The Combustion Conundrum
The internal combustion engine is slowly dying, or is it? Electric vehicles have been constantly improving for the past decade, in efforts to completely eradicate fossil fueled cars to protect our beloved environment. However, switching the entire transport system from petrol and diesel to electric is easier said than done.
The UK government has banned the sale of all petrol and diesel powered cars and vans from 2035. This means that in the next decade all fuel stations will slowly become redundant and the idea of changing oil and coolant in your next car will be a distant memory. That is not all though, the way we commute may also change for better or for worse. The road to EV is riddled with potholes which need to be ironed out sooner rather than later to sustain the entire workload of a country.
Charging Infrastructure- One of the first problems that needs to be resolved is the charging infrastructure. It is a well-known fact that a fully charged electric vehicle does not last as long as a full tank of fuel in most vehicles. Therefore, electric charging stations need to be set up at regular intervals with sufficient chargers to accommodate as many cars as possible at a given time. Tesla is the superpower in this market not only in the US but the UK as well.
Tesla superchargers, proprietary to Tesla cars (for now) charge faster than regular government provided electric chargers, and there are also almost five times as many Tesla superchargers than there are regular ones. These chargers only work with Tesla cars without a separate extension plug on the charging cable at the moment. Dan Jones, car reviewer at What Car? said, “I live 145 miles up the M40 from the office and dread taking any EV that isn't a Tesla, solely because of the charging network problem – not enough chargers, chargers that are too busy and chargers that are inevitably broken or slow (not problems you have with the Supercharger network).”
All non- Tesla superchargers are very scarcely located and sometimes not in the optimal state to charge at their maximum capacity. Issues such as broken chargers, incompatibility with certain vehicles, painfully slow charging speeds are often what users complain about. Oliver Kew, Deputy Editor at BBC Top Gear said, “The government should be doing a lot more to provide reliable public chargers and clamp down on companies that don’t provide a reliable service. That will inspire confidence from consumers. But with the government also taking away grants for EV purchases, home chargers and reducing the tax advantages of owning one, whoever is in government in the next few years has a big task to showcase they have ‘faith’ in the EV switchover plan, rather than simply paying lip service to it.”
However, even Tesla superchargers are sometimes too busy, forming long queues at the charging stations. “A more holistic solution is for more EVs to be able to charge more quickly, so the infrastructure is more easily shared. The vast majority of EV drivers charge at home – it’s cheaper and more convenient.” Oliver added.
Battery Range- Another major issue plaguing EVs taking over the world is their battery range. It is a well-known fact that electric cars cannot compete with the range superiority of ICE (Internal combustion engine) cars. Oliver said, “The manufacturers’ ‘solution’ has so far been to add ever bigger, heavier batteries which in turn eats into range, not to mention the ecological concerns inherent in how the batteries are produced and disposed of.”
Disposal of used batteries is also cause for major concern in the large scheme of carbon neutrality. If batteries cannot be recycled properly, the already higher carbon emissions caused during the manufacturing of EVs as compared to ICE cars will only multiply exponentially. As technology advances over this next decade in EVs, batteries and battery disposal technology also need to develop equally, if not faster than the cars to support the infrastructure.
Solutions?- Solid state batteries are a big talking point in the car community. These batteries are meant to be lighter and increase charging speeds and range. However, it is uncertain how long this technology will take to be mass produced. Oliver further added, “In my personal opinion we will see a plateauing in range with lithium-ion battery cars in the next 5-10 years and it won’t be until a new battery tech that is cost-effective becomes feasible that range anxiety will finally cease.”
There is also another alternative to potentially avoid this electric puzzlement- Synthetic fuels. Dan Jones said, “These other fuels seem like no-brainers because they can use existing infrastructure, should be fairly quick to adopt and don't take people away from what they know. That would really help reduce the pressure on EVs holding all the weight of the 2035 ban, reduce the need for massive changes to the grid, reduce the amount of charging points and the urgency at which they're needed.” Synthetic fuels are too expensive and extremely rare at the moment, though, if enough funding is given to this project, enthusiast cars can still operate with an ICE engine while being environmentally friendly.
Synthetic fuels and electric cars can solve this combustion conundrum. EV sales are rising exponentially every day, with the one millionth electric car being sold in the UK in January 2024. The electric takeover is inevitable; however, we still have a long way to go. “Fossil fuels will be part of our lives for at least the next quarter-century. The car fleet is not going to ‘go EV’ overnight whatever legislation dictates – it's a gradual shift.” Oliver added. The 2035 ban may seem as a long 11 years away, but it may be just enough time for everything that needs to develop around the country to sustain a fully carbon neutral future.
