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era in technology, but had no commercial success due to problems in the production
of suitable batteries and their high cost.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the prospect of commonly used electric
cars is becoming more realistic and imminent as the awareness grows that internal
combustion vehicles will decline when the non-renewable global resources
of oil run out 44 .
The ambition of inventors is to maintain the characteristics of the car as
a means of individual transport (which unlike the trolleybus, does not depend
on power-supply infrastructure). It is this independence that was behind the
overwhelming success of the car – a token of freedom and democracy. If the
electric car is to maintain all the practical values of the combustion-engine vehicle
and become a symbol of Zero-Emission Vehicle – ZEV 45 , it is indispensable
that it should:
1) have powerful, electronically-controlled, new generation batteries, fixed or
replaceable, much lighter than the traditional ones, performing both in cold
and hot climate zones;
2) ensure a satisfactory range after a single charging of the batteries, requiring
no frequent disruptions of the journey (80-200 kilometres in cities, at least
300 km in long-distance traffic);
3) be fitted with affordable batteries, with the running costs comparable or
lower to the cost of buying the fuel and the high-temperature lubricants
used in the traditional car;
4) have a well-developed power network at its disposal throughout the country,
capable of quick recharging or replacement of the new-generation,
high-performance car batteries.
If these four essential requirements can be met, the electric car will gain
a lasting technological and commercial advantage offer the conventional fuelpropelled
car. The first one – efficient, powerful new generation batteries has
largely been met, since 2008. Previously, electric cars would use from 10 to 18
kWh of energy per 100 km (depending on the vehicle, manner of driving, traffic
conditions, etc.). As a result of technological progress, this ratio has gone down
to 7-9 kWh/100 km. A range comparable with fuel-burning cars would require
the installation of a battery with the capacitance of several dozen kWh. The
choice of batteries available to electric car makers for the past few years has included
sodium batteries (resistant to low temperature), lithium-titanium,
44 See.: D. Sperling, Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation. Island Press, Washington
2006; D. Sperling, D. Gordon, A. Schwarzenegger, Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability.
Oxford University Press 2009.
45 What is a Zero-Emission Vehicle? – http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-zero-emission-vehicle.htm.
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