Electric vehicle charging stations: Let's not sacrifice quality for quantity!

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Will "electricity magic" be the miracle cure to get the auto industry back on track after the crisis? While the announcements focus heavily on hybrid and battery-electric cars, let’s take a closer look at one specific aspect of the automotive recovery plan: accelerating the rollout of charging stations, with a goal of 100,000 public charging stations in France by 2021, rather than 2022 as originally planned (each station typically offers two charging points, sometimes more) [1]. It should be noted that the current number is around 30,000 [2]. This measure addresses a clear need: to facilitate the charging of vehicles with a shorter range than internal-combustion cars, in order to reassure drivers about adopting electric mobility. The number of charging stations deployed serves as a symbol of the government’s accelerated shift toward electric vehicles; however, it is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to meeting the needs of electric vehicle drivers.. In fact, just as much as their absolute quantity, The location of charging stations is a key issue, with some locations being more strategic than others from this perspective (e.g., public parking lots, retail chains, proximity to stores or restaurants, tourist attractions, highway rest areas, etc.). In this regard, we can draw on the experiences of departments and regions that have taken a pioneering role in creating an optimal network rather than simply pursuing higher density.

On the other hand, it is important to carefully assess what type of charging stations should be installed. While it’s tempting to want as many fast-charging stations as possible (ranging from 50 kW to 120 kW for Tesla Superchargers) and ultra-fast-charging stations (with power output exceeding 150 kW), this isn’t always necessary, and it’s better to mix and match depending on the situation (faster charging on the highway, slow charging on public streets in urban areas, and accelerated charging—i.e., between slow and fast—in tourist areas, shopping center parking lots, or high-traffic locations). This helps limit the power drawn from the grid, preserves battery lifespan (since fast charging subjects batteries to very high temperatures and resistance) [3], and, most importantly, maximizes the impact of public investment in the charging network. For a significant portion of drivers, adopting electric mobility is only feasible if they can use an electric car in exactly the same ways as they would a gasoline-powered car (“the Swiss Army knife”).

However, The electrification of vehicles is not just a technological advancement, but also a paradigm shift in our approach to personal mobility. Thus, when we talk about adaptation, it is not just about the network but also about behavior tailored to people’s actual individual mobility needs. That said, in practice today for drivers, the biggest obstacle to electric mobility remains long-distance travel, even though for most of them it accounts for only a small fraction of their trips. This presents a crucial user experience challenge for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. But If vehicles are to be constantly available and rechargeable in just a few minutes, charging station services will have to be priced at a premium, to the detriment of the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, because while it will certainly be necessary to install many more charging stations, they will, above all, need to be much more powerful and faster, which will entail associated challenges in terms of land use and upgrading the power grid. From our perspective, the proper use of public funds should aim to avoid driving up the cost of electric mobility, which is why we should not put all our eggs in the same basket of fast and ultra-fast charging. While it is certainly important to strengthen this infrastructure, we must not overlook the existing alternative options for long-distance personal mobility, which would not hinder the advancement of electric mobility—quite the contrary:

• consider alternatives such as other modes of transportation (e.g., the train) or the occasional rental of a conventional-fuel vehicle (e.g., a plug-in hybrid or one powered by bio-NGV);
• agree to spend a little more time on the road (due to charging times) to reduce CO2 emissions related to their travel, which, in practical terms, translates their voluntary contribution to the fight against climate change into additional minutes of travel;
• develop electric mobility solutions designed specifically for long-distance travel, such as "range extenders" "These can take the form of pre-charged batteries, available for rent for long trips, or small trailers, and provide the energy needed to travel several hundred additional kilometers [4]. This is an alternative solution well-suited to infrequent long-distance use of personal electric vehicles and one that can prove to be highly environmentally friendly;
• In the longer term, hydrogen-powered electric vehicles (using carbon-free hydrogen), whose range will be comparable to that of current internal-combustion vehicles, but whose technical and economic viability is better suited to very intensive use (primarily due to cost)

Without prejudging the government’s intentions regarding how to develop charging infrastructure, the importance of taking a nuanced approach and adapting on a case-by-case basis supports the idea of plans that are more localized than those at the national level. Could the decentralization recently mentioned by the President of the Republic also apply to plans for the deployment of electric vehicle charging stations?

Article written by Stéphane Amant (Senior Manager) and Nicolas Meunier (Consultant) stephane.amant@carbone4.comnicolas.meunier@carbone4.com

Sources: [1] Ministry of the Economy [2] Avere France [3] University of California [4] EP Tender