Preparing For The Roads Of Tomorrow: Effective Ways You Could Use Technology To Resolve Challenges In Electric Vehicles Charging

They say modern problems require modern solutions. At a time when the world is going through a myriad of adverse and irreversible concerns like depleting resources, exploitation of non-renewable resources, increasing carbon footprints, global warming, pollution, and more, there is a dire need for sustainable and responsible alternatives to everything we have been used to so far.

Of late, this awareness has been increasing among people around the world, who are gradually becoming more conscious about their consumption of resources and emission of carbon footprints. And it is due to this gradual awareness that an inevitable concept like electric vehicles are slowly becoming mainstream as well.

For over 100 years, the predominant propulsion unit in vehicles was the conventional internal combustion engine. It has been powering the transportation units ever since the Industrial Revolution. Despite being convenient, these vehicles contributed to a lot of carbon emissions, playing a huge role in the increase of pollution and consumption of renewable resources.

To give you an idea, a report in 2018 revealed that there were over 246 million cars or vehicles in the United States alone. Also, cars annually release close to 333 million tons of Co2 into the atmosphere, contributing to around 20% of the world's total.

If that's the case, irreversible changes would happen in a very short span of time. That's when another alternative solution was identified and brought into mainstream operations – electric vehicles.

An Overview Of Electric Vehicles

Replacing internal combustion engines, these vehicles featured electric motors that required electricity to charge and run. Batteries replaced fuel tanks for storage purposes. Over the last decade, there has been a tremendous rise in the use of electric vehicles, which makes it inevitable for us to talk about it.

Manufacturing an electric vehicle is not an easy task and there are tons of challenges involved. Being modern vehicles, they are also powered by software applications, the cloud, and the latest technologies to make driving them easier. That's why this post of our Digital Transformation in The Automotive Sector guide series is dedicated to addressing the challenges in manufacturing an electric vehicle.

So, if you have an electric vehicle venture, this post is perfect for you. Before we begin, we also remind you to check out our previous chapters to find equally relevant information on innovations in the automotive sector.

Let's get started.

Some Important Numbers on Electric Vehicles

• There were close to 1 million registered electric vehicles in the US in 2018.
• During crashes, electric vehicles are less likely to roll over.
• In California alone, the number of electric vehicles is anticipated to increase to 4 million by 2030.
• Only 42% of the households are electric vehicle-ready.
• Only a meagre 0.96t of CO2 is emitted by electric vehicles after running around 100,000 miles.
• There are around 100,000 charging stations in the US whereas in China there are around 600,000.

Challenges In Electric Vehicles

As we mentioned, challenges in rolling out an electric vehicle are aplenty and these do not revolve around just manufacturing processes. So, what are they? Let's find out.

Government Regulations And Subsidies

The idea of rolling out an electric vehicle rests not just with the vehicle manufacturer. It, in fact, rests on governing authorities of a particular region as well. When electric vehicles were first launched, there were several speculations on whether such cars were legal in the first place.

After embracing and going through several regulatory changes and amendments, it is now that electric vehicles are seen as mainstream vehicles. Even now, there are a lot of compliances electric vehicles must adhere to and regulations and rules change from one state to another.

One such interesting regulation is that electric cars should voluntarily produce noise when driving. This was passed last year because of the vehicles' ability to be mute when driven at speeds less than 20 miles per hour.

On the other side, electric vehicles are also eligible for tax credits and subsidies to encourage people to take up eco-friendly choices.

Integration Of Electric Vehicles Into Product Portfolios of OEMs

One of the biggest challenges with respect to electric vehicles is that they need to be seamlessly integrated into the portfolios of OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). Like you know, the entire working and build of electric vehicles is different. They run on batteries, embedded circuits, semiconductors and more. They also exhibit concerns like battery issues, higher incurring of expenses and requirement of adequate charging points. These are shortcomings that need to be fixed first-hand. 

Collaboration Within The eMobility Value Chain

Problems also lie in collaborating with eMobility value chain solutions. For the uninitiated, value chain solutions offer end-to-end solutions. This means that they take care of the process starting from the procurement of raw materials for the manufacture of electric vehicles till the time the final product is handed over to a customer. Collaborating for each process is a Herculean task.

Relevant Charging Infrastructure

While conventional cars have it easy as far as refuelling is concerned with 3^rd party businesses running gas stations across regions, the responsibility to set up charging stations for electric vehicles rests on the vehicle manufacturer.

From finding the ideal real estate and setting up charging pods to ensuring charging happens swiftly to accommodate rush, manufacturers have to deal with a range of practical shortcomings. And considering the mileage electric cars offer, the requirement to set up charging pods at very minimal intervals across a country increases by manifold as well.

Billing And Payment Management

Electric vehicles like Tesla offer cars on a lease that require a monthly payment for the usage of the car. Besides, electric vehicle companies also offer a host of personalization or add-on features like an autopilot that involve additional expenses.

And if you think expenses end there, understand that you have to shell out additional cash to buy and set up charging stations at home. And recurring payments are also involved at charging pods outside. Because there are ample transactions involved, the systems must be built to transact payments from your choice of payment option.

Access And Usage of EV Charging Stations

Apart from the infrastructural requirements on charging stations we discussed above, challenges exist in maintaining them as well. Vehicle owners have the challenge to locate charging stations in their vicinity and have the right equipment to charge their vehicles. Companies like Tesla also charge idle fees whenever a vehicle stands at a charging pod after getting charged. From the learning curve involved in using a charging station to making payments, concerns have to be fixed.

Assets Management

As far as electric vehicles are concerned, assets include charging stations, individual charging pods, power control units, original software applications, vehicle tracking modules and more. Managing the entire ecosystem of assets is a challenge as this process also involves factors like cost optimization, performance modelling, adequate strategies, energy efficiency practices and more. 

Solutions

All of the concerns we discussed so far can be easily fixed with the help of a few custom-developed software applications or enterprise applications. To give you a better idea, here's a breakdown of each solution.

Charging Point Operators

These are niche and specialized software applications development to offer convenience to the owners of charging stations and networks. This application system ensures the entire network of charging stations is well maintained and glitch-free, taking care of diagnostics, maintenance of individual pods, pricing, data management, and more. Some operators also allow vehicles from other charging operators to use these networks. With IoT combining them, everything is autonomous and wireless.

With the help of an ideal charging point network and an app, charging point operators can ensure:

• their charging pods or stations are easily identifiable on GPS and navigation apps
• That precise navigation can be initiated to reach charging pods in the least possible time
• infotainment is provided while the car charges
• electric vehicles from across multiple manufacturers are accommodated for seamless charging (with applied roaming pricing)
• users can leave reviews and suggestions for charging point owners and other drivers of electric vehicles
• precise elapsed time for changing completion is displayed
• multiple payment systems are incorporated for users to make their payments from and more

Electric Vehicles Service Providers

Remember the hassles we discussed in maintaining charging stations? Well, specific software systems that are OCPP-compliant can be deployed to fix the shortcomings prevailing in this spectrum. They can take care of servicing, resource management, predicting malfunctions, reporting usage statistics, and more.

E-mobility Solutions

These solutions allow the drivers of electric vehicles to get an exhaustive idea of charging stations near them, trigger charging processes, transact payments, generate and send invoices, and more. E-mobility solutions are dictated by law to offer to charge facilities to both registered and unregistered users (roaming charges). The applications can handle the requirements of both seamlessly.

Some of the most beneficial implementations of eMobility solutions in the electric vehicles spectrum include:

• the development of advanced battery tech to improve the capacity, energy density and efficiency of vehicle batteries
• bring about dynamic innovations in motor tech
• reduce the overall price of a vehicle through optimized ways of manufacturing
• ensure regulatory compliances
• replace fossil fuels with more eco-friendly alternatives and more

Asset Tracking Solutions

All the assets we discussed pertaining to asset management can be resolved with the deployment of a simple asset tracking solution. These systems can provide real-time information on asset location and asset behaviours. They are powered by the concept of IoT and are easily deployable as well. From exact coordinates of assets to triggering over-the-air updates to connected devices, these solutions can do them all. 

To give you a more comprehensive idea, asset tracking systems can help fleet managers and users:

• the exact location of assets through GPS-enablement
• maintain asset inventory and upgrade it whenever required
• track and monitor asset usage, detect patterns and predict probable malfunctions in asset
• offer updates to firmware and in-car systems from remote
• prevent stealing of assets and more

Case Study

One of the primary concerns we discussed with respect to electric vehicles was the availability of charging stations at the right time just before batteries drained out. Specifically, for people using their vehicles for long drives and province-to-province commute, consistent charging becomes inevitable.

To help such long-rangers get the most accurate details on charging points in their vicinity arrived PlugShare. With the app, drivers can easily get ideas on nearby charging stations based on their location.

They can even use the app to navigate to the nearest station. The best part of the app is that it also features a payment module – another concern we discussed in the guide. This will allow drivers to pay automatically from the app's wallet or connected cards or accounts.

Some of the other advanced features offered by the app include:

• the option to leave a review of a specific charging pod or station based on personal experience
• check out photos and descriptions beforehand
• find stations along the route you're currently taking
• sort and filter charging networks
• alerts to notify you of a newly setup charging station and more

The app is live across continents such as Australia, North America and Europe, allowing you to seamlessly find stations regardless of your geographical location. Also, the app lists charging stations across networks such as Tesla, SemaConnect, GE WattStation and more for you to choose from.

This venture truly fixes all the fundamental hurdles involved in owning and maintaining an electric vehicle. 

Future of Electric Vehicles

In the future, we don't mean an inaccessible timeline in the 2050s. We mean this specific decade between 2021 and 2030. Considering the rate at which developments are happening in this realm, the future of electric vehicles might arrive sooner than we expect.

While we are discussing this, we should also acknowledge the fact that electric vehicles are the future in several countries. Nations across the globe are still rewriting and amending laws on regulations, tax policies, infrastructure, and other mandates to make electric vehicles more mainstream.

From our holistic observation, we look at top market players in the automotive industry rolling out electric-only models as opposed to their hybrid variants. Companies like Ford are also working on making their name plates electric.

Brands are focussed on reducing carbon emissions further and incorporating more electric models in their portfolio and line up of cars in the coming years.

From a technical perspective, we see the deployment of human-machine interface in electric vehicles, blockchain-based payments systems at charging stations, wireless charging units, and more in this spectrum.

This is a really interesting phase in the automotive sector, which is currently witnessing a transition in its global presence from conventional to electric vehicles. As more people become aware of electric vehicles' benefits and as governments across the world make them mainstream, we would be witnessing roads that are silent and green.

For that to happen, actions need to be taken today for the development of charging station software applications, eMobility solutions, ERP systems, and more. So, if you are looking to get specialized applications developed for electric vehicles, reach out to us today.