According to new data from the Electric Vehicle Council, the future looks bright for EV adoption in Australia. The Council reported in October that EVs now represent 3.39 per cent of all vehicle sales – a 65 per cent increase on 2021. This increase is despite new vehicle availability not meeting consumer demand. Add to this new federal legislation to encourage electric vehicle adoption, and a steady increase in vehicle supply, and we can expect these figures to rise month-on-month.
As more EVs hit the road, it is important to consider how supporting technologies such as on dash software experiences, and home management applications, will need to advance to support growth – especially as the needs of drivers, owners and fleet operators evolve. Range anxiety, disparate upfront cost and uncertainties around resale value are the primary challenges impacting EV adoption today, but as they fade and the market matures, new challenges will arise.
Thankfully, technology can help us to predict and address the next generation of EV challenges before they get here. Based on our analysis, these are four key focus areas to ensure Australia’s ongoing EV transition is a success.
Adding network intelligence to the grid
According to a recent report by Deloitte, 76 per cent of Australians plan to charge their EVs at home. This is in line with global trends, including in the United States, where approximately 70-80% of charging occurs at home or at a workplace parking lot (EV Council, 2021).
As the number of EVs grows, so too will demand for power – putting additional stress on the electricity grid at peak consumption times. The reality of balancing demand for electricity was recently seen in China where EV charging was restricted in response to an unprecedented heatwave. Smart charging trials, by companies including AGL, are already underway in Australia. Smart charging allows a third party to remotely manage electric car charging timing in the home on behalf of the owner. If these charging sessions are unmanaged, a plugged in vehicle will consume energy at a constant rate until it is unplugged. Smart charging can either reduce the charge, for a given period, or delay charging. For EV owners, this helps to reduce charging costs by drawing on off-peak electricity rates or solar generated power during daylight hours. For utility companies, smart charging allows them to balance EV charging times with the demand for electricity across the grid.
Ongoing EV adoption will require a new generation of software and hardware which enables management of both vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home charging and energy use.
Making journeys seamless
As drivers adapt to the practicalities of using or owning an EV, we can expect a new focus on the ‘EV experience’ to emerge. There are already early signs of this with a rise in more and more sophisticated charge location finders and charge management applications, but we can expect a broader focus on journey planning to emerge. In direct contrast to driving an EV today, which may require multiple apps to access directions, locate charging points and to visualise vehicle data, future applications will consolidate data into a single seamless platform or app.
To provide the best user experience, these solutions will need to integrate with personal smartphones and vehicle systems and software – incorporating many parameters including driving preferences through to vehicle health. This transition will require OEMs and phone manufacturers to develop complementary, open software and applications and to build for an ecosystem focused on delivering the optimal driver experience.
Moving towards intelligent maintenance
With fewer components compared to their petrol-powered counterparts, maintenance for an EV is significantly reduced, but not eliminated. For fleets and consumers, EV maintenance will require new types of intelligent monitoring and management, to assess the health of components, including batteries – remotely. Using sophisticated networks of sensors to collect real-time data these systems will focus on maximising the efficiency of components and determining their true remaining useful life (RUL). Car vitals will become a new category of information able to determine when components require replacement before they fail – reducing breakdowns on the road. This data will also support trust and transparency in the emerging second-hand EV market.
Simplifying payment and home-business charging
EVs present new opportunities for fleets and business users, but they also present unique challenges – especially when it comes to charging. More specifically, who pays and how. The norm is that employees do not pay for fuel, but the reality will soon see more work vehicles charged by employees at home. Fleets will need a way to track energy consumption and reimburse the associated expense. Software such as Exploren makes it possible to differentiate between specific charging sessions and make fleet home charging a more seamless experience, but this technology is still in its infancy. In the future we will need agnostic systems and processes which provide a seamless charging and payment experience – irrespective of the location or infrastructure used by a driver or employee.
The Australian market will take some time to find its feet, but over the next few years we can expect clear trends to arise. These trends will highlight what is most critical for EV owners, fleet operators and energy providers. To succeed, all parties including technology companies, will need to focus on addressing these opportunities and challenges through the development of personalised, cohesive and seamless solutions and applications.
