Electric Vehicle Technologies: Renewable Energy for the Road

Electric Vehicle Technologies: Renewable energy for the road traces electric vehicle technology from its beginnings through the current state-of-the-art and onwards to future possibilities. Bringing together insights from technical and commercial perspectives, this book is collated and written by two experts - one a pioneer in the field of EV whose career spans decades of design and development, the other a highly experienced technical specialist in EV drive system and megawatt rapid charge system design.

The first chapter addresses the fundamental principles and strategies of EV design and development. Additional chapters provide important historical context, covering the development of the first all-electric and hybrid vehicles, discussing their advantages, limitations, and how they paved the way for future progress in EV. This concludes with the invention of the lithium-ion battery; discussing the transformative impact of this breakthrough on EV research.

The second part of the book addresses the current state of the EV industry and recent advances in research, with case studies on Tesla, Formula-E and the role of government policies in driving EV development in China. A chapter is devoted to rapid charge infrastructure, and the role of renewable energy is also discussed, including its inherent intermittency challenges and current and future energy storage solutions.

The final chapters of the book look to the future of EV, covering the near- and long-term future of lithium-ion batteries, fuel cell technologies and the potential prospects of the hydrogen economy, as well as touching on more speculative possibilities such as fusion energy.

This book is a valuable and fascinating resource for anyone working on the development of EV technologies who wishes to gain insights into the underlying trends and drivers in this field.