW and the existing single vehicle type benchmark using an exact method as well, we show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

GS0918 小型電気自動車競技会に用いる燃料電池システム

GS0918 小型電気自動車競技会に用いる燃料電池システム