Strategies to Alleviate Range Anxiety and Accelerate EV Adoption
Strategies to Alleviate Range Anxiety and Accelerate EV Adoption
Global and indian EV market
Globally, consumers are shifting towards electric cars from traditional fuel-based vehicles. In 2023, electric car sales touched the 14 million mark globally, of which 95% of vehicles were sold in China, Europe, and the United States.
In India, electric car registrations went up to 80,000 in 2023, an increase of 70% of sales from the previous year. However, only 2% of cars sold in India were electric, which indicates a lower preference for electric cars among consumers amidst the dilemma of choosing between electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
Challenges for Electric Vehicles
Several social factors, such as the unavailability of charging infrastructure & lack of effective EV policies, and commercial factors such as high purchase costs restrict people from choosing electric cars. Additionally, technical factors including limited range and higher charging time directly impact the decision-making of the customer. When a customer plans to buy an electric car, a few questions come to mind: how much range will it provide? And how fast it will charge?
What is Range Anxiety?
Due to the unavailability of charging infrastructure and higher charging time a fear of running out of charge before reaching the destination and being stranded mid-way gets developed and this fear is defined as range anxiety.
A similar range barrier was encountered during the adoption of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles; however, due to shorter refuelling time, the issue was less pronounced as compared to EVs. Even, electric two-wheelers and commercial three-wheeler vehicles also face the same challenge. However, electric two-wheelers can be charged at home easily with minimal setup and commercial three-wheelers have a charging infrastructure facility like battery swapping stations provided by the aggregator. Also, they typically operate within city boundaries and urban areas offer better-charging infrastructure facilities, range anxiety is not a major concern for these vehicles.
The charging infrastructure requirements for electric cars are far more complex, they require charging infrastructure on highways and remote areas to support their longer trip lengths. Additionally, electric cars require fast-charging options to charge their large batteries. Due to the unavailability of this complex charging infrastructure, range anxiety becomes a key concern for electric cars.
Strategies to Address Range Anxiety
Range anxiety remains one of the top three challenges hindering EV adoption globally. Therefore, to enhance EV adoption, it is crucial to eliminate concerns related to range anxiety.
Internet of Things for Electric Vehicles
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects that are connected to the Internet, and they can exchange data with various devices and systems. With the help of real-time data analytics, IoT can adjust the energy consumption by various components including lighting, air conditioning, etc in electric cars. IoT can also adjust the energy consumption when the car is idle and can provide an indication for switching off the engine when it is stationary. Therefore, by optimizing energy consumption, IoT can help in enhancing the range of electric vehicles.
Recently Volvo Car in collaboration with IoT service provider Telenor connexion developed the “Volvo On call” service that helped them to exchange diagnostic data and enhance car efficiency.
On-demand Mobile Charging
The fear of being stranded mid-journey due to the unavailability of charging stations restricts users from opting for electric cars. On-demand mobile charging facility provides the EV user with portable power banks with high-power charging capabilities, that charge the vehicle anywhere anytime. Startups such as Hopcharge and EV Safe Charge provide the facility for on-demand mobile charging.
Battery Swapping
Battery swapping helps eliminate range anxiety with quick and convenient access to fully charged batteries available at charging stations. Battery swapping reduces the charging time of a battery from hours to mere minutes, making it similar and competitive to ICE vehicles. Battery swapping also allows the user to carry an extra charged battery for a long journey and eliminates the fear of getting stranded mid-journey. In India, battery swapping services for two-wheelers and three-wheelers are already operational, with major service providers like Sun Mobility, Battery Smart, Bilti Electric, EV Nexus Mobility, etc. These companies also exploring the potential of battery swapping for electric cars in India.
Range Prediction Tools
EV consumer can pre-plan their journey based on the range estimated by the range production tools, these tools estimate the range of the vehicle considering the various parameters including driving patterns, weather conditions, and terrain. For example, EVPRE software available in the market estimates the real-time power consumption considering multiple parameters and calculates the ideal range available.
Fast Charging
One of the reasons people still prefer internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles over electric vehicles is due to the disparity in refuelling time. By reducing charge time using fast chargers, charge anxiety can be eliminated, making electric cars more suitable for long journeys. In India, there are several electric cars such as MG ZS EV, TATA Nexon EV prime, Tigor EV, etc offer fast charging options, with charging times of around 50-60 minutes. As technology advances, charging time for electric cars will reduce, making EVs more attractive for the masses.
Software/Apps
Initiatives like TATA motors’ iRA charge point aggregator app and MG motors’ eHUB APP help reduce range anxiety and enhance the EV ownership experience by simplifying the process of using and managing EVs. These apps help EV users find the nearest charging point, check compatibility, pay for charging sessions, and many more making EV usage more convenient.
Conclusion
To increase EV penetration and attract the masses towards electric cars, there is a need to address people's concerns about EVs. Range anxiety is one of the major challenges/concerns that need a collaborative approach from original equipment manufacturers (OEM), battery suppliers, fleet operators, and government & private organizations.
About Arun Kumar: Arun Kumar is a Project Associate with the Transport and Urban Governance (TUG) team at TERI, New Delhi. A transport and urban planner specializing in sustainable mobility, his work and studies focus on freight logistics, public transportation, electric vehicles (EVs), drones (UAVs), ports, and shipping. He holds a Master’s in Transport Planning (M.Plan) and a Bachelor’s in Planning (B.Plan) from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
