Paris Is Electrified

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

At the Paris Motor Show, everything revolves around the topic of alternative drives. Above all, the manufacturers offer themselves a demonstration of electric and hybrid models.

Paris is electrified. At the Paris Motor Show this year everything revolves around electric drives, hybrid models and battery technology. The rapid rise in gasoline prices and the discussion about the introduction of carbon dioxide limit values for cars in Europe are shaking the previous foundations of mobility and forcing the major manufacturers to rethink. Everything that has a reputation in the industry will be presented at the industry get-together on the Seine from October 2 to 19, so alternative drive concepts will be on display. But most carmakers are still a long way from being ready for series production. “So far, that's all just theory. There are still many unanswered questions,”says Andrea Gärtner from the ADAC technology center in Landsberg.

Tesla with a pure electric car

So far, only a few manufacturers have all-electric cars on offer, including the small US company Tesla. The Tesla Roadster power almost 7000 interconnected laptop batteries. The acceleration is considerable, but so is the price of almost 100,000 euros. The electric speedsters from the big manufacturers, on the other hand, are still in their infancy. Daimler has been rolling battery-powered Smarts through the streets of London for some time, and Berlin is to follow suit in 2010. BMW is testing an electric version of the Mini and Volkswagen does not want to stand back and is planning a series electric vehicle for 2010.

However, the Wolfsburg-based company does not anticipate a rapid advance in technology. "It will take another 20 to 25 years for electric cars to have double-digit market shares," Jürgen Leohold, Head of VW Group Research, recently clarified. There are still major problems with range, costs and production capacities for high-energy batteries. The ADAC also refers to the supply problem. A network of charging stations would have to be set up first. Another question is where the electricity for the electric cars comes from. With wind power, the energy balance is right, with hard coal things look different.

New technology takes time

It will be some time before the streets are actually populated by electric cars. “We won't all be driving electric in five years. That is utopian,”says Andreas Jossen, for example, a specialist in battery system technology at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Ulm. Initially, therefore, hybrids, i.e. a mixture of gasoline and electric motors, should make their way onto the streets.

Toyota pushed ahead with its Prius years ago, but now almost all manufacturers are active in this area. In Paris, for example, BMW is presenting a hybrid version of its new 7 Series. So far, however, the electric motors have often only had a supporting function. The next step is likely to be so-called plug-in hybrids, which run short distances purely electrically and can also be charged at the socket. A combustion engine switches on for longer journeys. The Chevy Volt planned by General Motors, for example, falls into this category.

The main sticking point at the moment is still the energy storage, says battery expert Jossen. Lithium-ion batteries, such as those already used in cell phones and laptops, are likely to win the race here. Here, the developers struggled with three main problems: safety, costs and battery life. “The main concern at the moment is the lifespan. The battery in the Tesla Roadster, for example, won't last longer than four years."

The costs can be got under control, says Jossen. The rule of thumb for the price is currently: around 1000 euros per kilowatt hour. "However, plug-in hybrids or purely electric vehicles need far more energy." For a city vehicle like the Smart, 15 kilowatt hours would be required, for larger vehicles even 40 to 50 kilowatt hours. This is not realistic at current prices. "If you can't do that, you will find it extremely difficult to market electric vehicles." In his opinion, the mark of 300 euros per kilowatt hour should be undercut. "Then it gets interesting." This brand is only possible with corresponding mass production. "You can tell from the laptop batteries." (dpa / tmn)