Over the course of the project, the CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium will test 110 electric cars with lithium ion batteries, as part of the £25 million Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator competition.
Some of the key findings of the report are outlined below:
Distance
Electric vehicle drivers use their electric cars like the typical UK driver – the majority of journeys are less than five miles (at similar distances, when warming up conventional car engines are at their most polluting, and catalytic converters are at their least effective)
Average daily mileage is 23 miles (well within the i-MiEVs 80 mile range)
Drivers use the entire speed range of the car, showing they are happy to drive at motorway speeds when required
The electric vehicles were driven in all temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius, throughout the winter period. There was a drop-off in usage at very low temperatures, likely to be the result of reduced car usage during extremely cold weather, when only essential journeys are made
Energy use and charging
Electric Vehicles are parked for 97% of the time, typically overnight and during school hours, allowing lengthy battery charging periods at home and work.
Although electric vehicles only use the electricity needed to charge them they were left plugged in for more than 20% of the time, occasionally for several days at a time.
Led by global engineering consultancy Arup, CABLED is the largest of eight consortia from across the UK to participate in the £25 million Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator competition as well as being the first to begin vehicle trials.
Data is being collected and analysed by Aston University. Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlandshas supported the CABLED consortium from the start and has invested £2.5million in the project, ensuring the Region’s participation in the competition.
Andrew Everett, Lead Technologist in Low Carbon Vehicles for the organisation overseeing and funding the project, the Technology Strategy Board said, “It’s great to see data starting to come out of the demonstrator trials and the findings from the CABLED project are very positive. Seven other consortia will be collecting the same sort of data from onboard computers in around 340 test vehicles. It’s all going to be collated and published by the Technology Strategy Board in an act of open innovation. 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.”
Neil Butcher, Arup’s project leader of the CABLED consortium said: “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 confider how energy tariffs can be used to promote overnight charging and smooth demands on the grid.”
Brian Price, Aston University comments, “Collecting real-world usage of electric vehicles (EV) through our satellite mapping and analysis has been essential in understanding actual demands and requirements of EV vehicles 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 & diesel vehicles for speed, ease of use and daily journey distance; using less than 30% 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.
Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors’ Managing Director comments, “The i-MiEV is certainly proving itself in real-world tests. It is interesting that the British motorists involved in this trial don’t seem to be showing any significant signs of ‘range anxiety’ and are using their cars just as they would a normal vehicle. Altogether, this is good news for Mitsubishi and the future of electric vehicles in the UK, and justifies Mitsubishi Motors’ vision to lead the way in electric vehicle research, design, and manufacture.”
Drivers selected for the trials of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the 85 other consortium vehicles were chosen through an application process led by Coventry University. Five other manufacturers within CABLED will roll out vehicles in 2010, including Mercedes Benz/smart, Tata, Jaguar/Land Rover, LTI and Microcab industries.
Mitsubishi commences electric car trials in Ireland
The all-electric, zero emission Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle will be used throughout Ireland to support the planning and implementation of the ESB nationwide charging infrastructure.
Viewing Ireland as an ideal market for electric vehicles in Europe, Mitsubishi Motors has made available 15 all-electric i-MiEVs in advance of the start of European production in October 2010. The vehicle has been an enormous success since its introduction in Japan in July 2009.
The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan, ESB, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, MC Automobile (Europe), and Mitsubishi Motors Ireland have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the parties to further promote the e-car industry in Ireland. Additionally, Ireland’s first e-car trial-project, conducted by Trinity College Dublin’s School of Engineering on behalf of ESB, has been launched.
The customer behaviour and attitudes research to be undertaken by Trinity College Dublin will be crucially important in understanding how customers want to use their EVs. The parties intend to make the vehicles available to a wide range of users – both residential and pilot corporate customers – and to promote EVs in light of the recently announced enhanced Government incentives. The Government has set a target of 10 per cent for all vehicles on Irish roads to be electric by 2020.
A “Smart Home Charging” system will be trialled, which will allow the cars to maximise the amount of energy they get from renewable sources, while also facilitating the operation of the electricity system. This is a key requirement for a successful transition to carbon neutral sustainable travel and ESB has committed to installing 1,500 publicly accessible charging stations, 2,000 domestic charging points, and 30 fast charging units on a nationwide basis throughout Ireland by the end of 2011.
Mitsubishi Motors is at the forefront of EV development and plans to bring to market a range of full electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the coming years.
