One nagging concern U.S. consumers have about electric vehicles (EVs) is the ability of these battery-operated cars and trucks to get you where you want to go without running out of power. Nobody wants to be stuck at a charging station for long in the middle of a trip, or worse, be stranded without a charging station nearby.
An extensive study led by University of Delaware researchers with collaborators at Dalhousie University and Georgia Tech may help dispel some of this “range anxiety” associated with EVs. The research, published in the Feb. 21 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Energies, analyzes data recorded from 333 gasoline-fueled cars over a one-to-three-year period and then models the ability of EVs with differing battery sizes, recharging power and charging locations to handle those same driving trips.
“What we did was figure out how much people drive a year, distinguishing every single trip and stop, and then overlaid that with all the possible EVs you could buy,” said the article’s lead author, Willett Kempton, professor of marine science and policy and of electrical and computer engineering at UD. “If you know how far you need to drive, our data on range and charging speed will tell you what EVs will work for you.”
Read more at: University of Delaware
UD’s Willett Kempton holds an electric vehicle (EV) battery module in his research lab at UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. Kempton and his team are partnering with industry to develop technology and international standards that accelerate the electrification of transportation and the integration of electric vehicles with the power grid. (Photo Credit: University of Delaware/ Evan Krape)