31 August 2020
Part 1: Size and price requirements
Today, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) constitute a negligible share (<1%) of the total global passenger car market. This is in spite of public awareness about the environmental benefits an electrification of road transport could bring. The current generation of BEVs are propelled by energy stored in lithium-ion battery packs (LIBs) and therefore have zero tailpipe emissions. This unique selling point, however, seems to be clouded by the fact that the price tag is high, and the driving range is limited compared to conventional internal combustion vehicles (ICVs). Can the battery technologies of the (near) future help increase the competitiveness of electric vehicles?
To answer this question, we need to gain a deeper understanding about:
Here, we’ll focus on size and price requirements. The potential of new battery technologies will be explored in Part 2 of this article series.