Not Just Another Car: The Rise of EV's & a New Relationship between Driver and Vehicle

22 February 2012 | BERC News

By Inga Chen

Gone are the days that electric vehicles are only for hippie environmentalists. A new breed of EV's is on the rise – “affordable luxury” cars with telematics, beautiful LED touchscreen control panels connected to the cloud, in-vehicle WiFi, heightened safety, and whatever else EV car designers can dream of. With these new features comes a redefinition of the relationship between driver and vehicle that could resemble our intimate relationship with smartphones. 

In addition to new safety and connectivity features, electric vehicles are also among the first to harvest big data on automobiles and driving habits. Built-in GPS battles range anxietyby informing the driver how far the car battery can last and where the nearest charging stations are. On the supply side, utilities are now able to receive real-time sensor data about EV battery chargethrough the cloud so they can effectively manage electricity demand.

Regulation and financing are gradually picking up speed to match the upswing in EV’s this year. Nevada just became the first state to approve self-driven cars, a move that makes Google’s self-driven Toyota Prius a lawful reality. BMW and Audi are working on similar models. Audi is experimenting with lasers that detect obstacles for active emergency braking, as well as photo mix sensors for all-weather night vision. To amp up safety, Audi is also prototyping a self-parking car with sensors that warn drivers whether it is safe to exit the car. For mobile connectivity, Audi is testing an external cellular antenna that would communicate with a smartphone’s NFC chip for “2 to 3 bars more” of connection.

In addition to reducing traffic by inefficient drivers, computer-driven cars could be the safer, more convenient alternative to manually driven cars. Though drivers are still responsible for what the car does, they are allowed to text and drive and will have less of a chance of getting pulled over by the cops. The time usually lost to commute could be used for something productive, especially as in-vehicle wireless and mobile connectivity become mainstream.

Despite transforming the relationship between cars and their drivers into a story of convenience and connectivity, electric vehicle companies are not without risk. Some struggle, and some fail. As a nascent sector, electric vehicles are exposed to both technology risk with battery storage and speed, and market risk, in convincing the general public to overcome stereotypes of driving electric as “expensively earth-friendly.” Battery companies and their financing fluctuate with the launch (or recall) of EV's, as evidenced by the drop in stock prices of battery maker A123 on news that Fisker Automotive lost its remaining $339M DOE loan and closed shop on a plug-in EV factory.

Nonetheless, more chemical companies, traditional battery manufacturers and automotive parts suppliers are venturing into EV battery tech as the industry is set to launch 14 new electric vehicles in 2012, standardized on a single charger (technically, three different voltages of a single charger). In its third acquisition of battery technologies in two months, German chemical company BASF announced today that it acquired Merck KGaA's electrolytes business for high-performance lithium ion batteries. 

Tesla, Fisker and others are contributing to a growing car trend that marries luxury with affordability, traditionally mutually exclusive concepts. Last Thursday, Haas Alum and Fisker Board Member David Anderson showcased the 2012 Fisker Karma in the Haas courtyard. As competition heats up among EV manufacturers, Anderson brought the plug-in hybrid sports sedan to Haas on the same day that Tesla launched the Model X Electric SUV, which brings eco and luxury to the perennial soccer-mom minivan.

Intimating the relationship between the car and its driver may just be the answer to jumpstarting widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Instead of a necessary evil, commuting can be enjoyable, or at least productive, with in-vehicle wireless connectivity. EV owners can be proud to drive a luxurious, faster-than-a-Porsche-911-Carrera car that also happens to be environmentally friendly. Articles like “Is Tesla the Next Apple?” are encouraging signs for the EV industry. At the very least, expect to hear more previously unimaginable phrases tossed around, such as, “sleek minivan.”