Look out ...Big Brother set to dictate when you can drive
Charles Purkess
Business Development UK & Director of ITM Power Pty @ ITM Power | Green Hydrogen Sustainable Energy
If the electricity industry gets its way it will dictate when we can drive our cars.
The electricity industry is positioning to spend yet more on its infrastructure, sell more electricity, and introduce smart meter controls in an attempt to persuade governments that plug-in battery electric vehicle (BEV) charging can be managed. Policy makers appear to be playing along to this approach, such is the dominance of the big power utilities, and everyone is over focussed on BEV.
Meanwhile as reliance is placed on smart meter controls, the consumer/ driver is subject to restrictions in availability of charge as their BEV charging patterns are interfered with, to suit supply on the network. This can completely undermine the concept of the vehicle if it’s been plugged-in but needs to be used suddenly (say hospital emergency), whilst the smart meter control has been reducing/delaying charging in the meantime so there isn't enough juice in it. Drivers are then stuck with a useless vehicle that is not fit for purpose.
A fuel cell electric vehicle FCEV is also an electric vehicle, but has a different way for transferring energy to the vehicle, as a clean fuel vector instead of electrons via a plug.
Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) can be refuelled by electrolyser- hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) without requiring any upgrades to electricity networks (because operation to produce hydrogen fuel can be matched to utilise off-peak and excess energy periods, unlike BEV charging) and the consumer can use it whenever it's suddenly needed and if essential, only waste 3 minutes stopping to fill it up. The consumer is never stuck with a useless vehicle.
There are a stack of issues to favour FCEV and the electrolyser-HRS approach (including fast 3-minute refuelling time and 300-500 mile range). Clean emission vehicles without compromise.
Commentators would do well to remember that the plug-in BEV is only a stepping stone for the car industry towards the final step, the FCEV. The figure (above) reproduced from Argonne National Laboratory Centre for Transportation, illustrates the progression that the car industry had foreseen in going from mild to full hybridisation then ultimately to FCEV in order to reduce emissions that car companies signed up to at the end of the 1990s.
A more appropriate title would be "Big Brother set to dictate when you can RECHARGE" Our utilities are already dictating this through time-of-use tariffs. We can override whenever we want, but we will then pay extra. Nothing new.
Uhmm, I think they are simply encouraging us to charge at night when there is excess capacity and reduced usage. It makes the cheapest electricity for all. A charged car can drive whenever it needs. I charge my car at night, and drive it during the day. All good. But certainly, fuel cells are the way forward. For now, the best bet I think is a plug in hybrid. Another step into the transition. Now, a plug in hybrid with 100+ miles of EV range would be grand.
CTO at Stealth
7 年ANYONE with an electric bill from a large electric utility can finance solar modules and batteries at their house and provide at least 50% of their own electricity and charge whenever they want. People should take responsibility for some of their energy consumption
CTO at Stealth
7 年and yet i can ride my electric bicycle with pure glee anytime for 40 miles on 1 kWh of electricity - all the while getting exercise any % of that time i would like while i increase my range