The time for electrification is now – but progress so far has been extremely low. That’s the verdict of Jurgen Leohold, head of Volkswagen Group research, speaking at the fourth Symposium on Energy Storage: Beyond Lithium-ion.
He points to the fact that in the 1970s Volkswagen put two electric cars on the market but sales figures were in the two-digit numbers. He believes the main change since then has been the arrival of lithium-ion batteries that can support an energy density “that allows you to build a halfway decent car.”
He citied a number of reasons for the move towards electro-mobility including urbanisation; climate change; and a shortage of fossil fuels; however, he believes any change will take a long time. He points to the fact that clean drive technologies are needed but they cannot be separated from the question of where the energy they use is coming from – and he believes that the electricity for plug-in vehicles should come exclusively from renewable energy sources.
In an effort to address these challenges, Volkswagen is taking a three-step approach. It wants to increase the efficiency of existing drivetrains; convert to new types of fuels that are fairly CO2 neutral; and then introduce new technologies, with electro-mobility part of this.
The biggest challenge for electric cars, he believes, is the range issue. Today range could be as low as 80km out of a theoretical 150km given cold temperatures or other adverse conditions. However, by contrast, the Golf BlueMotion Diesel has a range of 1,447km. As such, while modifications to electric cars, such as reduced vehicle weight, may have a marginally positive effect, the main challenge continues to be the battery itself.
Volkswagen is confident however, that by the end of the decade there will be commercially available lithium-ion batteries with an energy capacity in the region of 200Wh/kg – up from around 120Wh/kg today.
