What goes behind EVs?

After a comprehensive discussion on Electric vehicles and it’s different factors we still have one subject fretting us.

Like humans, batteries function best at room temperature. Warming a dying battery in a mobile phone or flashlight might provide additional runtime due to improved electrochemical reaction. This is also the reason why manufacturers prefer to specify batteries at a toasty 27°C. Operating a battery at elevated temperatures improves performance but prolonged exposure will shorten life.

Kartik Gopal, an Independent Consultant — Electric Vehicles, pointed out that:

Cathodes of current lithium-ion cells contain a metal-oxide (e.g. ferrous phosphate, nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide). A fire, once kindled in a cell on account of high temperatures, tends to sustain itself using the oxygen contained in the cathode. This can result in serious safety issues

In the Indian context, it is crucial to note that higher summer temperatures in most urban areas in India limit the possibility of using forced natural air for cooling. “Owing to this, more effective Battery Thermal Management Systems are needed to ensure safety, longevity and functional robustness of EV battery packs” The senior EV consultant said a good Battery Thermal Management System is critical towards ensuring safety and durability as a single, highly publicized safety incident in a nascent EV market like India could shake the confidence of customers in EVs.

The answer to this is neither yes nor no. There are 3 levels of charging and each level comes with different peculiarities. Most EVs can charge up at most stations, but Tesla is, as always, a bit different. As India hasn’t defined it clearly yet, let’s look at how the US offers electricity to its automobiles.

Level 1 equipment provides charging through a 120 volt (V), alternating-current (AC) plug and requires a dedicated circuit. Generally speaking, Level 1 charging refers to the use of a standard household outlet. Depending on the battery technology used in the vehicle, Level 1 charging generally takes 8 to 12 hours to completely charge a fully depleted battery. The most commonplace for Level 1 charging is at the vehicle owner’s home and is typically conducted overnight. You can charge any EV with the help of level 1 charging.

Every electric vehicle on the road today is compatible with the U.S. standard Level 2 chargers. That includes Tesla vehicles, which come with the brand’s proprietary Supercharger connector. A Tesla owner just needs to use the adapter that came with their model to connect to a J1772 plug. Level 2 provides decent charging speeds, around 20 to 25 miles of range in an hour.

For a quicker charge of up to 80 percent of your battery’s total capacity in around 30 minutes. There are two standards in the U.S., not counting Tesla’s Supercharger network, which offers similar performance but only for Tesla’s electric vehicles. The two non-Tesla standards are CHAdeMO and SAE Combo Combined Charging System (CCS). Tesla operates its own fast-charging network known as Tesla’s Superchargers, is available only to Tesla owners.

Any piece of modern technology has two metals at its core, Lithium to power the gadget and REE for microelectronics. And China controls the supply of these metals to world directly or indirectly.

REE stands for Rare Earth Elements and these elements play a vital role in shaping contemporary economy.

The problem is that they are hard to find in concentrations high enough to make their mining economically profitable. 70% of the world’s REE come from China .And China wasn’t gifted this by nature, over the years China invested heavily in technology to mine these elements and industrial policy. Although, countries like Vietnam, Brazil, Australia and India have limited reserves, they lack technology and industrial environment to decouple China’s monopoly. The importance of REE can be assessed by this quote from former Chinese president Deng Xiaoping

Contrarily to what people think, Lithium-ion battery’s difficulty arises from supply of cobalt and not Lithium itself. When the CTO of Tesla, JB Straubel, was asked if he worries about the supply of lithium, he said

So, a lot depends upon China.

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