How does this work in an electric vehicle?

Gasoline and diesel vehicles have been discontinued and replaced by electric vehicles worldwide to ensure that they can meet their commitment to zero human carbon emissions by 2050. One solution is a battery swapping system. The drained battery can be replaced with a fully charged battery, allowing electric vehicle drivers to return to the road faster than they’re full of gasoline. Lumbumba Taty-Etienne Nyamayoka is a researcher and holds a PhD. Candidate for the future Electrical Energy Technology Research Group at Witwatersrand University. His research looked into the best ways to set up a battery replacement system with solar and wind energy.

What are the battery limits for electric vehicles?

Electric vehicle batteries have limited driving ranges depending on the type of vehicle, battery capacity, and usage conditions. Their charging times are very slow. Charging at home is much slower to charge at public charging stations for longer than it takes to refuel a traditional car. Additionally, electric vehicle charging stations in South Africa are not as widespread as gas stations.

Battery performance also decreases with age and use. This means that if the vehicle is capable of using a new battery, it will not be able to travel up to 500 km on a single charge or reach speed speed. The older the battery, the longer it takes to charge. Batteries can also be affected by extreme heat or cold. Thermal management systems that protect this are expensive.

Electric car batteries are expensive. In South Africa, it costs between R100,000 and R400,000 (USD 5,630 to USD 22,523), while gasoline batteries cost just 3,500 (USD 197). Prices are falling, but the high costs are still unpleasant.

Finally, the battery pack of an electric vehicle weighs an average of 454kg, taking up 100 to 200 liters of space inside the vehicle, depending on the model. This is a problem for small cars.

How do battery swapping stations in electric vehicles help?

Instead of stopping on a long trip to spend hours charging the car’s battery, the driver simply drives to the swapping station to get a new battery. This is very quick and easy. Especially since delivery bikes, trucks, buses or taxis need to be on the street all day. (Battery replacement stations must hold batteries of multiple types and ages so that the driver can replace the batteries with batteries of the same age and quality.)

Battery swapping stations are also useful for electric vehicle owners as they do not use fast charging methods that generate high heat and strain the batteries. Instead, the station slowly charges the electric vehicle’s batteries offsite. This increases the battery life.

Several battery replacement stations have already been established in Africa in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa, but are more common in China, the US and Taiwan.

In fact, battery replacement stations can help grow the electric vehicle market by giving you confidence that buying an electric vehicle can always be recharged.

Where is the wind and solar power?

Battery swapping stations should be equipped with wind and solar renewable energy systems so that drivers do not charge the electricity produced by burning coal into environmentally friendly electric vehicles. Today, just over 74% of South Africa’s electricity is produced through coal burning.

My research found that a renewable energy system consisting of 64 wind turbines and 402 solar panels could be mounted on moderately sized swapping stations.

To set one of these ups below R2 million rand ($112,000 USD). In my case study, this amount covers the total lifecycle cost. This includes lifelong initial capital investment, installation, operation and maintenance, and replacement costs for the 20-25-year system. Different sized battery swapping stations cost different amounts.

These costs could be recovered by investors within five and a half years based on expected energy savings and operating revenues from 50-200 swaps per day. After the payback period, the system generates profits by continuing cost reductions in electricity, revenue from electric vehicle users, and making money by supplying electricity to the grid.

Hybrid Wind Solar Batteries store the power generated by replacing the battery storage system and station. It is technically and economically feasible.

Few people drive electric cars in South Africa. Do you really need a battery replacement station?

Electric vehicle battery swapping stations are necessary from an early planning perspective and infrastructure development perspective. Electric car intake is still growing, but it is gaining momentum in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.

For example, major South African couriers and trucking companies are beginning to convert truck fleets into electricity.

The number of minibus taxis and buses on roads in South Africa contributes significantly to urban air pollution, particularly in densely populated areas. If this market starts using electric vehicles, they will need a battery replacement station to stay on the road all day.

Now, South Africa will be building an ecosystem of electric vehicles to keep it aligned with the national energy targets without putting resources in early, but make sure it’s ready when demand accelerates.

What needs to happen next?

You need to build a demo project for 64 wind turbines and 402 solar panels. This should be tested over various periods to see how wind and solar battery storage systems work in different weather conditions.

The government must also make future predictions about the components of the battery storage system, their lifespan, and the costs of tariffs that could become more expensive. This data can help guide investors.

Advanced forecasting technologies (such as machine learning and time series models) are required to predict load demand and renewable generation. This can be used to improve the model.

You should create a policy to see how tax credits, subsidies, and carbon credits can be used to enable businesses to set up battery swapping stations.

Regulations are also needed to encourage electric vehicle charging stations to be based on hybrid wind and solar renewable energy.

Battery swapping systems don’t need to be deployed nationwide anytime soon. Instead, a step-by-step approach can focus on where electric vehicle activities are most concentrated.

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