Design Concepts

This mind-map is a map of the concepts I have come up with as this module has moved along. I believe my overall concept will be a multilateral combination of these ideas in a large-scale plan for Germany.

source: [21]

Information Campaign to the Public:

I believe an essential initial step to encourage the adoption of e-cars and other elements of this network, an information campaign would be undeniably effective. This campaign would inform the public about the costs and benefits of electric cars, as well as comparing the most popular cars and their costs. I would want this information to be as unbiased as possible, just honestly informing the general population. A PDF version of these leaflets could be sent to people interested in the scheme, reducing printing costs and effects, etc.

Through my research into the German people’s attitudes to electric cars, I found the 4^th most important reason people weren’t interested in purchasing an e-car was ‘lack of knowledge’. This scheme would need to dispute myths surrounding electric cars, especially concerning charging times and cost. This information campaign could even gain sponsorship from electric car manufacturers, as well as the government, and this would propel the concept even further. Informative radio and TV adverts could be made to inform the public even further without the need for direct contact.

Below is a concept for a basic leaflet that could be distributed to the public- the actual document is in the File(s) to Download section at the bottom of the page:

Electric park and ride schemes:

Alongside considering our primary objective of increasing the number of electric vehicles on the road, I think that we must consider the fact that congestion could worsen alongside this, potentially lowering ranges on any e-cars anyway, and increasing pollution from gasoline cars. Inner-city areas are most likely to suffer from the consequences of this, and therefore I proposed of developing the current park-and-ride schemes used commonly in cities and large towns.

In this concept, drivers of any type of car could park their vehicles in the park-and-ride stops, and keep the cars there for a day. There would be a few charging points available to e-car owners, and many parking spaces. After parking, members of the public could take one of a few electric shuttle buses carrying groups of people to designated stops within the city. This would reduce congestion in the inner city areas, as well as improving issues such as parking in these areas.

I thought that perhaps e-car owners could use this system for a discounted, or even free, rate to encourage adoption of the e-cars in the area. Non-electric car owners would have to pay a small fee to use the system, but a small fee as this reduces pollution, as well as increasing use of public transport schemes.

Battery changing/charging stations:

One of the main areas we, as a team, kept repeating was the importance of the e-car infrastructure being more efficient and easier to use than the current gasoline car infrastructure. Initially, we insisted that the batteries themselves should be improved to increase efficiency and range. However, I thought that if we wanted to minimise the customer waiting times for charging, then why not propose a system where they don’t have to charge them at all. My concept involves the idea that the battery in the e-car is removable, and when a customer has depleted charge, they can stop at a ‘battery changing station’.

In this case, the owner of the e-car will pay for a percentage of the charge they need. For example, if they enter the station with a 20% charge, they will pay for 80% of the total cost. If 100% were to cost £10 hypothetically, then you pay for the percentage of this price you need (so £8 for an 80% refill from 20% initially). If this concept were to be used, customers would have to wait little to no time for a ‘recharge’ of their battery. The station would be charging a batch of batteries at any one time, maintaining a constant flow of batteries in and out.

My proposal is that these stations are powered by solar or wind power depending on the availability of both sources. Over time, as more wind farms are constructed across Germany, these stations can use electricity from the grid entirely- minimising the amount of new infrastructure needed for each station. In the beginning, solar panels or a small wind turbine could be installed feeding power to the station, with backup from the grid if at night-time or a period of low wind speed.

Below is a blueprint of what I imagine part of a battery swapping station to look like:

Induction charging lanes:

In 2014, I read an article in the New Scientist called “Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles hits the road”, and this outlines a potential new charging solution for electric vehicles through electromagnetic induction. This essentially means no cables are required, there can be an efficiency of 90% or higher, as well as the fact that the car can be moving when it is charging. This saves time and money for the consumer. Doug Bolton wrote an article on 18^th August 2015 outlining the fact that the UK government invested £200 million in the potential of an induction charging lane network. The technology involves an electromagnetic transmitter which is planted in the road, and this would induce a voltage in a receiver integrated in the bottom of the car. The issues surrounding this concept are concerning feasibility- cost and installation. This concept would require a lot of time, construction and adaptation of the current infrastructure in Germany. However, it would be a huge incentive for more people to purchase and use e-cars, as well as greatly improving the potential range of e-cars per charge.

The idea has been conceptualised by the UK government, outlined in the image below [20]:

My more basic concept is a single lane idea added to the outside lane of major motorway links in Germany. This concept is outlined in the image below. The lanes would be green, a colour regularly associated with the environment. A way of registering who was driving in the lane would need to be installed, perhaps in the form of number plate recognition- as charging customers would still be necessary at the early stages.

ENGS102P Sustainable Planet- Emily Mears

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