ELECTRIC CARS AGAINST INCREASING CLIMATE CHANGE AND LARGE ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION
According to a report by APE-MPE, recent extreme weather events around the world highlight the dangers of energy security posed by climate change. This means that electric cars will have to deal with increased climate change and high electricity consumption during periods of extreme temperatures. These challenges underscore the urgent need for strong and well-designed policies and large investments to improve electricity supply and distribution systems. Heatwaves around the world and unusually long droughts are warnings of what to expect, as the planet overheats with negative consequences in all areas of everyday life.
Many countries around the world have announced ambitious targets for achieving zero emissions in the automotive sector and are seeking to step up efforts to switch to clean energy. The IEA’s recent Global Roadmap for zero emissions to cars in 2050 makes it clear that achieving this goal will require much more electricity and much cleaner electricity from Renewable Energy Sources. Thus, electricity touches on other sectors such as transport (eg electric vehicles, trucks), buildings (eg heat pumps) and industry. As the role of clean electricity in the economy expands and fossil fuels dwindle, renewable electricity sources are becoming increasingly important. Especially when electricity is called upon to meet the increased demand for electric cars, boosting consumption and often bringing power supply systems to their limits.
An IEA report points out that there will be an increase in electric vehicle sales over the past decade and that this could be further accelerated if governments implement policies aimed at achieving zero emissions. In the global car industry, despite the fact that the whole industry was facing a pandemic, the market for electric cars has grown by more than 40% and is well on its way. More than 3 million electric cars took to the streets in 2020, up 41% from the previous year, when the global car market shrank by 16% in 2020. Last year ‘s increase brought more than 10 million cars to the streets worldwide, with about another million electric trucks, heavy trucks and buses. For the first time last year, Europe overtook China in the electric car market. Electric car registrations in Europe more than doubled to 1.4 million, while in China they rose by 9% to 1.2 million vehicles.
The automakers put into production 370 models of electric cars in 2020, an increase of 40% on an annual basis. Eighteen of the 20 largest automakers have announced intentions to further increase the number of models available and increase production of electric light vehicles. These automakers account for 90% of all global car sales. The IEA report emphasizes that the shift of the road transport sector to electric vehicles extends beyond cars. Sustainable transport in cities today also involves motorcycles and tricycles, such as motorcycles and mopeds, with more than 25 million sales worldwide, with the largest volume taking place in Asia. City buses have also been electrified, as have trucks, with sales steadily increasing as battery performance has improved and driving range has been extended. All this presupposes a good energy supply system.
Investments in this area must be continuous and substantial. At the same time, the tendency of customers to charge their cars at times when demand is low (for example at night) should be cultivated, while their logic should also focus on the fact that they should give excess energy to the whole system (as in peak hours) helping the whole aggravated situation and at the same time saving some income from their electric vehicle during the hours they do not use it.