The Silent Revolution: Electric Vehicles (Part 4)
Why should employers prioritise electric vehicle charging for their employees at work and what does the future hold for urban mobility?
Written in partnership by MAHLE and BABLE GmbH
Missed part 3? Read more here:
According to the study from NOW, created on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) in Germany, there are seven different use cases for charging infrastructure after 2025/2030. The use cases are based on seven typical charging scenarios in the private and the public sector. The following graphic illustrates the expected share of charging processes at publicly and non-public accessible charge points as well as possible charging scenarios.
Having a look at the different scenarios, the charging use case has a typical location, a typical charging demand and duration, and a typical power supply dependent on the location.
While the charging demand of public charging at the single charging station in the street space, requires charging AC or DC with 11 to 22kW in one to two hours, other use cases such as charging at customer parks (shopping malls, public car parks, etc.) and charging hubs in-town require intelligent and slow charging due to the long parking times of the vehicles and due to limited grid connection.
Charging points must be installed in areas where vehicles usually park often and for a long time!
In Germany and other European countries, funding of non-public charging infrastructure is currently available to ensure charging facilities for every use case. Funding of private charging infrastructure is necessary, especially since the majority of the charging processes are private use cases (85%). In such funding programmes, the installation of non-public charging infrastructure the measures on the grid and the charging hardware are promoted.
The reasons for EV charging at work
In order to contribute to CO2 neutral and emission-free transportation and mobility, companies need to invest in more electric vehicles as well as in charging infrastructure at the car parks. In addition, there are further drivers, such as political requirements and needs of employees and visitors, that drive the demand for charging infrastructure.
Most companies name the reduction of air pollutants and CO2 emissions as one of the main motivations to electrify their vehicle fleets. The lower total cost of ownership and reputation benefits are also strong motivations for companies. In addition, political or public pressure can also be a motivator for companies. However, there are still challenges for investing in e-mobility and charging infrastructure. The biggest barriers are a low range of vehicles and a lack of supply. Moreover, missing public charging infrastructure prevents a faster ramp-up. Long delivery times of vehicles and charging hardware on the one hand and an unclear political strategy or a lack of management support in the company on the other hand could affect the e-mobility development in a company.
Generally, the first steps have already been taken by many companies from all over Europe in different industries. At the same time, it is clear that a concrete definition of the e-mobility strategy, precise implementation and planning in advance are necessary steps. There are many ways in which companies can meet their high expectations and for e-mobility to become successful:
- Bind quantitative targets on the way to full electrification of corporate fleets by 2030
- Align company car guidelines with e-mobility; for example, the vehicle selection depending on the driving profile
- Provide incentives for the electrical use of PHEVs
- Think of the charging infrastructure as a whole ecosystem and promote charging options at the place of residence of employees as well as charging points at the car park
- Consider future mobility concepts generally since they have a major influence on the mobility market and the behaviour of their employees. It is therefore even more important that companies identify priority and approach decisively; for example:1) Strategies and projects for holistic development of fleet and mobility management, 2) including mobility in the assessment of overall sustainability performance, and 3) communicating transparently and exchanging experiences with other companies.
Expert Statements
1. What do you think is the main prerequisite for electromobility to become established in the long term? What is necessary for the tipping point to be reached that EVs make sense for a large part of the population?
Sebastian: The combustion engine dominated for more than 100 years despite the fact that gasoline had to be bought at pharmacies in the beginning. So, from my point of view, there is no question. Battery electric vehicles will succeed due to their superior comfort, enjoyability factor and ecological footprint. Reliable charging infrastructure, at home, at work, and on the highways will of course accelerate the transition to battery-electric mobility.
Alex: The biggest unsolved problem is the charging of vehicles from users who do not have a fixed parking space (i.e. mainly in cities) — that’s about 10 million vehicles. According to this data,15 million charging points would be needed. As far as e-mobility, in general, is concerned, I think we are already out of the ‘Valley of Death’. It is no longer just technology enthusiasts who are buying e-cars, but also the normal neighbour. However, the fleet will not change overnight. With the parallel expansion of the charging infrastructure, we are on the right track in Germany — we can always argue about the speed of the changes.
2. Regarding bidirectional charging: Will employers be able to use their own charging stations to buffer voltage spikes in the grid in the future? If so, when and how?
Sebastian: With our system, we can already buffer load peaks using the potential of unidirectional charging. If there is an excess of energy, we allow the vehicles to charge as fast as possible. If there is a lack of energy, we reduce charging power. So, we can even compensate for the building AC system or the cafeteria energy consumption. The full energy transition is only possible with bidirectional charging. But the technology needs to be available in all relevant markets (vehicle and infrastructure), the legislation needs to be adapted, and it needs to be a win-win for all parties. Why not allow a little discharge over lunchtime for the cafeteria in exchange for an energy discount? The battery needs to be full at the end of the day in order to get home, that is important. We plan to offer chargeBIG 2.0 with bidirectional charging/discharging capabilities by the year 2025.
Alex: Bidirectional charging becomes commercially exciting especially when access to the energy markets (primary control reserve, secondary control reserve, as well as minute reserve) is facilitated. There is also a significant economic advantage in addition to the use of local energy producers such as PV — and thus another incentive for employers.
3. How do you see the future of urban mobility systems? What is the future for e-mobility and alternatives?
Sebastian: From my point of view, urban mobility will be only electric in the future. This includes all modes of transportation, namely buses, trucks, cars and motorbikes. However, we still have to question whether driving alone with a two-ton battery electric vehicle within the city is reasonable. Small cars will be more and more important. With Microlino, Citroen Ami and Adaptive City Mobility, we see impressive examples for this trend. Small city cars help us not only to reduce CO2 footprint in production and operations but also helps to address the scarcity of parking spaces in city centres.
Alex: Electromobility is the minimally invasive solution for users of personal cars and thus for many journeys outside the core public transport network, and will therefore become established on the mass market in the medium term. It is still exciting to see what will happen with trucks and special vehicles. In terms of urban mobility systems, private e-cars are not far from efficient internal combustion vehicles in the mobility pyramid. This means that pedestrians, bicycles and public transport should remain as the preferred method where possible. In any case, EVs are an improvement for local emissions (incl. noise) and therefore it is great if we can electrify the fleet in cities.
Outlook: Future of Urban Mobility Systems
While electric vehicles and the electrification of fleets, in general, are an important update to the combustion engine vehicle and a major technological breakthrough, there are still downsides to it. One of the main issues with EVs is the use of natural resources for the battery, the difficulty to store renewable energy as well as the dumping of old batteries which are difficult to reuse or recycle, as of 2021.
Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”. The electrification of urban mobility systems with local renewable energy is a big step towards this goal. Goal 11 on the other hand, which aims to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” includes “sustainable transport”, which takes more than just the electrification of every urban mobility system (United Nations 2021).
In fact, heightened efforts are needed which do not only circle around the electrification of as many vehicles as possible. Instead, a whole process of rethinking and redesigning urban mobility is crucial. For example, air pollution could be tackled with electrification, but congestion would still be a huge problem in urban mobility systems.
Within the European Green Deal, the European Commission stated that the transport sector needs a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050 in order to reach the overall target of climate neutrality. This exceeds the current goals defined in the legally effective regulation of the European Commission. Along with the reduction of emissions, the European Commission will define regulations for the following targets for future mobility actions (European Comission, 2020):
- Achieving sustainable transport means putting users first and providing them with more affordable, accessible, healthier, and cleaner alternatives to their current mobility habits.
- Multimodal transport needs a strong boost. This will increase the efficiency of the transport system.
- As a matter of priority, a substantial part of the 75% of inland freight carried today by road should shift onto rail and inland waterways. This will require measures to manage better and to increase the capacity of railways and inland waterways.
- Automated and connected multimodal mobility will play an increasing role, together with smart traffic management systems enabled by digitalisation. The EU transport system and infrastructure will be made fit to support new sustainable mobility services that can reduce congestion and pollution, especially in urban areas.
- The price of transport must reflect the impact it has on the environment and on health. Fossil-fuel subsidies should end.
Additionally, incentives for active travel and commuting to and from work can support people in getting out of the car and instead take the bike or the local bus. An example of this could be supporting an employee with a discount or free public transport ticket instead of the provision of a business car. At least as an additional option for close commuting.
Want to learn more about electric vehicles? Browse Use Cases on the BABLE platform here!
