Here we explore the growth of electric vehicles. There is still a long way before EVs become mainstream but there is clear sign of growth and clear steps for us to take action to accelerate the market.

Electric vehicles are zero emissions during its use. They need to be recharged by connecting it to an electricity supply and so the CO2 impact depends on how green the is grid electricity. Electric vehicles will be better for local air quality as no emissions are produced by the car, except from generation of electricity which will likely be from a power station.

This brilliant analysis by CarbonCounter by MIT helps us understand each car models against climate targets. Lifetime cost of each vehicle per mile driven compared against green house gas emmission target of 2degrees Celcius global warming clearly shows that we don’t have to pay more for a low-carbon emitting vehicle.

Our results show that you don’t have to pay more for a low-carbon-emitting vehicle. Many electric vehicles are the same price, or cheaper, than similar gasoline cars. The average greenhouse gas emissions of all cars shown here are more than 50% higher than the 2030 climate target, with no internal combustion vehicles meeting the target. Most hybrid and electric vehicles, on the other hand, already meet the 2030 goal today, with today’s electricity mix. – CarbonCounter.com MIT Trancik Lab

Buying EV

With nearly 1 in 6 people in Europe considering buying an electric vehicle, there are more options available and a growing number of services becoming available. There are calculators to help you electic vs patrol/diesel fuel cost and websites to guide you through comparisons of the growing number of different electric vehicle models on the market such as Next Green Car.

EV Charge Points

We have also seen the growth of apps for EV charge point maps such as  Zap-Map, PlugShare, Open Charge Map. Plug share is mainly based in the US and Canada. Zap-Map has the most comprehensive map of the UK. Open Charge Map is a global non commercial, open source project.

They each have communities of EV drivers using the apps. Data source varies but they mainly crowd sources charging point information from their community of EV drivers onto their map or partner directly with networks of charge point providers or installers to list the charge points.

Zap-map provides a comprehensive comparison of charging networks and their cost structure. For instance, Ecotricity provides green electricity on their network of Electric Highway. Tesla provides Tesla Model S and Model X owners free access to their network. Most network would require a RFID card for payment and to access the charge points. The networks too have their app.

The apps generally allows you to selects or register your electric vehicle and helps you find the charging points that are compatible to your vehicle. They will also display live data on the of availability or status of the charge points and can allows reporting to the owners if faulty. Charge points vary by type charging speed (slow, fast, AC, DC) and connectors. Users can even add photos of the charge point to the app and rate and review the charge points.

EV Rentals

For people who are not EV car owners but may want to enjoy a zero emissions journey, there is the option of EV car clubs.

E-Car is an all electric car club and now part of Europcar. They offer last minute self service booking via their app and you can access the car by holding the membership card on the windscreen and the door unlocks. E-Car is UK’s first entirely electric pay-per-use EV car club in the UK. They operate a mixed use model and partner with business parks, local authorities and universities. They are also the world’s first equity crowdfunding exit when they were acquired by Europcar, proving a great success for the cleantech crowdfunding market.

Other alternatives include Co-wheels Car Club which is a social enterprise with a bigger fleet of low emissions electric cars, hybrids and vans for rental.

The benefit of allowing people to try out a range of electric cars is that this will encourage people to buy electric cars which will help accelerate the move towards EV.

EV Taxis

For those who are not into the driving, there are services out there to access EV. Gliide is a London based taxi service apps that works with a fleet of Teslas. Thriev another taxi service app operates with a full electric vehicle fleet composed of Chinese manufactured EV’s BYD. Bookings and payments are done via the app. Newcomers Hoopoe-Electric also operate a small fleet of Teslas.

EV Secondary Market

We can also expect the rise of the secondary market for EV related items. Online market places such as Eco-Car.net where people buy and sell EVs and related accessories such as EV cables will continue to grow, not to mention a potentail future second hand EV battery market when they capacity becomes not road worthy enough but still able to be repurposed for home energy storage.

So let us know what you think of the EV market. Are there any new EV related services that you have seen?

If you have missed it, head back to read here:

Day 1 of XMas — Food Waste Apps

Day 2 of XMas — Air Quality Apps

Day 3 of XMas — Transport Services

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