08. 12. 09. - 10:00

E-fordable or not E-fordable?

By John Morris

An embattled automotive industry descended on Frankfurt this week for the 63rd Frankfurt Motor Show IAA 2009.

Despite the effects of the global recession the automotive industry was pointing the way towards sustainable, more environmentally friendly solutions although the solutions themselves were throwing up as many questions and issues as they were solving.

TESLA for example are forging ahead with a zero emission vehicle which boasts a sporty appearance, a range of 380 km with cutting edge battery technology which uses an innovative cooling systems to give a 7 year battery life of 160 000 km or 5000 recharging cycles. 

Spokesman Craig Davis also claims that he can now drive from Munich to Vienna recharging along the way in his exciting roadster which costs a mere €108 000 for the buyer! The battery alone costs €18 000 on this innovative trail blazing “green friendly” car.

They were not alone. “BOSCH is committed to “Green” solutions” said BOSCH spokesman Stephan Kraus, but he added a dampener on those expecting a quick fix, “but we at Bosch believe the affordable solutions will take about 20 years to be realized!”

Fellow German company CONTINENTAL is also striving ahead developing technologies. CONTI has established its first lithium battery plant at Nuremburg to serve Daimler with the new Mercedes “S” Class and BMW “7” series. Trials at Nuremburg are aiming to achieve a 10 year battery life. Jörg Grotendorst explained, “Battery management control systems are vital. There is an optimal temperature range between 20-40 C that has to be maintained in the battery. Less than 20 C, there is less performance and higher than 40 C means the longevity of the battery suffers”. We have all experienced cell phones and laptops whose batteries have died on us and electric car batteries are on a scale that these failings need to be addressed.

Similar to TESLA, CONTI is concentrating on smart battery temperature controlling systems which regulate for optimal recharging to ensure a decent battery life.

If we are to move to an electric vehicle culture we also need to ensure we have enough electricity. German power generating company E-ON is on this case. E-ON’s chairman, Prof. Dr Klaus-Dieter Maubach, claims that Germany can absorb 10 million electric vehicles and only require 3% increase in electricity generation.

Maubach reiterated Germany’s commitment to international emission standards and claims they can increase power generation and also reduce CO2 emissions within the agreements. A comforting thought indeed.

As I park my car in Vienna, the absence of charging facilities is a concern. About 50% of all vehicles are parked on the streets at night with no current opportunity to recharge.

Exhibitors at the IAA Frankfurt are not waiting for billions of €uros to be spent on recharging infrastructure and are coming up with a range of alternative solutions.

American company FISKER are working on Hybrid solutions driven by the perception to reduce USA’s dependency on imported oil and also reducing carbon emissions. As with TESLA, FISKER is aiming at the high end of the market. CEO Bernard Koehler, an ex BMW employee now leading FISKER stated, “300 km range is the minimum acceptable range for US consumers. At 110 Volts, it will take over 9 hours to recharge a battery under normal conditions to reach a performance of 21 KW hours”.

FISKER have elected for the Hybrid to give customers the flexibility. Hybrid vehicles have two engines; a traditional internal combustion engine supplemented with an electric motor. Koehler said, “Mobility is vital everywhere and particularly in the States. With our hybrid car, we can reach just 83 mg CO2 emissions which is impressive and well inside all international CO2 recommendations". FISKER also counters the problem of no charging stations by offering a charging station as an additional extra for a €1000.

Probably the most famous of the Hybrid vehicles on the market is the TOYOTA Prius. The Prius has a special powertrain that combines a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine with an electric motor. This powertrain, allows the Prius to deliver higher fuel economy and lower emissions compared to regular cars. The electric motor has limited range, but is ideal in inner cities for shopping trips and taking the kids to school. However, the Prius has been severely criticized as claims from leading competitors suggest that the Prius costs more in CO2 emissions in production than it saves driving it. TOYOTA declined to comment on this at IAA 2009.

An unlikely entry to the future debate on “Green friendly” solutions is coming from the famous LOTUS Formula 1 manufacturer which has announced a return to the sport next season. LOTUS has developed in collaboration with funding from the UK Technology Strategy Board and UK’s Jaguar a range extender. A range extender is basically an engine that generates electricity in the car. It negates the necessity for charging stations and therefore ensures mobility. In other words, with a range extender I can basically drive wherever I want and not have to worry about plugging in and being stuck somewhere and calling the car rescue services. Several academics favour the “range extender”  solution including Prof Botas Martinez of Imperial College London.

AVL List, an Austrian company, is also working on combustion engines to be used as battery chargers on the go. Visitor to IAA Frankfurt, Austrian innovative engineer Michael Putz of Vienna Engineering, claims the advantage of Range Extenders is mainly because the engine runs at a constant speed and so the CO2 emissions are dramatically reduced.

FISKER’s CEO Bernard Koehler agrees with Michael Putz’s assessment and sees a demand for range extenders. “In the USA we need petrol range extenders and in Europe more diesel ones. Range extenders would give customers the mobility which is essential in USA”.

But how are the German car manufacturers positioning themselves? On the 50th Birthday of the classic MINI produced by the MORRIS works in Cowley, Oxfordshire in 1959 I went to meet Gert Hildebrand, chief designer of the BMW Mini. I asked him what challenges he is facing as a designer to produce the Electric Mini?

Hildebrand mentioned all the factors from battery longevity to infrastructure but said the greatest worry is that of noise. “Electric Cars are very quiet apart from tyre and wind noise. We have a pilot project with 500 electric minis to research the product and market and so far we have not had any accidents with pedestrians, but it is a concern!”

Finally, Renault displayed at IAA 2009 their innovative battery changing concept. They propose that electric vehicle batteries could be exchanged in a few minutes and all charging handled centrally. The only catch: this proposal will only be at Renault stations.

There are serious decisions to be made and major technological advancements required to make electric cars both desirable and affordable to make a significant impact on our suffering environment.  

But how long do we have?