Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
    • Fluid power
  • Learn
    • Ebooks / Tech Tips
    • Engineering Week
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • MC² Motion Control Classrooms
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • LEAP AWARDS
  • Leadership
    • 2022 Voting
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guide Library
  • Resources
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Women in Engineering
  • Supplier Listings

August 2021 Special Edition: Autonomous & Connected Vehicles

By Editor Design World | August 2, 2021

Share

SAY GOODBYE TO CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIPS

OFFICIALS ESTIMATE it will cost $50 billion to field the chargers needed for the expected number of electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2030. But it’s possible that spending every penny of this amount won’t prevent the extinction of the cross-country road trip.

Here’s the logic behind that statement: It’s easy to find stories on the internet of people driving 3,000 miles from New York to Los Angeles in about three to five days. Those taking five days average about 600 miles a day and spend 10 to 12 hours behind the wheel at a stretch, gas stops included.

Now consider that experience in an electric vehicle. Right now, the EV with the longest range is a version of the 2021 Tesla Model S, coming in at 387 miles. When out of juice, it pulls up to a V3 Tesla Supercharger and is at 100% charge about an hour later.

Of course, the one-hour recharge time assumes there’s no one else in line. That may be a bad assumption when most cars on the road are EVs. Unlike gas pumps where the experience of three cars in line ahead of you is just annoying, three EVs ahead of you at a charger kills the afternoon. That wait time may be OK for EV owners who can work in their office or sit at home while their car recharges. It is not OK for drivers cooling their heels at a turnpike rest stop. So much for covering 600 miles in a day. Those making a cross-country trip in this Tesla could easily end up spending half their travel time waiting at rest stops.

Some pundits claim EVs in 2030 will be getting 600 miles per charge, but that’s speculative. Even if such ranges are available, they’ll likely be confined to high-end vehicles. Most EVs on the road in 2030 are more likely to have ranges closer to today’s Tesla Model S.

And charge time isn’t likely to be the only logistical issue discouraging road trips. A turnpike rest stop today might have two dozen gas pumps. That’s fine when refueling takes five minutes but not when it takes an hour. It is not unreasonable to expect rest stops to host double or triple that number of recharging stations. But on that scale, grid capacity may become problematic.

Consider that top-end chargers today operate at 600 V and 50 A when going full blast. That means 30 of them sitting at a turnpike rest stop would draw close to a megawatt at full capacity. That amount is equivalent to the peak load of a U.S. suburb. So it’s possible the average rest stop won’t be able to power all its EV chargers during times of peak grid load.

Now suppose an acre of PV panels surrounding the rest stop helps handle the load. An acre of solar panels provides an average of 1 MWh per day. Back-of-the- envelope calculations show a solar installation that size can simultaneously power only about five superchargers, but only when the sun shines.

These factors combined make a long road trip in an EV look more like a nightmare than an adventure. Perhaps trips in hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles will be more attractive. Hydrogen FCVs have their own logistical issues, but refueling time isn’t one of them. All in all, it’s easy to conclude that vehicles powered by internal combustion engines may be here a bit longer than pundits predict.

LELAND TESCHLER • EXECUTIVE EDITOR


Filed Under: EE World Digital Issues, DIGITAL ISSUES

 

Related Articles Read More >

June 2022 Special Edition: Test & Measurement Handbook
June 2022 Issue: Brighter future for laser-based materials processing
May 2022 Special Edition: 5G Handbook
May 2022 Special Edition: Power Transmission Reference Guide

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion

Enews Sign Up

Motion Control Classroom

Design World Digital Edition

cover

Browse the most current issue of Design World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading design engineering magazine today.

EDABoard the Forum for Electronics

Top global problem solving EE forum covering Microcontrollers, DSP, Networking, Analog and Digital Design, RF, Power Electronics, PCB Routing and much more

EDABoard: Forum for electronics

Sponsored Content

  • Renishaw next-generation FORTiS™ enclosed linear encoders offer enhanced metrology and reliability for machine tools
  • WAGO’s smartDESIGNER Online Provides Seamless Progression for Projects
  • Epoxy Certified for UL 1203 Standard
  • The Importance of Industrial Cable Resistance to Chemicals and Oils
  • Optimize, streamline and increase production capacity with pallet-handling conveyor systems
  • Global supply needs drive increased manufacturing footprint development

Design World Podcasts

June 12, 2022
How to avoid over engineering a part
See More >
Engineering Exchange

The Engineering Exchange is a global educational networking community for engineers.

Connect, share, and learn today »

Design World
  • Advertising
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Manage your Design World Subscription
  • Subscribe
  • Design World Digital Network
  • Engineering White Papers
  • LEAP AWARDS

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
    • Fluid power
  • Learn
    • Ebooks / Tech Tips
    • Engineering Week
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • MC² Motion Control Classrooms
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • LEAP AWARDS
  • Leadership
    • 2022 Voting
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guide Library
  • Resources
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Women in Engineering
  • Supplier Listings