Challenges of E-mobility
(A widespread argument against electric vehicles since their increasing popularity is the overloading of the power grid, but what is really true?)
Will the power grid be overloaded? If, for example, a quarter of the approximately 48 million cars in Germany were powered electrically, the electricity demand would increase by about 5%. If all cars in the future were to run on electric power, this would increase by a full 20%. The renewable energy system must therefore be expanded inevitably, which is why nodes such as logistics centers or motorways, where large amounts of energy are required, would benefit considerably from local photovoltaic systems.
To prevent the power grid from being overstressed during the simultaneous charging of many high-performance vehicles, these could be charged intelligently, as with the bidirectional charging option. Since the car is on average parked at home or at work for over 90% of the time, intelligent charging can be implemented technically easily there and this topic is also gaining increasing popularity in politics, so the traffic light coalition has undertaken to enable and expand bidirectional charging nationwide by 2025.
Range
The range of most electric cars in real-world operation is currently over 300 kilometers, and experts estimate that the range of new cars in 2030 will be 600 kilometers. Since about 99% of car trips in Germany are less than 100 kilometers, almost all routes can already be easily driven with electrically powered cars today. Nevertheless, some people have to cover longer distances, which is why the construction of fast charging stations on highways is of immense importance.
Battery life
Since electric cars have only been in use for a relatively short time, there are few long-term studies on the lifespan of their batteries. Only one analysis of Tesla drivers found that the capacity of the batteries was still over 90% after 270,000 kilometers. Car manufacturers typically offer a warranty of several years or 100,000 to 250,000 kilometers.
The lifespan of the battery is also determined by the power at which the batteries are charged. Slow charging, for example at home or at work, protects the batteries, while excessive fast charging can have the opposite effect.
Recycling of batteries
If a battery only has 75% to 80% of its capacity left, it is no longer used for a car, but can still be used as a variable storage in the energy system for about 10 years. The storage capacity of the batteries is estimated to be about as high as that of all pumped-storage power plants combined in Europe by 2060. In addition, theoretically, over 95% of the materials used in their production can be recycled.
Do we have enough resources?
By 2050, the global number of vehicles such as cars, trucks, vans, etc. could almost double. If only vehicles with alternative drives are approved in 2050, of which about two thirds are fully electric, the annual demand for lithium for battery production for vehicles could increase from around 10,000 tons in 2016 to a full 20 million tons. In addition, it is estimated that by 2050, about 40% of the lithium used in the past could be recycled.
Lithium mining and water consumption
About half of the world’s lithium is mined in open-pit mining in Australia. A further 30% are extracted from salt lakes and deserts. The latter share will increase significantly in the future, as over 70% of the world’s lithium resources are found there. In these regions, underground lithium-containing water is pumped to the surface, where the water evaporates due to the sun’s rays and the lithium remains behind. Due to the high water consumption of this common method, it is feared that the groundwater level in these already very dry regions will continue to fall and local agriculture will hardly be possible anymore. However, this connection has not yet been scientifically confirmed. In addition, it is possible that more efficient and sustainable methods for the extraction of this coveted light metal will be developed by this time.