ELECTRIFYING TOMORROW
There’s no denying how much electric vehicle technology has progressed in the past few years, with the future looking equally promising. Here’s a quick look at what advancements we can soon expect to see.
A solid-state of affairs
While the shift from lithium-ion batteries to solid-state batteries is taking longer than anticipated, most manufacturers hope to have the tech in place by 2030. It promises to be worth the wait though, with Toyota among others claiming that solid-state batteries will be capable of 1000km between charges. They’ll be far lighter and quicker to charge too, which can only be a good thing.
Better battery recycling
The idea of UK landfills becoming EV battery graveyards has long been debunked, but there’s always room for improvement. Step forward the super clever researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology, who have developed a recycling method that allows recovery of 100% of the aluminium and 98% of the lithium in EV batteries. On top of this, the loss of valuable raw materials such as cobalt, manganese and nickel is also kept to a minimum. Go science!
Goodbye charge anxiety
Much like range anxiety is now largely considered a thing of the past, with the continued expansion of charge points throughout the UK we’ll hopefully soon be saying the same about charge anxiety. The UK government has committed £1.6 billion to expand the UK charging network, with around 300,000 public chargers expected to be available by 2030.
Battering down battery prices
According to Goldman Sachs Research, battery pack prices are expected to drop an average of 11% each year from 2023 to 2030. That means that by 2025 the EV market could achieve cost parity with internal combustion engine vehicles. This reduction should hopefully lead to more competitive pricing and widespread adoption of EVs across the globe.
The wonders of wireless charging
Forget fumbling with cords! Wireless car charging may soon be upon us. Similar to charging your phone, a pad transmits energy wirelessly to a receiver in your electric vehicle (EV). Imagine pulling into your garage and simply parking – your car begins charging automatically. This technology is still evolving, along with the futuristic concept of electric roads that charge vehicles as they drive, this paints an exciting picture for the future of clean and convenient transportation.