Honk, if You’re Driving Green This Earth Day
We need to keep recognizing the necessity of reducing our reliance on gasoline-powered transportation as we mark Earth Day in April. If the pandemic offered any benefits, it was to the environment. By suspending global transport and enforcing resident lockdowns due to the pandemic, the environment was able to briefly reset.
Carbon monoxide emissions were reduced by 50% because of these mandates. Water pollution shrank or completely stopped on the beaches of Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Maldives. The Grand Canal of Italy turned clear, and the reappearance of many aquatic species returned due to clear waters and the absence of sediment resuspension caused by lack of boat traffic.
Let the green revolution begin
Invest In Our Planet is this year’s theme for Earth Day. The focus is on accelerating solutions to combat our greatest threat, climate change, and to activate everyone—governments, citizens, and businesses—to do their part. EarthDay.Org president Kathleen Rogers says, “Unlike other historic economic revolutions, this time there are two additional imperatives: the first is to save ourselves from the climate crisis, and the second is to build new green economies in every country so that everyone can share in the benefits from this green revolution. This will only be done if we invest in our planet’s future together.”1
Electric vehicles (EVs) have the potential to substantially reduce carbon emissions and pave the way for considerable climate progress and reshape the transportation industry. EV sales growth topped the global car market in 2021, up 26% over the previous year. These numbers reflect car buyers are starting to feel more at ease transitioning from gas to electric. EV sales are expected to reach 6.4 million units sold globally this year, despite COVID-19 and component shortages, according to estimates.2 As a result of the growing market, there are now over 10,000 alternative fueling stations available for EVs in the U.S.3
Innovation in the e-transportation industry
In celebration of Earth Day, we’re proud to highlight the work of our sustainably minded EV customers and other e-mobility innovators who are investing in our planet through technology.
Electric Vehicles
The demand for greener vehicles has led to new innovations for personal and commercial use like Lucid Motors and Proterra. Lucid Motors is an EV company that manufactures the fastest-charging luxury EV in the world. Smartly designed with fluid form, their Lucid Air luxury EV offers seamlessly sculptured autonomous driving and proximity sensors to help drivers park and detect if too close to an object. Lucid Motors believes they’re developing EV innovation that makes the most responsible use of the earth’s resources.
Proterra leads the design and manufacturing of zero-emission electric transit vehicles and EV technology solutions for commercial applications. Proterra’s battery technology powers not only their best-selling transit bus but also school buses, delivery trucks, coach buses, and shuttles. As more major cities transition to 100% electric fleets, Proterra EVs have become the most popular electric buses on the road in North America.
Electrification in mobility is gathering pace, demanding the reinvention of strategies, product design, and supply chains. In terms of lowering greenhouse gas emissions, e-mobility represents a ray of hope. Individual mobility is one of modern society’s essential demands, and e-mobility driven by renewable energy will be a key component of smart and environmentally sustainable urban living.
Bidirectional Charging
Bidirectional (two-way) charging allows energy to flow in both directions: from the grid to the automobile, and from the car to the grid (V2G) or to your home (V2H). When opposed to standard one-way chargers that can only power your automobile, this represents a significant advancement in charging technology. Due to its expensive costs and large size, this technology was previously only used in limited trial projects.
Bidirectional chargers are becoming more affordable, compact, and efficient because of significant advancements, making them ideal for household use. Greater electric vehicles equal more energy usage and, eventually, more strain on our power infrastructure. By converting EV batteries into energy storage locations that may be used to balance and settle energy needs, bidirectional charging helps to tackle this problem.
E-Bikes
The pandemic boosted e-bike sales by 145% from 2019 to 2020, more than double the rate of classic bikes, according to the market research firm NPD Group. With the potential to transform urban transit across the globe, advancements in e-bike technology are being led by companies like Rad Power Bikes and VanMoof. Both companies are developing unique innovations, from longer-lasting batteries, commuter, or off-road designs, lighter-weight frames, and built-in antitheft capabilities, to fatter tires. Riders can get the benefits of a healthier and faster commute while reducing their carbon footprint.
Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Batteries
Many major automakers have invested in electric or hybrid vehicles since they are less expensive to operate and better for the environment. This is driving improvements on the limits of lithium-ion batteries (energy density and safety) as a solution for cleaner energy and renewable power. Researchers are working on ways to improve battery construction and electrode chemistry so batteries can hold more charge for a longer time.
FreeWire Technologies provides turnkey power solutions that deliver energy whenever and wherever it’s needed for reliable electrification beyond the grid. FreeWire offers the only commercially available battery-integrated fast EV charging solution in the U.S with a proprietary lithium-ion battery pack. Their latest Boost Charger™ 150, is an update to its flagship battery-integrated ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charger that improves charging speeds by 25%, while still requiring no utility upgrades. The Mobi EV Charger product line offers mobile charging that can be quickly deployed to shift with the rapidly changing electric vehicle (EV) landscape.
Smart Charging
ChargePoint has invested, developed, and deployed a world-class portfolio of EV charging solutions across every vertical on two continents to create one of the world’s leading EV charging networks. With just one ChargePoint account, you can now charge across North America and Europe. The swift shift to electric mobility, according to ChargePoint, is critical to ensuring a sustainable future for everybody. Their business objective has remained the same—develop technology that will allow all people and products to move on electricity.
Norway has the highest density of electric vehicles in the world. Easee, Norway’s industry leader, is rapidly gaining market share in Europe, projecting 2 million in sales of electric car chargers by the end of 2022. The company’s rapid expansion in Norway and Northern Europe is owing to a rise in electric car sales and the development of smart chargers that charge safely, efficiently, and swiftly.
Winning the EV race
What do these companies have in common besides leading the EV and e-mobility industry? As manufacturers develop smarter and more sophisticated products, they’re leveraging advanced technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality (AR) bringing more complexity to the product design. Arena helps manage this information, accelerate new product introduction (NPI), and drive continuous product improvement with a single source of product truth.
Whether it be an extended driving range, improved charging options, or a new mode of e-transportation—EV manufacturers must address the ever-increasing demands of today’s consumers. Arena PLM can help you fast-track your innovation efforts and deliver superior e-transportation products fast.
Learn how cloud-based product lifecycle management (PLM) can help you bring environmentally compliant and ecologically responsible EV products to market and win the electric vehicle race.
Will you be driving electric this Earth Day? Share your favorite mode of e-transportation with us on social.
References:
Joseph Prock