Electric Cars: What Does the Future Hold? Better Batteries and Wireless Charging

In the late nineteenth century, France and the United Kingdom were among the early adopters of electric cars, with affluent drivers using them for short trips through town. Yet by the early twentieth century, the discovery of substantial oil reserves and the expansion of road networks had diminished the appeal of electric vehicles in favor of gasoline. Now, more than a hundred years later, fossil fuel cars still dominate global sales, but there are promising signs that 2021 will usher in a cleaner, electric future.  

Last year, Norway, a country that built its wealth on fossil fuels, became the first in the world where more electric cars were sold than cars with fossil fuel or hybrid engines. Electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for just over 54% of new car sales – a global record and a massive increase from 1% a decade earlier. While Norway still has some way to go, it seems like it’s on the right track to fulfill its 2016 goal of banning the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles by the year 2025.

As legislators around the world are looking for ways to restore their economies following the COVID-19 pandemic, Norway’s progress shows us how the right policies can influence consumer behavior and investments in the private sector. A critical first step proved to be the government’s early and generous support which began in 1990 with a temporary exemption from vehicle purchase tax.

Since then, other policies such as lower road taxes and the elimination of fees for toll roads and public ferries have increased the popularity of EVs. Another important step was starting work on the charging infrastructure for EVs, which the government initially financed until the project began to draw in investors from the private sector.

Although it’s true that Norway’s fossil fuel legacy has helped offset the loss of revenue from these taxes, the country’s strategies can still serve as a good example of how to incentivize a green industrial revolution.

And the EV revolution seems to be gaining traction with the UK and other countries planning to ban the sale of fossil fuel cars in the medium term. Last year, Boris Johnson pledged to phase out the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030 as part of the country’s 10-point green agenda. This goal is admirable, but it can only be met if the current charging infrastructure is strengthened.

Automakers have also been under pressure to develop fully electric cars that are more practical and affordable. Right now, even with resources like Parts Geek, the price of EVs and EV parts is still prohibitive for many. The goal is to reach a point where they cost as much as fossil fuel vehicles.

Mass production and competition between brands should contribute to achieving this goal. We can see some signs that we’re headed in the right direction:

A notable challenge for the industry will be making more affordable and efficient batteries for EVs. The battery is an essential part of EVs. Luckily that’s where the most significant advancements are being made with shorter charging times and longer ranges. Nowadays, the average electric car can easily reach more than 200 miles on a single charge. 

The latest Tesla Model S can reach 400 miles on a single charge, and Innolith AG, a Swiss company specialized in battery technology, is currently developing an EV battery with a maximum range of 620 miles. 

Environmental and humanitarian concerns have also been raised regarding the manufacture of these batteries. Last year, the Climate Change Committee cautioned that replacing the UK’s 31.5 million fossil fuel cars with electric would take nearly twice as much cobalt as the current annual global supply, 60% of which comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo – one of the most politically unstable nations in the world. Moreover, it’s estimated that 20 to 40% of that comes from “artisanal mines,” where child labor is often used under unregulated conditions.

Granted, manufacturers are working to reduce the amount of cobalt used in battery production, stating they are committed to ensuring ethical sourcing. Elon Musk has gone so far as declaring that the batteries in the next generation of cars produced by his company will not contain any cobalt at all.

Lithium-ion batteries come with another set of problems. If things go wrong, they can cause harmful chemical spills, destroying local fish and wildlife habitats.

Various manufactures are working on how to implement recycling programs for batteries. Honda, for instance, has developed a program to retrieve old lithium-ion and nickel-hydride batteries from twenty-two countries in order to reuse them in technologies like home energy storage. Mercedes is likewise working on finding lithium-free alternatives while also planning to replace carbon anodes with silicon and increase mileage per charge by 20%.

The next major step in battery development is solid-state technology, where the current liquid electrolytes will be substituted with solid electrolytes. This will reduce the weight of batteries and increase their efficiency by an estimated 35%.

In the early 2030s, we expect lithium-sulfur batteries to hit the market, further reducing the weight and increasing the performance of EVs.

As we mentioned in the first part of this article, one of the most significant impediments to the widespread adoption of EVs is the inadequate charging infrastructure. Car owners are used to being able to quickly fill up their tanks at the nearest gas station, so having to wait for several hours until their EVs finish charging would be seen as a huge inconvenience. That is if they even find a place where they can charge their cars.

The solution to this problem could be wireless charging. We’re already familiar with this technology from our smartphones. It would just be on a larger scale. In theory, you would be able to park your car as usual, and a charging pad placed under the pavement would charge your battery without any need to plug in.

This technology already exists, and there are several companies trying to release it on the market, but it’s still being tested.

Another company called Qualcomm has gone one step further. It's working on a dynamic charging system that allows you to charge your car while you’re driving.