The rise of the EV: How electric dreams are becoming reality

There’s still a considerable way to go, but we’re heading in the right direction. The gradual transition away from fossil fuel consuming combustion engines to zero-emission electric motors is well and truly underway. After years of political and economic procrastination, there now exists a serious climate of intent to make this essential change.

Government, industry and citizens are united in the desire to make the mass uptake of EVs – electric vehicles – a reality. By way of example, September 2018 automotive sales figures indicate that over 178,000 plug-in electric cars, and 6,100 vans were registered in the UK. Figures are forecast to continue rising as the uptake of EVs continues to grow.

The UK government has stated that it wants 50% of all new car sales to be either hybrid or fully electric by 2030, leading to a complete ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040. They’re also committed to ensuring that smart-ready charging points will be installed across the UK’s motorway services network, as well as many large petrol stations.

Local government, private offices, and larger retail outlets – all with their own parking facilities – have begun installing EV charging points, providing drivers with the opportunity to recharge their electric vehicles at times when they would otherwise be idling.

All around the world, automotive and electrification corporations are investing billions in developing the necessary technologies that are essential for manufacturing sustainable and affordable electric vehicles. This is also true of the vital infrastructure that’s required for affordable, practical EV charging. In the UK alone, there are now more than 18,000 charging points, and rising. With public infrastructure expansion on the up, as well as increased home charging point installation, and battery capacities going up while charging times are coming down, the once distant electric dream is closer to reality.

Disruptive innovation is changing the face of motoring

It’s impossible to avoid the electric vehicle conversation. High profile brands, such as Elon Musk’s Tesla, regularly feature on news broadcasts and business pages about all things electric – so much so that they’re now synonymous with the drive to electrify the future of motoring. It’s now the case that all the major high volume car makers offer hybrid and/or fully electric cars in their range of vehicles, with available models continually on the increase. The EV revolution is such that even some small volume supercar marques, such as Aston Martin, are now committed to developing electric-powered alternatives to their traditional, gas-guzzling sports cars.

The world of high-end, glamorous motoring has seen the creation of the FIA Formula E Championship, a new class of auto racing for electric-powered cars, resulting in a profile that is becoming ever greater with each race. As electric-powered vehicles become more and more prevalent in our collective consciousness, so too will their usage become more and more commonplace, until one day they’re the norm.

Just as Tesla is shaking up the global automotive industry, so too is the emergence of Uber. They’re challenging the old ways of consuming personal travel. Now firmly established in the UK’s capital, the high profile private hire provider has recently announced plans to raise its fares in London from 2019, in a bid to help drivers finance the purchase of electric cars. They believe that this will raise over £200m and contribute towards 20,000 Uber registered drivers being able to switch to fully electric vehicles by 2021, with the goal of complete electrification by 2025.

Hybrid vehicles, like the highly successful Toyota Prius, marked the beginning of the change in what we want to drive. Uber’s strategy is the start of a societal shift away from petrol and diesel-based cars towards 100% electric. Not so long ago this would have seemed impossible to achieve, but in today’s changed landscape – more significantly than anything else – many citizens have an increased appetite to either drive – or be driven in – electric-powered vehicles.

This is primarily because of the negative impact that fossil fuels are having on the world’s environment, as most notably experienced in built-up urban landscapes through air pollution. The air quality of China’s cities is a case in point, so much so that the country is supporting and encouraging a change in manufacturing policy from fossil fuel to zero emission electric vehicles.

The global switch to EVs will massively contribute towards a reduction in carbon emissions. This, along with the perceived volatility of future petroleum supply – many oil-producing countries are experiencing social and political instability – and the subsequent effect of increased prices at the petrol pump all mean that the social, political and economic climate is right to fully commit to the electrification of personal and public road transport. The beginnings of a cleaner, cheaper, more sustainable driving era has dawned.

Continental – helping to shape the future of electric vehicles

Premium tyre manufacturer, Continental, is a leading contributor to the electric vehicle revolution. Better known by UK motorists for their unrivalled range of award-winning premium tyres, the reality is that they are an automotive safety and technology company, tyres being just one part of their overall offering. For almost 150 years, Continental have – in one form or another – been at the vanguard of automotive innovation, developing both mechanical and electronic technology systems for a diverse range of vehicle classes, as well as premium tyres. Only Continental knows the entire braking process in every detail – from pedal to tyre.

The electric car you may already drive – or will probably drive in the not-too-distant future – is dependant on a wide range of new technologies and innovations. Continental’s electrification solutions focus on both hybrid and fully electric vehicles, and include power electronics, axle drives, smart actuator platforms, and thermal management. Without these, driving an electric vehicle would be a non-starter.

They also manufacture some of the essential technology needed to integrate the electric vehicle’s propulsion system with its power source, such as high voltage battery boxes and management systems, converters, inverters, and powertrain domain control units, to name a few.

Fitting the right tyres is vital for electric vehicles

And what of tyres for EVs? Given the unique characteristic of electric-powered cars over traditional vehicles – their infinitely superior torque – a dedicated, fit for purpose tyre is essential. With so much more power passing from the electric motor to the ground so quickly, developing a tyre that can not only cope with increased rotations but harness this power effectively was vital.

Unveiled in 2012, Continental’s superb Conti.eContact™ was the world’s first dedicated e-car tyre, not only harnessing and controlling the additional torque available, but providing electric vehicle drivers with minimal rolling resistance (generating higher mileage), superior braking performance, and lower noise emissions – essential for silent driving e-cars.

Continental's Conti.eContact tyre

The future of driving is electric, connected and autonomous

Picture this: you and your family are sitting comfortably together in your personal transport, facing inwards towards each other, and enjoying a good conversation or game. As the countryside passes you by, the miles are being knocked off your journey at a regular pace, without interruption. Before you know it, your journey is over, and you’ve arrived at your destination…

In the not so distant future, it’s highly probable that personal transport vehicles will not only have evolved into zero-emission cars, but also be fully autonomous and wirelessly connected. Surprised? Don’t be. The foundations for this hands-free, driverless future are already being laid. Why? Because, at the end of the day, getting from A to B is merely a necessary function for achieving your real goals, and as such should be as simple and stress-free as possible, right?

We’re typically motivated to travel from one place to another because we want to do a specific activity once we reach our destination, whether for business or leisure reasons. As such, shouldn’t this journey be as relaxing as possible? Why should we continue to waste precious moments on an often tiring, banal task, when the time could be put to better use? An autonomous, connected driving experience will make this vision a reality, and Continental are instrumental in helping deliver this mobility transformation.

BEE – Continental’s “Balanced Economy and Ecology mobility concept” – foresees a future where we no longer need to even own our own vehicles. Instead, the citizens of tomorrow will only consume personal transport as and when we need it, without the need for car ownership, and the associated hassles and expense of parking and running costs. Replacing ownership will be easy to access connected network of electrified autonomous vehicles, available to one and all as and when required, 24/7, and in constant use. Think about it. How much time is wasted as a vehicle is left idling on the roadside or driveway? Many, many hours. That’s a wasted opportunity, particularly when the sustainability of person transport is in question.

The social and environmental benefits are potentially tremendous. Instead of only being used occasionally, and otherwise idling, a connected car within a greater network could be much more productive, cost-effective, and sustainable. If a vehicle is in constant use, there’s no need for expensive, often hard to find parking in built-up urban centres. A connected network of autonomous vehicles also means that city-wide traffic flow could be much better managed, bringing the nightmare of congestion to an end, and eliminating the possibility of vehicle accidents due to driver error.

This last point is particularly significant, since the most up-to-date Department of Transport figures reveal that there were more than 170,000 casualties on Britain’s roads in 2017, 1,793 of which were fatalities. This is totally unacceptable, and something that Continental – through their global Vision Zero road safety initiative – are determined to help eradicate. Autonomous, connected automobiles – removing the possibility of driver error – will considerably contribute to reducing accidents and fatalities on the world’s roads. That a future we all want, right?

Continental's vision zero graphic
It’s been announced that Continental and Vodafone will collaborate in joint tests focusing on 5G wireless connectivity, V2X, mobile edge computing, and artificial intelligence.

You may also like