The problem with BEVs

The problem with BEVs

News: A comprehensive editorial was covered on Battery electric vehicles which explains why following a certain approach as other nations may not work for India.

What are EV’s?
• Electric Vehicles (EVs) are vehicles that are powered by electricity, instead of traditional fuel sources like petrol or diesel. They utilize an electric motor for propulsion, and the electricity that powers them is stored in rechargeable batteries.
• There are several types of EVs, including: Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs)

What are issues in BEV push?


What are other technologies that can be also looked at?

Hybrid vehicles - Hybrid technology, which combines an internal combustion engine (ICE) with an electric powertrain, can improve fuel efficiency and doesn’t require extensive charging infrastructure like BEVs. However, they still use Li-ion batteries, and their efficiency can drop when using air conditioning, which is often needed in India.

Ethanol and Flex Fuels - Flex fuel vehicles can run on more than one type of fuel, or a mixture of fuels like petrol and ethanol. This technology is currently under commercial deployment in countries like Brazil, Canada, and the US.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) and Hydrogen ICE - FCEVs are practically zero emission, but a major hurdle to their adoption has been the lack of fuelling station infrastructure — even though fuel cell cars refuel in a way that is similar to conventional cars, they cannot use the same station. Safety is also a concern. While, Hydrogen ICE vehicles are similar to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, with a few tweaks to prep them to run on hydrogen. However, these vehicles are not zero-emission, like the FCEVs.

Synthetic fuels - German manufacture Porsche is developing a synthetic fuel made from carbon dioxide and hydrogen using renewable energy. This approach could extend the lifespan of ICE cars while making them virtually CO2-neutral. The fuel production is being tested in Chile. Incidentally from 2026, Formula One will also use synthetic fuel.