In the fast evolving world of sustainable transportation Electric Vehicles are getting popular year by year. As the traditional internal combustion-powered vehicles get swapped by the electric one, so it’s needed to provide the required information. As it can be a very new experience for many to deal with the EV. Two biggest concepts needed to learn are the How range and charging Work.
In this article you will get the information of the groundbreaking concepts of self charging EVs. Is it science fiction or a tangible reality? Let’s delve into this innovative technology and explore the possibilities that lie ahead.
- Regenerative Braking System
Charging an electric vehicle with the use of its kinetic energy is a common way to charge it itself. When a EV owner applies the brakes, the system captures the energy and converts it back into electricity, that otherwise can be dissipated as heat. This regenerated electricity then fed back into the vehicle’s battery.
According to some research it is estimated that regenerative braking recoups as much as 70% of the generated kinetic energy. But it doesn’t mean that you can add 70% of the range or increase your overall range significantly.
At present most of the all electric and hybrid models in the U.S. use the regenerative Braking System. But the Tesla Model S has probably the most user-sourced data out there. That revealed that thanks to regenerative braking, the range of vehicles increased up to 32%. But the unavailability of right information and data the speculation is based on the owners anecdotal data.
- One-Pedal Driving
One pedal driving is one of those attractive electric vehicle features that, once you try, you will likely be a convert. Now EV uses the regenerative braking in its hybrids and plug-in hybrids model to capture the excess kinetic energy that is otherwise lost while coasting and braking. Also in EV the regenerative braking varies from vehicle to vehicle due to its diverse way of implementation and effectiveness.
But using a single pedal to accelerate, decelerate and stop the Electric vehicles grabs the excess energy and sends it to the battery. It is estimated that Ev driver can recapture about 5% of the energy along with additional 13 miles to estimated range while using one pedal driving.
One-pedal driving also extends the brakes life of the vehicle, battery range and overall performance. That made the radio adoption of the technology so the many automakers choose to feature the electric vehicles with suitable upgradation.
- Piezoelectric Materials
Electric Vehicle development enjoys the rapid change in technology and innovation. One of them is concerned with the charging capacity of the vehicles. For that regenerative braking system and one pedal driving are the great solutions. But the innovations in material science have given rise to use of piezoelectric materials in EVs.
Piezoelectric materials generate electrical energy in the response to mechanical stress, such as vibrations. In simple words they transform your vehicle’s vibration into power. By integrating piezoelectric material in EVs structure, automakers can tap the produced vibration of the vehicle into the supplementary power source.
- Solar Panels
Tapping the solar power while installing solar panels on the roof of the vehicles is another great way for self-charging your electric vehicle. These panels convert the sunlight into the electricity, providing a continuous trickle charge to the EV battery.
But the cons of that can be a great transformative mode of changing only the sunniest parts of the country, where it can add only 3 to 4 miles of range per day. But the high expense on the solar panels due to its high damage susceptibility make it one the non feasible option for many.
- Onboard Chargers
On board charger (OBC) is a power electronics device feature in Electric Vehicle that converts the AV power from external sources, like residential outlets, to DC power. The Current BMW i3 is available with this onboard charging system utilizing a combustion engine operated purely as a generator for battery pack.
Another great example is the Audi Q8 e-tron tha used the onboard charger for level 1 and level 2 charging. But it is up to you whether these range-extended vehicles are actually electric one or not, but the automakers are ready to brand it excessively
- Inductive Charging
Charging your electric vehicles without any wire connected to it is a great dream, yet to be true. It is one of the proposed futuristic methods for changing an electric vehicle.
As the inductive charging doesn’t require any type of wire connection, you can charge your car while parking over a large wireless charging pad in the garage. This method is not new for us as we are still using that in your smartphones.
Inductive charging allows for overnight wireless charging even when your vehicle’s underside in inches form the charging pad. There is another great version of that, that expands the wireless charging pad to a constant strip in the road, that provides in-transit inductive charging for your vehicles. One of the great example of it Indiana state, they uses Magment, a type of pavement with conductive ferrite mixed into it for inductive charging.
Way Forward
As we witness the rapid evolution of electric vehicle technology, the concept of self-charging EVs is still transforming. The current model that uses it is in the naive phase. There are many scientific and academic startups that are still working to make the changing network more greener and sustainable.
Where Kinetic energy harvesting and solar integration are at the forefront of technology unless talking about small gains. But for now it can be said that a more feasible and formount technology is needed for EV self charging.
