Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

Martyn1981

Momentum for BEV's keeps growing, as more and more countries reach 'the tipping point', according to Bloomberg.

Electric Cars Pass the Tipping Point to Mass Adoption in 31 Countries

A comparable shift is currently underway with electric vehicles, according to a Bloomberg Green analysis of adoption rates around the world. By the end of last year, 31 countries had surpassed what’s become a pivotal EV tipping point: when 5% of new car sales are purely electric. This threshold signals the start of mass adoption, after which technological preferences rapidly flip.

When we first completed this analysis in 2022, only 19 countries had passed the 5% tipping point. Last year, that number soared as EVs spread across four continents. For the first time, some of the fastest-growing markets were found in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. The trajectory laid out by countries that came before them shows how EVs can surge from 5% to 25% of new cars in under four years.

Applying this framework to the entire planet, the 5% EV tipping point was crossed in 2021. In the fourth quarter of 2023, fully electric cars accounted for roughly 12% of new cars sold worldwide. The same forces that drove so many car buyers to try their first electric model — falling battery prices, more chargers, better performance — continue to make EVs competitive in new markets.

Martyn1981

This article covers various approaches to something that has intrigued me for years - the electrification of individual train freight cars, and perhaps BEV tug/pusher units to help trains along parts of tracks not electrified.

Various approaches covered here from a US perspective. No idea how viable, or mass market the approaches are, or ever will be, but may be of interest.

Autonomous Electric Trains Really Are Coming For Your Diesel

Electric locomotives are beginning to push fossil fuels out of the rail freight hauling business, but a second pathway is beginning to emerge. The US startup Intramotev of Missouri is one of a handful of companies pushing the envelope on electric trains. It is doing away with the locomotives altogether and electrifying the entire freight train, one railcar at a time.

The US firm Wabtec, for example, has introduced a new all-electric locomotive to operate in tandem with a diesel locomotive. These hybrid electric trains are already running on an open route between western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The idea of forming up individual ReVolt railcars into long electric trains to travel the open railways without any locomotives to shepherd them along is off in the future somewhere. The ReVolt is a battery-pack retrofit for existing railcars, designed to hook up with conventional trains to save on diesel fuel.

Intramotev has also developed another electric railcar called the TugVolt, which is designed to uncouple and run independently, depending on the task at hand, as a replacement for conventional locomotives.

Martyn1981

Another one of those 'fun' milestones is approaching, this time for Norway, as the total BEV fleet closes in on the petrol fleet.

Some nice charts, including one looking at petrol/diesel consumption falling.

EVs could overtake petrol cars in Norway by end-2024

OSLO, April 2 (Reuters) - The number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on Norway's roads is on track to overtake petrol cars by the end of this year or in early 2025, in a first for any country, according to Reuters' and analysts' calculations.

The shift has been driven by generous incentives, afforded in part thanks to Norway's huge oil and gas wealth.

Still, analysts think it will take a few more years for BEVs to surpass the number of diesel vehicles in Norway.

BEVs accounted for 24.3% of Norway's 2.9 million cars as of March 15, versus 26.9% for petrol vehicles, according to data from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration seen by Reuters.

That equated to a lead of nearly 76,000 for petrol cars - well below the 104,590 new BEVs sold in Norway last year.

Martyn1981

Thought I'd mentioned this before, as the Port of San Diego rang a bell, but that was about their new 25tn (lift) BEV forklift truck.

Interesting specs, suggesting better performance than the diesel tugs, and off-peak charging (suggesting batts perhaps) supplemented by solar.

New Electric Tugboat Unveiled At Port Of San Diego

The Port of San Diego recently unveiled its new electric tugboat, the eWolf. The electric tugboat runs only on electricity, whereas a conventional tugboat uses diesel fuel. The new electric tugboat generates no carbon dioxide or unhealthy air pollution such as particulate matter.

Air pollution at ports is a well-documented problem. The US EPA website has a Port Primer explaining some of the key air pollution details, “Reducing pollutants from diesel engines is a significant concern for ports and near-port communities. Equipment, vehicles and marine vessels that burn diesel fuel are the primary source of combustion-related emissions at port facilities. Pollutants released by diesel engines include particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides, (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur oxides (SOX), and air toxics.”

Replacing diesel tugboats with electric ones is an effective way of reducing harmful air pollution at ports.

philologus

I'm going for a test drive of a Hyundia Ioniq EV next week. (Nice car.)

It will be leased under the Motability scheme.

I am already an Octopus Agile  customer and I have solar panels and a 9.6kWh battery.

Octopus offer a 7.5p/ kWh charging rate and that's what I've costed my thinking on, but I can often use electricity from the grid for much less than 7.5p. They often offer to pay me a few pence/kWh when there is over production and there are many times when it is zero - 2p per kWh.

Does anyone know whether I can still utilise these very low prices  to charge my car and/or home batteries, or is the 7.5p a fixed rate?

silverwhistle

Without knowing the full facts I'm guessing the 7.5p would be with Intelligent Octopus, and although guaranteed is combined with a slightly higher fixed day rate than SVR. It was what I was on until last week and worked for me as I also shifted other usage to the cheap 6 hour period overnight.

I've just shifted to Agile and have been charging the car at very cheap rates and if you have the same flexibility as I do I'd suggest staying on it for a bit and see how Agile continues to work for you. I expect it would, certainly with solar panels and a battery over the next 6 months. Review it when the seasons change again is what I intend to do (car, solar and no battery..).

Magnitio

@philologus - It may be worth looking at the historic rates on https://agilebuddy.uk/historic/agile . Don't base your decision on the past week, which has had exceptionally low rates. You can sometimes go many days, even weeks, when the rate does not dip below 7.5p/kWh. On Intelligent Octopus you have a guaranteed low rate and can charge both the car and the house battery and then export your surplus solar at 15p/kWh.

Netexporter

philologus said:

I'm going for a test drive of a Hyundia Ioniq EV next week. (Nice car.)

It will be leased under the Motability scheme.

I am already an Octopus Agile  customer and I have solar panels and a 9.6kWh battery.

Octopus offer a 7.5p/ kWh charging rate and that's what I've costed my thinking on, but I can often use electricity from the grid for much less than 7.5p. They often offer to pay me a few pence/kWh when there is over production and there are many times when it is zero - 2p per kWh.

Does anyone know whether I can still utilise these very low prices  to charge my car and/or home batteries, or is the 7.5p a fixed rate?

It depends on your charging needs which tariff would best suit you. If you do a fairly high mileage, most days, the IOG will ensure you have enough charge every day. However, if you motoring is more discretionary, then picking the cheaper/paid for spots on Agile may work out better. With IOG you be better off exporting all your solar at 15p but you might want to "mix and match" with Agile. It depends on how much thought/effort you are prepared to put in.

silverwhistle

Netexporter said:

It depends on your charging needs which tariff would best suit you. If you do a fairly high mileage, most days, the IOG will ensure you have enough charge every day. However, if you motoring is more discretionary, then picking the cheaper/paid for spots on Agile may work out better.

Good point, I would say that I've fairly low (discretionary) mileage with enough range in the car to make Agile work and last summer would even use the granny charger occasionally to put 20 miles or so of range into the car from surplus solar.

philologus

I'll probably be driving less than 250 miles a week most of the time so a full charge (77kWh) would last me the week and I could top up every day or two depending on Octopus's prices.

So it sounds as though I should stick with Agile and see how I manage for a while. I'm retired so I have plenty of time to work out when's the best time to charge up.

Thank you to everyone who replied - it's been a big help.

George