Įkrautas is not only dedicated to providing the most reliable charging solutions for electric vehicles (EVs). A large part of the focus is on public education. The aim is to help you better understand the whole EV industry. That’s why, not so long ago, the idea of sharing our knowledge not only in social media posts, but also in another format – a podcast – was born. In it, one of the co-founders of the company “Įkrautas”, Paulius Gūžys, shared his six years of experience with Vytautas Astromskis, the author of “Just Podcast”.
According to Mr Gūis, although the electric car industry is only 10 years old, it already has a number of advantages over cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs). The first advantage is that electric cars use energy more efficiently. As much as 80-90% of the total. energy travels to the wheels when the VDV reaches only 40%. efficiency. The second is that an electric car has 100 times fewer moving parts, resulting in minimal maintenance costs. The third is that an electric car is more efficient in the city (VDVs are more efficient in the countryside) because it uses virtually no brake pads. They are only used in emergency situations where mechanical braking is needed. In the normal case, braking is done by an internal inverter. This puts electricity back into the battery. So if your daily routes are limited to urban areas, this is a great way to travel more economically. On average, an electric car consumes 15-20 kWh/100 km.
Electricity consumption is higher in urban areas because of the higher speeds. Also, most electric cars have only one gear and the high speeds mean the engine has to run faster, leading to a drop in efficiency.
The development of technology is not limited to batteries for electric cars. Their capacity is increasing, with more and more energy packed into one kilogram. This results in a greater range, which, according to Mr Gūis, is one of the most important issues and fears he hears from customers, but there is nothing to fear. Practically all electric cars with a battery capacity of more than 60 kWh can drive from Vilnius to Palanga on a single charge. Another important aspect is that the batteries are gradually becoming cheaper, which is particularly important as they are one of the most expensive components, often accounting for up to half the price of an electric car.
It is also important to know that the law protects consumers’ rights and that when you buy an electric car, the manufacturer will give you a warranty period of 8 years or 160 000 km, whichever comes first. The battery’s efficiency must not drop below 70% during this period. Once this is reached, you should already be thinking about replacing the battery, as the battery becomes unpredictable (e.g. from 20% battery life to 0% battery life faster than normal).
However, used batteries are not thrown away. They can serve as emergency power sources (in case of power cuts) or as energy storage, for example for solar modules. The batteries can also be recycled and used in new electric car models.
P. Gūžys, CEO of “Įkrautas”, shared two mobile apps that will make planning journeys easier and longer distances less daunting.
The first mobile application is ABRP. It allows you to choose the model of your electric car and provides information about it. This includes average energy consumption, maximum speed calculation (if you need to get to a bus stop and the battery is running low, the mobile app will calculate the maximum speed you can drive to reach the stop). You can also set up your route, finding not only the exact locations of charging stops, but also information about charging points, activities near them and even estimated charging times.
The second mobile app is Plugshare. It shows all charging points. People can note that they have charged their electric car at the appropriate charging station and that the session was successful. This way, you can see who has been loading and how they have been doing when you open the information about the stop.
V. Astromskas, creator of the “Simply Podcast”, presented the energy situation in the world. He shared memories of a scientific conference in Belgium. The global energy profile is distributed as follows: 5-6% nuclear, 12-15% wind and solar and about 1% other energy sources. Coal and gas make up the largest remaining share.
However, global warming risks and industrial development factors will change the profile over the coming decades. Nuclear power is set to double, wind and solar to become the main source of energy, and fossil fuels to be minimised and used only in exceptional cases. Only in this way will risks be reduced.
V. Astromskas provided interesting facts about nuclear energy. It is the most efficient form of energy (up to 99% efficient) and has recently been awarded green energy status. There is also no need to worry about possible incidents. Reactors are very advanced and in the event of a failure, there would be no consequences as the reactor is immediately shut down and immersed in water, which prevents further reactions.
So the technology behind electric cars and their charging principles is advancing rapidly. However, these steps are accompanied by fears and questions. Nuclear power is also surrounded by doubts, due to past events. In fact, few people are aware that both industries are achieving incredible efficiency and are market leaders in their respective markets. They are also both environmentally friendly, which is particularly important in the context of global warming and pollution limits.
