If you haven't read part 01 of this series, I suggest you come back here after reading it.
As consumers, whenever we think of purchasing a product replacement, we consider how much more effective and economical will it be if a transition is made. This 2nd part of the blog series is all about addressing the cost factor, charging capabilities and pollution caused by EVs.
Running and Maintenence costs:
In India, considering current fuel rates, it costs Rs. 4000+ to fill a 44-litre TATA Nexon petrol tank and it runs for 700+ Kms without any trouble. Whereas, on the other hand, it costs a little over Rs. 300 to charge a TATA Nexon EV to full capacity in Mumbai (rates vary largely) but, on average EV runs anywhere between 230-270 km depending on usage. Despite the seemingly low milage of the EV, it is still way cheaper (less than a rupee/km) against Rs. 6.15/Km of the petrol variant.
EVs also require minimal maintenance as far as the major working parts of the vehicle are concerned.
Using a TATA Nexon for 75,000 Kms or 15,000 Km/yr should cost the user anywhere between 70-85 k INR against 4-5 lakh(400,000-500,000) INR of the petrol variant.
So holistically, owning and using an EV regularly should save a good deal of money for daily commuters in cities like Bombay and Chennai and other users as well. If EVs come to usage more in densely populated cities, the amount of fuel that can be saved and the level of pollutants that can be reduced in the air as a result of long traffic conjunctions is unimaginably huge.
Charging speeds and charging points:
Charging speed depends on the battery manufacturer. EV batteries are generally made compatible with fast and super-fast charging. Whereas, recharging time depends on the type of charger used. Various types of AC and DC fast chargers are available in the market which is capable of charging the battery fully in as fast as 2 hours and as slow as 24 hours as well. It depends on the type of charger that's offered by the brand and the type of charger used in charging points.
Another trend that’s steadily increasing in the EV space is the smart charging of electric vehicles, i.e. the use of cloud-connected charging devices. For business owners and consumers, smart EV charging allows greater convenience and control over electricity consumption.
As mentioned in part 01, in 2020, about 1.3 million charging stations were installed of which 30% are fast chargers. As more and more vehicles roam in the road, over long distances, more and more fast-charging hubs will be required.
The lifetime of a typical EV battery:
A typical EV battery is expected to function from 6-8 years without any problem. The cost of replacing batteries is still quite high but it’s expected to come down. Newer technologies aim at reducing cost and improving lifetime and capacity.
Replacement costs of an EV battery:
Batteries being a major working part of EVs, their lifetime and replacement costs are of interest. With the tech we have today, a typical EV battery should last for about 6-8 years depending on usage and working conditions. Battery accounts for a significant part of the vehicle costs and hence replacements are expected to be pricy.
Customers in many countries say that replacing a Tesla battery costs as much as $16,000 which is more than 10 Lakh INR. A typical TATA Nexon battery is expected to be priced at 4.5-5.5 lakh INR for replacement.
The afterlife of a battery:
After the battery has performed the rated number of charge-discharge cycles, the battery is said to be old and branded “dead”. This battery is most likely to end up in a landfill and can potentially release harmful toxins and/or heavy metals. Scientists consider recycling batteries that are not really designed to be recycled can be a hazardous business as cutting the battery in the wrong way could short-circuit it and the battery could catch fire and release toxic gases.
As technology rapidly grew, people recognised this as an issue. In 2018, China imposed new rules aimed at promoting the reuse of EV battery components. The European Union is expected to finalize its first requirements this year. The US govt. is yet to take its stand on this matter.
The wide variations in the battery structure, chemistry and construction of cells stand as an obstacle before creating an efficient recycling system. This in turn raises the cost of the recycled materials and companies often find buying new ones cheaper than adopting recycled materials.
Experts who study EV policies say that on one side, recycling is a waste management problem and on the other side, it’d provide a sustainable secondary stream of critical raw materials which in turn ensures national security by increasing supplies of key battery materials which are controlled by a few nations.
Recyclers tend to focus more on the metals in cathode like Co and Ni which will yield a higher price. Li and graphite are too cheap to recycle economically. The process of recovering metals like Co and Ni is relatively difficult. To extract these, recyclers rely upon 2 techniques namely “hydrometallurgy” and “pyrometallurgy”. But, both these methods are known to have downsides. Studies have found that both processes generate excessive wastage and emit greenhouse gases. (Remember decreasing the emission of greenhouse gases was an essential reason for switching to EVs.)
Researchers and chemists around the world are working at making the economical recycling of batteries possible. The process of recycling is beyond the scope of this blog.
Pollution and other implications:
It’s said that producing electric vehicles contributes, on average, twice as much to global warming as the production consumes almost double the energy required to produce a combustion engine car. Furthermore, the making of batteries is an energy-intensive work that involves mining, extraction of ore, getting the metals in them to their highest purity and many more.
The batteries need to charge and that requires electricity. After all the efforts, you don’t want your EV to charge on a diesel-based generator or a coal-powered power grid, which is more polluting.
Although the cars seem polluting at the beginning of its lifecycle, it becomes cleaner once in use.
As per reports, an EV leaves a lesser carbon footprint irrespective of how it’s made and how energy is sourced. Of course, the battery contributes to pollution after its lifetime but as mentioned earlier, methods for recycling and safer disposal is being worked out.
The increasing demand for battery raw materials could have negative implications on people and the environment. Lithium mining in Chile and Cobalt mining in Congo are open books.
As per the UNCTAD report, the small scale mines in Congo employ as many as 40,000 children in hazardous conditions which is a violation of human rights for child labour.
Moreover, wastage of cobalt in mines can lead to contamination of nearby water bodies. There are good chances for other toxic metals to be present along with cobalt which needs to be taken care of during mechanical excavation. Similarly in Chile, lithium mining from underground brine wells has not only driven out the local communities but has also led to environmental degradation by impacting the surrounding soil and water resources.
Challenges faced by EVs.
High Costs:
EVs tend to be costlier than conventional combustion vehicles due to the technology used in them. This cost and the limited mileage is one of the main challenges faced.
Limited options:
People don’t have a lot of options to choose from as of today. More investment in the coming years is expected to lower this problem.
Higher dependency on imports:
The raw materials for making batteries are limited in India and has to largely rely on its imports. This would significantly raise the cost of EVs.
Insufficient charging points:
This is one of the major reasons why people refrain from purchasing an EV. India has only about 1800 charging stations against 41,400 in the USA.
Grid Challenges:
With this ambitious increase in EVs and charging points, the electricity demand In India is expected to increase by 100 Tera Watt-hrs, which is about 4% of total energy production. Newer ways of energy generations have to be figured out.
The energy production, consumption and future requirement will be addressed in part 03.
Eagerness if public towards adopting EVs:
There's one group of people in India, who live in urban areas and commute to work daily. EVs have gained a lot of attraction from them because of the advantages they have to offer over combustion type vehicles.
Some people travel between districts for work. Some people have to travel frequently for their business. They are not very much interested in EVs because of the low milage on offer and long charging time.
In India, EVs aren't popular with people who travel long distances because of the poor network of charging points. With the expansion in the EV market and charging hubs, more and more people are expected to adopt EVs.
That's it for part 02 of the series. The topics to be explored in part 03 is available at the end of part 01.
Thank you for reading this till here. If you haven't read part 01, it's right below.
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