Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Electric vehicles: Can 'lightweighting' combat range anxiety?
Electric car sales, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles (PHEVs), exceeded 10 million in 2022, up 55% relative to 2021. The number grew
to around 14 million in 2023, but the growth rate slowed down to around 34%. China
drove the EV market and sold nearly nine million EVs, or around 40% of new car
sales last year. However, the shift to EVs isn’t occurring as fast as the
industry people expected even though the price gap between electric and gas-powered
vehicles has been narrowing. Besides the sticker price, those who are reluctant
to switch to EVs are concerned about the lack of charging infrastructure, longer
charging time, and shorter driving range compared with the ones of conventional
vehicles. One way to extend the driving distance per charge is to put a larger
capacity battery. However, it adds more weight and cost. Another way is to
reduce the weight of the vehicle, which improves the efficiency of battery use.
There are many parts and devices in a car, such as cables, audio speakers, and the
battery itself, and car manufacturers and their suppliers are working on making
those things lighter to drive the car longer. But what about the weight of the
driver and the passengers? While the seating capacity is set by the car
manufacturer, the total weight in the vehicle differs so much by the driver,
family, and nationality.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how light-weighting works
for EVs.
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