Electromobility has rapidly entered our daily lives, offering new opportunities and solutions for more sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviour.

The number of electric vehicles in traffic is growing faster, and public confidence in electric cars is also growing. There is a gradual change in habits and a move towards the choice of electric cars for both family and business needs.

How fast is electromobility entering our daily lives?

The electricity generators association Eurelectric has stated that the fastest electrification is expected in the passenger car segment, reaching 93% by 2050, while electrification in the transport sector as a whole is expected to reach at least 63% by 2050. Inventories of electric cars have also grown rapidly in recent years, reaching one million units in 2020. The largest number of new electric cars was registered in Germany, France and Sweden in 2020, while they are still relatively low in Central Europe, with the highest penetration rates in Northern Europe.

The use of electric vehicles increases worldwide, and it is natural that it also happens in Latvia. Although their number in traffic is currently small, it is growing rapidly. There are currently 1,559 electric cars registered in Latvia, which is 26% more than at the beginning of the year, and their number has doubled compared to the beginning of 2020.

Public attitudes are also improving: 82% of Latvians support the use of electric cars, and one in four plans to replace the current fuel-consuming car with an electric car in the coming years. At the same time, as the number of both electric cars and charging points grow, the development of electromobility is accelerating.

Europe has set ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Statistical data show that in 2018, 28.6% of GHG emissions in Latvia were generated by transport. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development is currently planning to implement support measures for the purchase of low-emission and zero-emission vehicles, as a specialised auctioning instrument has been available in Latvia for a long time, aimed exclusively at achieving climate policy goals. The planned funding is 10 million EUR, which could be available from the beginning of 2022 until the end of 2023. The final beneficiaries will be individuals – residents – state and municipal institutions, state and municipal capital companies.

The European Green Deal states that every family in Europe should be able to use an electric vehicle without having to worry about the location of the next charging station. It is expected that by 2025 there will be at least one million charging points in the European Union instead of the current ~174 thousand, however in Latvia their number will be at least 1,000 in five years and 3,600 in 10 years.

Already this year, the number of public charging points will exceed 250 ports. Last year we saw the fastest increase in the number of electric car models, and it is expected that even more new electric car models will enter the market in the coming years. All the leading car manufacturers have announced ambitious plans to develop the production of various electric cars – from small city cars to sports models. Although the purchase price of new electric cars is high, some forecasts suggest that the cost of producing new batteries will continue to fall by 58% by 2030, so that the price of electric cars and internal combustion engines could level out in the coming years.

How to choose the most suitable electric car

In the past, it could be said that it was almost impossible to find the right electric car for your needs, but now the number of models is growing rapidly. How to choose the most suitable car for you in the wide offer? First of all, we recommend that you evaluate what the electric car will be used for and what are the daily travel habits: how much distance is covered by the car on a daily basis?

Electric cars registered in Latvia travel on average from 13,000 to 21,000 km per year, or a distance that is commensurate with the distance travelled by internal combustion cars. Research shows that the absolute majority or 93% of Riga and Pierīga drivers measure a route that does not exceed 100 km on a daily basis, including more than half or 66% – only 50 km. On the other hand, the distance travelled on holidays increases only slightly – mainly at the expense of residents who drive 50 to 200 km by private car. So we can conclude that the electric car is perfectly suited to meet such daily use needs.

Identifying needs and habits allows you to not only prepare for the transition from an internal combustion engine car to an electric car, but also to choose the most suitable electric car model for your needs. Before buying an electric car, it is necessary to clarify several issues:

• How often do you use a car?
• How far do you drive on a typical working day?
• How often do you make longer trips and how far are they?
• When, where and for how long is the car parked?
• Is it possible to charge an electric car at the house?
• Can the car be charged at work?
• Where are the nearest public charging points?

Not everyone needs an off-road model and not everyone can use a compact car. If you drive around the city on a daily basis, a small electric car may be more suitable. On the other hand, if it is used by the whole family or the company has a certain specificity – an electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) may be suitable.

When choosing an electric car model, it is also important to choose a battery with a suitable capacity, which ensures autonomy or total mileage with one full charge. Initially, a logical conclusion could be: the larger the battery, the greater the autonomy (but also the higher the purchase price of the car). If you drive around the city on a daily basis, a smaller battery may be enough. On the other hand, if you travel regularly outside the city limits and cover longer distances on a daily basis, a larger capacity battery may be more suitable.

Yet it also may not be so – one should assess the capacity of a battery based not only on the driving habits, but also on the availability of charging options. The question to start with: Where will the electric car be charged? At home, at work, at public charging stations? Cars spend 95% of their time being parked, and this downtime should also be used for charging. If you have easy access to charging in your day-to-day life, get a smaller battery, and if the charging options don’t leave too much room for mobility, get one with more capacity.

Regardless of the electric car model you choose, it must meet your everyday needs, so when buying an electric car, you must take into account not only the aesthetics of the car, but also the researched daily driving habits and charging options.

Development and solutions for electric car charging

Various technologies are available for charging electric cars. The most common solution, which is also supported by most electric car models, is charging via AC/DC via a wired connection. A wireless solution is still being studied, for example, in highway applications. On the other hand, battery replacement is suitable in some cases where speed is critical, such as in car racing.

Alternating current (AC) is available in the household electrical network, while many electrical appliances use direct current (DC) to ensure their operation. Charging an electric car battery also requires direct current, so the alternating current flowing in the mains must be converted to direct current. In the case of alternating current, the conversion of current from alternating current to direct current takes place in the charging device built into the electric car. Therefore, the charging speed of electric cars is affected not only by the electricity connection capacity, but also by the capacity of the built-in charger.

In turn, in direct current or rapid charging stations, an electric car is charged with direct current (DC), meaning that the conversion of alternating current into direct current takes place not in the charging device built into the electric car, but the charging station itself acts as a current converter. As a result, a DC charging station can charge an electric car battery several times faster.

We often hear that we need more fast charging stations. But is this always the best solution? In most cases, no, different stations are suitable for different needs. Studies show that up to 80% of charges will take place at home or in private car parks, while the remaining 20% will take place in a public space during the day. In the daily mode, when we cover 100 to 150 km a day, needs will be fully met by alternating current or slow and medium-fast charging solutions. They will also be cheaper at other times. On the other hand, fast charging stations serve the needs of longer journeys when we want to charge more energy in a shorter period of time, therefore the charging service will also be more expensive.

As the mileage of an electric car increases, so does the capacity of the batteries that need to be charged. From a household socket with a capacity of up to 3.6 kilowatts (kW) during one night, for example, in 10 hours, the battery can be charged to 36 kilowatt hours (kWh). So, if the electric car battery is 40 kWh or less, then such a solution may be appropriate. But if the battery is 64 kWh or more, only half or less of the battery's capacity can be charged in 10 hours or at night. Keep in mind, obviously, that we don’t use up the entire battery charge every day.

If the electric car needs to be charged faster and the appropriate connection capacity is available in the home, a special charging device or Wallbox can be used for charging. Such a device will ensure that electrical network connection capacity is used for charging, so it will be possible to charge an electric car at least twice as fast. First of all, everyone has to know their own driving habits and the required amount of charging, for example, an electric car with a large battery does not need to be charged every day – depending on the driving habits, it is possible to do it every other day, etc. The challenge for the next stage of development, which Elektrum is currently working on, is to expand the charging service options and user functionality, as well as to provide connections in urban and suburban areas, in highly populated areas where the charging infrastructure is not yet developed, meaning the centre, work, entertainment, sports and shopping venues, as well as residential areas and possible park and ride transport assembly points. This not only refers to Riga, but also other cities in Latvia.

Closing

Every family or business transfer to an electric car today makes our cities quieter and cleaner. Electromobility, on the one hand, tends to solve the problem of high emissions in Latvian transport, on the other hand, anyone who drives or has tried an electric car will agree that such movement is convenient, quiet and dynamic.

Developing the infrastructure of the electric car charging network, Elektrum will ensure that it is still possible to charge your car conveniently, quickly, in an advanced way and with green, environmentally friendly energy.