First results of UK electric vehicle trial released

By Tim Beissmann | June 17th, 2010

The first results of a UK-wide electric vehicle trial project have been published today based on three months of activity by 25 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs.

The CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emissions Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium is responsible for the 25 test vehicles and found that EV drivers used their cars very much like the typical UK driver.

The average daily mileage was 37 kilometres, well within the i-MiEV’s 128km range, while most journeys were less than eight kilometres. The report noted that conventional petrol and diesel engines are at their most polluting, and catalytic converters are least effective, when warming up over short distances like those recorded.

The vehicles were parked for 97 percent of the time, and were left plugged in to a power source 20 percent of the time.

The batteries were generally charged overnight and during school hours, allowing for substantial charging sessions both at work and at home.

The EV drivers were also happy to use the cars’ entire speed range, and did not avoid motorways or high-speed areas.

Project leader of the CABLED consortium, Neil Butcher, said the drivers made an easy transition to electric vehicles.

“Vehicles are quick and easy to plug in and this becomes a habit – even if the battery is still mostly full – so vehicles are usually fully charged at the start of the day.

“With the mass usage of vehicles, we will need to carefully consider how energy tariffs can be used to promote overnight charging and smooth demands on the grid,” Mr Butcher said.

Aston University’s Brian Price, who helped compile the results, said collecting real-world usage data of EVs through satellite mapping and analysis was essential to understanding the actual demands and requirements of EVs for consumers.

“The journey data gathered is already showing that the current generation of ultra low carbon vehicles are cheap to run as well as being comparable to petrol and diesel vehicles for speed, ease of use and daily journey distance, using less than 30 percent of total charge in typical daily use.

“The next phase of the study will allow us to map out an optimal charging point network to further extend range and improve the convenience of electric cars,” Mr Price said.

Lead technologist in low carbon vehicles for the Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator program, Andrew Everett, said it was encouraging to see positive data coming from the early stages of the trials.

“Seven other consortia will be collecting the same sort of data from onboard computers in around 340 test vehicles. The information will be available to all and the aim is that the findings help drive innovation and development in low carbon vehicles technology as well as to inform future UK activities related to ultra low carbon vehicles,” Mr Everett said.

CABLED will roll out up to 85 additional electric and low emissions test vehicles throughout 2010, with Mercedes-Benz/smart, Tata, Jaguar/Land Rover, LTI and Microcab industries all set to add to the fleet.

Bezza

So long as when ppl start owning these EVs they are not doing it subsidised out of my pocket for their pleasure (incl. desire to look PC).

Personally I’d be delighted to try/own an EV but prices will need to be in the $10-20 before I think they really find a proper place – often as a 2nd car for weekdays along with a combustion for weekend drives to the coast.
greenroom

… and wisely, the British Government have now commissioned building 106 new coal fired power plants and 17 nuclear energy plants in anticipation…

JML

the British Government have now commissioned building 106 new coal fired power plants…

…and thereby simply moved the CO2 emissions from the tailpipe to the power station.

aspirant

The electric vehicles will only be charged from the nuclear plants
Seriously, electric vehicles are far more efficient than petrol ones and do not produce nasty polutants which, unlike CO2, can really make you sick. This is enough to make a switch to electric vehicles, regardless of the energy source.
It is also interesting, that the environmental opponents of electric vehicles seem to neglect the large amount of CO2 the oil refineries emit to produce the petrol in the first place.

Hung Low

Hmmm, I forecast a few Scissor Phantoms will be walking around snipping those recharge cables for amusement!

Do these charge stations source renewable energy? If not it is pretty pointless.

Shak

Does your car source its renewable energy?

Hung Low

No! But it is not an 70k small hatchback with a 130km range either.
If they plan to put in the infrastructure for recharge stations, change the registration and tax levies to benefit owners of a green car, have endless trails and bureaucracy attached etc.
The least they could do is to use a renewable source for recharge stations that will probably overcharge the users by a 1000% inflation of the actual cost of the electricity itself!
As others have mentioned, do you see the building of more coal fired plants as infrastructure to compensate for EV growth a solution to going green Shak?

svd

When Petrol is produced, does the refinery use electricity, do the petrol pumps at the service station use electricity? It seems to me that the less conversion of energy forms you do the less losses so I think that even a Coal fired powerstation means more efficiency with electric vehicles than (disregarding the manufacturing of the vehicles since this would be somewhat similar for all vehicles) petrol/diesel vehicles where electricity is generated to convert the fuel and pump it and oil/petrol/diesel to distribute the fuel and then burn and polute in cities. Coal fired stations are usually located in the country. Electric motors are more efficient and use only what is needed in terms of electricity to maintain speed. When they are stopped nothing is drawn. Bring on electric vehicles I say.