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NEWS
Volkswagen expects 500km battery range by 2020
Plug-in technology a stop-gap solution due to fade away by end of the decadeAll-electric vehicle propulsion has long been considered the panacea to the motoring world's dependence on oil. But with current battery technology limited to less than 200km at the current time, the limitations placed on commuters, especially in countries like Australia, has made the uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEV) largely redundant.
But Volkswagen says we won't have to wait long until all-electric cars are a reality, and that a range of between 500 and 600km is possible by as early as 2020. Speaking at the French round of the WRC in Strasbourg this week, VAG head of powertrain development, Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser, told media outlets including motoring.com.au that the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology currently employed is merely a stop-gap on the way to all-electric mobility.
"[Plug-in hybrid technology] is completely a bridging technology [and] we have two bridging technologies," Dr Neusser explained.
"At one end there is plug-in hybrid technology and at the other is fuel cells, because both enlarge your operating range of the car when you have no recharging system available. When you have a recharging system it's the easiest way to plug in the car, to recharge the battery and to drive electric."
The explanation clarified what we know of the technology currently on offer, including Volkswagen's recently released plug-in Passat GTE (pictured). However, as VAG works to increase the energy density of its vehicle batteries, the supplementary internal combustion engine could in many markets be rendered obsolete.
"Battery [technology] makes the biggest steps in very short time frames. If you look at when we started with the e-mobility of the Golf, and you look now to the Passat, we have done the first step," continued Dr Nuessen.
"We have more energy density in the batteries [than before], and in 2015-16 will come the next step which means we come from 25-28 ampere hours (Ah) energy density to 36-37Ah. Now we are actually working on the next step to around 60Ah... with research will come a completely new electro-chemical chemistry inside the batteries, and this will come at the beginning of the next decade."
The insight shows how seriously manufacturers like Volkswagen are taking all-electric power. As stricter emission controls and emission-free cities become a reality, the only limitation that remains is matching the range expectations drivers have become accustomed to. But Dr Nuessen says a battery energy density of 60Ah will provide a range that meets the demands of most vehicle owners.
"We have to look to the e-Golf, which had an operating range of around 190km," said Dr Nuessen. "I expect the next generation in 2015-17 will increase to around 300km and the following step will be around 500-600km."
Of course increases in battery technology are all well and good, but the other side of the coin is that infrastructure must grow to meet the demand placed upon the electricity grid. The way power is sourced is also of concern, although Dr Nuessen says this, along with charging considerations, is already being addressed.
"It is dependent on different markets and countries, or how the infrastructure grows, because when you have such a high energy load inside the batteries, you need a very powerful recharging system" he explained.
"You can't recharge with 3.6kW (domestic power), it takes a very long time. You need minimum 50, 80 or perhaps even 90kW recharging power, and these are water-cooled recharging systems, very high performance recharging systems.
"But, people are working on this, and I expect it will come, but it takes a little bit of time until it's there. And we are free to continue with PHEV technology to bridge [the gap until] each country has time enough to bring their infrastructure this way."
Written byMatt Brogan
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