As the times are changing, the electric vehicle industry is evolving too. With the market in its finest phase of development, the industry is in a better position than it has been ever before. In 2017 alone, 4,000 new registrations were added per month. In comparison, only 3,500 electric vehicles were registered in 2013. This means that the industry is already reaching new highs. The initial setback that these vehicles faces is now slowly fading away.

Manufacturers are now trying to improve the mileage and battery lives of their vehicles. At the same time, the authorities are trying to ensure that they get the more charging points across the country so that more users could be accommodated. The new Nissan Leaf comes with a one pedal driving system and a longer range which helps in giving 150% better performance than its predecessors.

Nissan is leading the market as the most popular EV manufactures. Since the Leaf was launched in 2010, the brand has sold 283,000 of these cars, lesser only to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. With these new updated, Leaf could be gaining the top spot in EV vehicles soon.

We talked to Vindis, VW dealership to understand the state of the industry today.

Charging points are increasing

In May 2017, there were more than 4,300 charging locations were mapped in the UK. They featured 12,500 connectors and 6,700 charging devices too. As the popularity of these vehicles is increasing, many more charging points will be introduced in the country. The current charging time for a vehicle is 8 hours which could get very overwhelming for the users. However, soon, there will be rapid charging points which could charge the vehicle by up to 80% in only half an hour. InstaVolt signed a multimillion pound deal with ChargePoint to create 3,000 rapid charging points across the UK.

However, National Grid believes that this would demand new and improved infrastructure in the country and the country’s electricity demand could increase by 50%. A new pan-European charging network could catalyze this demand as well. This network was set up by the BMW Group and is called IONITY. The network is supported by VW Group with Porsche and Audi, Ford and Daimler. The network will be building 400 rapid charging points by 2020, 20 of which are already operational. 100 new locations will be added in 2018.

More efficient batteries

Batteries will have to be changed, so that rapid charging could be supported. Express reports about a new research suggests that quick charging, which can be compared to filling tank at a fuel station is the biggest concern for the industry right now. With the use of fluid electrolytes, the battery could be re-energized for use quickly.

The UK government plans to eliminate petrol and diesel cars by 2040 and the rise in EV cars’ popularity will help fuel this movement from the grounds up. If these vehicles can get rid of their charging issues, their popularity could explode overnight and more people will be buying them for a cleaner, safer future.

Sources

http://www.nextgreencar.com/news/8211/ionity-ultrarapid-charging-network-launches-in-europe/

http://www.nextgreencar.com/electric-cars/statistics/

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/813735/Electric-car-charging-battery-new-technology